Charles Manson and the Murder of Gary Hinman

I recently finished a play about Charles Manson and the murder that sparked what he and his followers referred to as the 'Helter Skelter.' In researching this play, I found a lot of stage works that deal with the subject of Charles Manson and the people he referred to as 'the family.'

Manson: The Musical developed through improv by members of Annoyance Theater - A dark musical comedy with some funny moments, but not as edgy as the subject matter would imply. This off-off Broadway show was produced at the Kraine Theatre in 2009.

Sneakyville by Christopher Bryant - A full-length play about Charles Manson and his followers that will appeal to any true-crime mavens and conspiracy theorists. A talented and ambitious work, this play previewed at the fortyfivedownstairs theatre in Melbourne, Australia in 2018.

The Manson Family: An Opera based on John Moran’s 1990 play, The Manson Family - This opera was a restructuring of Moran’s work suited for an immersive audience. This theatrical experience not only took audiences on a room-to-room walk-through telling the story of Charles Manson and his followers, it was also produced in Las Vegas in 2019.

22 Years by Robert Sickinger - This play was a freehand compilation of testimony, fiction and actors’ improvisations that posed the question, "Did society created Charles Manson?' The play, billed as a rockumentary, opened in New York's Stage 73 Theatre in 1972.

You Are Perfect by Cyndy A. Marion - This play centers on the life of convicted murderer and Manson 'family member' Susan Atkins. Set in her prison cell during the Manson murder trial, the play was produced by the White Horse Theatre Company in 2016.

Sources:

Internet Source, www.broadwayworld.com, "Manson: The Musical Takes Final Bow At The Kraine Theater Tonight, 12/5" by Gabrielle Sierra.

Internet Source, www.haunting.net, The Manson Family: An Opera Review by Deb Kavis.

Internet Source, www.nytimes.com, "Stage: Rockumentary About Manson" by Mel Gussow.

Internet Source, www.playbill.com, "New Play Explores Life of 'Manson Family Member' Susan Atkins."

Internet Source, www.smh.com, "Ambitious Charles Manson Play Marred by Info-Dumping" by Cameron Woodhead.

Internet Source, www.theasy.com, Manson: The Musical Review by Terra Vetter.

Comments

Tooting My Own Horn!

It's summertime, and most theatre directors are reading possible shows to produce this upcoming year. Well, look no further! I've got some published works available through Next Stage Press, as well as some I hope to have published soon. Check them out! Published: MINOR INCONVENIENCES by Bradley Nies Cast Size: 2M 1W Running Time: 40 minutes After hitchhiking along Houston’s busy FM 1960, a young waitress comes face to face with an unlikely duo who claim to be responsible for the minor inconveniences in our lives. Excellent for Middle School/ Junior High/Community Theatre [Comedy/Drama) www.nextstagepress.com/minor-inconveniences-perfect-mother/ PERFECT MOTHER by Bradley Nies Cast Size: 1M 1W Running Time: 40 minutes A single mother living in a small Texas town will do anything to keep her daughter happy…including blackmail, lying, causing personal injury, and even murder! Junior High/High School/Community Theatre (Drama) www.nextstagepress.com/minor-inconveniences-perfect-moth...

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...

Enter Three Murderers

I just finished a play that will have a staged-reading this June! Enter Three Murderers related the ties that Jeffrey Dahmer, Jay Kelly Pinkerton, and Ronald O'Bryan had to Texas. The reading will be hosted by Theatre Suburbia and sponsored by Scriptwriters Houston! Enter Three Murderers, Three Plays by Bradley Nies: *Alcohol and Muscles- While stationed in San Antonio, Texas, Jeffrey Dahmer meets a male prostitute bearing a resemblance to his first murder victim. *The Lord of Dead Things- While paying dominoes with a prison chaplain in Huntsville, Texas, Jay Kelly Pinkerton confesses to the violet murder and rape of an Amarillo woman. *The Man Who Killed Halloween- After poisoning his eight year-old son on Halloween in Deer Park, Texas, Ronald Clark O'Bryan refuses to admit his guilt to the heinous crime.

Bradley Nies, Playwright

Search This Blog