NEWS 2023
THE SEEKER Has Been Published in OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters
Posted September 2023
Tommy Hamilton's looking for God, love, and sex--but not necessarily in that order.
OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, an online journal, has published THE SEEKER, a Play in Two Acts by William Ivor Fowkes. THE SEEKER was a SEMIFINALIST for both the Promising Playwright Award (Colonial Players, Annapolis, MD) and the Princess Grace Playwriting Award in 2015. It was presented in a reading at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, NY, in 2014.
THE NEXT MOVE and MISS PEDDY & GRACE
to be Presented in Napa Valley
Posted May 2023
Two one-act plays by William Ivor Fowkes--THE NEXT MOVE and MISS PEDDY & GRACE--will be presented at Valley Players' Summer Staged Readings Series in Napa County, CA this summer.
THE NEXT MOVE:
7PM, July 7, 2023.
Something's not quite right as Donald and Roberta, an elderly couple, prepare to entertain company one Sunday afternoon.
MISS PEDDY & GRACE:
2PM, August 5, 2023
Where is the caring in eldercare?
MONOLOGUE to be Published Online
Posted May 2023
Non-binary Ricky confronts a questionnaire they don't know how to fill out.
some scripts literary magazine has announced that it is going to publish BOXES, a monologue by William Ivor Fowkes, in their online blog series, "Scripts Highlights." BOXES was previously published in print in WE/US: Monologues for the Gender Minority, Smith & Kraus Inc., 2022.
DOLL PLAY Short-listed in UK
Posted April 2023
Life in a Dream House. When a man accidentally kills his own son, the spirit of the mother hovers over the family as the surviving members adjust to life without Josh.
DOLL PLAY, a Play in Two Acts by William Ivor Fowkes, has been shortlisted by the London Playwrights' Workshop, UK. DOLL PLAY was developed at the Stillwater Writers' Group, the Pulse Ensemble Theatre Playwrights' Lab, and the Dramatists Guild Institute, all in New York City.
Two Monologues from MUSEUM LOVERS to be published.
Posted April 2023
Sometimes the visitors are even more intriguing than the works on display.
Two monologues from MUSEUM LOVERS, a Play in Two Acts by William Ivor Fowkes, have been selected for publication in two Smith & Kraus anthologies: one in The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2023 and one in The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2023. MUSEUM LOVERS was most recently produced in Austria by Renegade Actors Innsbruck at the University of Innsbruck (June 2022). It was first produced by Harlequin Productions at Cayuga Community College, Auburn, NY in 2017. It was developed at the Pulse Ensemble Theatre Playwrights' Lab in New York City.
Short Play Published in Literature Today
Posted January 2023
AMOEBAS, a one-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published in the January 2023 "Love" issue of Literature Today, an international literary journal. AMOEBAS was also published in Door is Ajar Magazine Review, an online journal, in 2016. It was presented in a staged reading at Stage Left Theater, Spokane, WA, in 2016.
NEWS 2022
MONOLOGUE Published in Anthology for the Gender Minority
Posted November 2022
Non-binary Ricky confronts a questionnaire they don't know how to fill out.
BOXES, a monologue by William Ivor Fowkes, has just been published (2022) in WE/US: Monologues for the Gender Minority, Smith & Kraus Inc. After years of annual anthologies of monologues for men and monologues for women, this is the publisher's first anthology of monologues for characters that don't fit comfortably into either category.
GODIVA CHOCOLATE & A DIET COKE
Published
Posted November 2022
Truth and fear collide in a hospital waiting room.
GODIVA CHOCOLATE & A DIET COKE, 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was published in the online literary journals, Masque & Spectacle, September 2022. This play was first presented in a reading at Gay Pride Plays at Village Playwrights, The LGBT Community Center, New York City, during Gay Pride, June 2018.
STAGE DIRECTIONS Shortlisted
Posted October 2022
An actor confronts a script consisting solely of stage directions.
STAGE DIRECTIONS, a 5-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was shortlisted by SPELLBINDER, a quarterly literary & art journal. Shortlisting (i.e., NOT publishing) is a common occurrence, but this journal put a very encouraging spin on it. "We regularly receive brilliant submissions which just don't quite make it into the Spellbinder issues. Most of the time, the editors are really impressed by these submissions but have to make a decision which factors in the vision of Spellbinder and the limited page space available. In recognition of the talent of these poets, fictions writers, and playwrights we want to let them know how close they came and how much we enjoyed receiving their work." STAGE DIRECTIONS was presented in a staged reading at Stage Left Theatre, Chicago, in 2018
William Ivor Fowkes Receives Certificate in Dramatic Writing
Posted August 2022
William Ivor Fowkes is the first graduate of the Dramatists Guild Institute for Dramatic Writing in New York, having recently completed its new certificate program. The certificate was awarded on July 25, 2022 in a ceremony at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in New York.
