News and Updates

If you’re in the D.C. area in early March, you should come check out my short play MORAL SUPPORT at the historic Lincoln Theatre . They are presenting 5 works in their first annual “Emerging Voices Playwriting Competition,” and MORAL SUPPORT was selected to receive a staged reading by a professional cast. The event takes place on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 7:00 PM, and you can reserve tickets by email: rsvp@thelincolntheatre.org .

So while I was in New York this weekend, I got to check out some new shows, and see some old friends. I was thrilled to catch up with super-star-rising playwright Sarah Hammond (an old Trustus Theatre alum) and enjoy some lox-on-bagel at Eisenstein's on 6th. We jawed about the joys and sorrows of the craft, and encouraged each other that at least one person on earth would be interested in hearing that crazy idea... Also while I was there, I was picked up by a Culturista web site for my boisterous behavior. Plus I saw Jane Fonda.

I'm looking forward to a reading of a new play I'm working on coming up in the next few weeks. The play is tentatively called DEVIL'S KEY, and it will be read at Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 8:00 PM, somewhere in Purnell Hall. This piece has deviated sharply from its original trajectory, so I'm excited to hear how it sounds. The play takes place in 1951, in the sweaty back room of a U.S. Army safe house on one of the Florida keys. It only has two actors, a younger American investigator, and an older Doctor, who must both solve the mysteries of their pasts, in order to leave the room alive.

Wow. I am thrilled to announce that LOSING SLEEP has won the 2008 Helford Prize from Jacksonville University . This prestigious award carries with it the possibility of production at JU, as well a $10,000 cash prize. Following up the New York reading, LOSING SLEEP continues to get great responses, and I'm always pleased with how well the piece is received. Hopefully this new award will underscore the power of this story to reach all types of audiences. UPDATE : Since this prize was announced, a few press outlets have picked up the story: North Florida Daily News The State Newspaper The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

So I have a reading of a full length play LOSING SLEEP coming up on Monday, November 9, 2008. This reading is being held by a group called Ten Grand Productions known for their independent and imaginative reworkings of big stories (like the Titanic.) While SLEEP isn't necessarily a Titanic event, it does have a lot of room in it for interpretation. I'm excited to see where they take it. The reading is open to the public, but I'd contact them first to check on tickets and availability.

Just in case you didn't know that time sneeks away from us like a cow-tipping thirteen-year-old after midnight, yes, this month Cait and I are headed to our 10th college reunion. We both graduated from the inimitable Wheaton College (IL), and we're excited about going back and seeing some "old" friends. I have to admit that I have been thankful many times for my "Wheaton education" (eh, Auggie?) Our theatre group, called Workout, made it clear to me that art is a spirtitual journey. Of course, when I'm rich and famous, I'm still gonna build them a new theatre. With a big bust of your truly out front.

I figured I should report on grad school here at Carnegie Mellon . It's great. It's tough. But it's great. I'm taking a full course load, which doesn't leave as much time for writing as one might desire (actually, it's the "free" time that gets used up.) But my classmates are phenomenal, always challenging me to do better, and our professor, Milan Stitt, is a wealth of wisdom. The best in the business. Without getting too sappy about it, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here, and I look forward to seeing how I turn out.