Posts Tagged royalty-free scripts
Photos (and fan mail) from “The Other Side of Oz” in Montana
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on August 1, 2014
The cast of THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ.
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My show THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ plays this weekend in Billings, Montana, produced by the Backyard Theatre, which, true to its name, really is in somebody’s back yard.
This is my seventh full-length script I’ve had produced. This isn’t a single story, but rather a collection of short Oz-related scenes using characters in the public domain. All that, and my list of previous full-length productions, is detailed in this previous post.
My version is probably what you’d expect of my work: We have Dorothy on the psychiatrist’s couch, we have the sheriff complaining about dogs, we have Munchkin insurance adjusters going over the damage to the house — mostly in five-minute scenes.
I have the show poster and some rehearsal photos below but first, allow me to share this — fan mail! Yes, two young members of the cast (one of them 9, not sure about the other, but about the same) took the time to send me thank-you notes:
Dear Dwayne
Thank you. The show is very fun! I get to be Munchkin One in The Wizard Arrives in Oz and The Witch of the East in Sensible Shoes, I am also the munchkin in Horse of a Different Color. I am sending you some photos my mom took, the last photo is my Young Witch of the East hair and make up. Thank you for writing such a fun and awesome play. I hope I get to work with you again.
Thanks
hello my name is ****** I just wanted to thank you for the script for the other side of oz I played the young witch of the west and a munchkin I really enjoyed it its an awesome script you did a great job writing it!
once again thank you
sincerely,
I’ve never gotten fan mail from cast members before!
Lots of photos below:
The show poster.
Glinda and Dorothy.
A Munchkin insurance adjuster.
You know who this is! The tin man!
I do believe that’s Toto in this scene!
The huckster professor and future wizard.
William Shields, Seja Foster, Micah Hornsby and Ryland Nelson go over a map of Kansas with the professor (Trevor Bionich).
Glinda.
Oh, now we have a bad witch, too! And Dorothy.
Dorothy and crew go to the horse racing track.
The complete set of photos is here. And here’s what the Billings Gazette said.
Photos from the cast party here.
Short script “Can I?” to be produced in Ontario in September
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on August 1, 2014
Just got word that my short script “Can I?” will be produced in September as part of Asphalt Jungle Shorts XI, an annual walking-tour theatre festival in Kitchener, Ontario.
Performances dates are Sept. 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27th.
This is a site-specific festival, where patrons sign up for a walking tour and encounter theatres at various stops. “Can I?” is set in a restaurant.
CAN I?
A lesson in both grammar and assertiveness. A restaurant customer asks: “can I have the daily special?” A bossy waiter or waitress says “no.” Cast: Two, non-gender. Running time: Five minutes.
I’ve had pieces in this festival before. Here are some photos and video from previous ones:
* Photos from “Requiem for a Buzzard” in June 2013 and again in September 2013.
* Here’s video of “A Nice, Relaxing Cup of Tea” in 2009.
It joins this list of upcoming productions:
* August 1-3: THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ, full-length script, Backyard Theatre, Billings, Montana.
* August 16: THE FACE ON MARS, ten-minute play, Suffield Players, Suffield, Connecticut
* September 6: THE SKY IS FALLING, ten-minute play, Piano Fight Productions, Lagunitas (Marin County), California.
* September 18, 19,20, 25, 26, 27: CAN I?, five-minute script in Asphalt Jungle Shorts XI, Kitchener, Ontario.
* September 22-24: SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, Ghost Dog Productions, The Horse and Stables, London, UK.
* November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23: A MARTIAN WESTERN and DEMOTING PLUTO, one-acts, Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And here’s a partial list of productions this year:
“The Sky is Falling” to be produced in California in September
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on July 30, 2014
Here’s the show poster.
My ten-minute script THE SKY IS FALLING will be produced September 6 in Lagunitas, California (Marin County, just north of San Francisco) by a troupe with the wonderful name Piano Fight Productions.
It’s part of an outdoors show called “Roughin’ It,” although it can’t be too rough because it’s at the Paradise Healing Center, which is said to be “overlooking golden hills and nestled in the forest of West Marin.” Sounds pretty tranquil to me!
