A Fine-Feathered Murder to be published

Great news for those who love short mystery comedies (or is it comedy mysteries?). Pioneer Drama Service is going to publish my newest play, A Fine-Feathered Murder, a very British drawing room mystery in which a bumbling town constable struggles to solve the murder of an opera-singing parrot. The play has a cast of 8 (2M, 4F, 2 any), uses a single set, and runs around 30 minutes. 

All of the characters are over-the-top in their own way, but the most over-the-top are a greedy impresario named Ashton Sinclair and a creepy ornithologist named Doctor Snively (I got that last name from a former coworker of mine, who always sounded vaguely villainous to me--the name, not the coworker).

Snobby Lilith Farthingstone has invited them to her country estate to hear her parrot Apollonia sing the entire score of Verdi's opera Rigoletto and these characters have two very different reasons for being there.

ASHTON:  Well, Dr. Snively, you seem especially nefarious today.

SNIVELY:  I'm afraid you're the one who seems nefarious, Mr. Sinclair.

ASHTON:  Good doctor, I have no idea what you mean.

SNIVELY:  Don't play coy with me. I know exactly why you're here. You wish to exploit this magnificent specimen by putting her on the stage!

ASHTON:  A specimen, is she? Something to be poked and prodded like fungus in a petri dish? At least I'm offering her an opportunity to be lauded for her artistry!

SNIVELY:  Her artistry? Don't make me laugh! Under your guardianship, she'll be treated more like a bear in a circus than an artist!

ASHTON:  Your arguments are futile, Doctor. You watch. Someday I shall have Apollonia for my very own!

SNIVELY:  You stay away from her! That bird is mine, do you hear? Mine!

LILITH:  (ENTERS RIGHT.) And how are we getting along, you two?

ASHTON:  Just peachy, Mrs. Farthingstone. 

SNIVELY:  Oh, yes. Peachy indeed.

LILITH:  I just knew you two would hit it off!

You know, it's funny. A Fine-Feathered Murder and The Worst Fairy Tale Ever, which came out in May, are the first one-acts I've written since my first two plays got published thirteen years ago.

I honestly don't know why I've waited so long. These plays were a blast to write. The writing went very quickly. And if early results from The Worst Fairy Tale Ever are any indication, they should do very well. 

Yep. I'm going to have to write some more.

Building up Bringing Down the House

I have to give one more plug for the production of Bringing Down the House at Maui OnStage. And that's because it just received a very special review.

Sure, the review is a rave. But that isn't what makes it special. What makes it special is that it's the very first video review I've ever received.

It's part of a weekly YouTube series titled Curtain Call and hosted by the very distinguished Paul James-Brown, a theater lover who makes his home on the Valley Isle.

Director Tina Kailiponi

James-Brown had some embarrassingly nice things to say about the script, pointing out that every member of the cast gets a chance to shine, which is something I always strive to do so I'm glad it worked here.

But what I really want to focus on is his praise for directors Tina Kailiponi and Francis Tau'a. James-Brown admired how they managed to take a huge group of actors (30 in their production) and turn them into "a well-tuned theatrical ensemble." He added, "This was a clearly well-rehearsed group who were all having fun, and so were we."

Assistant Director Francis Tau'a

The critic saved his greatest praise, however, for the program as a whole, saying, "Maui Onstage has built an exceptional theatre training center for our young people. This program continues to grow and produce quality youth theater."

But don't take my word for it. Watch the video above for yourself. You'll see lots of great production stills and even a short clip from one of the performances.

Enjoy!

On leads, supporting characters, and robots

I got an interesting email today. A director in Illinois said their theater had produced The Enchanted Bookshop Musical and he wanted to submit a couple of the actors for their local theater awards. The problem is he didn't know which award to submit them for. Were Eddie and Fingers leads or supporting characters?

Now before we go any further, I want to clarify something. May people argue that the lead, or protagonist, is the character who demonstrates the greatest arc during the course of the story.

Social media, for example is rife with examples of people arguing that Cameron is the real hero in Ferris Bueller's Day Off because Ferris himself never changes. He's the exact same character at the end of the film that he was at the beginning.

Well, that's just silly. A well-designed play (or movie or novel) will feature several characters who demonstrate an arc. It makes the story more interesting. It makes the story more realistic. And it gives the actors something to sink their teeth into.

Does that make all of them the protagonist? Of course not.

The protagonist is simply the character who drives the plot. And a well-designed play (or movie or novel) will feature exactly one of them. It just makes for a more focused, more compelling story.

The Enchanted Bookshop is an interesting case, however, because it features not one, but two separate plots. There's the daytime plot, in which Margie struggles to keep her bookshop in business. And there's the nighttime plot, in which the book characters come to life to battle the smugglers.

Clearly, Margie is the protagonist of the daytime plot. But who's the protagonist of the nighttime plot? After all, the six main book characters who come to life all play a role in defeating the smugglers who threaten to destroy Margie's shop.

But if you read the script carefully, you'll see that it's Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz who acts as the conscience of the group. She's the one who continually urges the others to do the right thing.

So, no, Eddie and Fingers are not the leads of The Enchanted Bookshop. They're supporting characters. 

Sure, they have their own goals they're desperately trying to achieve. But those goals are not the main goals of the plot and are in direct opposition to our hero's goals, which makes them the antagonists. The bad guys, so to speak.

And that brings me to my final point. Just because a character isn't the lead, just because they have fewer lines than the main character, doesn't mean they're not important. 

As a matter of fact, every character in every one of my plays is important, even vital to the story. Seriously, I always plot my plays like a house of cards. Remove any one card--or character--and the whole thing comes crashing down. 

So rest assured, whether you have 331 lines like Jenkins in The Butler Did It! or 0 lines like the dancing robot who appears (and usually steals the show) at the end of  George Washington Ate My Homework, you have a very important role indeed.

