News and Updates

In a coincidence that is strangely appropriate, my Zombie play will have a staged reading this week during the Lenten celebration of Maundy Thursday . Homo apocalyptus , a story of Zombies, survival, and the meaning of family, will be presented by The Garage Theatre in San Francisco as as part of their New Play reading series. I've been in contact with director Kirk Johnson and it promises to be a holy event. If you're in the area, it's this Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 8:00 PM, and you can call the theatre at 415-885-4006 for more information.

One of the hippest theatre companies here in Pittsburgh is the amazingly agile and in-touch Bricolage group run by Jeff Carpenter and Tami Dixon. "Making artful use of what is at hand" means that they encourage and challenge audiences to look at normal things from all angles. They have a fantastic reading series which culminated last year in an oustanding production of Jennifer Haley's Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, and this year they have asked me to participate in their annual B.U.S. event - the Bricolage Urban Scrawl. It's a 24-hour play festival where playwrights take inspiration from a ride on a Pittsburgh City bus. If you need to reach me this Friday night, I'll be on the 14-C. WHAT: 5th Annual Bricolage Urban Scrawl WHEN: Saturday, March 27th, 2010 @ 7:30PM WHERE: 937 Liberty Ave, First Floor, Pittsburgh ( Google Map ) TICKETS: Brown Paper Tickets MORE: 412.381.6999

My new play PARADISE KEY is currently running at the Arena Players Repertory Theatre on Long Island, NY, and will be extended for two more weeks. It is now scheduled to close April 4, 2010. This will be the last NYC-area showing of this play for a while, so get your tickets now. For more information, call the theatre Box Office at: 516-293-0674. UPDATE: The show received a nice review from Newsday. Congratulations to the cast and crew for their dedication to telling this story.

UPDATE: I was in NY last week, despite the snow, to work with Fred DeFeis and the cast on the final rehearsals of PARADISE KEY which opened recently at Arena Players Rep on Long Island. It was good to see the show on its feet, and the performances were brave and inspiring. It's a two-hander so both the roles are huge, and it was humbling to watch the actors give them so much life and meaning. I'm looking forward to going back this weekend to watch some of the run. Here's an article from the Long Island Pulse on the selection of the show.

My new play PARADISE KEY will open this week at Arena Players Repertory Theatre on Long Island (NY), as part of their 59th season. The Artistic Director of APRTC, Fred DeFeis, will direct. Set in 1951, this play explores the historical roots of interrogation in America. We follow a young Counter-Intelligence agent named David as he interviews a German medical doctor. Over the course of one night, David must find what the doctor has been hiding - a vaccine for Polio - or risk an American disaster. WHEN: February 26 - March 21 WHERE: Arena Players Repertory Theatre - Google Map MORE: 516-293-0674 TICKETS: Available on TheatreMania.com

I'm thrilled to announce that my new play, BELLHAMMER , will be presented in workshop production at Carnegie Mellon University directed by MFA director Katherine Brook. This play represents my MFA thesis, and should be a rocking time. BELLHAMMER is an epic tale of glory, fame, and the temptations of Television. Set in the world of Christian Professional Wrestling, we follow Sampson Bellhammer, champion wrestler and man of faith, as he does battle against the forces of darkness all around him. Will Sampson fulfill his calling from God to victory over evil, or will the entire universe slip away into utter destruction? When he is tempted by fame and fortune, will he give in, or will he fight? Yup. He's gonna fight. And it's gonna get ugly. WHEN: Wednesday, February 10 @ 8:00 PM Friday, February 12 @ 4:00 PM Saturday, February 13 @ 8:00 PM WHERE: The John Wells Studio Theatre Purnell Center for the Arts CMU School of Drama 4908 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA...

I'm pleased to announce a reading of my Zombie pscyho-thriller play Homo apocalyptus in San Franscisco later this spring. I was contacted by a hip young director Kirk Johnson who proposed this collaboration as part of their New Play series. He works with The Garage Theatre and it promises to be an exciting night.