Bradley Nies, Playwright

I just finished a play I hope to submit to two 10-minute play festivals this summer.  It's called Collecting Strangers, and this docudrama depicts the shocking murder of film star Ramon Novarro; a murder that brutally outed a closeted Hollywood legend. Due to the censorship of homosexuality in early Hollywood, as well as his inability to reconcile his religious beliefs with his love of men, silent film star Ramon Novarro sought comfort in alcohol and male hustlers.  Sometime between the late evening/early morning hours of October 30th and October 31st of 1968, Novarro was murdered after hiring an escort who sought a large sum of money rumored to be hidden in his home. Wish me luck as I send this work to the Scriptwriters Houston's Annual 10x10 Showcase, as well as the Q Collective's Coming Out Play Festival of 2019!

Written by John Pielmeier and based on the book by William Peter Blatty, the stage version of The Exorcist was originally produced in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse in July of 2012.  This production starred Brooke Shields and Richard Chamberlain. Four years later, in October of 2016, The Exorcist made its UK debut at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.  It starred Jenny Seagrove, Peter Bowles, and, most notably, Sir Ian McKellen as the voice of the devil. The Birmingham production transferred to the Phoenix Theatre on London's West End and spooked audiences from October 2017 until March of 2018. The show will begin its UK/Ireland tour this September and will be haunting such cities as Windsor, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. How long before this creepy contribution will be possessing the Great White Way in NYC?

Comedy legend Tim Conway passed away this morning in Los Angeles, California.  He was 85 years old.  According to People Magazine, Conway was best know for his work on The Carol Burnett Show. After studying radio and television at Bowling State University, he enlisted in the army.  After that, he worked at a local radio station in Cleveland, Ohio before moving to L.A. and starring in the television program McHale's Navy.  He guest starred on The Carol Burnett Show for eight seasons before accepting Burnett's offer to be a regular in 1975.  As an actor, I truly looked up to him.  He will surely be missed.