SEPTEMBER 2024
See you soon, Indy! Over the Moon that FAIR IS FOUL goes up at Fonseca Theatre's B00-La-La! Fest. fonsecatheatre.org/shows/boo-la-la-3-an-indianapolis-spooktacular/ Find my silly little play MACHAMLET in the new Rewriting Shakespeare. sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/special-anthologies Thrilled to share the news my piece NOT MY TALE TO TELL is an Official Selection of the Stethoscope Stage Play Festival! Anti-choice protesters terrorize patients outside gynecologist Carla's clinic--a protest helmed by her goddaughter Jolene. Carla recalls a secret long kept. stethoscopestage.com/stethoscope-stage-2024/ Delighted to hear WITCHY NIGHT, HAIRY TOE will have a reading with the spectacular Atlanta Dramatists. AUGUST 2024 Lovin' the new promo video for CURS'D BE MACBETH at Houston Scriptwriters. www.youtube.com/shorts/_6Pf4hjKxp8 Excited to be joining Talking Horse Productions in Columbia, MO, once again for their Monologue Contest. LUNCH LADY, a personal favorite, will be in the line-up. https://www.talkinghorseproductions.org JULY 2024 Thrilled to share the news my piece NOT MY TALE TO TELL is an Official Selection of the Stethoscope Stage Play Festival! Anti-choice protesters terrorize patients outside gynecologist Carla's clinic--a protest helmed by her goddaughter Jolene. Carla recalls a secret long kept. The fest facilitates dialogue between medical professionals and patients. It's hosted by the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University and produced by Theatre TCU. It goes up October 19, 2024 in PepsiCo Recital Hall. stethoscopestage.com/2024-script-selections/ Over the moon to share the news that the new play CURS'D BE MACBETH will go up with Seoul Players in Seoul, South Korea! Stay tuned for more info. seoulplayers.org/ Enjoyed the reading of CURS'D BE MACBETH with the global Tiger's Heart Players in Brooklyn. Artists from Canada, Spain, Peru, Italy, and the US joined collaborated. It was an honor to receive the Climate Justice Award for the short play ALL THE WAY BACK, inspired by lived experiences in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. In this play, set during Harvey's aftermath, emotions run high as Houston residents with conflicting world views seek refuge from floodwaters. Can strangers come together for a common goal? Or will conflict sweep them away? Theatre is a powerful way to explore our humanity as we address the climate crisis. Colleges and universities are invited to use and perform the script royalty-free. Learn more at: leadthechange.bard.edu/blog/talking-about-climate-short-plays-competition-winners-ready-to-perform-at-your-school?link_id=8&can_id=3a8d3061e04bcd9d6a65a01c7babab44&source=email-3-short-climate-plays-for-your-classroom&email_referrer=email_2095266&email_subject=3-short-climate-plays-for-your-classroom JUNE 2024 Delighted the plays MACHAMLET and SKULLDUGGERY will be performed in Gin60 at Houston Community College, July 2 and 3. Directed by the fantastic team of Elisa Diehl and Geoffrey Douglas. Happy Pride! Thrilled to share MEMENTO MORI on Eclectic Full Contact Theatre's Half Hour Audio Hour! Sapphic love story meets horror in a post-mortem photographer's studio. Loved working with the amazing creatives who bring a play about death to vibrant life. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or at: redcircle.com/shows/half-hour-audio-hour?