NaPlWriMo: Off the Pipes October 31, 2009
Posted by William Spear in >> News, >> Playwriting, >> Radio Drama, audio theatre, radio play, spoken word.Tags: >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, Industrial Football League, NaPlWriMo, national playwriting month, William E. Spear
add a comment
Our entry in the 2009 National Playwriting Month (NaPlWriMo) is Off the Pipes. Summary follows:
Off the Pipes (tentative) is about Frank Curts, a quarterback in the Industrial Football League (IFL). Curts is an accomplished quarterback but has never won the league championship. The closest he got was early in his career but a last second field goal bounced off the goal posts – the pipes, as they are called – and was missed because the kicker was high on crack. Curts will remember this forever.
Many years later, Curts’ career is ending when he’s injured during a pre-season game. The team assumes he will retire and it immediately signs a young player to replace him. Curts announces he intends to rehabilitate his injury and rejoin the team during the season.
The new quarterback rallies the team with a style of football that taps into the strengths and skills of every player. It is no longer Frank Curts and 25 other teammates. Unexpectedly, the new quarterback leads the team into the championship game. Curts watches the season from the sidelines. Privately, he tells friends he could still win any game at any time.
During the championship, with the team losing, the new quarterback is hurt. Curts has one last chance to win the championship which has eluded him. He puts the team in a position to win and in comes the same field goal kicker who, in a crack induced stupor, missed years earlier. Despite Curts’ protests and claims of contiuned drug use, the kicker swears he gave up drugs long ago.
But this is Curts’ last chance to win a championship and he does not want lose again. Does he think the kicker is clean enough to win the game? Will Frank Curts actually believe his teammate is Off the Pipes?
# 30 #
Thank You – The College of Saint Elizabeth Alumna Magazine September 7, 2009
Posted by William Spear in >> Playwriting, >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, radio play.Tags: >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, mayonnaise in my cake and other holiday delights, William E. Spear
add a comment
In “The Power of Dreams,” the Summer of 2009 issue of The College of Saint Elizabeth Alumna Magazine, William E. Spear and Two Plus Plus Productions LLC were profiled along with other graduates.
The College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) “offers a quality education in the Catholic tradition with a firm foundation in the liberal arts and a clear focus on preparing students for meaningful lives and rewarding careers.” Located in Morristown, New Jersey, “CSE was founded in 1899 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, and our mission today reflects the values they gave us – a moral grounding in our Catholic heritage; an emphasis on critical inquiry in the pursuit of knowledge; and a commitment to civic responsibility and social justice.”
CSE is also the home to professors committed to pushing and developing intellects. During my time at CSE, my signature moment was with Dr. Margaret Roman in the English department. A first draft of analyzing an Emily Dickinson poem produced a lukewarm response. Determined to salvage a mid-level course grade despite already giving my best effort at the class, I rewrote the analysis with a vengeance.
The paper got high marks and Dr. Roman’s comments were strongly encouraging. To this day, it is the finest piece of writing with my name on it.
Thank you Dr. Roman and thank you College of Saint Elizabeth.
Details
College of Saint Elizabeth
2 Convent Road
Morristown, NJ 07960-6989
973-290-4000
# 30 #
Spear publishes, dedicates, and tweets new audio play August 6, 2009
Posted by William Spear in >> Lit Between the Ears, Volume Two, >> News, >> Radio Drama, >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, audio theatre, radio play.Tags: >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, argosy "maxie" hills, ceel, celia "ceel" court, it suits her, kohls, lit between the ears, maxie, mayonnaise in my cake and other holiday delights, scribd, twitter, William E. Spear
add a comment
William E. Spear, of Clinton Township, has published a new play titled “It Suits Her.” “It’s about two lives that collide in an unlikely setting – a tailor’s shop,” said Spear. He has also dedicated the audio play to a select group of friends and colleagues.
Maxie
The story’s main character is Argosy “Maxie” Hills, an actor desperately trying to resurrect his career after years of drinking. He’s late for an audition and wants to wear his best suit. But it’s inside a tailor’s shop that has just closed for the evening.
The assistant manager of the shop is Celia Court. Years ago, she left the stifling circumstances of her family to pursue a college education. She despises her job but needs it to pay for her education. Maxie pleads with her to re-open the shop.
“Celia, ‘Ceel’ to her friends, is one more mistake away from being fired. Without her job, she won’t be able to finish her studies,” said Spear.
After a lengthy argument, Maxie convinces her to give him his suit. But the auditions are long over. Also, when the owner of the shop sees it’s not closed, he fires Ceel. With their careers seemingly over and their futures holding nothing obvious, the initial clash between Maxie and Ceel blossoms into respect, and ultimately, a warm friendship.
