My short horror play "Duckass" went up earlier this week as part of the 47th Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, produced by Concord Theatricals. I found out today that it's advancing to the finals this Saturday!

There are 12 Finalist plays being performed in total, with six chosen by a panel of judges to be licensed and published by Concord Theatricals. "Duckass" goes up at 4:30 p.m. at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons (416 W 42nd St). 

The play is directed by Dina Vovsi and features Sarah Alice Shull, Alice Marcondes, Brooks Laney, and Danny Tejera. Get your tickets here and read more about the festival here.

Congrats to all 30 playwrights included in the festival, and hope to see you there!

I'm really excited to announce that a staged reading of my short play "Duckass" is part of the 47th Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, presented by Concord Theatricals! Directed by Dina Vovsi, it'll be performed alongside three other plays at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (416 W 42nd St) on Wednesday, August 17th, at 8 p.m. Get your tickets here.

Here's a little synopsis:

Inspired by the horror shorts of EC Comics, "Duckass" focuses on two sisters who invite a local boy to their family's storm cellar.

This event feels extra-special to me for a few reasons: 

– Due to the pandemic, it's the first in-person performance of my work in over two years. 

– It's my first-ever reading in New York.

– I was part of the festival last year, but it was online, so it's a trip to be able to be in the same physical space as other theatre artists.

There are 30 different plays being presented throughout the week, and six of them will be selected by a panel of judges to be published by Concord Theatricals. Check out all of the other playwrights, as well as all of the festival info here. I cannot WAIT!

I won't mince words: one of the shows I co-host, The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast, got to interview our very namesake! Click here to hear my colleagues Michael Roffman, Randall Colburn, and Mel Kassel have a fun, informative, and surreal conversation with Stephen King himself. It includes a few bits of you-heard-it-here-first news, including a sequel that he's writing to Cujo! I still can't believe this happened.

​Long days and pleasant nights!

It's been a minute! Here are some goings-on from the past few months.

– I was a Semi-Finalist for the Jerome Fellowship at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.

– I was once again selected for a Workshop Intensive at The Workshop Theater here in New York, this time for Untitled Vampire Play. 

– We launched our fifth season of Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast over at Bloody Disgusting. We're already deep in the woods for our coverage of the Evil Dead series.

– Speaking of podcasting, I was a guest on The Year Of Underrated Stephen King. 

​– My band Methodist Hospital dropped a new (very lo-fi) single.

– And finally, I wrapped up my tenure at The A.V. Club with coverage of the most recent season of South Park. 

More to come soon! Thanks for reading, and I hope you're staying busy, creative, and fulfilled as well.

An excerpt from my play The Amphibians was recently published in Smith & Kraus' Best Women's Stage Monologues, 2021 anthology! You can pick up a copy through the S&K website, on Amazon, at the New York Drama Book Shop, or wherever plays are sold.

Thanks to Smith & Kraus for including me in another anthology, and an extra-big thanks to playwright Debbie Lamedman for selecting my work!

I'm happy to announce that I was a Semi-Finalist for The Civilians' 2021–2022 R&D Group!

The R&D Group specifically supports new works of investigative theatre—narratives that are written using interviews, community engagement, research, or some other method of inquiry. In my case, I applied with a new play I'm working on about vampirism and family. The project is still very much in its early stages, so I'll hopefully have more to share about it soon.

You can check out the other Semi-Finalists, Finalists, and group members over at the company's online journal, ​Extended Play.

Big thanks to The Civilians for the recognition and considering my work!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hearing my play The Amphibians out loud, courtesy of the wonderful folks over at JOOK in Memphis as part of their First Look series. The actors were wonderful, and I got some great insight on how today's teenagers are educated about climate change, and what that might look like in the future. You can also head over to JOOK's Instagram for an interview with me about new work, climate change, horror movies (naturally!), and more.

Thanks to JOOK and all of the other companies who have helped me to continue to develop this play. I'm hoping we get to see it fully produced in the near future!

The B. Iden Payne Awards—which recognize outstanding theatrical performance, production, and design in Austin, Texas—took place this past Monday, and Jarrott Productions' world premiere of my play The Frog Prince nabbed four wins out of our 11 nominations! 

Outstanding Production of Digital Theatre (Audio)
Outstanding Direction of Digital Theatre (Audio) – David R. Jarrott
Outstanding Lead Performance In Digital Theatre (Audio) – Jacqui Calloway
Outstanding Featured Performance In Digital Theatre (Audio) – Karen Jambon

Congrats to all, and big thanks to the B. Iden Payne Awards Council. I'm hoping this isn't the last we've seen of our little show, so keep your eyes peeled for more Frog Prince news!

Tonight, my short horror play "Duckass" goes up at Webster University, as part of the Conservatory's 2021/2022 ET Season!

It's a script that's near and dear to my heart, as it pays homage to the EC Comics from the '40s and '50s. And seeing as it's the first production of the play, I really wish I could be there to see it. In the meantime, check out the nifty graphic created by director Erik Peterson below. 

There might be some more cool "Duckass' news on the horizon, so stay tuned!

A couple of months ago, I was selected for The Workshop Theater's Fall Intensive here in New York, where I've been developing my new play Kaiju!

It's my first writer's group I've ever been a part of, and the Workshop staff—along with a small group of incredibly kind and talented playwrights—have helped me bring out the best in the script; elements that I wasn't fully sure were even there. The Workshop Theater is specifically focused on new-play development, and I recommend that every playwright check them out. They've got a wide range of programs, from writer's groups to labs and readings.

Thanks to The Workshop Theater for supporting my work, and stay tuned for more Kaiju news soon!