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1_mYOGcYzCoq3Mjjv33HSKCfVgdqOK_hdHkDuEnEXF7YCJVXifO_Axbzo_aem_Aa2Pl5BTT7zp6N9-uy2K38WuBhOqGgHoIARbA4SOFkYsemIQ8MGPcOhPOIgPSoJ8Rnr0ie1pIhVB850MO6vG7D8J MAY 2024 On the calendar! Over the moon that the historical ghost tale THE HAUNTED WIDOW LINCOLN will go up next season at Alton Little Theatre in Alton, IL. “A unique blend of historical insight and captivating storytelling. Donna Latham’s work explores the complex legacy and personal struggles of Abraham Lincoln’s widow, offering a poignant look at history through the lens of those left behind. ‘The Haunted Lincoln Widow’ is set to be an unforgettable experience that combines the historical with the supernatural, ensuring a deeply moving theater experience." altonlittletheater.org/calendar/the-haunted-lincoln-widow/2025-02-21/ Delighted to hear my new play CURS'D BE MACBETH will go up in Houston Scriptwriters 10x10. Scriptwriters is a wonderful artistic home. Over the moon to be returning to early artistic home Water Street Writers, after nearly a decade away, to share SELKIE. Stay tuned for info. rolreadlocal.com/water-street-writers/ Looking forward to Writer's Block Radio Hour's performance of the raucous comic monologue NO MASK, NO SERVICE, NO WAY on Radio 6 International. Performed by Lancashire actor Barbara Ashworth. Tune in on Saturday, May 18, 5PM - EST radiosix.com APRIL 2024 Delighted to learn the award-winning nonfiction book Garbage: Follow the Path of Your Trash is recommended for Earth Day by Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! Program. www.bookitprogram.com Happy to hear the short and spooky SKULLDUGGERY will be published in the upcoming Fresh Words Anthology Shh! Breathe Slow! sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/special-anthologies Loved the table work, rehearsals, and recording for the upcoming MEMENTO MORI with Eclectic Full Contact Theatre in Chicago. MEMENTO MORI will be featured in the May 2024 episode of "The Half Hour Audio Hour," the monthly audio drama podcast. Stay tuned! Great to hear THE HAUNTED WIDOW LINCOLN will be presented for Senior University of Greater Atlanta (SUGA) in April. www.su-ga.org MARCH 2024 "Think book club for plays!" Thanks to the Athena Project's Read & Rant rousing discussion of YELLA JACK, lead by dramaturg T. Chester. www.instagram.com/p/C31prPgqFX3/ Thrilled to share news that Grumio's monologue from BEST BEWARE MY STING will be included in Smith and Kraus' The Best Men’s Stage Monologues,2024, edited by fabulous Debbie Lamedman! Looking forward to Writer's Block Radio Hour's performance of the comedy WORK HUSBAND on Radio 6 International. Months into COVID Quarantine, Candace announces to her work husband that she’s ready to see other people. Starring Glasgow actors Glen Dickson and Karen Fraser. Tune in on Saturday, March 9, 5PM - EST radiosix.com FEBRUARY 2024 Over the moon to share news THE HAUNTED WIDOW LINCOLN will go up next season at Alton Little Theatre in Alton, Illinois, the historic site of the seventh Lincoln-Douglas Debates. I was inspired to write this play when I happened upon the historical marker at Bellevue Place in Batavia, IL, the posh, private asylum where the Widow Lincoln was "confined." Love is eternal. altonlittletheater.org Thrilled to be working with the always excellent Eclectic Full Contact Theatre in Chicago. MEMENTO MORI will be featured in the May 2024 episode of "The Half Hour Audio Hour," the monthly audio drama podcast. Great to hear THE HAUNTED WIDOW LINCOLN will be presented for Senior University of Greater Atlanta (SUGA) in April. www.su-ga.org JANUARY 2024 Great news from Rainy Day Artistic Collective in Seattle: SELKIE will be featured in their Mythology Monologue Showcase in August 2024. Thrilled that WILD IMAGININGS IN THE CONFESSIONAL will be part of Writer's Block Radio Hour. Coming at you from Radio Six in Glasgow, the longest running radio station in the UK, airing in 209 countries around the globe. Tune in Saturday January 6, 5PM - EST and Sunday January 7, 2PM - EST. www.radiosix.com/schedule.html DECEMBER 2023 Over the moon to be part of the inaugural Digital Development Project and working with amazing dramaturg Emma Bilderback on YELLA JACK. digitaldevelopmentproject.my.canva.site It's been a privilege and pleasure to research and write the video scripts for Mount Prospect Historical Society's Hometown History series. I grew up in MP and stepped back in time to revisit old familiar haunts