I’ve spent the past few days having a wonderful time in Ventura County, California watching the premiere of my play “Fifteen Men at a Smoke-Filled Room” at Elite Theatre Company!

I was extremely impressed by the savvy, spot-on directing of Angela DeCicco, the lush, well-decorated, forest green set, and the extremely impressive acting of the actors and actresses. Jill Dolan was the best Florence Harding I have ever seen (and this after seeing the role performed by Equity actresses) and Bill Walthall played Harding’s campaign manager Harry Daugherty very smoothly (ditto for Sean Love Mason’s understated role as George Harvey). Scott Blanchard and Reign Lewis were very well-paired as Warren G. Harding and his mistress, Nan Britton (Scott did a great job making Harding a dynamic figure, zipping around the stage with abandon – a great counterweight to Harding’s tendency to mope) and Eric McGowan had a great time with the Waiter role, which was tweaked a bit and given a cleverly comedic flair.

I’m especially pleased by the depth that Angela and the actors brought to the show. The piece is very character-driven, very dense, and is none-too-easy to perform. Despite this, the play reached several moments of definite emotional intensity – especially in the second act. I had quite a few theater-goers comment that they found the piece touching and poignant and felt the tragedy at the heart of the play’s storyline. Jill Dolan deserves a special call-out for being able to kill someone with a single glance and Angela’s deft use of prolonged pauses (you could hear a pin drop at times) was extremely effective at emphasizing the high drama. Overall, the play seemed to flow effortlessly, and the energy and the enthusiasm of the actors seemed to get better every performance for which I was in attendance (August 31, September 1, and September 2).

From clockwise, upper-left: Sean Love Mason (George Harvey), Bill Walthall (Harry M. Daugherty), Eric McGowan (Waiter), Reign Lewis (Nan Britton), Scott Blanchard (Warren G. Harding), and Jill Dolan (Florence Harding)

A special shout-out goes to Artistic Director L. J. Stevens and Production Manager Stephanie Rice!

“Fifteen Men” runs for another four weeks, until Saturday, September 30th… check it out!

What a great photo – me sitting with the cast of “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” at Elite Theatre Company!

The photo was taken after the matinee performance on Sunday, September 2 (opening weekend)!

From left to right: Scott Blanchard, Jill Dolan, me, Reign Lewis, Eric McGowan, Sean Love Mason (back left), Bill Walthall (back middle), and director Angela DeCicco (back right)

“Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” opens tomorrow at Elite Theatre Company… check it out!

Elite Theatre Company
2731 Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93021
Box Office (805) 483-5118

“This is a world premiere play, touching and poignant, written by playwright-lyricist Colin Speer Crowley. The play takes place in Chicago – June, 1920 – when the Republican National Convention is in full swing. Warren G. Harding, senator from Ohio, is overwhelmed by the prospect of becoming the nominee of the Republican Party for president. Hounded by an ambitious campaign manager, a paralyzing superstitious wife, a star struck young mistress, and the frightening pull of inevitability, Harding seems destined to be president – or is he? At its core, Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room is a thematic play, exploring the extent to which fate controls our lives. Is there a higher power out there that determines our destinies, or are those life events we deem “fateful” merely the aggregate result of the deficiencies and idiosyncrasies of flawed human beings? Produced by special arrangement with the author, the play runs at the Elite Theatre Company from August 31 through September 30, 2018.”

See this announcement in the local VC Star!

In just a few days, my drama “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” opens at Elite Theatre Company in Oxnard, CA!

Below are some photos from the last remaining dress rehearsals of the show, which runs August 31-September 30.

Featured above: Scott Blanchard as Warren G. Harding, Jill Dolan as Florence Kling Harding, Bill Walthall as Harry M. Daugherty, and Sean Mason as George Harvey

In just a little over a week, I’ll be in Oxnard, Caliofrnia attending the opening night of my tragedy “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” at Elite Theatre Company.

The play is being directed by the wonderful Angela DeCicco, a veteran actress and director, and produced by L. J. Stevens, the Artistic Director of Elite Theatre Company.

The cast is as follows:

• Scott Blanchard as Warren G. Harding
• Jill Dolan as Florence Kling Harding
• Bill Walthall as Harry M. Daugherty
• Reign Lewis as Nan Britton
• Sean Mason as George Harvey
• Eric McGowan as Waiter
• Allan D. Noel as Radio Announcer

Very much looking forward to this world premiere!