In just two short weeks I will find myself among the good people of Burnsville, North Carolina. In this charming mountain town the Parkway Playhouse is presenting the Appalachian Playwriting Festival. My full-length play BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS was selected as one of three scripts to get a reading in the festival. I'm looking forward … Continue reading Burnsville Bound
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Throwback Thursday; A V-J Day Relic
For today's Throwback Thursday, I have a fascinating relic from my collection. When I was younger I collected old books, not just because of their age, but if I am interested in them. I have no more room to house them and so no longer seek them out, but back in the day I would … Continue reading Throwback Thursday; A V-J Day Relic
Happy Adoption Day to Josephine
Today is the adoption date of a very special friend of mine. I took my 2014 Can-Am Spyder RT home on this day, July 11, 2015. She and I have been very close ever since. The Bombardier Recreational Products company named her paint company "Cognac." My favorite Cognac is Courvoisier and it features an image … Continue reading Happy Adoption Day to Josephine
The Birthday of the Ferris Wheel
We hardly give it a second thought as you can find a Ferris Wheel in every amusement park and county fair. Much more tame than the other attractions and often dismissed by teens looking for thrill rides. But it was a sensation when it was first opened to the public 131 years ago on this … Continue reading The Birthday of the Ferris Wheel
Are Tonight’s TONY AWARDS Relevant?
Tonight's broadcast of the TONY Awards on CBS and Paramount + are recognized as the ultimate awards for live theater in the country. But they are limited to about a total of about 40 theaters in a narrow strip of land on a narrow island at the center of New York City. When I lived … Continue reading Are Tonight’s TONY AWARDS Relevant?
My play is now a podcast
Some of you may recall a new short play I wrote a few months ago working with the Pulp Stage in Portland, Oregon. They required that I use no stage directions, achieving any information and development entirely through dialogue. Their focus is on supernatural and paranormal topics and have a good team to help develop … Continue reading My play is now a podcast
Only in Florida – Gnome Tree
For the second in my occasional Florida series, I needed something lighter than the jail busting story I started with. This involves a strange tree in Holly Hill, just north of Daytona. According to the local museum, the whole project began in 2003 thanks to the efforts of Virginia “Ms. Ginny” Morris, a nearby resident. … Continue reading Only in Florida – Gnome Tree
A Wordle Puzzle Update
A thrilling temporary achievement. Quick History. As I was recovering from Sepsis a few years ago (fall 2019) in the hospital and rehab I had lost most of my physical strength and my mind was pretty scrambled. While in a rehab I got intense physical therapy but was pretty much on my own in the … Continue reading A Wordle Puzzle Update
Today is Cincinnati Day – sort of kinda
Today is May 13 and if you put them together numerically you get 513 which is the longtime primary Cincinnati area code. So many people have put that together to proclaim today Cincinnati Day. Why not? Go ahead and celebrate the great town where I grew up. Celebrate the Reds, Gotta, Skyline, Graeters, and Who-Dey … Continue reading Today is Cincinnati Day – sort of kinda
Advance Mother’s Day Warning…
I know, you have busy life, so much to divert you. One thing you do NOT want to do is to forget to give your Mother her special Day. For those in the U.S. this is an official reminder that Sunday, May 12 is Mother's Day. Get your card in the mail and order those … Continue reading Advance Mother’s Day Warning…
National Shrimp Scampi Day and a Recipe
===============Shrimp Scampi Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations. This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile … Continue reading National Shrimp Scampi Day and a Recipe
Special 3 Day Throwback on a 60th Birthday Part 3
Finishing up my three day salute to a fantastic theater I once managed - the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center (currently named the David H. Koch Theater). An astounding and beautiful arts space opened this month in 1964 and shown here through original architectural photography. As it happens it will soon be in … Continue reading Special 3 Day Throwback on a 60th Birthday Part 3
Planning to Watch the Eclipse Today?
Here in the Eastern half of the United States it is about all people talk about. It just so happens that the Solar Eclipse is occurring on the same day as National Banjo Day and National Empanada Day. On this blog you know what that means. Groan. If you do plan to watch you must … Continue reading Planning to Watch the Eclipse Today?
