Posts Tagged royalty-free plays
Video: “A Nice, Relaxing Cup of Tea” in Ontario walking tour festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on January 15, 2014
There’s a fascinating theatre festival each year in Kitchener, Ontario that I’d love to see — it’s a walking tour festival where audience members are led around downtown to various venues, and theatre occasionally breaks out.
While I haven’t been there, some of my work has been. In 2013, the Asphalt Jungle Shorts program included my piece “Requiem for a Buzzard” — you can find photos here from the June production and here from the September reprise.
Now the Asphalt Jungle Shorts folks have unearthed this video from the 2009 production of my short piece, “A Nice, Relaxing Cup of Tea.” Here, Nicholas Cumming and Emma Dines perform the piece at The Kava Bean, directed by Robin Bennett.
Photos from staged reading of “Softball Is Life”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on January 7, 2014
Larsen (played by Emma Sala) gets ready to throw a softball through a hornet’s nest, under the glaring eye of Mr. Barnett (Patrick Kennerly), the hard-hearted science teacher and softball coach and the hopeful eye of Kristin Turner (Kelly Anglim), the soft-hearted principal who hopes the feat will show the coach the troublesome student has a gift.
My latest full-length script, “Softball Is Life,” had a very successful staged reading on January 4, 2014 at Showtimers community theatre in Roanoke, Virginia. Strong performances, strong turn-out, plus I came away with a list of small tweaks to make to the script.
My goal with “Softball Is Life” was to write a sports play for women. This isn’t really a sports play, though. Except for the opening scene, the entire play takes place outside softball season. It’s really about family relationships. A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter who shares her mother’s talent for pitching but doesn’t realize it. Instead, the girl lives in fear of the creepy boyfriend of the cousin she’s living with. The script is set mostly in 1994-95, with a few flashbacks to 1979.
Melora Kordos, former artistic director of Studio Roanoke who is now active in Lynchburg theatre, came to town to direct the reading.
* Stage directions: Vickie Haynie
* Kristin Turner, the school principal: Kelly Anglim
* Mr. Wellington, the school principal in 1979: Gary Reid
* Mr. Barnett, the science teacher/softball coach: Patrick Kennerly
* Linda Alderson, the former high school softball star now in prison: Heather Sexton
* Larsen Alderson, her 14-year-old daughter: Emma Sala
* Prison guard: Stevie Holcomb
* Squirrel, the creepy boyfriend of the cousin that Larsen is living with: James Honaker
I have video of the reading here with a complete photo gallery here.
Here are some key shots below: Read the rest of this entry »
Video: Staged reading of “Softball Is Life”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on January 7, 2014
A staged reading of my script “Softball Is Life” was held January 4, 2014 at Showtimers in Roanoke, Virginia. Here’s the video (reading was quite good, my video, not so much.)
Act 1 is above, Act 2 is below. Alas, the video cuts off in the final scene, so you miss the final minute or so.
From left to right:
* Vickie Haynie (stage directions), Heather Sexton (Linda, the former school softball star who is now in prison), Stevie Holcomb (prison guard), Patrick Kennerly (Mr. Barnett, the science teacher/softball coach), Kelly Anglim (high school principal), Emma Sala (Larsen, Linda’s daughter and an undiscovered phenom), Jeff Price (custodian), Gary Reid (Mr. Wellington, the former principal), and James Honaker (Squirrel, the creepy boyfriend of the cousin that Larsen is living with.)
Directed by Melora Kordos.
“On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas” called “a true gem”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on December 17, 2013
One of my Christmas plays, “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas,” was produced last week in Oregon at Santiam High School in Mill City.
This marks my sixth full-length script to be produced.
Director Bill Brown sends this account (and promises photos soon):
“It went very well. Many people commented on how funny the show was and all thoroughly enjoyed it . . . Thank you for the awesome opportunity to “test out” On the 13th Day of Christmas for you. It is a true gem.”
I have a synopsis — plus a list of my other full-length scripts that have been produced — here. As “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas” is unpublished, it remains available royalty-free.
“Softball Is Life” to have staged reading January 4
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on December 10, 2013
I’m thrilled to announce that my latest full-length script, “Softball Is Life,” will have a staged reading on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at Showtimers in Roanoke, Virginia.
Melora Kordos of Lynchburg will direct. The cast consists of Kelly Anglim, James Honaker, Stevie Holcomb, Patrick Kennerly, Jeff Price, Gary Reid, Emma Sala and Heather Sexton — an all-star cast of performers from the Roanoke Valley (with the exception of Jeff, who is an all-star performer from Lynchburg.)
This is a script I’m very excited about and was eager to see and hear how it works. I’m indebted to Showtimers for helping make this happen, and the talent cast and director for volunteering their time.
My goal was to write a sports play for women, although the result is somewhat different. Despite the title, this play isn’t really about sports; it’s about something else entirely. Relationships, I suppose you could say.
The quick synopsis goes like this: A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter, who shares her gift for pitching but doesn’t realize it. Instead, she is more concerned about protecting herself from the predatory boyfriend of the cousin she’s forced to live with.
Note: Some adult language and situations.
There is no sports action in the show (sports action always being hard to depict on stage, anyway.) The opening scene has the sounds of a softball game happening off-stage; after that, the play takes place entirely outside softball season. Some of it takes place in a women’s prison; some of it takes place around a Dumpster.