Enjoy it. Savor it. And don't ever let yourself forget it.

Maui Bringing Down the House brings the funny

Sometimes theaters choose a play because of the plot. Sometimes they choose it because of the characters or theme.

Maui OnStage chose my backstage comedy Bringing Down the House because it could use the same set as their mainstage show.

I'll take it.

As this article in the Maui News relates, this theatrical group based at the historic Iao Theater in Wailuku has a hugely active youth arm. And their production of Bringing Down the House is a prime example of that, drawing students from nearly every high school on Maui.

When director Tina Kailiponi went looking for a fall play this year, she was drawn to my backstage comedy by its unique concept and non-stop humor. But what really clinched it for her was the fact that it could be performed with some simple scaffolding on an otherwise bare stage, the same set they're using for their production of The Rocky Horror Show, which is running at the same time.

Kalliponi went on to say that assistant director Francis Tau'a--a local talent she describes as "the king of comedy"--is working with the students to make sure they nail that humor. "He's teaching them how to deliver the joke, and how to make it land--all the elements of comedy."

Did I mention this is my first live production in Hawaii? A theater on the east side of Maui produced You're Virtually Driving Me Crazy! in 2020, but as the title of the play implies, that show was performed completely online.

Fortunately, I won't have to wait too long for my second live production as a school on the island of Kauai will be doing The Enchanted Bookshop in October.

As the article makes clear, Kailiponi and the other staff member are extremely proud of the hard work that the students put into their shows. And they should be.

If you're ever vacationing on Maui, you should definitely stop by this gem of a theater to see one (or more) of their shows. I guarantee you'll have a fantastic time!

Rave review for Okie Bookshop

It must be theater season again. I've just gotten my first review in months. And I'm happy to say it's a rave.

I mean, of course it's a rave. Like 90% of my productions, the show featured a youth cast--and nobody's going to slam a bunch of kids.

But still, it's always fun to see what the reviewer names as the best parts of the show,. picks out as being the best parts of the show.

In this case, the show was a production of The Enchanted Bookshop by the Ardmore Little Theatre of Ardmore, OK.

As it turns out, that little theater is not so little. The Charles B. Goddard Center, where they perform their shows has a huge stage and over 300 luxurious seats. 

In his review, Drew Butler lavished most of his praise on the costume and makeup artists. Not only were Bombalurina and Toto completely adorable, but somehow Long John Silver's pegleg was so authentic it clicked when he walked.

Butler also singled out the actors playing Eddie, Fingers, and Officer Ketchum, noting how they played their characters' below average intelligence to a tee.

He wrapped up his review by describing The Enchanted Bookshop as a "fun show" and "great for the whole family," which I'm very grateful for. He even sounded a little surprised that a kid's show could be so good, saying "I genuinely enjoyed myself, laughing out loud several times."

But what really struck me about his review was how much he appreciated the short duration of the show. The one he attended only ran 78 minutes, not including intermission.

Sometimes I've felt that my plays aren't long enough. That I should add scene fillers and subplots to give audiences a little more bang for their buck.

But you know what? I've heard many people complain that a particular show is too long. I have yet to hear anyone complain that a show is too short.

A Fine-Feathered Murder gets a premiere

Only eight of my thirty-three plays have a world premiere credit in the back of script. I wish they all did.

Getting that production provides me feedback that can help make the script better. And the cast and crew get that world premiere credit in the script to immortalize all the hard work they put into the play.

But it's a luxury that I can't always afford. The only way to survive as a full-time playwright is to write--and publish--quickly. And hunting for a theater to premiere your play, then waiting for them to produce it, can delay the play's publication by a year or more.

So I'm thrilled that Caddo Parish Middle Magnet School in Shreveport, Louisiana, has agreed to give my newest, as-yet-unpublished play, A Fine-Feathered Murder, its world premiere in November.

How it happened is a story in itself.

Trey Jackson, the theater director at the school, was already involved in a production of The Butler Did It! at his church. He liked this mystery/comedy so much he wanted to do it with his middle school kids but was wondering if there was a shorter version. Apparently, he did an AI-based search online and it told him a middle school version existed.

It does not. Which just goes to show, AI is always more A than I.

When Trey emailed me about it, I gave him the bad news. But I offered to send him the script for A Fine-Feathered Murder, which has the same dry, British humor of The Butler Did It! but is a lot shorter and easier to produce.

He loved the script. The kids loved it too. And they really, really wanted to give the play its world premiere.

The only problem? They were planning to perform it as their spring play. I told Trey it was possible the play would already be published by then and, if so, they'd miss any chance to get a credit in the script.

So he pulled some strings and managed to get the play scheduled for November 6 and 7.

Trey's excited. The kids are excited. And I'm excited, in no small part because I'll be offering my input on the audition tapes the kids submit--a new experience for me.

Oh, and they'll also be performing it in the spring. Six times. With three more casts.

I guess they really do love the play.

Crowley County HS joins the club

A big shoutout to Crowley County High School in Ordway, Colorado for becoming the sixth member of my five-timers club, that very elite group of theaters that have performed my plays five or more times. 

Located in the high plans 50 miles east of Pueblo, CCHS may be a small school (just 250 students strong!), but it's got a super active drama club. These talented students produce two full-length shows a year, hold a ton of fund-raising activities, and even have their own Facebook page.

Here are the plays of mine they've produced:

The Enchanted Bookshop

An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas

Whole Latte Love

It Happened on Route 66 (shown above)

George Washington Ate My Homework (coming November 23-25)

Oh, and that production of The Enchanted Bookshop? Its cast represented almost 10% of the entire student body!

Keep it up, Charger Drama. You're doing a fantastic job!