I arrived in Muskogee this morning.  Am thrilled to be here!  Great town, super people. 

There was a reception at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame — a fabulous venue.  As I was walking in, I spotted the fabulous Marlyn Mason, who has agreed to read Zelda for my staged reading. 

ShIronbutterfly put me in touch with Marlyn who has been incredibly gracious about sharing her huge talents for the reading.  

Marlyn was wonderful to meet and what a fun evening getting to know her!  I mentioned how many TV shows she has been in, she said, “I’ve been in everything except I never did a Gunsmoke and I never did a Love Boat and I never had sex with Warren Beatty.  I’d like that on my headstone except I am not having a head stone.”  

I’m still looking for other actors to fill out the reading, but I know I’ll meet great people here.  When I was at this festival in 2004, I met wonderful actors. 

The reading of “Zelda’s Ever Blooming Flowers” will be Saturday at 3 pm at the Muskogee Civic Center.  

I love Oklahoma.  I fell in love with Tulsa the last time I was here and am in love with Muskogee.  The Roxy is a gem of a theater, right around the corner from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.  

So wonderful to see ShIronbutterfly and Oscar Ray again — they do an amazing job with this festival — supporting Oklahoma filmmakers and truly independent filmmakers.  They also have a small, pointy eared dog, Tails, who makes that dog from the artist look positively cow like — Tails is insanely cute and loves everyone.  

A great day!  Thrilled and thankful to be here.  

The amazing and hugely talented Raffa and Rainer have agreed to let us use two songs in “Saving Sophie”.  

My brother Errol met Raffa and Rainer in Miami, where they all live.  

Errol gave me their CD “No Mercy” for Christmas and I feel in love with their music.  

I found two songs to replace the Andrews Sisters and the Platters — and I’m thrilled Raffa and Rainer have so graciously agreed to work with us.  

I have been so thankful for our musicians, Julie Durden, Danica Winter, Michael Fitzgerald, Kelly’s Lot, and now Raffa and Rainer. 

Raffa and Rainer’s website

Buy “No Mercy” at CD Baby

Raffa and Rainer are currently on tour!  Tour Information Here.

My screenplay “Zelda’s Ever Blooming Flowers” is a Finalist in the Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival’s Script-2-Screen 2012 Feature Screenplay Competition. 

The festival runs April 13 - 22 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  

Screenwriters-in-Attendance will have screenplay readings.  Awards are announced the last Sunday of the festival.  

Bare Bones is a celebration of truly independent films and filmmakers. 

I am over the moon excited about Zelda being selected as a finalist in this competition and returning to Bare Bones. 

Bare Bones world premiered “Saving Sophie”.  ShIronbutterfly and Oscar believed in my work and my film from the very beginning.  I am thrilled to be “going home” to Oklahoma!

I had an amazing time and learned my butt off — learned how to work a festival from folks who are completely about supporting filmmakers and filmmaking in Oklahoma. 

I met amazing people — talented actors and musicians. Filmmakers I am proud to count as friends.  

The first weekend of the festival I will be grading final projects from my Playwriting students and working to pull together semester grades for my classes — Tuesday I work with the Theater students and collect final projects from my Screenwriting class.  Tuesday afternoon, final projects in hand, I will jump in my truck and start the drive to Oklahoma!  

I’ll be attending the second weekend of the Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival.  I am completely looking forward to reconnecting with friends and discovering new talent and new friends!  

Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival

The BOOM Theatre Company will produce my one act play “Small Animals” as part of this summer’s Brave New Works Festival. 

BOOM premiered “Barefoot” last summer.  I am thrilled to be working with Ryan Nicotra again.  I met Ryan when he auditioned for a production of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”.  I cast him as Brick and our journey began.  We treasure our working relationship and friendship.  As a playwright, it is wonderful to have a theater company so supportive of my writing.

I am super thrilled Dawn Connor Rowles will play Wren.  Dawn’s work is beautiful. We are still looking for an actor to play Weed.  

Brave New Works will run later this summer in Bel Air, Maryland.  An easy ride out of DC and Baltimore.  

Brave New Works will also feature “From Darkness to Light” by one of my former students, Liz Bernstein.  I could not be more excited!  Liz is a wonderful writer.  I am in great company! 

Also featured, “A Mockingbird”, an original choreodrama by Kayleigh Daniels. Based on the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee.  And “Damned Poets”, an original choreodrama by Ryan Nictora. 

“Small Animals” won the Denis Johnston Playwriting Award.  The three other works are World Premiers.  

I first met Alison McMahan during the 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival.  I went up to reconnect with my film friends and attend “The Art of the Pitch” workshop. 

During the weekend, I met a good number of the Screenplay Competition Finalists. The only woman in the group was Alison, who was there with her writing partner, John Leary.  

After seeing the program put together by Jennie Jarvis, I submitted a screenplay for 2011’s competition and was thrilled the screenplay was a top ten finalist.  I was also thrilled to learn that Alison and John would be returning.  

Alison is a filmmaker, screenwriter and author of two books: “Alice Guy Blache’, Lost Visionary of the Cinema” and “The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live Action in Hollywood.” 

Alison McMahan, Writer

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend more time with Alison, and the other finalists, during the 2011 Jacksonville Film Festival. 

Alison and her husband Charlie proved themselves to be true friends and quite intrepid, they travelled up from South Florida to see my production of “Duck Hunter Shoots Angel” at Limelight Theatre.  Super fun evening.  Some of you understand how much it means when friends show up, for our plays, our films — it means the world.  

Alison very kindly wrote about “Saving Sophie” and our quest for distribution on her Homunculus Productions website. 

Read Alison’s Article Here. 

Thank You Alison! 

I am totally proud of my student Jill Burns.  Her screenplay, ”Fairies Wear Boots” is a Quarterfinalist in BlueCat’s Screenplay Competition.  Which places her in the top 11%. 

Jill has taken my Screenwriting and Advanced Screenwriting classes at Flagler College.  ”Fairies Wear Boots” started in the Advanced Screenwriting class.  

Shout out to Zoje Stage who has placed as a Quarterfinalist as well! 

Welcome to the new website.  The web gods frowned and savingsophie.net was hacked or somehow compromised and my cousin David suggested we start over.  This is the third time we are starting from scratch.  So, here we go.  Rebuilding.  

Thank you for your patience and support.  I’ll be building this new website as I can, around starting new classes and starting a new screenplay.