ROOTED IN TRADITION
CREATING FRESH WORKS
Welcome to my site.
ROOTED IN TRADITION
CREATING FRESH WORKS
About Walter Thinnes, Playwright
WALTER THINNES is an emerging playwright whose thirty plus plays have received more than 130 productions, readings, or awards in 26 states, and around the world, including The Kennedy Center, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Conference, and several Off-Off-Off-Broadway Theaters. He is currently located in Central Florida and you can find some of his scripts at www.newplayexchange.org.
He is the recipient of the Colonial Players’ Promising Playwright Award, Annapolis, MD; Theatre Oxford L.W. Thomas Award, Oxford MS; Appalachian New Play Festival Judge’s Choice Award, Athens, OH; winner of the Centre-Stage New Play Festival in Greenville, SC; and most recently the winner of the Appalachian Playwriting Festival by the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, NC.
While I refer to my current look as 'deranged prospector come in from the hills,' of course the most frequent inquiry I get is whether or not I am Santa Claus. I tell the young 'un that, no, but I am Santa's nephew. After a quick exchange about whether the tyke has an uncle of their own, they get the concept. I explain that while the gift thing is a family enterprise we all pitch in to help with, Santa does all the deliveries and makes all the decisions. While I can put in a good word for them (they have been good, haven't they?) it is their parents who are in direct contact with the big man and that they had better be good, just in case. The parents are always grateful for the encounter. There you have the Legend of Walter Claus!
My Recent Short Play 'SPY BIRDS' is a Finalist
SPY BIRDS has been ..........
........shortlisted for the festival
........shortlisted for the festival
I wrote SPY BIRDS earlier this year as a tongue in cheek modern spy tale of international intrigue and double crossing secret agents. The ten-minute play has two male and one female roles.
........shortlisted for the festival
........shortlisted for the festival
........shortlisted for the festival
SHORT+SWEET is an international group of short play festivals that spans several continents. It specializes in ten-minute plays and short film festivals. It includes outlets in Australia, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America. Sydney Australia is their flagship operation.
A group of producers shortlist (in this case 120 scripts from 1400 entries) and offer them to directors in each festival locale who decide which plays to perform. The Sydney Festival will be mounted between February and May 2025
Early Script Development Opportunities
Pop Tarts and Ramen
I completed a full length script POP TARTS AND RAMEN focused on eight recently graduated university students trapped together in a Brooklyn walk-up apartment during the early months of the COVID-19 lockdown. Since then I have been seeking the insight of younger actors to further develop the script. Two readings are currently scheduled.
There will be a reading with feedback by the Theater Club of Beacon College in Leesburg, FL. It will be scheduled for either January or February of 2025 at a time and place to be announced later.
After further editing of the script based on that feedback POP TARTS AND RAMEN will be featured in an online reading in the Plays in Progress Virtual Reading Series by the Whiskey Theatre Factory from Orlando, FL. Scheduled for April 2025 at a date to be announced.
I am grateful to each of these organizations who's efforts will further develop this new script.
BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS
My full length play BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS received two excellent public readings at the Appalachian Playwriting Festival by the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, North Carolina. The amazing director was (front row with me) Erika Tyner and it enjoyed the exceptional talents of (left to right on stage) Addison Amos, Tom Harrison, Austin Dakota Whitehead, Lilly Bartleson, Olivia Woodford, and Alan Steele. Based on the readings it was selected as the winner of the Festival.
Just days after the Festival, Hurricane Helene ravaged the region and devastated the town. I was relieved to hear that the theater building and staff and casts were spared though much healing is underway. My script will receive a fully mounted production their 2025 summer season. Show dates are August 1-3 and 8-10. After visiting the festival I can highly recommend the lovely town of Burnsville, but lodging is at a premium, so make your reservations soon if you plan to attend.
Pending Mountings of my Scripts
Coming Next...
My full-length play BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS was the winner of the Appalachian Playwriting Festival in 2024. It will receive a fully mounted production as the third play of the 2025 Season of the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, NC. Performance dates are August 1-3 and 8-10, 2025. More details to follow as they become available.
