William Missouri Downs is an American comedy writer, playwright, screenwriter, stage director, and author.

Life and career

William Missouri Downs started as an actor earning an MFA in acting from the University of Illinois, but a bout with viral encephalitis left him with a slight stammer and ended his acting career.[1] So he moved to New York[2] and studied playwriting at the Circle Rep Theatre under Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt.

He then moved to Los Angeles[3] and earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA.[4] While a student at UCLA film school, he won numerous screenwriting awards, including the Jack Nicholson prize.[5]

In Hollywood, he worked as a script secretary on NBC's Moonlighting and studied sitcom writing at the Warner Brothers Sitcom Writing Workshop. He was a staff writer on NBC's My Two Dads, with writing credits on four episodes, under the pen name Bill Streib. As Streib, he also credited with writing one episode each for the NBC shows Amen and Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. In addition, he sold a movie to Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment and optioned another to Filmways. He worked with Jim Parsons developing a TV pilot that was optioned by Hollywood producer Meryl Poster.

His plays include The Exit Interview[6] (which premiered at the Orlando Shakespeare), winner of a rolling premiere from the National New Play Network, published by Samuel French;[7] Women Playing Hamlet[8] (which premiered at the Unicorn Theatre in Missouri), winner of a rolling premiere from NNPN, published by Playscripts;[9] Mad Gravity, a finalist at the Eugene O'Neill and winner of the Reva Shiner Comedy Award,[10] premiering at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, published by Playscripts;[11] Cockeyed[7] winner of The Greenhouse Festival of New Plays, published by Samuel French; Seagulls in a Cherry Tree,[12] winner of the Larry Corse Prize for Playwriting, published by Heuer Publishing; Mr. Perfect[13] published by Playscripts; Headset, A View from the Light Booth[12] published by Heuer Publishing; Kosher Lutherans[14] published by Samuel French; Dead White Males[15] published by Playscripts; How to Steal a Picasso, a finalist at the Eugene O'Neill;[16] Innocent Thoughts, published by Next Stage Press;[17] A Doll House (adaptation) published by Next Stage Press; Kabuki Medea,[18] winner of the Bay Area Critics Award for Best Production in San Francisco; Kabuki Faust;[19] and Forgiving John Lennon;[20] and Fascism! The Musical.[21]

There have been over 250 productions of his plays, including productions at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre,[22] the InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia,[23] the San Diego Rep,[24] the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Salt Lake City Acting Company, the Actors Theatre of Charlotte,[25] the Jewish Theatre of Toronto,[26] the Bloomington Playwright's Project, the Detroit Rep, and the New York City Fringe Festival.[27]

His plays have been produced in Spain (Fuera de órbita),[28] Canada, South Africa (Durban Performing Arts Center), Russia (Хороший парень - The Serov Theatre Drama After Chekhov,[29] Serov), Singapore (The Hexis Theatre), Switzerland (Franklin University, Lugano,), Austria (stadt Theater walfischgasse, Vienna), Israel (The International Theatre Festival), India (Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Bangalore), and South Korea (피카소를 훔치는 법 & 실제 게임 at Theatre in Daehangno & Daehakro Theatre, Seoul).

Downs has an extensive publication record including articles, plays, and books.[30] He has co-authored four books, including Naked Playwriting[31] (Silman/James), Playwriting: From Formula to Form[32] (Harcourt Brace), Screenplay: Writing the Picture[33] (Silman/James), and The Art of Theatre[34] (Wadsworth/Cengage). The Art of Theatre has gone through multiple editions and has been adopted as a college textbook in the US.

Downs lives in a log cabin near the Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado.[35]

Awards

Downs has won two rolling premieres from the National New Play Network[36] and twice been a finalist at the Eugene O'Neill.[37][38] He also won the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Julie Harris Award.[39]

Plays

  • Kosher Lutherans, published by Samuel French[40]
  • Women Playing Hamlet, published by Playscripts
  • Mr. Perfect, published by Playscripts
  • Mad Gravity, published by Playscripts
  • Cockeyed, published by Samuel French[41]
  • Forgiving John Lennon[42]
  • Dead White Males, published by Playscripts
  • The Exit Interview, published by Samuel French[43]
  • Headsets - A View from the Light Booth,[44] published by Heuer Publishing
  • Seagulls in a Cherry Tree,[45] published by Heuer Publishing
  • Innocent Thoughts, published by Next Stage Press[46]
  • Fascism the Musical[47]
  • Life on my Knees[48]
  • How to Steal a Picasso[48]
  • Angry Psycho Princesses (the musical)[48]
  • You Can't Say That![49]
  • How to Survive Your Family at Christmas[50]

Books

  • Downs, William Missouri; Wright, Lou Anne (14 August 1997). Playwriting: From Formula to Form. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN 0-15-503861-3.
  • Russin, Robin U.; Downs, William Missouri (July 2003). Screenplay: Writing the Picture. Silman-James Press. ISBN 1-879505-70-3.
  • Downs, William Missouri; Russin, Robin U. (28 January 2005). Naked Playwriting: The Art, the Craft, and the Life Laid Bare. Silman-James Press. ISBN 1-879505-76-2.
  • Russin, Robin U.; Downs, William Missouri (14 September 2005). Jak napisać scenariusz filmowy (in Polish). Wojciech Marzec. ISBN 83-922604-0-6.
  • Downs, William Missouri; Wright, Lou Anne; Ramsey, Erik (2011). The Art of Theatre. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-15-506325-9.