and discover new ones. Check out Mt. Prospect Historical Society's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@mtphistory/videos NOVEMBER 2023 Exciting news from Maine-based Broken Arts Entertainment: MEMENTO MORI is a finalist for the "Loved Ones" podcast. Greatly enjoyed the reading of the queer ghost play MEMENTO MORI with Atlanta Dramatists and the thought-provoking comments shared. Revisions are underway. What's brewing in the cauldron? Revisions of one play, a first draft of another, and research for a third brew an exciting end-of-year. OCTOBER 2023 Exciting news from Dramatic Chaos in London and the upcoming Spooky Plays and Monologues Anthology. Thanks to the Chicago Trib for shouting out the Unnatural Weird Wonder Fest, which includes the short witchy play FOUL IS FAIR. www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-halloween-chicago-things-to-do-20231010-ic5tdt2akfgk7cyyjv4ot2pedq-story.html Choose Chicago shouts out the Unnatural Weird Wonder Festival and FOUL IS FAIR. www.choosechicago.com/event/series/unnatural-weird-wonder-festival/ The Daily Herald shouts out the Unnatural Weird Wonder Fest and the witchy comedy FOUL IS FAIR. www.dailyherald.com/entlife/20231025/spotlight-janus-theatre-stages-half-life-of-marie-curie-marriott-revives-carole-king-tuner- Spooky season shivers on with Theatre Spotlight on the Lake's article about the Unnatural Weird Wonder Festival and FOUL IS FAIR. www.spotlightonlake.com/posts/davjasfran-entertainment-present-unnatural-weird-wonder-festival-short-plays Houston Press shouts out The Museum Plays and MEMENTO MORI. www.houstonpress.com/arts/preview-scriptwriters-houston-2023-museum-plays-at-the-national-museum-of-funeral-history-16594798 Thanks for the shoutout for MEMENTO MORI at the Kraine Theater, WLIW-FM. www.wliw.org/radio/events/here-between-and-beyond/ The witchy tale with a sprinkle of Shakespeare, FOUL IS FAIR, is part of Unnatural Weird Wonder Festival in Chicago on October 28. www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/DavJasFran-Entertainment-To-Present-UNNATURAL-WEIRD-WONDER-FESTIVAL-Of-Short-Plays-This-Month-20231002?fbclid=IwAR1rjhZGN2xmu3MLkc1vRYCrOngUPnDhZnxVfeQ9A1B_8Q0HfqHFgbts3WQ Spooky season continues with an off-Broadway production of MEMENTO MORI, a queer ghost story set in a post-mortem photographer's studio, at Days of the Dead Festival at the Kraine Theatre NYC. Thrilled to be part of Rising Sun Performance Company's production in a beloved space. www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/FRIGID-New-York-and-Something-From-Abroad-to-Present-2nd-Annual-Days-of-the-Dead-Festival-20230911 www.tdf.org/shows/21009/days-of-the-dead-festival-2023 A spooky play for a spooky setting: The new play MEMENTO MORI will be performed at the National Museum of Funeral History in October. Set in a post-mortem photographer's workshop, it goes up in the museum's 19th Century Mourning and Post-Mortem Photography exhibit. Stay tuned for more info about this exploration of grief, lost loves, and the thin veil between life and death. www.nmfh.org/portfolio-item/19th-century-mourning/ www.nmfh.org/events/ SEPTEMBER 2023 What happens when an ex-con digs for buried treasure at an Indigenous burial site? Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop, at the Rivoli Theatre in the Catskills, finds out! The horror short SKULLDUGGERY goes up September 8-15. www.scdw.net BEST BEWARE MY STING,a bawdy lampoon of and a feminist response to Shakespeare's Shrew, was a semi-finalist for Utah Shakespeare Festival's Words Cubed Listen to BEST BEWARE MY STING on Dean Productions' Premiere the Play Podcast. deanproductionstheatre.com/ptp-season-2/ July 2023 YELLA JACK, a Southern Gothic historical drama, is a semi-finalist in the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica's New Play Festival. www.morgan-wixson.org/new-works-festival-2023 Tickets are now available for Houston Scriptwriters' 10x10 Festival, with the new play STAYIN' ALIVE in the line-up.www.eventbrite.com/e/scriptwriters-houston-2023-10x10-play-festival-tickets-671525830837?