Bradley Nies, Playwright

Posts

Enter Three Murderers: Three Halloween Stories with a Nod to William Shakespeare

I am thrilled to announce that I've had a play chosen to be performed at Paris Junior College's 10th Annual Pyro Play Festival . This annual short-play festival will take place on the school's campus and run April 23rd through April 27th . There will be other unpublished works produced at the festival, and I am honored to have one of my plays showcased alongside the works of such highly talented playwrights! My play is titled, Enter Three Murderers: Three Halloween Stories with a Nod to William Shakespeare . This "monologue play" tells three separate stories of real-life killers who carried out their gruesome deeds on or about Halloween. In doing so, the audience is shown how their deeds mirror those of three murderers from Shakespeare's plays, specifically Macbeth , Titus Andronicus , and Arden of Faversham . In Scene I, we meet Nancy, a jovial grandmother from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who decides that murdering husbands is the only way she will find true happines...

Stage Adaptations of The Tell-Tale Heart

Most of my readers know I have a stage version of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short-story, The Tell-Tale Heart, published through Next Stage Press. While putting together this post as a shameless plug for my work, I did a little research and found there are some other great versions of Poe's work floating around out there. As such, let me turn you on to the following versions: The Tell-Tale Heart adapted by Robert Mason. Turned mad by the sight of his neighbor's eye, Burke kills the old man and cautiously hides the body. Despite his cleverness, however, will Burke be able to escape his own insanity? www.playscripts.com The Tell-Tale Heart adapted Luella McMahon. A young man plans and commits the "perfect crime." But when a detective stops by on a quite different manner, the young man finds he is unable to stop the pounding of the dead man's heart. www.dramaticpublishing.com The Tell-Tale Heart adapted by Paul Millet. A series o...

Historical Mutilations/Arti Doll

I'm thrilled to announce that one of my plays, Historical Mutilations, will be produced this summer by Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford, Texas. Along with Mike Byham's play, Arti Doll, my play will be produced on June 7-9, 2024, as both plays were winners of the 2023 New Works Contest. I am so excited that such a prestigious venue as Theatre Off the Square will be producing one of my shows! Historical Mutilations is about the murder of Gary Hinman. A hippie renaissance figure in the 1960s, as well as the Manson Family's "forgotten victim," Hinman was found dead in his home on Old Topanga Canyon Road eight days before Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered at Tate's Cielo Drive residence. My play, a biodrama, depicts a possible conversation that Hinman and cult-leader Charles Manson may have had prior to Hinman's murder. In doing so, Manson compares what is happening to Hinman to famous mutilations of the past, specifically the self-m...

Stage Plays for Super Bowl Sunday!

With the Super Bowl being played tonight, I thought it'd be cool to look up some plays and musicals that focus on one of American's greatest pastimes. *All American: Written by Mel Brooks, with music by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, this musical-farce is set on the campus of a fictional Southern Baptist university. When the techniques of an engineering instructor result in a winning football team, the professor finds him-self surrounded by people that want to exploit his fame. The show opened on March 19, 1962, at the Winter Garden Theatre, and it starred Ray Bolger of Wizard of Oz fame. *Colossal: Written by Andrew Hinderaker and set on a college football field in Texas, this poignant work is about a star football player that finds it difficult to move on from a crippling spinal cord injury. In doing so, the play celebrates and attacks football; our nation's most popular form of theatre. The show opened at the Olney Theater in Olney, ...

Murder on Old Topanga Canyon Road

I haven't shared my good news on social media yet, so hear goes! One of my plays, Historical Mutilations, will be produced this summer by Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford, Texas. Along with Mike Byham's play, Arti Doll, my play will be produced on June 7-9, 2024. Both plays were winners of the 2023 New Works Contest, and I am thrilled that such a prestigious venue as Theatre Off the Square will be taking on this project! Historical Mutilations tells the story of the murder of Gary Hinman. A hippie renaissance figure in the 1960s, as well as the Manson Family's "forgotten victim," Hinman was found dead in his home on Old Topanga Canyon Road on July 31, 1969. This was eight days before Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered at Tate's Cielo Drive residence. My play, a biodrama, depicts a possible conversation that Hinman and cult-leader Charles Manson may have had prior to Hinman's murder. In doing so, Manson compares ...

Horror Movies to Watch on Labor Day!

With the Labor Day weekend upon us, let's step away from the theatre for a moment to take a look at some horror movies we can enjoy this holiday. Below are a couple of films with some "work" themes that may make you appreciate your place of employment a little more. *The Exorcist III (1990) T he third installment in this film series, this movie stars George C. Scott as a l ieutenant who is hard at work investigating a series of demonic murders in Georgetown. *M3GAN (2023) A roboticist brings a mechanical wonder home from the office to serve as a friend, teacher, and playmate to her 8-year-old niece. But when this robot begins making some pretty big decisions on her own, the roboticist realizes it may not always be good to bring your work home with you. *The Menu (2022) Working in a restaurant can be tough, especially when you work for a boss that takes food snobbery to a whole new level. Don't expect to be paid overtime by this master chef who serves...