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Welcome
John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC

A politician

 

A professional politician is running for the US Senate from West Virginia. So he goes to a small town up in the mountains and meets with the town mayor. The town is very rural and very poor.

The politician tells the mayor  “You give me elected give me the top two things you need I will get him done”

The Mayor says “Well we need a doctor. We have no doctor here”

The politician says, “Give me just a minute” and he whips out his cell phone, talks into it,   comes back to the mayor and says “Done. The day after I'm elected you have a doctor here. I've already arranged it. What's your second need?”

The Mayor says “Well, we could really use cell service here in the mountains”

 

Greetings NYCPlaywrights


*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***

Hudson Classical Theater Company
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park
Behind the Monument at West 89th Street and Riverside Dr.
No reservations necessary. Just show up before 6:15pm and we will take your name and contact info (for Riverside Park COVID-19 Safety Rules).
We cannot seat you once the show starts at 6:30pm. 
Audience members must wear face masks during the show. 

If you don't have a mask, one will be provided for you. Shows begin at 6:30pm so we recommend arriving to the monument no later than 6:10pm to ensure a good seat. You may bring your own folding chair, but be forewarned, there is very limited space for folding chairs. Our performances are typically under two hours. There is no intermission. Dogs are allowed, but we ask you to sit at the top of the monument if you bring pets.
We are WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE! Please email us one day before the performance so we can make accommodations.

Love's Labour's Lost
Thursday through Sunday Night at 6:30pm
July 1st – July 25th, 2021

The Count of Monte Cristo
Thursday through Sunday Night at 6:30pm
July 29th – August 22nd, 2021

Please pay what you can


*** DRAMATISTS GUILD FREE WEBINAR ***

Writing & Producing in Spanish: Reshaping Theatre in the USA
Thursday, July 29
6pm-7:30pm EDT
5pm-6:30pm CDT
4pm-5:30pm MDT
3pm-4:30pm PDT

Join us for a working group discussion, led by dramatists of varying factions of the Latinx and native Spanish-speaking diaspora, on how the American theatre can be a cultural leader in the inclusion of artists who write and perform in the Spanish language.

This discussion will take place in the form of a ‘working group,’ in which  all participants will be encouraged to engage in idea-sharing and the vision of future work. Focused questions will be posed to participants, before, during, and after the discussion, to formulate further action and direction of the working group.

Language inclusion is an under-addressed topic in our inclusivity and diversity work, especially the Spanish language. The US is home to 41 million native Spanish speakers, according to census data - that's 13% of the population. And with another nearly 12 million bilingual Spanish speakers, the US is the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.

This event is free and open for all to attend. Dramatists who write creative material in the Spanish Language, and who are of the Latinx and native Spanish-speaking diaspora, are strongly encouraged to attend and participate.

More:


*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***

Welcome to the 2nd Annual SOOP to NUTS Short Play Festival original short-play competition at our 530 Studios in Pelham, NY (28 minutes from Grand Central Station!)
PRIZES: 1st place: $500, 2nd place: $250, 3rd place $100

***
SPIDER, a literary magazine for children, features fresh and engaging literature, poems, articles, and activities for newly independent readers. Editors seek energetic, beautifully crafted submissions with strong “kid appeal” (an elusive yet recognizable quality, often tied to high-interest elements such as humor, adventure, and suspense). 

***
11th Annual National Jewish Playwriting Contest
We are currently seeking unproduced full-length (65+ minutes) plays and musicals that focus on aspects of 21st Century Jewish identity, culture, and ideas, and the complex and intersectional nature of contemporary Jewish life.

*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***




*** WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER WANT? ***

Your character needs to want something more than anything else in the world. What your character wants should be simple without being simple to get. For example, your character may want true love. She might want to become a billionaire, or to rescue her kidnapped sister. She may want to escape an abusive husband, survive a sinking ship or any number of other things. Each of those examples, though, is fraught with possible setbacks and challenges.

The things characters want that drive their motivations should be specific and concrete. Then obstacles between your character and their heart’s desire supply narrative tension.

Some genres supply us with character’s desires by default. In a romantic novel, for example, the character wants the object of their affection. In a detective or crime novel, the investigator wants to solve the crime. When you have the desire supplying your character’s motivations already, think about ways you can complicate these motivations.

For example, give your character flaws that get in their way. The romantic lead might have an unfortunately shy or stiff manner. It could come across as cold and disinterested to the love interest, for example. Jane Austen milks this character flaw for all it’s worth in her classic novel Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy’s standoffish behaviour comes across as rude to Lizzie Bennett. We enjoy the narrative tension in Lizzie’s gradual realization of Darcy’s true nature. It is much kinder and more caring than first appears.

More...