Please tune in this evening to hear a live reading of brand new short plays
A reminder that tonight (Monday, April 1) at 6 PM Pacific/9 PM Eastern, there is a special one time free reading of three brand new short plays that you can visit virtually. One of them is mine. The links: To visit the YouTube feed:www.tinyurl.com/pulptube To visit the Facebook feed:https://fb.me/e/uvzziLVgr About three weeks ago I joined … Continue reading Please tune in this evening to hear a live reading of brand new short plays
Upcoming World Theatre Day Highlights
March 27 is World Theatre Day and as a playwright I have two events in 2024 I am looking forward to. I've featured them on this blog and my playwright website, so a quick reminder. I have written a new short play under the guidance of The Pulp Stage in Portland, Oregon. Written in the … Continue reading Upcoming World Theatre Day Highlights
An Interesting Playwriting Exercise
Recently I was contacted by The Pulp Stage, (www.pulpstage.org) a theatre company based in Portland, Oregon. They had read one of my short plays on The New Play Exchange and wanted to offer me an agreement to write a new short play with them. The pay was only a small royalty, but they would work … Continue reading An Interesting Playwriting Exercise
Yet Another A.I. National Day Mash-up
Just a quickie of me combining odd National Days and asking Google's Bard program to mash them together in an image. Today is National Frozen Yogurt Day, a product first introduced in 1970. Today is also National Chopsticks Day, a product first introduced in 1200 BCE. Not much in common here, but let's mash up the images. Your … Continue reading Yet Another A.I. National Day Mash-up
A “Happy Birthday, Leonard” Update
As I told you recently, my short play "Happy Birthday, Leonard" will receive a performance in central Connecticut on February 17. Just got some updated information and wanted to pass it along. Crappy Valentine's Day After the annual commercial push to buy chocolate and flowers in the name of a long-dead saint, join Theater Makers Lab … Continue reading A “Happy Birthday, Leonard” Update
An A.I. Visualization of several National Days
It's Groundhog Day. Again. I've done Groundhog Day posts on this blog twice before, in 2023 and in 2018. I even did a review of the Broadway musical "Groundhog Day" in 2017. You can find them if you are really interested by using the Search field on this page. I have nothing new to add this year. So what to do … Continue reading An A.I. Visualization of several National Days
A Production of “Happy Birthday, Leonard” in Connecticut
I'm thrilled to announce that a production of my short play "Happy Birthday, Leonard" has been scheduled for a theatre in Middletown, Connecticut. On Saturday, February 17 the Theater Makers Lab will present an evening of short plays under the title of Crappy Valentine Festival. They are still putting together the production team and marketing for the … Continue reading A Production of “Happy Birthday, Leonard” in Connecticut
On this date – the Longest Shootout in FBI History…
On the shore of Lake Weir, in the small town of Oklawaha in Central Florida, near where I currently reside, is a most amazing house. This simple wood frame home was the site of the longest gun battle in FBI history on this date, January 16, 1935. It is remarkable because it is in much the same … Continue reading On this date – the Longest Shootout in FBI History…
Look Locally for National Pizza Week
Today is the start of National Pizza Week and you can find one of America's favorite meals in just about any combination you can imagine. To celebrate I strongly recommend you skip the big national chains and find a local family parlor of distinction. I'll start with a hyper-local recommendation. Mamma Mia Pizzeria advertises and faithfully provides … Continue reading Look Locally for National Pizza Week
A National Spaghetti Day Throwback Thursday
For the first Throwback Thursday of the new year, I harken back to one of the most infamous and celebrated stories of my youth. The exact date is lost to posterity but it would have been in the late 1960's or so and I would have been somewhere between 9 and 11 years of age or … Continue reading A National Spaghetti Day Throwback Thursday
Have you been to a Buc-Ee’s?
The first I heard of Buc-Ee's was in a New York Times article which introduced me to this Texas institution. It noted that it was soon planning to expand beyond its home state. Soon enough, two were added to I-95 in Florida (one in Daytona Beach, another near Jacksonville). You'll only find them on an Interstate Highway because … Continue reading Have you been to a Buc-Ee’s?
Dive into Delights: Celebrating National Cream Puff Day!
It is only the second day into my New Years Resolution and I am already cheating! The text below is from Google's BARD Artificial Intelligence Program and the photos are from the stock photo bank I subscribe to. At least I am honest about it! Enjoy! It's time to raise a (choux pastry) glass to a day dedicated … Continue reading Dive into Delights: Celebrating National Cream Puff Day!
Walter Thinnes 
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