Dedication
The themes of respect and friendship are also the basis for the author’s dedication. “During the last four years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the funniest and most creative people I’ve ever met. We all work at Kohl’s in Flemington, New Jersey. The intelligence and humor that walks around the store at any given moment is like a comedic, improvisational ensemble disguised as a retail department store. ‘It Suits Her’ is dedicated to friends and colleagues from the store,” said Spear.
Publishing and marketing
The script is available through Scribd, an online social publishing company. Spear had used the firm to publish an earlier work titled “Swing for the Fences – Episode One” with satisfactory results. Other publishers such as Random House and Simon & Schuster are also making books available through Scribd.
To market the play, Spear integrated Twitter into his efforts. Twitter is social networking and micro-blogging service. “We wanted to quickly raise the awareness of ‘It Suits Her’ and get it read,” said Spear. “The play went from a readership of zero to over 750 in two days. Plus Scribd featured it and 50 readers downloaded it.”
The play may continue to be read or downloaded for free until September 30, 2009 when it will be bundled into Spear’s upcoming anthology titled “Mayonnaise in My Cake and Other Holiday Delights.” Spear encourages readers to enjoy the play, experience Maxie and Ceel, and see if their new circumstances suit them.
About William E. Spear
Mr. Spear is President of Two Plus Plus Productions LLC in Clinton, New Jersey. The firm has published audio theatre plays since 2006. With its forthcoming collection titled “Mayonnaise in My Cake and Other Holiday Delights,” the firm has added short stories to its portfolio. Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, and its sister publication, Lit Between the Ears, may be found on the web at www.TwoPlusPlus.com . He may be contacted at Two.Plus.Plus.Productions@gmail.com .
“It Suits Her” may be found on the web at http://www.scribd.com/doc/18082545/It-Suits-Her . It may be read or downloaded for free until September 30, 2009.
Spear’s tweets may be followed at www.twitter.com/WilliamESpear .
# 30 #
To the IC: Thank you. February 11, 2009
Posted by William Spear in >> News, >> Playwriting, >> Radio Drama.Tags: >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, Believe Simply Believe, Inspiration Committee, Mayonnaise in My Cake and Other Delights
add a comment
Tuesday evening was spent laughing over dinner with two-thirds of the Inspiration Committee (IC). Late in 2008, the IC inspired and indirectly encouraged the undertaking to publish Mayonnaise in My Cake and Other Delights (October 1, 2009- Believe, Simply Believe; http://twoplusplus.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/october-1-2009-believe-simply-believe/ ).
They are good company and welcome guests of Two Plus Plus Productions. Further, they are extraordinarily witty and funny.
Thanks to all.
# 30 #
Financing Model: Pre-selling the Experience to Fans (Second thoughts and first application) December 12, 2008
Posted by William Spear in >> Dramatic Radio, >> Lit Between the Ears - Volume One, >> Lit Between the Ears, Volume Two.Tags: >> Two Plus Plus Productions LLC, financing, lit between the ears, Lit Between the Ears Volume One: Chekhov O. Henry Spear, mayonnaise in my cake, patronage, Volume Two, William E. Spear
add a comment
As a followup to our previous post titled “Financing Model: Pre-selling the Experience to Fans (First thoughts)” published on August 31, 2008, and firmly committed to an October 1, 2009 release of our second book, we are revisiting a previously discussed financing model – patronage.
The following are tiers of financing which are emerging as a means to engage readers throughout the developmental and creative process associated with publishing “Volume Two: Mayonnaise in My Cake and Other Delights”:
$10 – In the Audience:
- A free digital download of the book when it’s released.
$25 – Sneak Preview:
- Advance copy of the book weeks before it is released.
$50 – Roadie:
- Advance copy of the book with personalized inscription; and
- Roadie credit on the book.
$100 – Production Crew:
- Advance copy of the book;
- Production Crew credit on the book; and
- T-shirt saying you were a member of the Production Crew.
$250 – Pre-Production:
- Advance copy of the book;
- Pre-Production credit on the book;
- T-shirt saying you’re part of the Pre-Production; and
- Input on which scripts are considered for publication.
$500 – Executive Production:
- Advance copy of the book;
- Executive Production credit on the book;
- T-shirt saying you’re part of the Executive Production;
- Input on which scripts are considered for publication; and
- Input on which scripts are published.
The next step will likely be finalizing the quote for the first run of books and related marketing expenses while gauging the potential acceptibility to of this plan with our audience.
Details
Financing Model: Pre-selling the Experience to Fans (First thoughts) – August 31, 2008
# 30 #