MARRIAGE Named Semi-Finalist
Posted July 2022
A college student on the verge of suicide asks his girlfriend to marry him.
MARRIAGE, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been named SEMI-FINALIST (top 6 plays) by the Southeast Texas Festival of New Plays, Beaumont, Tx.
MONOLOGUE To Be Published in Anthology
Posted July 2022
Non-binary Ricky confronts a questionnaire they don't know how to fill out.
BOXES, a monologue by William Ivor Fowkes, is scheduled to be published in WE/US: 100 Monologues for Gender Minority Actors, Smith & Kraus Inc.
MONET Published in Anthology
Posted July 2022
Visitors to the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris get lost in their thoughts while contemplating a painting. Is this the end of art?
MONET, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published in Contemporary One Act Plays (Volume 3), a publication of FRESH WORDS, An International Literary Magazine (June 2022). MONET was presented in a livestream broadcast November 2021 by Anytime Ensemble Players. It was first presented in a staged reading by Turn to Flesh Productions, NYC, in 2018.
TABLE MANNERS IN BUENOS AIRES Published in Fresh Words
Posted May 2022
When love is even harder than making conversation in a crowded restaurant.
TABLE MANNERS IN BUENOS AIRES, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published in the May 2022 issue of FRESH WORDS, An International Literary Magazine--available online AND in print. It was first produced at the Blue Slipper 10-Minute Play Festival, Livingston, MT, in 2012 and was expanded and combined with other short plays to create the full-length play, THE HUDSON FAMILY GUIDE TO TABLE MANNERS.
A Production of MUSEUM LOVERS in Austria
Posted April 2022
Sometimes the visitors are more intriguing than the works on display.
MUSEUM LOVERS, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, is being presented by Renegade Actors Innsbruck at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, June 16-18, 2022. MUSEUM LOVERS was first presented by Harlequin Players in Auburn, NY.
A Live Zoom Reading of TENNESSEE WILLIAMS WINS A PRIZE Presented.
Posted February 2022
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS is not impressed by the prize he wins one night.
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS WINS A PRIZE, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes, was presented in a live Zoom reading at Plays & Pizza, an evening of 6 short plays, February 7, 2022, 6:30PM EST.
A Zoom Reading of AT THE MET
to be Presented.
Posted January 2022
Two women cruising for men at the Metropolitan Museum of Art find their ideal man in an unexpected place.
AT THE MET, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, will be presented in a live Zoom reading at Plays & Pizza, an evening of 6 short plays, January 10, 2022, 6:30PM EST. (The 5th of 6 10-minute plays in the program).
NEWS 2021
Monologue from COUPLE OF THE CENTURY to be Published.
Posted December 2021
Nick Turner - 38-year-old college dropout from Flatbush, Brooklyn turned successful contractor--finally explains his problem to his therapist.
A monologue from COUPLE OF THE CENTURY a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been accepted for publication in Smith & Kraus's The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2022, to be published December 2022. The full play was presented in a Zoom production by UNLV Second Stage (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) April 2021. It was first produced at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in 2005.
New Date Announced for Audio Production of THE NEXT MOVE in the United Kingdom
Posted November 2021
Something's not quite right in Roberta's and Donald's home as the elderly couple prepares to entertain company one Sunday afternoon.
Dark Unicorn Productions, UK, which is presenting an audio production of THE NEXT MOVE, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, has announced a new air date: September, 2022. THE NEXT MOVE was first presented as a staged reading at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2006. Since then it has been produced several times, most recently in 2017 on stage at Theatre Southwest, Houston (Annual Festival of Originals) and as a radio production by Radio Theatre Project, St. Petersburg, FL.
SALLY & CHIP to Be Presented in Live Zoom Reading
Posted November 2021
A man tries to deliver some disturbing news to his wife via Zoom.
SALLY & CHIP, a 10-Minute Zoom Play by William Ivor Fowkes, will be presented in a live Zoom reading December 6, 2021 at Pizza & Plays, a monthly play reading event formerly held live and with pizza, but temporarily on Zoom--and without pizza.
MONET to Be Broadcast November 6-20,2021
Posted November 2021
Visitors to the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris get lost in their thoughts while contemplating a painting. Is this the end of art?
MONET, a 10-Minute Play by William Ivor Fowkes, will be presented in a livestream broadcast November 6-21, 2021 by Anytime Ensemble Players along with 5 other plays in Shut In But Not Shut Down - Part 2. A link will be available starting November 6. (VIRTUAL FIRST DATE by William Ivor Fowkes was presented in the original Shut In But Not Shut Down, November 2020.)