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR2_lu1EwKG3ctpo2K2HGTCvbHz06NeNOi8VyB7k1UkCz7WRzpjTuJluBxA June 2023 Delighted to be part of Gi60 Houston with the little play PROVERBS. The show goes up at Houston Community College on July 6 and 7, at 7:30 pm. Students perform, and faculty direct! The new piece NOT MY TALE TO TELL was shortlisted by Left Edge Theatre’s Hindsight 2023 festival. May 2023 How fun! The raucous physical play WAYLAY MAKEOVER is part of Sketch Supercollider, a comedy showcase, at Station Theater, Houston's home for long-form improv and sketch comedy.www.eventbrite.com/e/saturday-night-sketch-comedy-sketch-supercollider-tickets-637850155987?aff=odcleoeventsincollection April 2023 YELLA JACK was a finalist for the inaugural Waterworks Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thrilled to once again be included in Houston Scriptwriters 10x10! The new short drama STAYIN' ALIVE, directed by Abigail Langlis, will run with nine other Houston playwrights' works the weekend of August 24-26. The mini play PROVERBS is included in the new literary magazine Literature Today among so many talented friends' and colleagues' work. literaturetodayjournal.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR0NynxhvjPz7SGohlBC_TeE9KrrnL2KWQX7h6-f56833WacITOdIbwZM7E March 2023 Visit Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice's resources for ALL THE WAY BACK. Colleges and universities are welcome to produce the play royalty-free through the end of the school year.gps.bard.edu/en/resources Delighted that YELLA JACK will receive a reading in Arts Fort Worth's Original Works Series, featuring the theatre companies Dragstrip Courage and Artes da la Rosa at the Sanders Theatre. fwtx.com/events/original-works-series-reading-yella-jack-donna-latham/ https://fortworth.culturemap.com/eventdetail/arts-fort-worth-presents-original-work-series-yella-jack/ www.fortworth.com/event/original-works-series-reading%3a-yella-jack-by-donna-latham/33803/#googletrans(en%7Cde) The quickie little play PROVERBS will be published in the April issue of the new literary journal Literature Today. It's thrilling to type END OF PLAY on a new first draft. Deep breath... And, let revisions begin. February 2023 ALL THE WAY BACK has been translated into Urdu for performance in Pakistan in The Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice. Read about ALL THE WAY BACK and The Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice: leadthechange.bard.edu/blog/talking-about-climate-short-plays-competition-winners-ready-to-perform-at-your-school Thrilled to again join the lovely folks at Paris Junior College's Pyro Playfest in Paris,Texas, with a new short play that Will Walker will direct. The Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice added the script of ALL THE WAY BACK to its resources. Colleges and universities are welcome to produce the play royalty-free through the end of the school year.gps.bard.edu/en/resources It was great to chat about ALL THE WAY BACK on a webinar with the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice team. I discussed the ways in which theatre and compelling storytelling connect us to our humanity and build empathy and offered ideas for staging the play. January 2023 ALL THE WAY BACK was selected as a juried winner for the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Social Justice. The teach-in coordinates climate education events at colleges, universities, and high schools on March 23, 2023. The link to the script will be available for production at: gps.bard.edu/world-wide-teach-in-2023?utm_campaign=World-Wide-Teach-In&utm_source=Custom-URL . It was great to chat with the wonderful folks at Wild Imaginings in Waco about writing historical feminist plays. We discussed YELLA JACK, THE