Workshop Production of "An Axemas Story" at The Players Theatre

My musical parody of 1980s slasher films, An Axemas Story (music by Anthony De Angelis; lyrics by Patrick Spencer) will be presented at the Players Theatre from December 1st to 18th.

The workshop production is directed by Jake Beckhard, associate directed and choreographed by Mackenna Goodrich, and music directed by Sara Linger, with design by Lauren Barber (scenic/props), Meredith Juergens (puppets/associate props), Olivia Vaughn Hern (costumes), and Zach Dulny (lighting). The cast includes Jessie Jo Aka, Charissa Bertels, RJ Christian, Richard Lafleur, Angelo McDonough, Mark Mendez Muñoz, Rose Anne Rabut, Lucy Rossi, Ben Schrager, Kelly Whitley, and Curry Whitmire. The production is stage managed by Zea Zurovitch, with associate stage management by Katherine Mostek.

Half-price tickets are available for purchase here.

Another "Viral Monologue" with the 24 Hour Plays

After participating in the inaugural 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, I’ve been lucky enough over the past two-and-a-half years to write a few more. This one, written for the amazing Sarah Groustra as part of Season 3 Episode 5, is my latest:

Reading of "Basically Children" at The Tank

My play Basically Children will receive a reading as part of Pridefest at The Tank on June 22nd at 7:00 PM. It will be directed by John Michael DiResta and performed by Dan Domingues, Ozzy O'Mahoney, Julian Socha, and Levin Valayil.

Workshop Production of "Basically Children" at the Iowa New Play Festival

As my thesis project at the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, my play Basically Children will be presented in the Iowa New Play Festival at Thayer Theatre on May 6th at 5:30 PM and 9:00 PM. The workshop production will be directed by Natalie Villamonte Zito; performed by Owen Brightman, David Díaz, Waroon Jalukar, and Arlo Schneider; and designed by R. Eric Stone (scenic), Jill Klinkefus (costumes), Victor Maldonado (lighting), and Dorothy Craven (props). The creative team also includes Olivia Leslie (stage manager), Holland Larned (assistant stage manager), Rob Silverman Ascher (dramaturg), Alice Doherty (assistant dramaturg), and Erica Barnes (intimacy director).

You can read a bit more about the play in the Daily Iowan, or check out some production photos below.

Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition Finalist

My play Ridgway was selected as a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. The play will have a reading at Alliance Theatre in March 2023. I couldn’t be more thrilled, and I can’t wait to see the other finalist plays next spring!

Under Construction Playwrights Group with The Road Theatre Company

As a member of the Under Construction Playwrights Group with The Road Theatre Company, I am developing a new play about racial bias in pain management, tentatively titled The Doctors. I’m honored and delighted to be spending the year in community with such a wonderful group of playwrights!

Reading of "An Axemas Story" at The PIT

An Axemas Story, a musical for which I wrote the book, with music by Anthony De Angelis and lyrics by Patrick Spencer, will be presented as a concert reading at The PIT on December 18th at 9:30 PM and December 19th at 7:00 PM. The show will be directed by Tasha Gordon-Solmon, music directed by Jesse Kissel, and performed by Kendall Cafaro, Zina Ellis, Sarah Hamaty, Matrika Hay, Cait Siobhan Kiley, Angelo McDonough, Michael Protacio, Rose Anne Rabut, Jim Stanek, Gil Torres, Michael Jayne Walker, Sturgis Warner, and Curry Whitmire. The reading will be line produced by Karl Hinze and stage managed by Rachel Oshrin.

Staged Reading of "Ridgway" at Dartmouth College

My play Ridgway will receive a staged reading at Dartmouth College on October 30th at 8:00 PM. The play will be directed by Kareem Fahmy and performed by Serageldin Elagamy, Jamie Horton, Nicholas Gutierrez, Elda Kahssay, and David Katz. Design is by Laurie Churba (costumes), Michael Ganio (scenic), Dan Kotlowitz (lighting), and Fabian Obispo (sound), with assistant direction by Alisya Reza, assistant scenic design by Jemely Robles, and stage management by Emma Lavaune.

Thanks to generous funding from the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, E.E. Just Program and School House, I will be visiting Dartmouth College as part of the Fall Staged Reading Series and the 2021-22 School House Anti-Racism Experience (SHARE). Events can be found here.

Production of "They Might Hear Us" in Director's Showcase at The Tank

My short play They Might Hear Us (FKA Untitled Walkie Talkie Play) will receive a production as part of a Director’s Showcase at The Tank on October 25th and 26th at 7:00 PM. The production is directed by Dennis Corsi and features Rosalind Brown, John McGowan, and Jesse Reid.

"Rekidk" Selected for 46th Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival

My multimedia solo play Rekidk was recently selected for the 46th Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. I’m honored and delighted to be in such great company!

Read an interview with me about the play on the OOB website, read the script on New Play Exchange, or watch a performance on YouTube.