Just Published: Monologue from
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B
Posted November 2021
Three potential congressional candidates find themselves locked in a fight for more than just the candidacy. Inspired by David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. In this monologue, one of the candidates goes to confession for the first time in ten years to make an accusation against the church.
A monologue from INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published in the Best Men's Monologues, 2021Anthology, now available.
STUCK IN PLACE Published
Posted November 2021
Stefan, an anxious playwright, refuses to focus on his imminent move as he works away on a play whose ending he can't quite figure out.
STUCK IN PLACE, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published in the journal, Waxing & Waning, (Issue 8, September 2021). Theatre in My Pajamas presented an online reading of STUCK IN PLACE in September 2020.
A Reading of SUNSHINE QUEST in Florida
Posted July 2021
It's the Year of Our Lord 1999. Retired gay men flock to the Sunshine Quest Club in Fort Lauderdale, FL for dancing, companionship, and nonstop fun. But not everyone is waiting for them with open arms.
SUNSHINE QUEST, a full-length LGBTQ+ comedy by William Ivor Fowkes, was presented in a reading at The Foundry, Wilton Manors, FL at 8PM, Wednesday, July 21, 2021--presented by Ronnie Larsen, directed by David Simpson, and starring Brewer Daniels. Presented by POW!
SUNSHINE QUEST was first produced at the Fresh Fruit Festival at the Wild Project in New York in 2014, where it won a "Fruitie" Award for Best Supporting Performance (Camille Mazurek).
MONET and AN UBER IN THE RAIN
to be Produced Online
Posted May 2021
Anytime Ensemble Players is recording two plays by William Ivor Fowkes in June for livestream broadcast at a date TBA:
MONET, a 10-Minute Play: Visitors to the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris get lost in their thoughts while contemplating a painting. Is this the end of art?
AN UBER IN THE RAIN, a short play: A man and a woman, both recently divorced from each other's best friend, run into each other in the rain. This play is an excerpt from the full-length play, THE FIDELITY CLAUSE by William Ivor Fowkes.
STUCK IN PLACE To Be Published
Posted April 2021
STUCK IN PLACE, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been accepted for publication by the journal, Waxing & Waning. Publication date TBA. Theatre in My Pajamas presented an online reading of STUCK IN PLACE in September 2020.
SYNOPSIS: An anxious playwright refuses to focus on his imminent move as he works away on a play whose ending he can't figure out.
A Livestream Production of
VIRTUAL FIRST DATE
Updated May 2021
The Department of Theatre & Dance at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, presented VIRTUAL FIRST DATE, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, May 1-7, 2021. SYNOPSIS: A couple who meet online during the Covid Crisis attempt a first date on FaceTime.
VIRTUAL FIRST DATE, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was short-listed by Short + Sweet-Dubai and Short + Sweet-Sydney.
Posted May 2021
A Livestream Production of COUPLE OF THE CENTURY
Updated April 2021
UNLV Second Stage (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), a student-run theater group, presented COUPLE OF THE CENTURY, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, in a production on Zoom, April 2-3, 2021, This play was first produced at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in 2008.
SYNOPSIS: Nick and Diane make an unlikely married couple--he's a college dropout from Flatbush with a successful contracting business and an overactive libido; she's a Yale-educated psychotherapist with a keen sense of what's proper--so when they arrive at a marital crisis, it may take more than therapy to save this marriage.
An Audio Production of THE NEXT MOVE Presented in the United Kingdom
Posted February 2021
Dark Unicorn Productions, UK, is presenting an audio production of THE NEXT MOVE, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, September, 2022. THE NEXT MOVE was first presented as a staged reading at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2006. Since then it has been produced several times, most recently in 2017 on stage at Theatre Southwest, Houston (Annual Festival of Originals) and as a radio production by Radio Theatre Project, St. Petersburg, FL.
SYNOPSIS: Something's not quite right in the home of an elderly couple as they prepare for company one Sunday afternoon.
THE NEXT MOVE, A One-Act Stage Play by William Ivor Fowkes, was short-listed by Act Your Age, UK.
Posted May 2021
THE MASSEUR & THE MOVIE STAR
Presented in a Zoom Reading
Posted February 2021
Almost Adults Productions, Santa Fe, NM, is presenting a Zoom reading of THE MASSEUR & THE MOVIE STAR, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 5:30PM Eastern Time (3:30PM Mountain Time). Also 3 other plays plus a talkback with the playwrights after the reading.
SYNOPSIS: Massage therapist Brad Hall isn't comfortable working at a social club for senior gay men in Fort Lauderdale, FL, but he has no problem working on one particular client. (The Masseur & the Movie Star is an excerpt from the full-length play, SUNSHINE QUEST by William Ivor Fowkes, which premiered at the 2014 Fresh Fruit Festival.)
