To see a synopsis of each play including play summary, casting and running time, please click the title of the play you are interested in.

The stars on each play indicate the number of times it has been previously produced.

When using any music during the dramatization of a song, the rights for that piece must be acquired before usage. Please follow the guidelines for music rights usage as outlined by The Dramatists' Guild of America

Revisions and First Presbyterian Church

August 09, 2016 by admin in play revisions, Play Writing 0 comments

I did it! I sent an email to the Costumers and Set Designer at First Presbyterian Church, Bonita Springs, Florida to start planning the November and December 2016 productions of my plays at the church. As I was preparing the email, I reviewed the two plays: ALBAN: FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN and THE BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY EVER. Though there were a few typos to fix, more importantly there were some revisions that improved the plays! When is revising a play finished? For me, it's still possible and useful to consider before each production. I want to improve my plays I've written, and revising is the way to do it. ALBAN:FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN and THE BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY EVER (with the newest revisions!) are available for your church to produce on my website (www.delvyncasejr.com).

University of Oxford Upcoming Visit

August 02, 2016 by admin in play revisions, Play Writing 0 comments

In August I'll be at the University of Oxford studying and meeting with my Drama tutor. I've sent her 5 of my recently written short plays to review. Last year she was very helpful in her critique of my plays. As a teaching tool, she picked up a London newspaper and showed me a photo on the front page. "Is there conflict here?" she asked. "Could you make a play out of it?" "Tell me about the other people in the picture. How do they fit into the action?" What a great exercise! Try it yourself with the Portland Press Herald.

THREE PLAYS HAVE STAGED READINGS AT THE SNOWLION REP CO ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

September 21, 2015 by admin in play revisions, Production Advice 0 comments

Three of my plays dealing with international issues of human rights received staged readings at the Snowlion Rep Co on September 10, 2015. I called the program “A Night of Fashion: Three Plays About Clothes, Hair, Shoes, and Makeup.” The title was designed to be ironic. In each play the characters wish to live their own lives dealing with simple things, but are unable because of external forces and people. These plays were DRESS FOR SUCCESS, DRESSED TO KILL, and MAKEUP. The plays take place in Egypt, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. Photos of the actors in the plays are on my Facebook page. The plays were well received by other plawrights and directors. I was stimulated by the comments to develop the characters in the plays more fully and consider their total humanity. In this way characters both protagonists and agonists will be more real for the audience to see and the actors to portray. It was back to the keyboard the following day to make revisions! All for the better. All for better writing.

BLOG on SCATTERED ASHES—New Revisions (September 2015)

September 14, 2015 by admin in play revisions, Production Advice 0 comments

There's nothing like seeing a production or having a reading of your work to stimulate re-writing your play to improve it. Among other works, I asked my tutor, Dr. Lynn Robson, at the University of Oxford to review my play SCATTERED ASHES. We met in early September 2015. She had intriguing suggestions regarding one of the characters, especially since the play was set in a grave yard. Lynn's comments were so helpful that I spoke with the actor whose role would be affected by the changes in the production of SCATTERED ASHES planned for November 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, Florida. He was very enthusiastic about how the changes would enhance the character and make his acting more interesting. I have re-written the play based upon Lynn's suggestions. The Arts Ministry Director at the church found that the changes impacted the play in a very positive manner. Don't be afraid of comments of those that have seen or read your plays. These comments can be keys to finding deeper treasures in your writing. SCATTERED ASHES (with the new revisions as of September 2015) is available for your church. Have you already planned a play for Reformation Sunday this year (or want to start planning for next year)? Doesn't the story of John Wycliffe, the great English reformer and translater of the Bible into English, told by two gravediggers, intrigue you? Or is it one gravedigger and a...?

COLLABORATING WITH SON ON PLAY “NYARING”

July 20, 2015 by admin in play revisions, Production Advice 0 comments

One of the great experiences this year has been the opportunity of collaborating with my son in writing my play NYARING. Embedded in my one-act play is a song for which I wrote the lyrics. I asked my son Delvyn who is a composer to write the music for the song. This was the first time we have worked together artistically. Not only was it wonderful to work with my son, but I learned much from the experience. As Delvyn worked on the music, it was clear that certain words and phrases had to be revised to make the overall song work. Such changes made the song build to a musical climax and resolution. Looking back on the experience I realized how the words of the song even without the music were more dramatic with the changes made. There is much to be gained through collaboration. It is exciting to see one's work develop more fully with the input of colleagues through critical review or artistic ideas.