For this Throwback Thursday, I will highlight my award-winning historical farce “Philosophus”, which has been produced three times – in New York, Texas, and Maryland – and which is currently published by Eldridge Publishing Company.

Like many works of mine, I actually had the original idea for “Philosophus” many years ago – when I was about 15 – after consuming a biography of Frederick the Great and finding his persecution of the great philosopher Voltaire so amusing and worthy of farce – and not only that, but I even wrote a script for “Philosophus” at age 16 (under a pseudonym, no less), which is not safe for human eyes (though not entirely unamusing).

Years (and years and years) later, I decided to revisit the story of “Philosophus” and, during my 2-hour commute from Westport, CT to New York City while I was VP of Customer Experience at the foodtech company Freshly, I completed a (rather good) first draft of a new version of the play in two weeks (January, 2016) – the fastest play I’ve ever composed – and from there, quickly found the play taking off and winning various contests.

While the play was first read by Best Medicine Rep of Maryland (courtesy of the great playwright and actor John Morogiello – who later produced the show, as well), “Philosophus” subsequently won the prestigious Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award presented by Alleyway Theatre of Buffalo, New York, one of the most interesting and innovative theaters in the US (their theater is actually an old Greyhound bus terminal on Buffalo’s theater row) – and thanks to the late, great artistic director, Neal Radice (“late” because he has since retired, not because he has met his maker), “Philosophus” was given its world premiere production at Alleyway in late 2018 – photos below!

In its various productions, the script has gotten some of the best reviews of any of my work:

“A delightful romp!”
Peter Hall of BuffaloRising

“A thinking-person’s farce, Philosophus is a perfect fit for the area and a fun way to start the year… a farce to remedy our times… an up and coming work.”
Debbie Minter Jackson of DC Theatre Scene

“Mr. Crowley’s script is chock-a-block with witty dialogue, broad comedy, and is very, very funny. He expertly melds what appears to be complex thought with farce… Philosophus is great fun. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”
Ann Marie Cusella of BuffaloVibe

“A rib-tickling farce… For those familiar with British comedy, it resembles Benny Hill meets the Enlightenment, or Carry On Philosopher… a very entertaining evening of theater.”
Jennifer Georgia of DC Metro Theater Arts

“The script is a cross between Mel Brooks (“Young Frankenstein”) and the Marx Brothers (“Duck’s Soup”).  If you love the ridiculous and lots of double entendres, you will have a good time at this production.”
Susan Brall, MD Theatre Guide

For this Throwback Thursday, I will highlight the production of my play “Philosophus” by Plaza Theatre of Wharton, Texas – a (true story) historical farce about the persecution of the philosopher Voltaire by the minions of King Frederick the Great of Prussia.

One of more frequently produced works – and also a published one – “Philosophus” was given its world premiere production by Alleyway Theatre of Buffalo, New York, after which it was one of three finalists to win the prestigious TNT POPS! Playwriting Contest of 2018 (TNT = “Texas Nonprofit Theatres” – an organization of theaters in Texas dedicated to mutual support of the theatrical arts).

As a result of being one of three winners for 2018, “Philosophus” was scheduled to be produced by a member theater of Texas Nonprofit Theatres, which turned out to be the Plaza Theatre of Wharton, about 40 minutes outside of Houston – and while I had never been to Texas before, I ended up having a great time traveling to the theater and seeing “Philosophus” performed by the wonderful cast.

Above all, I was most struck by the fact that, despite crude stereotypes to the contrary, where one envisions theater as thriving primarily on the east and west coast, Wharton had a vibrant theater community and the Plaza Theatre had quite a storied history – and not only that, but they put on a marvelous production of “Philosophus”, filled with gorgeous costumes and make-up, great acting performances, and a very fine set – so needless to say, I was beyond impressed and beyond humbled to have my play performed by them (as well as chastened to ever think that anyplace outside of the greater NYC or LA area was theatrically limited).

Alas, my greatest regret was that, while I was able to meet the cast of the show (and was feted quite marvelously), I wasn’t able to meet the director, Trace Morris, because he couldn’t attend the one performance where I made an appearance

While “Philosophus” only played for one weekend, the pictures speak for themselves…

As we exit 2020 (and hopefully enter a year where theater lives again, post-COVID!), I wanted to thank play publisher Eldridge Plays and Musicals for promoting my historical farce “Philosophus” among some top plays to be performed by theaters in 2021.

Let’s face it – 2020 was a pretty gloomy time in a lot of different ways, so there’s nothing better to melt all the gloominess than for a theater to perform a fun, completely bonkers, Monty Python- and Carry-On-esque comedy to warm the human heart.