To Be Published: Monologue from
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B
Posted February 2021
A monologue from INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, is being published in the Best Men's Monologues, 2021Anthology, by Smith & Kraus, September 2021.
SYNOPSIS: Three potential congressional candidates find themselves locked in a fight for more than just the candidacy. Inspired by David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. In this monologue, one of the candidates goes to confession for the first time in ten years to make an accusation against the church.
BILL OF HEALTH Published by
Iris Literary Journal
Posted January 2021
How far should you take the Hippocratic Oath? BILL OF HEALTH, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was published by Iris Literary Journal of Assure Press, Volume 1, Issue 2 - Summer 2020.
SYNOPSIS: A gay patient and his doctor confront a series of crises.
NEWS 2020
MISS PEDDY & GRACE
Published & Licensed by Smith Scripts in the UK
Posted December 2020
MISS PEDDY & GRACE, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published and licensed by Smith Scripts in the United Kingdom.
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Peddy, an experienced and dedicated caretaker of elderly loved ones, may soon be available for hire, but her current charge, octogenarian Grace Butler, sees her in a different light and has a different scenario in mind.
A Livestream Production of
SISYPHUS & ICARUS: A LOVE STORY
Updated February 2021
SISYPHUS & ICARUS: A LOVE STORY, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, was presented in a livestream production on Zoom on December 15, 2020 in week 4 of Third Citizen Theatre Company's Digital Dionysia Festival.
SYNOPSIS: Earthbound Sisyphus and flight-obsessed Icarus meet and fall in love. Two years later, they find themselves in couples therapy.
Livestream Reading of
A MISUNDERSTANDING AT SUNSHINE QUEST
Posted November 2020
A MISUNDERSTANDING AT SUNSHINE QUEST, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, is being presented in a livestream reading by Love Creek Productions in December (date TBA). This play is adapted from an excerpt from his full-length play, SUNSHINE QUEST, which premiered at the Fresh Fruit Festival in NYC in 2014.
SYNOPSIS: It's New Year's Eve 1999. Retired gay men flock to the Sunshine Quest Club in Fort Lauderdale to welcome in the new millennium. But in the midst of all the celebrating, one attempted flirtation goes awry.
VIRTUAL FIRST DATE
Presented in Livestream Productions
Posted November 2020
VIRTUAL FIRST DATE, a 10-minute Zoom play by William Ivor Fowkes, is receiving multiple livestream productions this fall. SYNOPSIS: A couple who meet online during the Covid Crisis attempt a first date on FaceTime.
(1) VIRTUAL FIRST DATE is being presented by Anytime Players Ensemble at Shut in But Not Shut Down, their benefit for the Actors Fund, November 11-15, 2020.
(2) Fargo/Moorhead Community Theater, ND, is presenting VIRTUAL FIRST DATE in its Virtual 10-Minute Play Festival. A video of the play was released November 13, 2020.
(3) VIRTUAL FIRST DATE was named one of the 5 winners of This Covid Life, a competition launched during lockdown by four WGGB (Writers' Guild of Great Britain) members, including the founders of writers' collective SCRIPT6. This play is scheduled to be posted along with the other winners February 2, 2021.
TWO AMERICANS IN LONDON
Published by The Galway Review in Ireland.
Posted November 2020
TWO AMERICANS IN LONDON, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published by The Galway Review in Ireland. This play is an excerpt from the full-length play, THE HUDSON GUIDE TO TABLE MANNERS by William Ivor Fowkes.
SYNOPSIS: Two men who share a past run into each other in the bar of a London hotel.
Live YouTube Reading of AN UBER IN THE RAIN
Posted October 2020
Turn Point Theatre, UK, presented AN UBER IN THE RAIN, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes, at Tickle & Scratch, a weekly play reading event, at 2:30 PM EDT, Thursday, October 8, 2020.
SYNOPSIS: A man and a woman, both recently divorced from each other's best friend, run into each other in the rain.
BILL OF HEALTH to Be Published
Posted October 2020
How far should you take the Hippocratic Oath? In BILL OF HEALTH, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, a gay patient and his doctor confront a series of crises. BILL OF HEALTH will soon be published by Iris Literary Journal of Assure Press (date TBA).
Live Zoom Reading of TELLING THE BOYS
Posted October 2020
Some1Speaking, a monthly "exploration of the at of the monologue" presented by Roland Tec, presented 5 monologues, including TELLING THE BOYS by William Ivor Fowkes (and performed by William Ivor Fowkes), at 6PM ET, Monday, October 5, 2020. Some1Speaking is a continuation and extension of the "Me & My Masks" Monologue and Fest that was produced recently by PinkPlot Productions. TELLING THE BOYS is an excerpt from the full-length play, MARRIAGES OF INCONVENIENCE, by William Ivor Fowkes.
