News and Updates

One of the joys of living in New York City is uncovering all the countless, interwoven communities that make up the beautiful, complicated whole. For instance, having a kid in public school means I'm part of that community, and this year I'm lucky enough to be inivted to share at the annual "Writers' Night" fundraiser. This is real honor because this event features some truly spectacular writers - novelists, poets, librettists - and also highlights the creative work of some teachers whose talents overflow well beyond school hours. I plan on sharing something brand new, and hopefully I can even rope in a professional actor I know to help me read it. Tickets are free, food and drink are not. Donations accepted. WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 6:30 PM (ET) WHERE: Prohibition (in the backroom Speakeasy) on Columbus Ave at 85th St.

I was talking with a colleague about one of my small-cast plays and I was trying to describe how productions were so "successful" (from an audience-interaction standpoint) while at the same time being tremendously difficult to justify economically. For my two-person drama TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE , a husband and wife navigate a support group for greiving parents in the aftermath of a school shooting. In multiple productions, the play has been staged in a "site specific" way - asking audience members to enter a small room, often in a church basement or other public space. Everyone sits in a cirlce of metal folding chairs reminiscent of contemporary support groups, and the actors enter the space and sit in the chairs alongside the audience. This staging allows for an intimacy and frankness that can be very compelling. It can also be uncomfortable for an audience to give and receive eye contact - both from actors, and from other audience members....

It's been a long year, and now that Spring is coming, a lot of theatres are trying to present new work again. The Drawing Board (NYC) is no different. They are presenting an evening of 10 monologues as a way to bring their community back together - even over Zoom. My contibution is called "What I'd Like to See" and yes, it's a comedy. I like the way The Drawing Board presents work in a virtual environment so that it helps viewers focus on the actor and the text. And I'm thrilled to be working with dear friends and collaborators: actor Peter Husovsky and director Linda Manning . Tickets are free; register here for the link. WHEN: Monday, April 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM (ET) WHERE: Your favorite screen!

My new play THE SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY will have a reading with The Drawing Board (NYC) coming up this month. I'm glad to be working on this play in a safe environment, and I'm excited about the great cast they've assembled. Featuring: - Peter Husovsky - Michael Perrie Jr. - Rachel Lynn Jackson WHEN: Monday, February 25, 2019 @ 7:00 PM WHERE: The Drama League Theatre Center | 32 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10012

My play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE will be produced by The Salvage Company (NYC), as part of the 2018 New York International Fringe Festival. After a year off, FringeNYC is back with a re-imagined celebration of new work in a curated program. We're very lucky to be part of it, and to share this intimate, timely piece. Starring real-life husband-and-wife actors Monica Wyche and Dean Poynor, this immersive, site-specific production examines grief and healing after unimaginable loss. For dates, times, and tickets: The Salvage Company UPDATE: Check out this blog post on The Clyde Fitch Report about the origin of the play and the challenges of immersive production. UPDATE: Final shows have sold out. Tickets still available for Wed. Oct 24

I have a chance to hear a new play being read this month by one of my favorite NYC teams - The Drawing Board . They're a committed troupe of theatre and film artists who present readings and discussion of new work. Come check out this brand new two-hander: CHRISTINA HARING AND JASON LANGE - Two college freshmen at an Evangelical Christian school navigate the passions and pressures of first love, surrounded by a watchful community, and under the eyes of a jealous God. WHEN: Monday, October 24, 2016 at 7:00 PM WHERE: MEC - 2nd Floor 825 Seventh Ave. @ 53rd St., NYC 10019 (Bring photo ID)

My new play FALL DOWN SEVEN will be presented as part of the Olmsted Salon " Cave Plays " reading series. (It's not *really* a cave - it's a basement in Gramercy - but it's historic and beautiful and maybe a little spooky.) FALL DOWN SEVEN explores some of my own personal fascinations: parenting, martial arts, and following your dreams even if they're out of step with the current century. "Jim always dreamed he'd be a Samurai when he grew up. But he's a dad. Living in Brooklyn. When trouble comes looking, in the form of a bullying incident at his son's school, Jim seizes the chance to teach some life lessons. But what is the place of honor in a fallen world?" Directed by James Yaegashi Featuring: - Shane McRae - Tina Chilip - Crystal Dickinson - Alton Alburo - Debargo Sanyal WHEN: Friday, September 30, 2016 at 8:00 PM WHERE: "The Cave" at Calvary St. George's Church - 209 E. 16th St, New York, NY 10003...

My play STEPPING OUT OF THE RIVER AT DAWN will have its first public reading in New York City next month. Hosted by The Sheen Center as part of their annual Reading Series, this play follows Rwandan immigrants living in Queens as they balance family and history on their own personal journey toward a meaningful marriage. I'm honored to be working with the wonderful May Adrales as the director, and a phenomenal cast. Featuring: - Nikiya Mathis - Owiso Odera - Patrick Ssenjovu - Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy Music by Mark Bruckner Tickets are available by email: readings@sheencenter.org WHEN: Monday, September 12, 2016 at 7:00 PM WHERE: The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture (18 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012)