Here’s the synopsis. Note that it includes a rap song!
THE SKY IS FALLING
Two squirrels conduct an experiment, dropping things off a powerline. The result: Chicken Little gets hit on the head and thinks the sky is falling. Comedy — and a rap song — ensue. Cast: Five – 1 male, 1 female, 3 non-gender. Running time: Ten minutes.
It joins this list of upcoming productions:
* August 1-3: THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ, full-length script, Backyard Theatre, Billings, Montana.
* August 16: THE FACE ON MARS, ten-minute play, Suffield Players, Suffield, Connecticut
* September 6: THE SKY IS FALLING, ten-minute play, Piano Fight Productions, Lagunitas (Marin County), California.
* September 22-24, SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, Ghost Dog Productions, The Horse and Stables, London, UK.
* November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23: A MARTIAN WESTERN and DEMOTING PLUTO, one-acts, Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And here’s a partial list of productions this year:
British critic calls my work “absolutely fantastic” and “all-around brilliance”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized, Video on July 24, 2014
The Congleton Players in Congleton, England produced my short one-act REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY on July 18. It was one of five scripts out of 211 submitted to make the cut for the group’s annual festival.
If that’s not honor enough, theatre critic D.C. Wood had exceptionally kind words to say about my work. You can hear them for yourself in this video — they start at the 6:47 mark. You can also see photos from my show, and others.
Among the things the critic had to say:
* “This was all-around brilliance.”
* “Absolutely fantastic.”
* “Dwayne Yancey wrote a genuinely witty and sharp script.”
He ranked my show one of his two favorites — “it was so close, it could have gone either way” — and said he loved it so much “I personally don’t have any criticism of this play.”
In the end, the audience vote for best in show went to yet a different script. (Details on that about the 15-minute mark.)
Here’s the synopsis of the script:
REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY
A famous food critic visits a restaurant. The manager wants desperately to please him; the chef wants revenge. Dark comedy and slapstick ensues. Cast: Six — four male, two female. Running time: Fifteen minutes.
Thanks, Congleton!
You can find a more or less complete list of my productions this year here.
Here are the still photos from the show:
A famous food critic shows up at a restaurant, much to the chagrin of the staff.
Comedy ensues.
The end.
Ten-minute script “The Face on Mars” to be produced in Connecticut
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on July 18, 2014
The Suffield Players in Suffield, Connecticut will produce my ten-minute script THE FACE ON MARS on August 16 as part of a program of 10-minute scripts.
Here’s the synopsis:
THE FACE ON MARS
The supposed face on Mars? It was commissioned by a politician who knew the truth — that Mars was running out of water. But he told the public something else entirely. Cast: Two, non-gender.
In case you’re keeping count (I am!), here’s a list of upcoming productions:
* July 19: REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY, one-act, Congleton Players, Congleton, U.K.
* August 1-3: THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ, full-length script, Backyard Theatre, Billings, Montana.
* August 16: THE FACE ON MARS, ten-minute play, Suffield Players, Suffield, Connecticut
* September 22-24, SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, Ghost Dog Productions, The Horse and Stables, London, UK.
* November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23: A MARTIAN WESTERN and DEMOTING PLUTO, one-acts, Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And here’s a partial list of productions this year. This does NOT include productions that came through most of my publishers; I’ll get reports on those later this year, so it’s likely there are additional productions out there I don’t know about.
* June 14-15: BOLIVIA!, THE CALL OF THE OPEN ROAD, JIMMY’S PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION, and THREE TREES TALKING, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival #NextGen festival, New York, N.Y. Details here.
* June 13-15: IT’S THE COW’S FAULT, DEEP INTO OCTOBER, and THE GHOST LAMP, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, US edition, New York, N.Y. Details here with an update here.
* June 5: THE CHICKEN CROSSES MADISON AVENUE and COUNTING WOLVES, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, UK edition, Halifax, UK. Details here.