STUCK IN PLACE Presented in a Reading
Posted September 2020
Theatre in My Pajamas presented an online reading of STUCK IN PLACE, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, at 9PM EDT, Thursday, September 10, 2020.
SYNOPSIS: An anxious playwright refuses to focus on his imminent move as he works away on a play whose ending he can't figure out.
A Zoom Reading of
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B
Posted June 2020
Is this any way to find congressional candidates?
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B, a new full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, was presented in a live Zoom reading on June 15, 2020 by IATI Theater in New York City. INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B was one of 10 plays developed at IATI Theater's Cimientos 2020 Play Development Program and presented in readings in June.
SYNOPSIS: Trapped in a conference room, three potential congressional candidates compete to prove their suitability for the Party's nomination. As their claustrophobia and discomfort intensify, tempers flare, and the attacks become more personal until only one resolution is possible.
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B takes place at the intersection of politics, religion, and the desire for power and influence. It was inspired by David Hume's classic philosophical work, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.
MISS PEDDY & GRACE
Presented at Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival
Posted May 2020
Radio Theatre Project of St. Petersburg, FL, who presented the one-act dark comedy radio play, MISS PEDDY & GRACE by William Ivor Fowkes, last October, is presenting it at the 8th Annual Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival as of Friday, May 15, 2020. Last summer (August 2019), the stage version of this play was produced at Silver Spring Stage, Silver Spring, MD. The world premiere production was presented at Gallery Players, Brooklyn, June 2015.
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Peddy--an experienced and dedicated caretaker of elderly loved ones--may soon be available for hire. Then again, her current charge, octogenarian Grace Butler, sees her in a different light and has a different scenario in mind.
LISTEN HERE NOW (Scroll down to the first play under "General Audience")
NOT HERE YET Published
Posted May 2020
NOT HERE YET, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, was published in the May 6, 2020 issue of FLEAS ON THE DOG, an online journal. ("We're a no frills, brown bag lit rag with only one focus: GOOD WRITING.") NOT HERE YET was first produced by Love Creek Productions in New York in 2012. It has been recorded and presented by two radio companies: Radio Theatre Project of St. Petersburg, FL (2017) and Petaluma Radio Players of Petaluma, CA (2019). In 2018, Radio Theatre Project presented NOT HERE YET at the Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival.
SYNOPSIS: Two women fight for survival on the streets of midtown Manhattan.
An Online Reading of
DO NOT GO GENTLE, ANGELA
Posted May 2020
DO NOT GO GENTLE, ANGELA, a 10-Minute Play By William Ivor Fowkes, was presented in an online Zoom reading in Round 1 of" Sip and Play" by Love City Arts, NYC.
SYNOPSIS: Angela suffers from dementia. Her nurse assumes nothing is going on behind that silent face. Angela knows better.
A Livestream Production of STEAM Presented By Theatre Rhinoceros.
Posted April 2020
Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco--the longest-running queer theatre in the world--presented a livestream production on ZOOM of STEAM, a one act play written by William Ivor Fowkes, directed by Joe Tally, at 11PM Eastern (8PM Pacific), Saturday, April 18, 2020. Features Bay Area actors Justin Lopez ("Jeff") and Nick Trengrove ("Kevin").
REGISTER HERE: www.therhino.org
SYNOPSIS: Two strangers in a steam room seek more than just sex.
NEWS 2019
STUCK IN PLACE Long-Listed
Posted December 2019
STUCK IN PLACE, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was LONG-LISTED (i.e., top 50 out of hundreds) for Cast Iron Theatre's & New Venture Theatre's Short Play Night in the U.K. This play was written for Tina Howe's Master Class at the Dramatists Guild Institute.
SYNOPSIS: A playwright refuses to focus on his imminent move as he works away on a play whose ending he can't figure out.
MARRIAGES OF INCONVENIENCE Named Finalist
Posted November 2019
MARRIAGES OF INCONVENIENCE, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, was named FINALIST (one of 20 out of over 360 submissions) in Normal Avenue's Playwriting Series (NAP) in New York. This play is based on his unpublished novel of the same name, two excerpts from which were published in literary journals. The play was developed in part at the Turtle Shell Productions Playwrights' Platform and at the Pulse Ensemble Theatre Playwrights' Lab, both in New York City.
SYNOPSIS: Graham Walker and Dan Carlsen, two best friends and lovers since college, struggle with their desire to be together in a world where marriage to women is the unquestioned norm, and the AIDS epidemic makes living out of the closet a frightening option. Their solution is to marry women, start families, and live as next-door neighbors while continuing their relationship in private. This strategy works surprisingly well--until it doesn't. MARRIAGES OF INCONVENIENCE is set against the backdrop of 30 years of sweeping social change.