HAUNTED WIDOW LINCOLN, and so much more. Listen to Imagine This: A Theatre Podcast here: roguemedianetwork.com/podcast/imagine-this-a-theatre-podcast/ COYOTE'S MOON is part of Sante Fe Playhouse's New Play Reading Series, January 27 and 28. santafeplayhouse.org/events/2023-playhouse-new-play-reading-series/ The lovely folks at Wild Imaginings in Waco present an excerpt from YELLA JACK and discuss the historical play's resonance with our own moment in time. Listen to Imagine This: A Theatre Podcast here: roguemedianetwork.com/podcast/imagine-this-a-theatre-podcast/ Delighted to be included among so many friends and colleagues in Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine's latest anthology with the quickie little play PROVERBS. drive.google.com/file/d/15CdoBc1e8NNfSkRDALS3FDOkuFW3vKys/view New Year, New Plays! Off and running on a fresh collaboration. Stay tuned. Please and thank you. December 2022 YELLA JACK was a semi-finalist for the AACT NewPlayFest 2024. Thanks to The Depot for sharing YELLA JACK's news. www.thedepot.space/news It was great to chat with the fine folx from Wild Imaginings for their Imagine This Podcast. The pod will be released in January 2023. Looking forward to participating in Too Much Damn Theatre's Pass-Along Play Project again, this time as a judge. November 2022 Smith & Kraus The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2022, which includes "I do despise the color red" from YELLA JACK, is now available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/1575259664?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_65GJKNNC7NBKPGMK1VBE&fbclid=IwAR0CPLyzRzpUjwLQcaBXeinaTczm8PdeHqkFcCUfr3lkTHBes37YvWwuhL8 MACHAMLET, a speedy little mash-up of Macbeth and Hamlet, is published in Fresh Words 1-Minute Play Anthology "Et tu, Brute?"sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/home The fine folx at Purple Circuit, which promotes feminist and LGBTQIA plays, have kindly included YELLA JACK in their listings.www.purplecircuit.org/donna-latham/ October 2022 WAYLAY MAKEOVER goes up at Playwrights at Night, the reading and production company directed by Sheila Duane, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. What happens when aggressive on-air personalities Dominique Angell and Abner Fabulous waylay unsuspecting new mom Beth for a forced makeover? www.jerseyshoreartscenter.org/contact-5 NPX Recommendation From Playwrights at Night: "...A truly funny short play that can be staged as over-the-top and WAY over the top. So much fun!" September 2022 THE SEANCE is one of Scriptwriter Houston's Museum Plays at the incomparable Museum of Funeral History. Ten years after her husband's assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln attempts to contact his spirit through the sham spiritualist Madame Marvalosa. www.scriptwriters-houston.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtSfv8kqtL0 BEST BEWARE MY STING, a feminist response to Shakespeare's SHREW and chef's kiss to sisterhood, enjoys a reading with Dean Productions' Premiere the Plays Podcast in L.A. deanproductionstheatre.com SELKIE is part of Talking Horse Productions' Monologue contest, performed by Leslie Botkins. Watch her beautiful performance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCTZ2bjagQ August 2022 YELLA JACK receives a reading and discussion at The Depot in Hampton, CT. I'm thrilled to return to The Depot with a new play, after last year's reading of BEST BEWARE MY STING. In 1878, Yellow Fever and a serial killer ravage the city of Memphis. Can science and faith together conquer these vile, twin plagues? NPX Recommendation From The Depot: "Donna Latham's Southern Gothic YELLA JACK powerfully renders an unlikely sisterhood who convert a brothel into a hospital for the indigent. In language that is closer to poetry than prose and dotted withe extraordinary monologues, Latham plumbs medical history, women's history, class, race, and the traditions