***
Kurt Vonnegut famously advised writers: Characters must want something, even if it’s just a glass of water. 

Desire in storytelling describes what the character thinks they want. What we want is influenced by society and acculturation, so a character’s desires will be affected by their past and present setting.

The word ‘desire’ is often used in the context of sexual desire, which connects to hunger (for food).

There are three sorts of appetites, described below by (unexpected) gastronome, Alexandre Dumas, in his Dictionary of Cuisine:

Appetite that comes from hunger. It makes no fuss over the food that satisfies it. If it is great enough, a piece of raw meat will appease it as easily as a roasted pheasant or woodcock.
Appetite aroused, hunger or no hunger, by a succulent dish appearing at the right moment, illustrating the proverb that hunger comes with eating.
The third type of appetite is that roused at the end of a meal when, after normal hunger has been satisfied by the main courses, and the guest is truly ready to rise without regret, a delicious dish holds him to the table with a final tempting of his sensuality.

More...

***
Are you struggling to finish your first draft, lost in an aimless middle act or lackluster conclusion? Is your manuscript worrisomely bland, lacking a strong narrative thread to draw readers from Point A to Point B? Writer, it’s time to rev up your story’s narrative engine…

The surest way to drive your plot forward is to arm your characters with goals they’re motivated to achieve. Pit your characters’ goals against one another (or against their internal needs), and you’ll  create deliciously engaging conflict that keeps readers turning pages.

But how does one develop goals that effectively serve their characters and story? Is it even necessary to give every character a goal, for that matter? Let’s delve into this topic together, writer.

Story goals as a catalyst for conflict…

A story’s narrative engine is the force that gives its plot momentum, moving the characters through each act with clarity and direction. This force is also known as a story’s central conflict, the question that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.

More...

***

Thoughts on Building a Character

What does your character want? It is important as an actor to ask yourself what your character's objectives are. Most likely, they have a grand objective for the show, but they also have objectives for every scene they are in (sometimes even from moment to moment). Really think about what your character wants whenever they are onstage--- after all, why else would they be there.


***

If you asked ten people this exact question, you’d get at least twelve different answers, from action and drama to prose and description. However, beyond all these things is a single element that readers respond to, even if they don’t know it at first—want versus need.

You see, characters are the real drivers of a compelling story, even in more action focused genres. So, what does want versus need have to do with writing interesting characters? Well, it’s the secret to creating realistic character conflict!

Your Character’s Want versus Need

Want Versus Need: the Secret to Character ConflictI’m sure you’ve faced a dilemma similar to this one before—you want to eat an entire box of doughnuts, but what your body really needs is a refreshing salad. The protagonist of any good story will experience a similar pull between two desires, but their conflict will go far beyond shallow dietary habits.

Instead, it will affect the entire progression of their character arc.

The foundation of this conflict is their want versus need.

For instance, let’s say your hero believes that by becoming prom king he’ll gain friends, popularity, and happiness. However, in reality what he needs is to let go of his ego and embrace those lower on the popularity ladder to find true, lasting friendships.

More...

***


Figuring out what your character wants will help you add depth and interest for your character, making them more realistic and believable. A character that doesn’t want anything is a boring character. Having a want, wish, goal, or desire will push your character throughout the show – what do they want and how will they go about achieving it?

The following series of questions will help you figure out exactly why your character is in the scene and what they want. Go through your script and make notes while you’re thinking about these questions. The script will give you clues and information about what your character wants. For each question, note what it was in the script that gave you that information. List the page number and/or the line number in the script, for you to refer back to. It could be a line spoken by your character, a line spoken by another character, a stage direction, or something else.

If you can’t find proof in the script, you may wish to brainstorm some ideas about your character and what they want. Talk to your teacher or start a class discussion to get more ideas and insights!

More...

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How to make buck on the ridiculous

 The story below, largely created by Jimmy Hoffa’s people, has been around for decades. As you may know I write about (among other things) organized crime. In my research I have found that there is not a single piece of tangible evidence to support the story that the Kennedy Brothers were involved with Monroe, who was largely taken to be a loon inside Hollywood circles.  

Nor am I a Kennedy supporter. I’m the guy who uncovered and revealed the Kennedy’s freewheeling pardon history to a long list of mob thugs during the Kennedy presidency.   

The author, Mike Rothmiller, should make all of his research material public…meaning the actual files he says he uncovered. 



LAPD detective claims 'JFK’s brother Bobby poisoned Marilyn Monroe'

Former cop’s explosive new book reveals how he was shot after digging into the truth about the bombshell’s tragic death

·         

An LAPD cop who worked in a special intelligence section that collected information on celebrities and mobsters claims former US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy poisoned starlet Marilyn Monroe to protect the Kennedy family dynasty.

Mike Rothmiller has broken a 40-year silence to tell the Crime World podcast how he kept the secrets of her mysterious death to himself for years as he was afraid of repercussions while senior officers who worked for shady organised crime intelligence gathering units were still alive.