* May 30: THE RING, one-act, Haylofters Theatre, Burlington, Wisconsin. (Voted second best in show.)
* May 23: SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, staged reading by Unproduced Moon, Glasgow-Edinburg, Scotland.
* Late May: THE RING, five-minute script, as part of Newburgh Free Academy festival of short plays, Newburgh, N.Y.
* May 16: MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD, one-act, by Crawford County High School, Salem, Indiana.
* May 7: THE FRUITCAKE, one-act, by Hague High School, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
* April 29: THE FRUITCAKE, one-act, by Maryvale High School, Phoenix, Arizona.
* April 25: MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD, one-act, by York Comprehensive High School, York, South Carolina.
* March 28: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, ten-minute play, staged reading by Lake Players, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Details here.
* Spring 2014: OCCUPATIONS, one-act, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* Spring 2014: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, ten-minute play, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* Spring 2014: SOMEWHERE TONIGHT, THE LAST WASHINGTON SENATORS’ GAME PLAYS ON, ten-minute play, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* March 1: HIT THE BOOKS, one-act, by Shead High School, Eastport, Maine.
* January 4: SOFTBALL IS LIFE, full-length, staged reading, in Roanoke, Virginia. Details here.
Seven scripts produced in New York festival!
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions on July 18, 2014
I had thought I was having five scripts produced in the U.S. edition of Gone in 60 Seconds, a festival of one-minute plays — one in the regular portion, four in the teen portion.
Instead, it was seven! I discovered this when the program arrived in the mail this week. The other two were part of the festival’s retrospective of earlier work.
So I had four pieces done in the #NextGen part of the festival — BOLIVIA!, THE CALL OF THE OPEN ROAD, JIMMY’S PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION, and THREE TREES TALKING.
In the “adult” portion, there was IT’S THE COW’S FAULT, plus two that were reprised — DEEP INTO OCTOBER and THE GHOST LAMP. Details on the festival here. I also have video from the original productions of DEEP INTO OCTOBER and THE GHOST LAMP (plus video of the same script in the UK.)
Plus there were two scripts in the U.K. edition — THE CHICKEN CROSSES MADISON AVENUE and COUNTING WOLVES.
Here’s a photo: Read the rest of this entry »
Two one-acts to be produced in Albuquerque in November
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on July 12, 2014
I got word this week that not one but two of my one-acts will be produced this November in Albuquerque.
Now here’s where things get interesting: Both of these are one-acts about science, and they’re being produced as part of the Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum.
I’m told there were nearly 200 entries, and two of mine wound up on the list of nine shows being produced. (I’m not sure all nine are one-acts, some might be shorter, unclear on that.)
The two are A MARTIAN WESTERN and DEMOTING PLUTO. This will be the first production for both although DEMOTING PLUTO was a semi-finalist in the Drury University One-Act Play Contest back in 2004 (but semi-finalists weren’t produced.)
A MARTIAN WESTERN deals with climate change — on the Red Planet. DEMOTING PLUTO was written before that icy body got the heave-ho, and envisioned how it could happen. Now it can serve as a behind-the-scenes story of how that might have happened. Political attack ads!
Here are the formal descriptions:
DEMOTING PLUTO
A fast-paced commentary on modern-day attack ads in politics, and the
public’s lack of scientific knowledge. A political consultant and an astronomy
professor team up to wage a media campaign aimed at reclassifying Pluto
from a planet to an asteroid. A comedy, with a sharp point. Includes
audience participation, and two alternate endings, depending on the
outcome. There are two versions, a long version and a short version.
Short version:
Cast: Six — 4 males, 2 females. Running time: 30 minutes.
• Semi-finalist, Drury University One-Act Play Contest, 2004.
A MARTIAN WESTERN
Mars is drying up. A roughneck laborer and a civil engineer building canals find themselves in a Old West-style saloon looking for a drink of water when a rancher and a farmer find themselves in a showdown over who’s responsible for a dried-up well. The overriding theme: Lawlessness.
Cast: 8 — four male, four non-gender.
Production dates are November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23.
