Theater 18: Ten-minute Grief Counseling
Story:
For some, Christmas can bring up a lot of issues and when you add children to it, you might have to re-think the whole holiday.
Writer:
John McDonnell
I've done many kinds of writing in a long and varied career, and I am always amazed at the power of words and stories to illuminate and bring joy to our lives. If you get the words right even the humblest catalog copy, which I wrote in the beginning of my professional life, can make commonplace products shine. People need good writing to make them see the beauty of the world, the importance of their lives, the mystery and wonder of each moment.
I now have more than a dozen books on Amazon Kindle. They're not predictable. I write horror stories with no blood or gore in them, humor stories with an edge, poetry that sometimes rhymes and sometimes doesn't, and a few very sentimental stories. I expect to try my hand at other styles and genres too. In fact, recently I began writing humorous plays. I have clips of them on YouTube -- look up Love Bite by John McDonnell, and you'll get a few laughs. I live outside of Philadelphia, PA, with my wife and four children, and I am so happy to be alive during this revolutionary time in the publishing industry. The rise of electronic publishing is the biggest thing since the invention of the printing press, and I am so glad to be part of it.
John McDonnell
Director:
Bernadette Armstrong
Bernadette moved to Los Angeles to work in film in the late 1990’s and after her first two films went to festivals she took a short hiatus from writing until she fell in love with small theater. Since 2008 she has had several successful theater projects produced in No Hollywood. Her play The Reading Group was named Pick of the Week by LA Weekly Magazine and in 2017 her play Simple Lives was nominated for Outstanding Writing of an Original Play or Musical by the Valley Theater Awards (the only woman nominated).
Bernadette Armstrong
Bernadette Armstrong
CAST
Elaine Mello - as Emily
Elaine Mello is excited to be participating in Open-Door Podcast. Elaine has been working with Bernadette on many projects and continues to do so because of her creative talents and willingness to seek innovative and thought-provoking material. Grateful to be part of such an accepting movement of the arts.
Noelle Evangelista- as Francine
Noelle received her MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts. She was cast in the following major motion pictures: Terminator Two, LA Confidential, and Pacific Heights. Noelle has performed in numerous theaters in Los Angeles and one of her favorite and most memorable roles is Liz in The Philadelphia Story. She loves working on commercials and voiceovers and had a great time doing a radio play pre-Covid with the Screen Actors Guild. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy everyone!
Sound Production:
Recorded at ES Audio Services in Glendale, CA.
Recorded and Mixed by: Hall Cantrell
Sound Editor: Hall Cantrell
Sound Effects: Ryan Marsh
Support the show (https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/open-door-playhouse)