of multiple religions....Like Shakespeare, Latham employs humor and pathos, and like the Greeks structures the play around short scenes and odes. The result is compelling and unforgettable. A gem for an ensemble of diverse actors. Strongly recommended." thedepot.space/about YELLA JACK: Omi Friday's "I do despise the color red" monologue is published in Smith and Kraus'. The Best Women's Stage Monologues, 2022. WAYLAY MAKEOVER is part of Scriptwriter Houston's 30th Annual 10x10 Ten-Minute Festival. I'm delighted to return to the festival with this raucous little comedy in which aggressive on-air personalities Dominique Angell and Abner Fabulous waylay unsuspecting new mom Beth for a force makeover. www.scriptwriters-houston.org www.broadwayworld.com/houston/regional/Scriptwriters-Houston-10x10-Play-Festival-2925346 CHICKEN-FRIED CATFISH enjoys a reading and talkback at Axial Theatre Company's Cactus Flowers in NYC, thanks to a collaboration with Honor Roll! Playwrights. How do we grapple with an insurrection, address the Q-Anon Shaman, and unearth a bit of humor in the rubble? www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2022/08/axial-theater-presents-cactus-flowers.html?m=1 July 2022 LUNCH LADY is a streamed production at Tiny Theatre's Sassy Summer Shorts, a collaboration with Honor Roll! Playwrights. An essential worker is devoted to keeping kids fed at school, while struggling with food insecurity at home. MACHAMLET, a speedy little comedy mash-up of Hamlet and Macbeth, goes up at The Tank NYC for the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival. Blink and you'll miss it! thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/2022/7/6/gi60-international-one-minute-theatre-festival-us-live?fbclid=IwAR0UIe9Csy1A0ZmXlAuQcj2IPsfQhvCH6d6C--YfJc_h2xE5xch1pCa2Lb4 June 2022 CHICKEN-FRIED CATFISH goes up at Chicago's American Blues Theater's Ripped Festival, celebrating stories ripped from the headlines. How do we grapple with an insurrection, address the Q-Anon Shaman, and unearth a bit of justice and humor in the rubble? www.american.com/2002/06/01/2022-the-ripped-festival WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW will be published in Smith and Kraus': We/Us: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters in March 2023. www.smithandkraus.com YELLA JACK receives a staged reading, directed by Rachel Dickson, and robust talkback with the esteemed Wordsymth Theater Company in Houston. In 1878, Yellow Fever and a serial killer ravage the city of Memphis. Can science and faith together conquer these vile, twin plagues? YELLA JACK receives a reading and discussion at Play Readings With Friends in NYC. www.jonlpeacock.com/play-readings-with-friends.html YELLA JACK is a finalist for the Market House Theatre New Play Competition in Paducah, KT. www.markethousetheatre.org LUNCH LADY is published in Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble's The Covid Monologues: 54 Writers Response to the Pandemic. An essential worker is devoted to keeping kids fed at school, while struggling with food insecurity at home. April 2022 SELKIE is featured at Stage Left Theatre in Spokane. stagelefttheatre.org SELKIE is published in the inaugural issue of Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine, India. sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/home March 2022 PADDY AND THE MERMAID goes up at the annual Celtic Calling Festival in Charleston, WV. You can't pluck a wild thing from the sea and keep it for your own. February 2022 CHICKEN-FRIED CATFISH goes up with Femuscripts, the all-female owned and operated production company in South Florida, for their Love Fest On-Demand Festival. How do we grapple with an insurrection, address the Q-Anon Shaman, and unearth a bit of humor in the rubble? January 2022 GET OVER YOUR SELFIE! goes up at AG Waters Middle School Drama Club in Delaware. Yay, theatre kids! Forever near and dear to my heart. |