Congrats to Elite Theatre!

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!

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).

Fifteen Men Cast at Elite Theatre Company

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!

Tomorrow night… the opening!

“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!

Meet the cast of “Philosophus!”

Chris J. Handley

Starring Chris J. Handley as “Voltaire”

Clockwise from left: James Cichocki, Emily Yancey, Christopher Standart, and Andrew Zuccari

Photos from “Fifteen Men”

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

“Fifteen Men” coming soon!

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.

Fifteen Men at 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!

 

“Philosophus” cast announced

The cast has been announced for my world premiere comedy “Philosophus,” which is running at Alleyway Theatre of Buffalo, New York from September 13-October 6 under the direction of Artistic Director Neal Radice.

“Philosophus” is Alleyway Theatre’s opening show of their 2018-2019 season and opens the same night as the 37th Curtain Up! Buffalo annual celebration, which officially commences f Buffalo’s professional theatre season.

Curtain Up

The cast for “Philosophus” is as follows:

Very much looking forward to this show!

Thanks to AACT

I wanted to drop a quick line to thank the American Association of Community Theatres (otherwise known as “AACT”) for advancing my script “The Footsteps of God” to their semifinalist round for their 2018 new works competition.

“Footsteps” did not advance beyond the second reading, but it is a great honor for the play to have advanced as far as it did, especially since it is a very new work with minimal development.

My tragedy “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” – which is being given a world premiere by Elite Theatre Company of Oxnard, CA later this month – was among the top 20 scripts in AACT’s 2013 contest.

Best of wishes to AACT for this year’s new play festival!

“Shadows” in PA!

Today, with great joy, I have learned that my historical drama “Shadows of Men” is the full-length winner of the first Marsha Ann Croyle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting.

The award is a result of the Scribe Playwriting Competition sponsored by One Fish Media and Matthew Croyle, playwright, screenwriter, director, graphic designer, disc jockey, and award-nominated actor.

Oil Valley Film Festival

Scribe Playwriting Award Announcement

As explained by Matt Croyle, who named the award after his mother, a dedicated fan of theater: “There are not very many opportunities for playwrights in the Oil Region… A lot of similar opportunities are geared mainly toward youth theater. And while those opportunities are fantastic, I wanted to give the region another option – especially when it comes to writing for live theater.”

As mentioned above, “Shadows” will be read during the Oil Valley Film Festival. The festival, which is in its third year, takes place from September 7-9 (my play will be read on September 9th). The festival is designed to bring new film from around the world to the often-neglected Oil Valley region of Western Pennsylvania. You can read more about it here in this helpful Wikipedia article.

Many thanks to Matt for this great opportunity!