Monologues and Short Plays

  • Books on Tape, published by North West Theatre Review, Oregon State University (2008)[51]
  • Exceptional Monologues, published by Samuel French, New York (2009)
  • The Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2016, published by Smith And Kraus (2011)[52]
  • 222 Comedy Monologues, published by Playscripts (2016)
  • Contemporary Scenes For Twentysomethings, Applause Books (2017)[53]
  • Contemporary Monologues For Twentysomethings, Applause Books (2018)[54]
  • Actor's Choice Monologue, published by Playscripts, New York

References

  1. ↑ "A life in theater is not for the weak of heart, says playwright William Missouri Downs".
  2. ↑ Branding Iron (2015-11-20). "William Downs: 'not your typical professor'". Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  3. ↑ "Los Angeles Department of City Planning" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Crossett, Laura (2013-01-31). "The Stage: Interview: William Missouri Downs". Little Village. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  5. ↑ "Scholarships and Fellowships". UCLA School of TFT. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  6. ↑ "The Exit Interview". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Cockeyed". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  8. ↑ Women Playing Hamlet
  9. ↑ "Women Playing Hamlet by William Missouri Downs | Playscripts Inc". www.playscripts.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  10. ↑ "Reva Shiner Comedy Award". Bloomington Playwrights Project. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  11. ↑ "Mad Gravity by William Missouri Downs | Playscripts Inc". www.playscripts.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  12. 1 2 "Search for plays by title and author name". www.hitplays.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  13. ↑ "Mr. Perfect by William Missouri Downs | Playscripts Inc". www.playscripts.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  14. ↑ "Kosher Lutherans". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  15. ↑ "Find a Play | Playscripts, Inc". www.playscripts.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  16. ↑ "How To Steal A Picasso by William Missouri Downs - 2015 National Playwrights Conference Finalists". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  17. ↑ "Innocent Thoughts". www.nextstagepress. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  18. ↑ "'Kabuki Medea': Furious Fusion". The Washington Post.
  19. ↑ "CIVIC DOSE OF 'KABUKI FAUST'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Forgiving John Lennon - Playwrights' Center". PWCenter.org. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  21. ↑ "UW Theatre and Dance Season Continues with Protest Comedy". University of Wyoming. November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  22. ↑ Writer, Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel Arts. "'The Exit Interview' makes world premiere at Shakespeare Theater". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "World Premieres". InterAct Theatre Company. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  24. ↑ "San Diego Repertory Theatre Production History". www.sdrep.org. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  25. ↑ "The Exit Interview is theater and pop culture on Prozac | Performing Arts | Creative Loafing Charlotte". clclt.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  26. ↑ thecjnadmin (2010-10-28). "Teatron to stage Kosher Lutherans". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  27. ↑ "From the Fringe - Smith College Office of Alumnae Relations Smith College Office of Alumnae Relations". alumnae.smith.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  28. ↑ "Fuera de Órbita, de William Missouri Downs". fueradeorbita (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  29. ↑ Serov Theatre
  30. ↑ "William Missouri Downs: books, biography, latest update". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  31. ↑ "Naked Playwriting". Silman-James Press, Inc. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  32. ↑ Downs, William Missouri; Wright, Lou Anne (1998). Playwriting from Formula to Form: A Guide to Writing a Play. Harcout Brace College Publishers. ISBN 0155038613.
  33. ↑ "Screenplay, 2nd Edition". Silman-James Press, Inc. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  34. ↑ "Search". www.cengage.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  35. ↑ "William Missouri Downs - Biography". WilliamMissouriDowns.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  36. ↑ "About - National New Play Network". www.nnpn.org. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  37. ↑ "Mad Gravity by William Missouri Downs - 2013 National Playwrights Conference Finalists". sites.google.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  38. ↑ "Playwrights - National New Play Network". nnpn.org. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  39. ↑ "Beverly Hills Theatre Guild - Present Winners". Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  40. ↑ "Samuel French, Inc. The House of Plays & Musical Plays for over 175 Years". Archived from the original on 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  41. ↑ "Samuel French, Inc. The House of Plays & Musical Plays for over 175 Years". Archived from the original on 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  42. ↑ "Detroit Events - Things to Do in Detroit This Weekend - Visit Detroit". Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  43. ↑ moore, john (October 4, 2011). "national new play network selects william missouri downs". Denver Post.
  44. ↑ "Heuer Publishing - HEADSETS". www.hitplays.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  45. ↑ "Heuer Publishing - SEAGULLS IN A CHERRY TREE". www.hitplays.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  46. ↑ http://www.shop.nextstagepress.net/product.sc?productid=59&categoryid=-1
  47. ↑ Fascism the Musical
  48. 1 2 3 "William Missouri Downs | New Play Exchange". newplayexchange.org. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  49. ↑ "You Can't Say That". The Phoenix Theatre Company. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  50. ↑ BWW News Desk. "HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FAMILY AT CHRISTMAS Opens at No Strings Theatre Company Friday". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  51. ↑ "The Literary Northwest Series". College of Liberal Arts. 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  52. ↑ Harbison, Lawrence (2012). The Best Women's Stage Monologues and Scenes, 2011. Smith & Kraus Book. ISBN 978-1575257815.
  53. ↑ Bashline, Jessica (2018). Contemporary Scenes for Twentysomethings. Hal Leonard LLC. ISBN 978-1495065446.
  54. ↑ Bashline, Jessica (2018). Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 978-1495064852.
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