Shrews Taming Shrews: All female cast of this classic for The Public's "Shakespeare in the Park"

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Okay, using the word "shrew" makes my 21st Century self cringe for some reason.  Other than the mouse-like mammal, a shrew is defined as "a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman" which is certainly not most women, and certainly not just women who don't want to get married. But Shakespeare used it, and so do I.  Is Katherina a shrew? Is female-Petruchio a shrew? Well, now you can judge for yourself in a month or so...

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Murder Mystery Party - My night at Farthingay Manor...

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So I was one of those kids. One of those kids who made a “carnival” with my brothers in our yard for the neighborhood to participate in (we’re talking carnival games, scheduled shows of magic, puppetry and science, and winning prizes from Oriental Trading and guppies from my parents’ fish tank)....

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New Dramatic Monologue: The Nicest Worst Club

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Here is a new dramatic monologue, for a female (or male) actor. The monologue is suitable for a female (could be worked for a male) actor ages 18+. In "The Nicest Worst Club," Julie, a married woman with children, speaks to her friend, Jan, about not wanting to be part of a club of very nice women (who have all lost a husband).

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Share your Magical Leap Day Adventures: February Newsletter

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Happy Leap Day! What magical adventure have you had today on this bonus day of the year? Ladies, have you asked someone to marry you on Feb 29 (you'll have a long marriage!)? Have you seen Leap Day Williams hovering around the waters (30-Rock style)? Have you buried a coin near a rainbow's end waiting for its pay-off on St. Patrick's Day? Have you...checked out a new play written by Tara Meddaugh?...

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Lee Harper will never see Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbir

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How many of us were blown away by Lee Harper's To Kill A Mockingbird in our very young school lives? Oh my gosh--I loved that book. I even just loved saying the words "Boo Radley." It has probably been a few decades since I read it, and after recently hearing Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) is writing a stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, I put a good re-read of this classic on my "to do" list...

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The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival: Open for submissions

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People have asked me before how I see theatre standing up to the next generation filled with such a high focus on technology, social media sans face-to-face connections, and a lack of interest in the arts. There are challenges, to be sure. There always have been, and there always will be. Theatre is not an easy medium...

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Consider My Monologues and 10-minute Plays for Your Competition

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'Tis the season for competitions of all sorts! I've been getting a lot of emails about Forensics Competitions, Acting Tournaments, Speech Days, Thespians Festivals and more. If your competition requires a 10-minute play or a monologue, consider my repertoire for a memorable piece that is fun to perform...

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Crafting a Winning Monologue Performance: Interview with Kamy Johnson, a Winner at Filmstock

It's always great to hear about an artist's success with one of my pieces, so I was happy to hear that actor, Kamy Johnson, received an award for Best Comedic Monologue, with my monologue, "Ferret Envy,"  at The Filmstock Film Festival in Arizona (check out her video at the end). Filmstock is film festival in the Phoenix Valley which screens fresh and entertaining shorts to its audience, and provides an engaging and rewarding festival experience to the artists. They even might throw in a little paint-bombing to boot! They've been around for 6 years, but 4 years in, they already made Movie Maker's top 20 short film festivals.  I am a huge fan of indie shorts, and this is definitely on my list for a trip to the SW...

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New comedic/dramatic 10-minute play for 2 actors

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Check out my new 10-minute play, A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure--great for production, festivals, and competitions. It's for 2 young adults, teens or children actors and casts a new light on the whole Goldilocks story...What if Goldilocks and Little Bear were friends? And had been friends for a long time before the famous porridge/chair/bed incident that got her kicked out? What would happen to their friendship when she is kicked out? Would they see each other again? And if so...where would they go? ...

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New dramatic monologue for children, teens, adults

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Enjoy this new dramatic monologue, ranging in actor age from 12 to adult.

COVERING MY EARS
Genre: DRAMATIC/CHILDREN/TEEN monologue
Cast: FEMALE/MALE
Setting: A bathroom
Age Range: 12-70+
Description: Whitney is in a bathroom. She speaks out.
____________________

WHITNEY

I cover my ears in the shower. I stand there—letting the water drip down my hair, my back. I turn into it. It flows down my face. It’s loud. Not like thunder. It’s…it’s…peaceful. Like…I’m swimming under water, in a lake, it’s dark and the rain is pouring down. It’s loud under water. But it’s quiet. Muffled.  Calm. There are no problems under water. There is no yelling. No hurt. No pain. Everything is erased. And no one knows me.  What I’ve done. What’s been done to me. I’m nothing under the water. And Nothing is…freeing. To me...

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Meet the Winner!

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I recently had the pleasure to e-meet the winner of my Christmas Superpowers and Believing in Blitzen Monologue Contest, and this is one talented young actor! Ryan Henzi is from Ankeny, Iowa; he's 10 years old and he's been acting for years already!  Now you can get to know this budding young actor too, and take a look at his great video performance of "Shepherd Superheroes."...

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Contest Winners Announced!

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Thank you for participating in my Christmas Superpowers and Believing in Blitzen Monologue Contest! I was truly impressed by the talent of the submissions! Thank you for taking the time to perform and record these monologues—you all did a terrific job! ...

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New Christmas 5-Minute monologue play, "Secret Santa"

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If you're looking for a short solo performance piece, check out this one below. It's a comedy (drama) which runs about 5 minutes, and showcases just what kinds of issues "Secret Santa" can bring up... Enjoy!...

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A Playwright's Top Christmas Movies You Might Not Have Heard of

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Everyone can probably give you their favorite Christmas movies, and I definitely love a lot of the classics, like Miracle on 34th Street (with Elizabeth Perkins), Rudolf, Elf, A Christmas Carol (Muppet version of course), It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Love Actually. But there are some that don't get as much attention, and maybe deserve some exploration.  So here are three of this playwright's top films that you might not have heard of, but are worth a watch....

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