“Sometimes Elephants Die Standing Up” to be produced in London
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on June 20, 2014
My 10-minute play SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP will be produced in London this September by Ghost Dog Productions. It will be part of an evening of plays on the theme of “deception” produced Sept. 22-24 at The Horse & Stables, which appears to be on Westminster Bridge Road in the Waterloo section of London.
This will be the first production of the script, although it had a staged reading last month, also in the U.K. — that one in Scotland through Unproduced Moon.
Here’s a synopsis:
SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP
Two lowly circus workers try to figure out what to do with an elephant dies. An absurdist look at how the economy works. Cast: Two males. Running time: Ten minutes.
New York actor praises my work as “complex, beautifully structured”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on June 19, 2014
From Facebook!
While taking my morning walk last Saturday, I came upon a startling sight: A hornet’s nest lying in the road, brought down by a storm the previous.
Thankfully, this was an old nest, unoccupied for some time. (I’d been keeping an eye on it as I walked under it each morning, just to be sure.)
Naturally, I did what everyone does these days. I took a picture of it with my phone, and zapped it out to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. On the latter, it produced much chatter, including this high praise from a New York actor I know: “Hornet nests seem an apt metaphor for your plays: complex, beautifully structured, fascinating and vaguely dangerous. Although I’ve never found hornet nests to be as funny as I find your writing. Hornets need to work on that.”
As I note in the screen capture, hornet’s nest figure in both THE BALLAD OF ALEJANDRO LOPEZ and SOFTBALL IS LIFE. In the former, a young boy’s pitching prowess is discovered when he hurls a rock through a hornet’s nest. In the latter, a high school principal tries to solve two problems at once — the softball coach refuses to recognize a girl’s throwing skills, and the neighboring landlord refuses to remove a hornet’s nest near the school grounds. You can probably guess how that goes.
Here’s the nest, if you’re curious:
A hornet’s nest, fallen from the sky! Or, at least a tree.
“The Other Side of Oz” to be produced in Montana in August
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on June 4, 2014
The poster that Backyard Theatre is using for THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ.
A few years ago, Kevin Jones of the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio asked me to write some Oz-related scenes for a theatre camp he was having. Conveniently, the Oz books are in the public domain (the movie isn’t, so things in the books can be adapted; things in the movie cannot be. All that is explained quite well here by the New Media Rights people.)
I ended up writing about two dozen pieces with Oz themes, with titles such as THE MORALLY AMBIGUOUS WITCH OF THE NORTH, featuring a witch who got written out of the story completely, and DOG CASES, in which the sheriff complains about how emotional animal incidents can be, and DOROTHY ON THE COUCH, in which Dorothy seeks psychiatric help about her ordeal. Kevin used some in his camps, and reported they went well. Since then, a few scenes have been performed here and there, such as THE TIN WOMAN, seen in this video.
I took the whole bunch and packaged them together as THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ. It’s not a true full-length play, since there’s not a single narrative running through it, although the running time would add up to a full evening of entertainment.
This week, I got word that Backyard Theatre in Billings, Montana will perform all or most of the pieces August 1-3.
If you count this as a full-length script, this would be the seventh full-length I’ve had produced.
The others would be:
* ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, a Christmas comedy produced by Santiam High School in Oregon in December 2013.
* SWEETS TO THE SWEET, a female version of Hamlet produced by Gorilla Tango Theatre in Skokie, Illinois in September 2013.
* 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE, a dark re-telling of the Moscow theatre siege, produced in Virginia in 2012.
* RED MOON RISING IN THE EAST, a one-man play about the father of the Soviet space program, produced in Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2009 and 2010.
* VIRGINIA’S REAL, produced in suburban Atlanta in 2006.
* JOSE AND MARIA, AN OLD STORY FOR NEW TIMES, a Christmas play produced in Virgina in 2004.
This could have been my eighth full-length production; KLAUS was scheduled for production in Virginia in 2012 but the theatre closed before the season started. Instead, it had this staged reading instead.
You can find my entire list of full-length scripts here.
dwayneyancey 