William Missouri Downs
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William Missouri Downs

Literature & Fiction
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William Missouri Downs is a comedy writer who has written everything from NBC sitcoms to musicals. As a playwright, he has had hundreds of productions of his plays and won numerous writing awards. His plays 'Women Playing Hamlet' and 'The Exit Interview' won rolling premieres from the National New Play Network. His plays 'How to Steal a Picasso' and 'Mad Gravity' were finalists at the Eugene O'Neill. The Orlando Shakespeare, San Diego Rep, and The Kennedy Center are a few of the over 350 theatres in the US that have produced his plays. He's also been produced in Spain, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, India, UAE, Australia, and South Korea. In addition, he's published 14 plays with Concord, Playscripts, Heuer, TRW, and Next Stage Press. In Hollywood, he earned his MFA in screenwriting at UCLA. He started as a script PA on the NBC show 'Moonlighting' (Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd) and worked his way up to staff writer on the NBC sitcom 'My Two Dads' (Paul Reiser). He also wrote episodes of 'Amen' (Sherman Hemsley) and 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' (Will Smith). In addition, he sold a movie to Ron Howard's Imagine Films and optioned a TV pilot. His books include ‘The Art of Theatre,’ a comprehensive survey of theatre techniques and history in its 4th edition, and ‘Screenplay Writing the Picture,’ a popular screenwriting textbook. He has also written two books on the art of writing for the theatre, 'Naked Playwriting' and 'Playwriting from Formula to Form.' Last but not least, his first comic novel, 'Five Minutes from Chaos,' will be published in September 2024.
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Five Minutes from Chaos

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The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

You can’t beat a good story. Luckily, humans are great at storytelling, and the best fiction podcasts are all the proof that the modern listener requires. Get the popcorn ready; it’s storytime.

Featured Article: The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

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