Rothmiller quit his role as a detective when he survived an assassination attempt during the period that he was investigating the details of Monroe’s death, but went on to enjoy a hugely successful career as a documentary producer and writer. He was once nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and is an acclaimed author and historian.

This week, in a special interview for the Crime World podcast, Rothmiller details what he alleges are the facts surrounding Monroe’s death in 1962 shortly after she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday, Mr President’ during a live television celebration for John F Kennedy at Madison Square Garden which ignited speculation that they were having an affair.

In fact, Rothmiller says, it was Bobby Kennedy, the President’s brother, that Monroe was more in love with, and he disputes an inquest ruling that she probably killed herself, stating in a new book that she was likely poisoned to shut her up.

Rothmiller was 10 years a cop and assigned to the ‘Organised Crime Intelligence Division’ of LAPD which he says housed filing cabinets full of files and documents on everyone from mafia bosses to politicians, actors and TV presenters when he stumbled upon the ‘Kennedy’ files.

OCID had started in the 1940s under the auspices of an anti-mafia squad but had soon begun gathering intelligence on everyone who mattered. He was one of 60 detectives who spent their time photographing Hollywood’s leading men, judges, and politicians as they conducted clandestine affairs, gay relationships or unwittingly put themselves in compromising positions.

“We were getting photos of them and other info about them. The intelligence was coming in, but it never left the office. It was all gathered for the Chief of Police. We worked in teams and in all the years I was in intelligence I never made one arrest which tells you what the objective was,” he says.

Rothmiller had access to the old files kept in the secret department known as Fort Davis — a building with no windows.

“Everybody has a curiosity when it comes to intelligence, so I start going through the files and start seeing famous names. That is how I found the ‘Kennedy’ file and saw that it was linked to one on Marilyn Monroe and Peter Lawford. I could see that around the time of her death Lawford and Monroe’s phones were bugged and I could see the name of the guy who did the wiretap. I got hold of him and talked to him and after a while we developed a bit of a relationship and he told me what he knew about the night before she died.

“At the time I knew just what everyone else in the public knew. I suppose just that she had died and there were some questions around her death. Bobby Kennedy had long insisted he was not in LA at the time. When I got into the files and started speaking with people and started to really dig, I could see that what we knew was not what happened.”

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Rothmiller discovered a copy of Monroe’s diary amongst other things held by LAPD despite claims that it had never been found. On a visit to the Playboy mansion, he happened to spot Lawford and pushed his card into his jacket asking the actor to call him some time. To his surprise Lawford did call and 20 years after her death he spilled out a confession to the cop which detailed the tragic end of Marilyn.

In the interview, Rohmiller details how Lawford, married into the Kennedy family, told him how Monroe had become increasingly volatile in the months before her death believing she had been used by the Kennedy brothers, John, and Bobby, both of whom she had been having an affair with. She had believed Bobby, a married father of eight, was going to leave his wife for her but when she realised he was not going to threatened to hold a press conference about her affairs.

According to Rothmiller, Lawford told him how days before her death Monroe had attended a party at Frank Sinatra’s mansion where she had been plied with drink and when unconscious was raped and photographed in compromising positions.

Despite this she refused to back down and insisted that she would publicise her affairs with the Kennedys, which was sure to cost John his Presidency and Bobby his role as Attorney General. On the night of her death, Lawford claimed, he was with Bobby Kennedy when they visited Marilyn’s home where a row broke out. When they returned, he said he saw Bobby Kennedy stirring a glass of water to give her and that she died shortly after drinking it. Lawford alleged that police then arrived to conceal the murder while he and Bobby were escorted out of town.

Using the Monroe diary, the transcripts from the wire taps and piecing together other evidence including a traffic stop, Rothmiller became convinced that the story was true but as he continued to poke the details of the night in question he was ambushed and shot.

“The night I was shot I had to go to a meeting with an informant in the desert 100 miles away. He told me about cops dealing drugs which was nothing new. I came home about midnight. I had been living in a quiet suburban area, and I noticed a motorcycle following me. I saw the hand and the gun, and I just jerked the car off the road. I saw the muzzle flash and knew I had to get out of the car. I did not realise it, but I had been hit, and my spinal cord was damaged. It was the start of a very frightening situation. I was later told that I was marked for assassination because I knew too much,” he says.

While the shooting was never solved, Rothmiller tells Crime World that he cannot rule out the idea that it was sanctioned by the US State and as a direct result of his investigations into Bobby Kennedy’s involvement in Monroe’s death.

The detective had kept notes on all he learned at Fort Davis and hid them away for decades. He went on to have a hugely successful career in the corporate arena, including as a director of Sony Electronics. Following his retirement and with the help of journalist Douglas Thompson he pieced together his evidence in a new book Bombshell. The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe.

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