A Staged Reading of Announced for
INCIDENT IN CONFERENCE ROOM B
Posted November 2019
Incident in Conference Room B, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, will be presented by IATI Theater in a staged reading in New York City in April 2020. Incident in Conference Room B is one of 10 plays that have been accepted into IATI Theater's Cimientos Play Development Program.
SYNOPSIS: Trapped in a conference room, three potential congressional candidates compete to prove their suitability for the Party's nomination as they argue about the existence, nature, and relevance of God in a debate inspired by David Hume's classic philosophical text, Dialogues Concerning Natural religion. As their claustrophobia and discomfort intensify, tempers flare, and the attacks become more personal until only one resolution is possible.
Recording and Podcast of
MISS PEDDY & GRACE
Posted October 2019
Radio Theatre Project of St. Petersburg, FL presented a live recording of MISS PEDDY & GRACE, a Radio Play by William Ivor Fowkes, at 7PM, Monday, October 28, 2019 at The Studio @620 in St. Petersburg, FL. After the recording, the play was posted as a podcast.
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Peddy--an experienced and dedicated caretaker of elderly loved ones--may soon be available for hire. Then again, her current charge, octogenarian Grace Butler, sees her in a different light and has a different scenario in mind.
DO NOT GO GENTLE, ANGELA, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, based loosely on his mother, with appearances by Tennessee Williams, Woody Allen, and others, was presented in a cold reading on September 16, 2019, 7:30 PM, at PIZZA & PLAYS, a monthly evening of 10-minute plays--and pizza--at Lucky Jack's Bar & Lounge, 129 Orchard Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
SYNOPSIS: Angela suffers from dementia. Her nurse assumes nothing is going on behind that silent face. Angela knows better.
MISS PEDDY & GRACE
Produced
Updated August 2019
MISS PEDDY & GRACE, a one-act play by
William Ivor Fowkes, was produced at the annual One-Act Festival at SILVER SPRING STAGE in Silver Spring, MD in August. This play was first produced in June 2015 at Gallery Players in Brooklyn, NY and then in July 2015 at Pend Oreille Players in Newport, WA.
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Peddy--an experienced and dedicated caretaker of elderly loved ones--may soon be available for hire. Then again, her current charge, octogenarian Grace Butler, sees her in a different light and has a different scenario in mind.
SISYPHUS & ICARUS: A LOVE STORY
at the LaBute New Theater Festival
Posted July 2019
SISYPHUS & ICARUS: A LOVE STORY, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, had its world premiere at St. Louis Actors' Studio's LaBute New Theater Festival at the Gaslight Theater in St. Louis, MO, July 19-28, 2019.
SYNOPSIS: Earthbound Sisyphus and flight-obsessed Icarus meet and fall in love. Two years later, they find themselves in couples therapy.
THE WARD Published
Posted April 2019
THE WARD, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was published in the 2019 issue of Statement Magazine, the literary journal of California State University, Los Angeles. The launch reception took place on April 29 in the Golden Eagle Ballroom.
SYNOPSIS: Shortly before the presidential election of 2016, two stroke victims wake up and learn the latest news about the campaigns.
A Staged Reading of
TABLE MANNERS IN HELL'S KITCHEN
Posted April 2019
The latest "Table Manners" play by William Ivor Fowkes was presented in a staged reading at TAKE TEN 2: AN EVENING OF 10-MINUTE PLAY READINGS BY THE DGPG WRITERS (Dramatists Guild Playwrights Group), directed by GRETCHEN CRYER at The Players Club, NYC, Tuesday, April 9, 2019.
SYNOPSIS OF Table Manners in Hell's Kitchen: Seated at neighboring tables at a Mexican restaurant, two couples--one straight, one gay--have very different things on their mind.
New Podcast Recording of
NOT HERE YET
Posted March 2019
Petaluma Radio Players of Petaluma, CA has just released a new podcast recording of NOT HERE YET, a One-Act Play by William Ivor Fowkes. (This is different from the recording done by the Radio Theatre Project of St. Petersburg, FL in 2017 and presented at the Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival, 2018.)
SYNOPSIS: Two women fight for survival on the streets of midtown Manhattan.
Now Available on
Amazon Prime Video:
THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA
A Short Movie - Screenplay by William Ivor Fowkes.
Posted February 2019
THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA started as a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes. It is now a movie--directed by TS Naylor; screenplay by William Ivor Fowkes; produced by Pulkit Datta; starring Robert Z. Grant and Karen Chamberlain. It was an Official Selection at the Adirondack Film Festival in Glens Falls, NY, October 2018.
SYNOPSIS: Peter and Janine have finally said the "L Word" to each other. But what about the third person in their bed?
