In 1994, I submitted a one-act play to the Pittsburgh-run "New Works Festival". It was an anti-war farce I'd written backstage while working as crew on, I believe, "The Taming of the Shrew", while I was at CCAC (a local community college). The play had been gathering dust on a floppy disk (to give you an idea of how long ago this was), so I figured I had nothing to lose.

Lo and behold, PFC Everyman, was not only accepted by the festival, but won a host of audience-voted awards including Outstanding Production and (Voted by Committee) Outstanding Contribution by a Playwright, Outstanding Contribution by a Director (Ted Hoover). Most of the actors won awards as well (as well as leading lady Mia Price who is now a Rockette and can be seen in the new The Producers.)

This accidentally launched a brief career for me as a playwright. Which resulted in the following:

1996 So Nice To Have the Family Together Again. 10 minute play. Comedy. The Best of The No-Doze Dozen '95. Lawrenceville Theater. Director: Ted Hoover. Pyramid Productions. (Voted for inclusion in festival by Audience Poll) A nasty little black comedy about the most-loving dysfunctional family you could ever meet. In the second round of performances, Francis Veltri assumed the lead, and the very next year, we would cast him as the villain in The Resurrection Game.

1997 Who Speaks for the Non-Existent? One-Act Play. New Wave "1-Act" Festival. Luna's Café, California. Director: Ann Tracy. Beyond the Proscenium Productions. A semi-pretentious but ver funny (in my opinion) one-act about a musician who accidentally commits suicide and looks back at his life during his funeral. It was the winner of a nation-wide search chosen over a hundred or so applicants. This one-act inspired an unproduced full-length play which then resulted in my complete drying-up as far as playwriting goes.