Oh, oh. I was so busy in October with my other writing passion--playwriting--that I forgot to post on this blog. Oh well.
My One Act play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the Onyxfest Playwriting Festival and was produced for the stage in October. As one of the five winning playwrights of OnyxFest I was granted funds to produce 1200 Miles from Jerome. I've produced plays before, but this proved to be a different experience. I never worked so hard in my life. Thank goodness I was assisted by my friend, Deborah Asante, one of the best directors around. We assembled one of the hardest working cast I've ever worked with, and we pulled it off.
1200 Miles from Jerome is the story of a harrowing automobile journey from Jerome, Arkansas to New York City by four African Americans and one Japanese American in 1943. OnyxFest is the third festival that the play has won, but the first one that provided a full production. I'm flattered by the recognition that my writing has earned in general, but the production was exhausting and I'm glad that it's over. Below is the cast of the 1200 Miles from Jerome OnyxFest production. The photo is by photographer, Ron Slavens.