NEWS 2018
MISS PEDDY & GRACE Named Semi-Finalist
Posted December 2018
MISS PEDDY & GRACE, a play in one act by William Ivor Fowkes, is a SEMI-FINALIST for Stray Kats Theatre Company's 3rd Annual Still Crazy After All These Years festival of short plays pertaining to the lives of today's Senior Citizens. MISS PEDDY & GRACE was first produced at Gallery Players in Brooklyn in 2015 and subsequently produced at Pend Oreille Players, Newport, WA.
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Peddy--an experienced and dedicated caretaker of elderly loved ones--may soon be available for hire, but her current charge, octogenarian Grace Butler, sees her in a different light and has a different scenario in mind.
A Staged Reading of MONET
Posted November 2018
Turn to Flesh Productions is presenting a staged reading of MONET, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, at its Cocktails & Classics event at 8PM, Saturday, November 10, 2018 at El Barrio Art Space, 215 East 99th Street, New York City.
SYNOPSIS: Visitors to the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris get lost in their thoughts while contemplating a painting. Is this the end of art?
THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA Film Premiere
Posted October 2018
THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA, a short film written by William Ivor Fowkes and based on his 10-minute play of the same name, is an Official Selection of the 2018 Adirondack Film Festival and will screen at 5:15PM, Friday, October 19, 2018 and 5:45 PM, Saturday, October 20, 2018 in Glens Falls, NY. THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA stars Robert Z. Grant and Karen Chamberlain. Directed by TS Naylor. Produced by Pulkit Datta.
Just Licensed: MUSEUM PIECE #2
Posted August 2018
BROOKLYN PUBLISHERS of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has licensed MUSEUM PIECE #2, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes. This play was first presented as a staged reading at Theatre Oxford, Oxford, MS, 2012. It was then published in Smith & Kraus Inc.'s volume, The Best 10-Minute Plays of 2013. It was produced by Pend Oreille Players, Newport, WA, in 2017.
This short play was ultimately expanded and incorporated as one of the sub-plots in MUSEUM LOVERS, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, produced last fall by Harlequin Productions in Auburn, NY.
SYNOPSIS: Four American tourists at the Prado Museum in Madrid bicker about Velazquez's masterpiece, Las Meninas, until the figures in the painting have had enough and trade places with them.
Just Published: PRIVATE PROPERTY
Posted August 2018
Timed to coincide with its first production--at The Players' Ring in Portsmouth, NH--PRIVATE PROPERTY, a dark comedy by William Ivor Fowkes, has been published and is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.
SYNOPSIS: How far would you go to hold onto the ones you love? Retired banker Samuel Becker has been living in the woods for 30 years with Gregory South, a retired interior decorator with a big libido and the temperament of a child. Gregory misses their life in the city, but Samuel has found ways to keep him happy. His strategy starts to unravel when a reporter comes snooping around in this darkly funny mystery play.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Produced in New Hampshire
Posted August 2018
The Players' Ring in Portsmouth, NH is resenting the first production of PRIVATE PROPERTY, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, in their Late Night Summer Series, August 17-26, 2018. This production is directed by Marina Altschiller. The cast includes Rick Watts - Gregory; Jay MacDougall - Samuel; Aimee Gigandet - Birdy;
Altschuler. The cast includes
For more information: http://playersring.org/…/late-night-series-private-property/
Or call 603-436-8123
GODIVA CHOCOLATE & A DIET COKE Presented at Gay Pride Plays
Posted June 2018
WHAT: GAY PRIDE PLAYS 2018, Village Playwrights--an evening of seven 10-minute play readings, including GODIVA CHOCOLATE & A DIET COKE written and directed by William Ivor Fowkes.
WHERE & WHEN: The LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, New York City--Room 310. Wednesday, June 27, 2018.
CAST: Carol Mennie, Jesse N. Holmes & Ryan Bess Winnick.
SYNOPSIS: Truth and fear collide in a hospital waiting room.
A Reading of STACY'S COOKIES
Posted June 2018
WHAT: PIZZA & PLAYS--a reading of STACY'S COOKIES by William Ivor Fowkes + other 10-minute plays at Lucky Jack's Bar & Lounge, 129 Orchard Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
WHEN: 7:30PM, Monday June 18, 2018.
SYNOPSIS: As more women step forward to claim that Donald Trump assaulted them, a married couple watches with a critical eye.
HARASSMENT Named Semifinalist by Edge Fest
Posted May 2018
HARASSMENT, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was a semifinalist for Edge Fest 2018 at Birdhouse Theatre in Milledgeville, GA. This play was first written for and performed as a staged reading at Abingdon Theatre's Moral Dilemma Comedies Benefit Challenge in 2011. Since then it has gone on to full productions at Colonial Playhouse in Alden, PA (2013), Thespian Production in New York (2015), and Ocean County College's Comic Shorts in Toms River, NJ (2017). With the welcome emergence of the MeToo movement, this play will probably now fade into irrelevance, if not impertinence, since it is a comic look at employee sexual harassment training courses.