What do the critics say??

“A delightful romp”

Peter Hall of BuffaloRising

“A thinking-person’s farce, Philosophus is a perfect fit for the area and a fun way to start the year… a farce to remedy our times… an up and coming work.”

Debbie Minter Jackson of DC Theatre Scene

“Mr. Crowley’s script is chock-a-block with witty dialogue, broad comedy, and is very, very funny. He expertly melds what appears to be complex thought with farce… Philosophus is great fun. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”

Ann Marie Cusella of BuffaloVibe

“A rib-tickling farce… For those familiar with British comedy, it resembles Benny Hill meets the Enlightenment, or Carry On Philosopher… a very entertaining evening of theater.”

Jennifer Georgia of DC Metro Theater Arts

“The script is a cross between Mel Brooks (“Young Frankenstein”) and the Marx Brothers (“Duck’s Soup”).  If you love the ridiculous and lots of double entendres, you will have a good time at this production.”

Susan Brall, MD Theatre Guide

“An all-around funny show and fun time at the theatre… great wit and humor.”

Colin Fleming-Stumpf of BuffaloTheatreGuide.com

“Ripping a page out of “The Book of Mormon” school of comedy… Alleyway’s commitment to presenting new plays and musicals pays off with “Philosophus.””

Melinda Miller of Buffalo News

You can read more about “Philosophus” here!

Many thanks to Eldridge Plays and Musicals for putting together a wonderful ad for the January/February edition of Spotlight.

Spotlight is a multi-annual magazine published by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), one of the key organizations in the United States for community theater groups.

“Published six times a year and distributed to 1,800 organizational and individual members, Spotlight is also available to members and non-members for viewing online. The January-February issue is mailed to over 7,200 community theatre contacts.”

You can check out the full January/February issue of Spotlight here!

My play “Philosophus” received a nice shout-out from its publishing company, Eldridge Plays and Musicals, in an email blast yesterday.

Eldridge is one of the leading play publishers in the United States, founded in 1906 and specializing in over a thousand theatrical works.

For the holidays leading into 2020, Eldridge is offering a reduced rate for shipping for script perusal – so catch the deal while you can!

Order 4 or more perusal play scripts or perusal musical scripts and get upgraded shipping for FREE.  No promo code necessary.  (Standard shipping rates still apply)

You can check out my play “Philosophus” right here!

Today my historical farce “Philosophus” was published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals, a leading play publisher. Eldridge has been around since 1906 and specializes in theater for community theater and schools.

I’m very excited to be working with Eldridge on this opportunity to have “Philosophus” brought to a wider audience. Many thanks to editor Meredith Edwards for the partnership!

You can access the publication page here to order copies or engage in a free perusal of the early part of the script.

As part of the upcoming publication of my play “Philosophus” by Eldridge Plays and Musicals, I engaged in a question-and-answer regarding the play, its inspiration, and its origins.

I thought I would share the Q&A here as it neatly sums up some fun facts about the show in one snug little place.

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What inspired you to write this play?

I’m very happy and honored to announce that my historical farce “Philosophus” is being published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals.

Eldridge Plays and Musicals is one of the most well-regarded theatrical publishing companies in the United States, easily identified in the top six of publishers. It was founded in 1906 and “offers hundreds of full-length plays, one-acts, melodramas, holiday and religious plays, children’s theatre plays and musicals of all kinds.”

“Philosophus” was given its world premiere almost exactly a year ago by Alleyway Theatre of Buffalo, New York and has since been produced by Best Medicine Repertory Theater of Gaithersburg, MD and also Plaza Theatre of Wharton, TX. Through Eldridge, I hope the show’s “rib-tickling” qualities will induce laughter among many more audiences.

As for Eldridge Publishing, it has a great foundation story which I’d love to share… so check it out below!

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Back in 1906 Harry C. Eldridge decided to start his own firm in his hometown of Franklin, Ohio when he couldn’t get his children’s operetta, The Captain of Plymouth, published. Eldridge, an educator, violinist and composer, and his wife, a gifted children’s author, soon joined with Seymour Tibbals, the local newspaper publisher, forming the Eldridge Entertainment House. (Rumor has it that visitors to the small town thought the house provided a different kind of entertainment!)

At first the two partners wrote all the plays, songs and operettas themselves, printed them at the newspaper office and did most of the selling by mail. Their early works were extremely popular, and as business grew, they began to buy manuscripts from other playwrights. The business is credited with getting Franklin its own post office.

