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; and winner of the Centre-Stage New Play Festival in Greenville, SC.
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!
BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS READING SCHEDULE
If you are near Western North Carolina during the Appalachian Playwriting Festival presented by the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, I hope you will attend readings of my full length play BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS.
Information is available at:
https://parkwayplayhouse.com/appalachian-playwriting-festival/
Tickets are on sale now at:
Coming and Recent Mountings of my Scripts
Coming Next...
The Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, North Carolina has selected my full length script BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS as one of three plays to receive a staged reading as part of their Appalachian Playwriting Festival, September 20-22, 2024. I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be selected and look forward to attending the Festival. Information on the three winning playwrights and selected directors have been posted to their website at: https://parkwayplayhouse.com/appalachian-playwriting-festival/ The readings of my script are scheduled on Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, September 22 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now at: https://parkwayplayhouse.com/tickets/
So Far This Year...
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