THE SESSION Given Honorable Mention
Posted May 2018
THE SESSION, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, was given HONORABLE MENTION by the Old Opera House Theatre Company's New Voices Play Festival (Charles Town, WV). This was the first play by Fowkes ever produced--back in February 2005 at the Strawberry One-Act Play Festival in NYC. (Photo shows Maria Volker and Jerry Ferris from the 2005 production.) THE SESSION was expanded into a full-length play, COUPLE OF THE CENTURY, which was produced at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Theatre, June 2008, with Jerry Ferris reprising his role.
SYNOPSIS: A man finally tells his therapist what's really on his mind.
NOT HERE YET Presented at Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival
Posted May 2018
WHAT: The Radio Theatre Project of St. Petersburg, FL, which recorded and broadcast a radio version of NOT HERE YET, a one-act play by William Ivor Fowkes, presented their recording at the Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival, May 28-June 17, 2018.
SYNOPSIS: Two women fight for survival on the streets of midtown Manhattan.
A Reading of COFFEE BREAK at the Players Club
Posted April 2018
WHAT: TAKE TEN: AN EVENING OF 10-MINUTE PLAY READINGS BY THE DGPG WRITERS (Dramatists Guild Playwrights Group). Including work by Carol W. Berman, Beth Blatt, Sherry Bokser, Denise Chiarella, Sheila Felberbaum, Jane Flanagan, William Ivor Fowkes, Kate Gill, Susan Laubach, Tajlei Levis, Donald Loftus, & Roberta Pyzel. The evening's director is GRETCHEN CRYER.
WHERE: The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South (E. 20th St.), New York.
WHEN: 7:00PM, Wednesday May 23, 2018. (Doors open 6:30PM)
SYNOPSIS OF COFFEE BREAK by William Ivor Fowkes: A woman doesn't take it very well when her lover tries to break up with her over coffee.
A Reading of STAGE DIRECTIONS at
DrekFest 2018 in Chicago
Posted March 2018
STAGE DIRECTIONS, a short play by William Ivor Fowkes, is one of four plays to be presented at DrekFest 2018, Stage Left's Annual National Contest for the WORST Ten-Minute Play (i.e., intentionally awful plays that make you laugh).
WHERE: The CSz Theatre Chicago, 929 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 3, 2018
SYNOPSIS: An actor confronts a script consisting solely of stage directions.
A Reading of
TABLE MANNERS IN LAKE FOREST
Posted March 2018
TABLE MANNERS IN LAKE FOREST, a 10-minute play by William Ivor Fowkes, was presented at PIZZA & PLAYS, an evening of cold readings of 10-minute plays at Lucky Jack's Bar & Lounge, 129 Orchard Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, 7:30PM, Monday April 16, 2018. Two other playwrights in my writers group at the Dramatists Guild--Beth Blatt and Donald Loftus--also had plays read that evening.
SYNOPSIS: A woman can't decide whether to share her latest news with a gossipy country club friend.
Monologues Published
Posted February 2018
Performer Stuff, a website for actors that publishes and sells audition materials, has made 11 monologues from 3 full-length plays by William Ivor Fowkes available. The plays include SUNSHINE QUEST (world premiere at the Fresh Fruit Festival 2014), PRIVATE PROPERTY (world premiere upcoming, August 2018, at The Players Ring, Portsmouth, NH, and ALL IN THE FACULTY (published by Dramatists Play Service).
A Podcast Production of COFFEE BREAK
Posted February 2018
Panglossian Productions of Williamsburg, VA released a podcast on February 5, 2018 (episode 21) that includes a cold reading of COFFEE BREAK, a 10-munute play by William Ivor Fowkes. COFFEE BREAK is an excerpt from the full-length comedy, THE FIDELITY CLAUSE.
SYNOPSIS: Linda doesn't take it very well when her lover tries to break up with her over coffee.
A Reading of THE HUDSON GUIDE TO TABLE MANNERS in Indiana.
Posted February 2018
The Faculty Drama Club in Bloomington, IN presented a reading of THE HUDSON GUIDE TO TABLE MANNERS, a full-length play by William Ivor Fowkes, on January 28, 2018.
SYNOPSIS: From Chicago to London, Santa Monica, Buenos Aires, and beyond, the friends and family of Michael Hudson--the owner of the Hudson Certified Vacuum Cleaner and Floor Care Company--have a habit of misbehaving in public. Their bad behavior even continues at his funeral, where family secrets are exposed, and the heir to the company is revealed.
For news before 2018, see folders on left.