In 1926, the partnership was dissolved and the business was incorporated. Harry died in 1946 and one son, Harry Jr., operated the Ohio headquarters while another son, Ted, opened a branch in Colorado. Cousins Anna and Lillian Eldridge were also involved with the business. By 1985, however, two Eldridge granddaughters living out of state found they could not manage the company effectively, and sold it to the first non-family members, Steve and Nancy Vorhis. Interestingly, Steve’s parents met in the 1940s while performing an Eldridge play.

Soon, rows upon rows of file cards were replaced with the company’s first computer. More plays were published. Advertising increased. Catalogs grew larger. Steadily they ushered the business into what you know us as today. Among Eldridge milestones: Freeviews, which allow 20% of any script to be read online for free (we were the first drama publisher to offer this); printing-on-demand, which eliminates the need for any script inventory; state-of-the-art web technology for the convenience of customers and playwrights alike; and international sales through Anco Publishing in the Netherlands.

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More updates soon!

I had to share this great article by Erick Trickey from “Experience” magazine – “The New Life of a Dying Mall.”

In his article, Mr. Trickey wrote about various attempts to resurrect failing malls across America. He highlights Best Medicine Rep Theater Company as a creative example of a company that is finding new ways to inject life into the (staid) mall scene through the introduction of live theater.

Best Medicine Rep is a Maryland-based theater company that recently produced my historical farce “Philosophus” at their storefront venue in Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland (February, 2019). Mr. Trickey happened to be researching his piece while “Philosophus” was being performed by Best Medicine and he mentions the show a few times in his article.

Below are some excerpts from the article that mention “Philosophus”:

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John Morogiello has seen his plays staged off-Broadway in New York, in Los Angeles, in Louisville, even in Vienna. But he rarely got to debut his own work in his home state of Maryland, until he opened a theater space in an ailing shopping mall.

Now, Morogiello’s all-comedy theater company, Best Medicine Rep, stages several productions and readings a year — his own plays and many others’ — at Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland, 16 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Best Medicine’s storefront is on Lakeforest’s second floor, next to the Sears. “Performance in Progress: Please be quiet,” reads a sign on a stand — meant to warn the driver of the kiddie train, which carries children and parents past the theater, not to blow the whistle.

One Saturday afternoon, beyond a flame-retardant curtain that absorbs some of the mall noise, 45 people fill the seats around a small stage. A blue-eyed actor with impish comic timing is playing the French philosopher Voltaire, in an historical play that one audience member later calls a “Voltairean sex farce.”

….

Since it started staging plays at Lakeforest Mall, Best Medicine Rep’s audience has grown from Gaithersburg locals to new fans from around the Washington, D.C. region. Newcomers often cite a D.C. theater critic’s favorable review of Morogiello’s play “Engaging Shaw” this past fall. The play about Voltaire, “Philosophus,” by Connecticut writer Colin Speer Crowley, has likewise been well-reviewed. Best Medicine is a professional theater company — it pays its actors, directors, and playwrights — and attracts talent from around the region. The lead actor in “Philosophus,” Terence Aselford, is a 30-year veteran of the D.C. theater scene.

….

Meanwhile, Best Medicine is bringing new traffic to Lakeforest. Ruby Tuesday, the last remaining restaurant at the mall, does great business on theater nights, Morogiello says. Actors not only drink at the mall; they shop before and after rehearsals. “A lot of shopping centers would do well to add something like this,” Morogiello says. He’s happy to bring traffic, and a new gathering place, to his hometown mall.

“What I love about malls is that they always were community centers,” says Morogiello. “It was always a place where you would see your friends, in the old days. You would see your parents and other people from the community hanging out and shopping.” It’s a good fit for Best Medicine Rep, he says, since it aims to build a community through shared laughter. “I feel that we feed into that old-school mall mentality of bringing joy to people,” he says. “It’s just a matter of getting other people to buy into the joy.”

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You can read the full article here – it’s a great read!

Congratulations to Christopher Standart, whose performance as Frau Schmidt in the 2018 Alleyway Theatre world premiere production of my historical farce “Philosophus” has earned him a nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in the 2019 Artie Awards!

“The Artie Awards began in 1991 and are held each year to celebrate Western New York’s Theatre Community… The event is an opportunity to recognize Western New York’s theater arts, as well as, raise funds for the HIV/AIDS & Immunodeficiency Clinic at ECMC.”

Chris did a GREAT job portraying the heavily German-accented battle axe, whose never-ending lust for money and tormenting of the French philosopher Voltaire delighted audiences.

Congratulations again!