My full-length script POP TARTS AND RAMEN will receive a developmental reading with feedback by the members of the Theatre Club of Beacon College of Leesburg, FL. (Date and time TBA)
My full-length script POP TARTS AND RAMEN will receive a online reading as part of the Plays in Progress Virtual Reading Series by the Whiskey Theatre Factory from Orlando, FL in April 2025 (date and time TBA)
Most Recent Mountings of my Scripts
So Far This Year
My short play SPY BIRDS was shortlisted for the Sydney Theatre Festival in New South Wales, Australia.
My full-length play BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS was the declared the winner of the Appalachian Playwriting Festival in 2024. There were two public readings directed by Erika Tyner and featuring the exceptional talents of Addison Amos, Tom Harrison, Austin Dakota Whitehead, Lilly Bartleson, Olivia Woodford, and Alan Steele.
My new short play LEAVE ME A MESSAGE was featured by THE PULP STAGE in Portland, Oregon on April 1, 2024 in a live internet reading. It was part of their Pulp Factor Showcase and was directed by Jonathan Hernandez and read by Artistic Director John Marks, Colleen Socha and Katie Mortemore. The reading is now on Apple Podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Search for 'The Pulp Podcast' and 'Leave Me a Message.'
THEATER MAKERS LABS of Middletown CT produced my short play HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEONARD as part of their Crappy Valentines Festival on February 17, 2024 at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center in Wethersfield, CT.
The Rover Dramawerks theatre in Plano, TX selected my short play "myspacefacebook.com" as a semi-finalist for their 2024 comedy performance.
My short play HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEONARD was selected as a Semi-Finalist for the 2024 Off Broad Street Short Play Festival in Augusta GA.
Some Images from Recent Activity
Recent mountings of my scripts
In the past few years...
My short play HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEONARD has received quite a number of productions recently.
REBOUND PRODUCTIONS performed the play as a part of their New Writing Showcase on July 26, 2023 featuring Clarisse Encontre and Christina Raise at the HEN & CHICKENS THEATRE, LONDON, UK .
It was presented in the Seventeenth Annual Ten Minute Play Festival at the ODYSSEY THEATRE in SARASOTA FLORIDA in June 2022. It was directed by Amanda Schlachter and featured Jenny Aldrich Walker and Julee Breehne.
BARRINGTON STAGE in PITTSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS presented a streaming production of it as part of their Tenth Annual 10x10 Festival in March 2021.
It was also selected as a Semi-Finalist in the OFF BROAD STREET SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL in AUGUSTA GA
My recent full length play THE RELUCTANT PROPHET received an excellent staged reading as part of the Talkback Tuesday Series at the Polaris North Theatre Co-operative in NEW YORK, NEW YORK on May 23, 2023. It was both well received and provided valuable feedback that further developed the script. It featured John L. Payne, Meliora Dockery, Francis Parkman, Leslie Lynn Meeker, Jen Nolan and Sophie Larin.
My short play CELEBRITY DIVORCE was performed by the PLAYWRIGHTS ROUND TABLE OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA as part of their LAUNCH Festival in March, 2022. It was directed by Dev Zebra, and featured Russell R. Trahan, Anthony Marando and Kaley Redfield. It was also a finalist in the Short+Sweet Play Festival in the Dubai, United Emirates as well as their Festival in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
My short play 2020 - A PERFECT YEAR FOR MAGICAL THINKING received a streamed production in the Old Library Theatre's 10th Annual One Act Play Festival in FAIR LAWN, NEW JERSEY on February 2021. It was also performed by STAGE DOOR PRODUCTIONS as part of their 14th Annual One Act Festival in Fredericksburg VA in January 2022. It was selected and recorded by student Lanee Stiver for Senior Directing Credit at JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY in SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS in April 2022.
My short play AT THE DINER WITH DAD (licensed by ART AGE Publications - Senior Theater Resources) was performed in GAINESVILLE FLORIDA in February 2021.
Information Regarding Walter's Scripts
TEN-MINUTE PLAYS