Audio Drama of "The Switch" Released with the Fresh Fruit Festival

My play The Switch was recently developed in the Iowa New Play Festival and presented as an audio drama with the Fresh Fruit Festival (artistic director: Dennis Corsi), directed by Ivey Lowe and performed by myself, with dramaturgy by Meg Mechelke. Additional voices include David Díaz, Genevieve Eckelaert, Jivani Rodriguez, Wren Stone, and Brandon Treviño.

Listen to the audio drama on Fresh Fruit Radio. Please be warned that the play contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence and is for adult audiences only.

Podcast Reading of "Humiliation Play" Released with Dreamwell Theatre

My play Humiliation Play was recently recorded as a podcast reading for Dreamwell Theatre’s series “The House is Open.” It was produced by Colin Mattox, directed by Ann Kreitman, and performed by Claire Boston, Andrew Lund, and Brandon Treviño.

The podcast reading is available to listen to on Spotify or wherever podcasts are found. You can also listen to an interview with the creative team here.

"Essential Workers: A Portrait" Launches

As part of their mainstage season, the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts presented a series of seven episodes entitled Essential Workers: A Portrait. In each episode, an essential worker is interviewed by a playwright and actor while a visual artist paints them. Then, the actor performs a play inspired by the interview. You can learn more about the project in this piece in the Daily Iowan.

In “Episode #3 - Teacher,” actor Sasha Tyler and I interview 7th grade teacher Brooke (LeWarne) Freund. I then adapted Brooke’s verbatim speech into lyrics and wrote a song, which Sasha performs in the episode.

The episode is available to watch on the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts YouTube page through December 15th; program info can be found here. You can also listen to my composer’s demo of the song here.

"Cooking for Two" Published, Now Available for Licensing

My short musical Cooking for Two (with music by Karl Hinze) has been published in The 10-Minute Musical, an anthology from Theatre Now representing 25 plays from their annual Sound Bites festival. It is available to purchase here.

The collection, including Cooking for Two, has been acquired by Music Theatre International for representation and licensing.

University of Iowa Virtual Workshop of "Effective" Released

As part of my MFA in playwriting at Iowa Playwrights Workshop, my play Effective received a virtual (Zoom) workshop production this fall. The play was directed by Sarah Gazdowicz, stage managed by Dylan Nicole Martin, and performed by Gabriel Bautista, Keri Eastridge, Genevieve Eckelaert, Greg Jones, Amy Miller Martin, and Brandon Trevino. The design team included Chris Santiago (scenic/art direction), Kaelen Novak (costumes), and Huda Al-Aitham (sound), with video editing by Chelsea June and dramaturgy by Nate Ferguson.

The play is available to watch on the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts YouTube page through December 15th; program info can be found here.

"Quantum Paradox" Launches

A narrative sci-fi podcast I wrote, Quantum Paradox, is launching August 17th! The podcast is produced by Spencer Clouse and Britny Horton, with sound design by Dakota Parobek. It stars Keri Eastridge, Liat Graf, Elijah Jones, Octavius Lanier, Amy Miller Martin, Ryan Martin, and Crystal Stewart.

Here’s a blurb on the show:

Quantum Paradox is a 21st-century audio drama, released as a weekly podcast. Somewhere like here, sometime like now but far below the surface, lie strange and supernatural contradictions. If you think everything looks normal, look closer.

In Season 1, Discord, a community of internet nerds gather online to discuss a new Alternate Reality Game. But as they dive deeper, they begin to suspect that what they’re playing might not be a game at all.

"Viral Monologues" Published by Methuen Drama

Methuen Drama recently published a collection of the 24 Hour Plays Viral Monologues, including my monologue “This Trip.” Very excited to be included in this amazing group of writers!

Mixily Presents: New Plays for Zoom Finalist

My short play STRANGER was recently selected as a finalist for Mixily Presents: New Plays for Zoom. It’s a delight to be among such a great group of writers, and I’m especially thrilled for my friend Bruce Jones, whose play The Night of the Pink Supermoon will be performed on Saturday, May 30th!

"Viral Monologues" with the 24 Hour Plays

In the midst of a rough few weeks for all of us, I had the opportunity to participate in the 24 Hour Plays “Viral Monologues” and wrote a monologue for the incredible Will Swenson. Check him out “at his unnerving best” (NYT) below!

View this post on Instagram

@thebathyears #WillSwenson #24viralmonologues

A post shared by The 24 Hour Plays (@24hourplays) on Mar 17, 2020 at 7:46pm PDT

This monologue was later performed in December 2021 by Kumakawa Ryuichi in a translation by Tsukisawa Rikako as part of “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones,” a project of the Japanese Centre of the International Theatre Institute. You can read more about the performance here.

Standup at the Floodwater Comedy Festival

I recently performed standup as part of the Floodwater Comedy Festival in Iowa City. Here’s a clip from one of those sets, along with the set I submitted back in December.

this joke is dedicated to @DavidADC #floodwatercomedyfestival pic.twitter.com/gfSbuyzRfn

— Charlie O'Leary (@TheBathYears) February 29, 2020