Cast of eight — three women, one teen-age girl, three men, and one non-gender role (the school custodian, which will be played here by Jeff Price.)
“57 Hours in the House of Culture” called “well-crafted” and “compelling”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on November 19, 2013
Just got one of the nicest rejection letters ever, this from a theatre in . . . well, let’s just say somewhere in the United States.
This was in reference to my full-length script “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” about the Moscow theatre siege.
And I quote:
“I did want to let you know that out of the 200 submissions we considered, 57 Hours in the House of Culture made a very strong impression and stayed on our shortlist until close the very end. It is a well-crafted story told in a compelling manner with characters that are diverse and strong. However, due to the larger cast size along with technical elements we felt were essential to telling this story correctly, we had to pass on it this year. However, we look forward to considering it again next year, along with any other work you submit in the future.”
The show was originally produced in May 2012 at Studio Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia. Here’s more on that production:
MORE ON “57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE”:
* Video: “57 Hours in the House of Culture” at Studio Roanoke in May 2012
* Backstage graffiti from the show
* Photos from the show
* Audience reaction to the show
* Review: “It ain’t ‘Oklahoma!'”
* Congressman Goodlatte attends the show
* Review: “Most interactive show I’ve seen”
* Media interviews about the show
* The set takes shape
* Rehearsal photos
* Rehearsal begins
* The poster for the show
Video of “Fishing for Men” at Gone in 60 Seconds Festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Uncategorized, Video on October 1, 2013
Here’s the video of my short piece “Fishing for Men,” as performed in this year’s Gone in 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays at Brooklyn College in New York.
This is not to be confused, of course, with the short film version of the same piece.
I also have still photos from the same production.
Video: “Fishing for Men”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Uncategorized, Video on September 30, 2013
In June, my short (and dark) piece “Fishing For Men” was performed in the annual Gone in 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays in New York. (You can find performance photos here.)
Producer Rose Bonczek asked if it would be OK if she had the piece turned into a short film to enter in the MSN/New York Television Festival Short Form Storytellers Challenge.
Naturally, I said “yes.”
Here’s the result. We didn’t win, alas, but I still like the film.
Earlier, I posted photos from the filming.
Anthony Ponzio was the director; Galyn Clarkson-Farrell was the crew.
Mickey Hart and Collin McConnell were the actors.
Audio of “Catch of the Day” on Falcon Radio Theatre
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Radio plays, Uncategorized on September 30, 2013
The radio station at Seattle Pacific University produced my one-act “Catch of the Day” as a radio play on April 23, 2013.
The audio is just now becoming available.
On that same show, Falcon Radio Theatre also produced one of my five-minute scripts, “Zucchini Are Planning to Take Over the World.”
CATCH OF THE DAY
A nervous mother is preparing to entertain her daughter and the daughter’s new boyfriend. She’s eager for the match to succeed. She’s instructed her husband to pick up some fish on the way home for dinner; he mistakenly acquires a fugu, a type of fish prized as a delicacy in Japan — but which is also highly poisonous, if improperly prepared. Naturally, the woman succeeds in poisoning the daughter and her boyfriend — sending them into a trance. Comedy ensues, while the pair are frozen in position through part of the play. Cast: Two males, two females. Running time: 30 minutes.
Here’s a list of audio to some of the other pieces I had on Falcon Radio Theatre:
* “The Angel of Brooklyn” (one-act)
* “Lucy” (one-act)
* “God and the Devil Meet for a Business Lunch” (ten-minute script)
* “Somewhere Tonight, the Washington Senators’ Last Game Plays On” (ten-minute script)
* “Cat and Dog” (five-minute script)
* “If Cats Had Lawyers” (five-minute script)
* “The Last Day of School” (five-minute script)
* “The Liberal Arts Pirates” (five-minute script)
* “The Secret Lives of Goldfish: Breakout!” (five-minute script)
* “The Secret Lives of Goldfish: Pirates!” (five minute script)
* “The Viking Funeral of Harold Olafson” (five-minute script)
Falcon Radio Theatre also did my one-act, “Occupations,” but there doesn’t seem to be audio available of it.
“Requiem for a Buzzard” is reprised in Ontario
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on September 27, 2013
Photo by Paddy Gillard-Bentley
My short piece “Requiem for a Buzzard” was produced this summer in Kitchener, Ontario as part of the Asphalt Jungle series. It’s an annual festival of outdoor theatre, in which the audience is taken on a walk around downtown and encounters short pieces of theatre at various venues.
The group is now holding a 10th anniversary festival — a “best of” its first decade, and I was honored to have “Requiem for a Buzzard” included. Artistic Director Paddy Gillard-Bentley shares this photo of the audience as it assembles at the staging point for my piece.
MORE ON THE BUZZARD PIECE:
* Photos from the June production
* Poster for the June production
REQUIEM FOR A BUZZARD
What do buzzards do when one of their own becomes roadkill? They say a few words of remembrance, then they eat him. Cast: Three, non-gender, but perhaps best as two male, one female.
This is one of many short pieces I have which are available royalty-free.
UPDATED: Here are some more photos from Paddy of the actual performance:
dwayneyancey 