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| James Beck James, a native of Atlanta, has worked as a playwright and actor in Atlanta and Chicago. During five years in Chicago, James plays were read at Chicago Dramatists through the Deadline Workshop, Master Weekend and First Draft Series. It was in Chicago, in 2003, that Onion Man Productions produced the first workshop and staged reading of his play, The Secret of the Cat. In 2005, James was part of a playwright-produced effort that staged ten short plays at Chicago Dramatists in a show called, Back Porch Secrets. The group of writers that produced the shows worked under the name B.U.M.S. (Blatnoi Underground Music Society). James play, Soft, was one of the ten short plays all written with a common set in mind, a back porch. The same group also produced James short play, Bleach, as part of Abbiefest 2005. Since relocating back to Atlanta, in 2006, his play, The Secret of the Cat received two public readings through Working Title Playwrights as part of their Summer Reading Series. That August, The War Virgin, a short play written with Simon Keirn, was produced at Horizon Theatre in Atlanta by Jack in the Black Box Theatre Company as part of their 24-Hour Plays. In ’07, James premiered two new monologues, Throwing Strikes, at the Savage Tree Arts Project, Sunday Night Speak Easy II. In addition, he had two new monologues, Grand Dame and Atlanta, read at the Decatur Arts Festival through Working Title Playwrights. Inspired by his experience in Chicago, in 2007 James led a playwright-produced effort, under the banner of Atlanta Stage Write Productions, and staged two evenings of nine original short plays entitled 9 x 9. His play, Julia Roberts Was Pretty Once, was one of the nine plays. The effort was repeated in 2008 as he led another group of playwrights that produced 9 x 9 ’08. James play, Little Red Wagon, was one of the nine plays produced in June '08 during a two week run at the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center. In January 2009, James play, The Attendant was produced by Onion Man Productions in A Weekend of One-Act Plays. Other playwriting accomplishments include: an early draft of his first full-length play, The Onion Man, was a semi-finalist in 2003 Mill Mountain Theatre’s New Play Festival in Roanoke, Virginia. James offbeat short play, The Theatre, was produced in New York by Love Creek Productions in 1998. James is the creator of Onion Man Productions. He is an affiliate writer, and former board member, for Working Title Playwrights and has been a Network Playwright with Chicago Dramatists. |
| Plays by James Beck Produced The Attendant (one-act) January 2009, Onion Man Productions, Norcross GA Little Red Wagon (short play) June 2008, Atlanta Stage Write Productions, Norcross, GA Julia Roberts was Pretty Once (short play) July 2007, Atlanta Stage Write Productions, Atlanta War Virgin (short play written with Simon Keirn) Aug. 2006, Jack in the Black Box Theatre Company, Atlanta Bleach (short play) Aug. 2005, Blatnoi Underground Music Society, Chicago Soft (short play) April. 2005, Blatnoi Underground Music Society, Chicago The Theatre (short play) Nov. 1998, Love Creek Productions, NYC Full Length (available) The Secret of the Cat The Onion Man Bleach Full Length (in development) Julia Roberts was Pretty Once Soft - A young, blind girl struggles with recent loss and with the ghosts in her mind. Naked Doll - Two children, after the death of their father in WW II, are abandoned by their mother. Now, in the late 60's, these two adults must embrace their mother and find a way to forgive. Other available work: Throwing Strikes (monologues) Grand Dame (monologue) Atlanta (monologue) Teeth (one-act) Alligator Man (short play) |