I have a developmental reading of my brand new full-length play FALL DOWN SEVEN coming up next week here in NYC. I'm lucky to be working with The Drawing Board on this one - they are a vibrant organization that brings together professional actors and directors to explore new work. SYNOPSIS: Jim always imagined that he would be a Samurai when he grew up. But he's a dad. Living in Brooklyn. When trouble comes looking, in the form of a bullying incident at his son's school, Jim seizes the chance to teach some life lessons. But what is the place of honor in a fallen world? FALL DOWN SEVEN is a new comedy about parenting, martial arts, and following your dreams even if they're a few hundred years out of date. WHEN: Monday, October 26, 2015 at 7:00 PM WHERE: MEC - 2nd Floor 825 Seventh Ave. @ 53rd St., NYC 10019 (Bring photo ID)

A new short play I wrote is being presented by The Drawing Board as part of a collection of work they've developed. My offering is called THE END OF THE WORLD WILL COME WHILE I'M IN LINE. It's an existential snapshot of my own personal of hell-on-earth: the line at Trader Joe's on a Sunday night. WHEN: Monday, October 5, 2015 at 7:00 PM WHERE: The Players' Club - NYC ( 16 Gramercy Park South )

"A carefully concocted portrait of two characters trying to understand the impossible" "There is a kind of thrill for you to collect the dropped breadcrumbs of a story to weave together your own understanding." - Theatre is Easy "Equally cathartic and instructional" "We leave the circle a little heavier in knowledge but just maybe a bit lighter of soul." - CultureBot "It is truly amazing to watch these two people throw themselves so deeply into the story and have such an incredible, palpable connection to each other." - BuzzFeed

WHEN: June 4 through 28 (15 performances) WHERE: The Cafeteria of P.S. 142 / Amalia Castro Public School 100 Attorney St., NY, NY 10002 (Lower East Side) MORE INFO: www.inhonoroflifetheplay.com

This week I hit a career milestone being featured on Adam Szymkowicz's Blog "I Interview Playwrights" . It's a select few - and I'm honored to be included in the list.

My new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE opens in New York City in June for a limited-engagement workshop production. This intimate two-hander follows a married couple in a support group for grieving parents. Presented in an immersive format, the audience has a front-row seat to their memories, healing, sorrow, and joy. I'm thrilled to have the chance to create this new production from the ground up with director Mikhael T. Garver and actors Allison Layman and Michael Dempsey . WHEN: June 4 through 28 (15 performances) WHERE: The Cafeteria of P.S. 142 / Amalia Castro Public School 100 Attorney St., NY, NY 10002 (Lower East Side) MORE INFO: www.inhonoroflifetheplay.com

This Saturday afternoon, head out to Book Culture on the Upper West Side to browse some legendary literary inventory, and also to hear a new play. My new full-length drama TOO WONDERFUL will have an informal reading as part of the Bookshop Workshop reading series. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Synopsis: In April, 2014, 273 schoolgirls were kidnapped from their boarding school in northern Nigeria. TOO WONDERFUL is the story of a retired school teacher from South Carolina who has a vision from God telling her where the girls are, and commanding her to go get them. WHEN: Saturday April 18, @ 3:00 PM WHERE: Book Culture 536 W 112th St, New York, NY 10025 (between Broadway and Amsterdam)

My new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE will be read as part of the 2014 Ingram New Works Festival with Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville. UPDATED: Check out the LiveStream of the evening online (and now archived.) Special thanks to Shane Burkeen and HowlRound.TV for this service.

I'm very glad to share the dates for upcoming readings of my new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE as part of the 2014 Ingram New Works Festival with Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville. WHERE: Tennessee Repertory Theatre / NPT Studio A                  ( 161 Rains Avenue, Nashville, TN ) WHEN: Saturday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 13, at 7:00 PM Also, check out this short interview on Tennessee Rep's Blog .

My new short play THE END OF THE WORLD WILL COME WHILE I'M IN LINE is sweeping the nation! Check out two readings coming up. This play uses 3 actors to play 10 characters standing in a grocery store line on a Sunday evening. Existential thoughts seep in, and maybe we move forward, or maybe we're all waiting for something yet to come. New York - The Drawing Board is reading a series of short plays highlighting the work of NYC playwrights. WHERE: MEC - 825 Seventh Ave, 2nd floor. (Bring photo ID) WHEN: Monday, January 27, 2014 at 7:00 PM Nashville - Playhouse Nashville is reading a few new short plays over the course of two nights. WHERE: Street Theatre Company (1933 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN) WHEN: Sunday, February 9, and Monday, February 10, 2014 at 7:00 PM

I'm honored to be spending the week working with Doug Wright as part of the Ingram New Works Lab with Tennessee Rep . Doug is a warm and generous mentor who is guiding our new play development process in a week-long symposium. At this early stage, with a play still finding its form, the help and experience of someone so seasoned is invaluable, and I am looking forward to the next steps. Come check out his talk at Vanderbilt this Wednesday. Register here .

I'm very excited to be diving into a workshop with The Drawing Board (NYC) to explore my new play THE MORE BEYOND . We had a great reading earlier this year and I am grateful to have the chance to take this next step, and hear the script in detail. I've partnered with director Joshua Gelb to bring scenes to life, and I'm looking forward to a great time. A story of wreckage and recovery, this play follows an underwater treasure hunter from Key West, FL trying to find a sunken ship, and his own lost glory. Cast: 33 characters played by 17m, 4f (plus chorus and a guitarist) Locations: Multiple