Write Around Here

A symposium of local writers that aids, guides, and develops the creative efforts of its members into credible, accomplished, and ultimately producible works for stage

Our Purpose:

1. Create exciting new works for the stage

2. Workshop, sharpen, and enhance a collective vision of excellence in play writing

3. Promote the vision for audiences in traditional and nontraditional idiom of the playwright as a live and present element of theatre


Members:

Janet Behning


Richard Bailey

Lisa Devine *


Matthew Edwards

Dawn Wittke King

John Mallory Land

Don McLaughlin

Sasha Truman-McGonnell*

Michael McNiel *

Lon Rogers


Carol M. Rice

Jason T. Rice

Christopher Soden

Mark-Brian Sonna


* Advisory Artist



Past Members:

Bill Fountain
Ken Freehill
Rick A. Elina

 
Welcome to Write Around Here,

a consortium of writers in the Dallas Metroplex dedicated to new works by our members. With help from associated directors, actors and producers, our focus is the development of strong and reliably consistent individual works as well as an entire portfolio of high quality, plays ready for the stage.
 
 

Public Presentation

We are very excited to have found another
new host for our second public display of works.

MBS Productions, regular production company at Addison's Stone Cottage, joins Rover Dramawerks, resident company in Plano Stage's Cox Building Playhouse, to support our readings during the run of their regular seasons!

These presentations will be at

Cox Building Playhouse
1517 H Avenue
Plano
Stone Cottage Theatre
15650 Addison Road
Addison

We are very excited to be finding so much support
for local writers and ask you to please support these
theaters that are making our readings possible.

Admission is free
(donations are gratefully accepted).

email us at

contact_06_at_writearoundhere_dot_org

 

Staged Readings

Lon Rogers' Losing Daniel

A playwright devotes his life to the smoke and
mirrors of the stage only to become entangled in his
own blurred inner narrative after the death of his
son. Grief does terrible things to those who deny it,
placing redemption just out of reach and always one
step away. The play reminds us that we, all of
us, in our attempts to grasp the imponderables of love
and loss, find truth elusive. Perception becomes
Truth, our truth, for it is the only reality we know.

Lon's strongest work to date.

April 26, 2008 3:00 p.m.

Sherpa:
Don McLaughlin
Third Eye: Matthew Edwards
Director: Sasha Truman McGonnell

Cast: TBA


Our wonderful friends at Rover Dramawerks have
agreed to host us yet again. Jump over and see
the terrific production of The Runner Stumbles they
have up. You'll be glad you did.

 
We are currently seeking sponsorships to defray the costs of facilities, refreshments and publicity. While Rover Dramawerks is trying to continue hosting us, recent changes in facilities policies put them under considerable strain to do so. We like this relationship with Plano's only professional theater and are forging new ones across the area such as MBS Productions. We want to keep growing, but we need your help. If you can imagine any way to help us defray $300-$400 per reading through foundations, corporations or individual benefactors, please let us know.

We are working out the details of a 501(c)(3) status.
While every minute spent on that is not spent on scripts and their development, we anticipate progress on that very soon.

Heading into our second year, we can boast that two of our staged readings have resulted in productions and even a publishing arrangement.

Please, help us maintain this momentum.

Donations, sponsorships and ideas can all be offered at the contact email address below. Thanks for any help you can provide.

contact_06_at_writearoundhere_dot_org
 
 

 

Works in progress:

 
 
John M. Land: The Stone Soup Play
 
 


A pair of wandering thespians arrive in a poor West Virginia
mining town to perform the famous story of Stone Soup.
The rest of the troupe is "delayed" and they set upon convincing
the suspicious townsfolk to work together to put on the
production themselves.

Project Sherpa - C. Rice

 
 
Don MacLaughlin: The Epoch of Perilous Waters
 
 

Lady Evelyn's classic tale of adventure, intrigue, murder, and
suburban real estate development on the dark continent is
being filmed by a mediocre 1940's production crew somewhere
in the wilderness of a Hollywood back lot. When their production
is suddenly canceled and all funding cut, they seize upon the
opportunity of a long weekend on an empty soundstage.
The cast and crew set out to transform the staid formula
safari film into a scandal too great for the studio to ignore.


Project Sherpa - M. Rouse

 
 
Mistress of the Knives
 
 
A mysterious young woman hounds a retired homicide detective to investigate the unsolved murder of a young couple.

Project Sherpa - TBA
 
   
 

If you are a local actor and would like to participate in these readings or our internal workshops,
please contact us

contact_06_at_writearoundhere_dot_org