Contest #3 - A History of Messy Rooms

This month I am celebrating the third anniversary of my picture book: "Why Do I Have to Make My Bed, or a History of Messy Rooms."

As the lengthy title suggests, it's a book that not only explores that oft asked question, but also delves into chore lore, examining the household tasks of children throughout the ages.

Here are some wonderful images by illustrator Johanna van der Sterre:

I love her work so much!  I was so thrilled my editor chose her as the book's illustrator. 

Now, let's get to the main event:  The new contest!

CONTEST RULES: 

Create your own artwork that shows a child (or children) from the past, present, or future doing a chore that you would NOT want to do.  

The art may be drawn, colored, sculpted, computer generated, photoshopped, photographed -- or anything else you can think of... 

Submit your entries to: profwade@hotmail.com

(Facebook friends and Twitter followers can post their work online with the hashtag #historyofmessy ) 

Three winners will receive an autographed copy of Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?

CONTEST ENDS: March 20th, 2014

P.S. We will share submission on this blog and other social networks -- so if you don't want to sow off your work, let us know!


Teachers and Parents: There's also a handy curriculum guide available in PDF form.

Coming Soon: "CSI: Wonderland"

I never thought that I would make a sequel to my hit play CSI: Neverland.  

But then around October 31st, my neighbors (who always throw the coolest Halloween-fest, complete with freaky costumes, set pieces, and special effects) created an experience called "Malice in Wonderland."

All of the beloved Lewis Carol creations took on very sinister forms... and that got me thinking about combining my twisted sense of humor with the world of Wonderland.  From there, it seemed only natural to include the Fairy Detectives from the first play and get them mixed up in a murder mystery in which the King of Hearts has lost his head.

Today, I am going through the script (hopefully) for the last time, tightening up a few scenes and streamlining the pace.  

On a side note, I cannot help but notice how quiet this blog is...

Hello.... (Echo: Hello... hello... hello...)

I really should work harder to become part of a community.  My wife says that I should post things that are more interactive, and not simply an advertisement for my creative projects.  If you, dear reader, have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.  (Although, I must say, that it can be a pain in the butt to leave comments on Blogger.  Who wants to decode those CAPTCHA doohickeys just to leave a few words of encouragement?)

Okay -- tangent over -- now back to revising CSI: Wonderland!

Welcome to "Castle Writemore"

My latest project is a creative/educational endeavor called CASTLE WRITEMORE.

Here's a little bit about it:

Join the Quest!

"Castle Writemore" by Wade Bradford is a collection of one hundred and twenty three writing prompts. They have been designed to foster creative writing, descriptive writing, personal reflection, brainstorming techniques, annotative skills, and paragraph development.

They are also designed to make writing fun. 

"Castle Writemore" is ideal for young writers from ages six to ten; however, any age group can have a splendid time visiting this imaginary world. 

One of my goals is to create a community of writers, both young and old, that share their responses to the prompts of Castle Writemore and similar projects.  Would you like to join this creative adventure?

Visit our Facebook Page, and stay tuned for a brand new Castlemore blog!

"Macbeth Mixed Up" - Ten Minute Play by Wade Bradford

My good friends and editors at Heuer Plays just published my latest ten-minute play: Macbeth Mixed Up This is yet another comic exploitation of my idol William Shakespeare.

Ah, the poor Bard. You would think if I truly admire him, I would stop robbing his grave. But there's something about his marvelous characters that just won't allow me to cease my lampooning. I'm afraid I may always tomb raid that great Elizabethan playwright.

"It's a bit heavy on the eye of newt." If you are looking for thirty-minutes of fast-paced humor, might I recommend all three of my ten minute plays (each available at www.hitplays.com) : "Romeo Revised" "Hopeless Hamlet" and now "Macbeth Mixed Up"

"The Actor Games" is a "big hit" in Texas!

I just stumbled upon this flattering article about one of my latest one-act plays: "The Actor Games"

19 LDMS students braved the weather to travel to Ryan High School in Denton on Thursday, February 6, 2014, to perform in the district one act play contest.  After waiting for a judge stuck in slow traffic and late arriving schools, the students entertained the audience as they performedThe Actor Games to much laughter and applause.

The Actor Games is a one-act play written by Wade Bradford. It is a parody of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but it is also a skit that explores the different acting styles through the history of the theater. Read the rest of the article... 

Lake Dallas Independent School, thank you so much for choosing my play.  I am honored to have such a terrific cast and crew bringing my stories to life on the stage.

"Impressions of Yesterday" by Wade Bradford

My girls are homeschooled -- as you may or may not know. But that doesn't mean they spend all day cooped up in the house. Once or twice a week they attend classes at a charter school.

They take classes on art, geography, film making, and chess... And sometimes I help out by teaching theater and writing classes. About a year ago, they wanted to create a play that was about artists, adventurers, and inventors from the turn of the century (late 1800s - early 1900s). So, I toyed around with a few ideas and TADA -- I wrote "Impressions of Yesterday." The premise: two sisters discover an old trunk that is magically connected to an art studio in Paris, 1899. Out of the trunk pops Mary Cassatt, Monet, Degas, and many other iconic figures from the era.

 

The play is available at Playscripts Inc.

"Thumbelina" - Children's Play

Over the last couple years, my girls have appeared in several children's theatre shows at our beloved Canyon Theatre Guild.

This gave me a chance to reconnect with young actors and children's theater directors. Patti Finley said they were interested in doing a fairy tale story of Thumbelina, and she kindly allowed me to write the script. Writing for children's is a fun and challenging art form. You want the dialogue to be easy enough for the performers -- but you don't want to "talk down" to the audience or to the cast members.

As with Mermaid in Miami, I was adapting a Hans Christian Andersen story. And if you are an Andersen purists, you might not care for my adaptation. His story ends with Thumbelina marrying a fairy prince and living with the flower people -- and thereby never returning to the human woman that raised and nurtured. My tale of Thumbelina focuses on a little girl (very little) who is trying to find her place in the world -- and realizes that she and her mother need each other.

My good friend Fiona Perry starred as Thumbelina in the world premiere -- and my two daughters had some good parts too!

Here are some photos from Mrs. Stafford's drama class -- (She also directed JT and the Pirates -- thanks for your support, Mrs. Stafford!)

Thumbelina is available through Eldridge Plays.

"Conflict" a One Act Play by Wade Bradford

My friend Joshua and I, when we were struggling artists (unlike now -- ha, ha), lived in Orange County without a car and without very much money to entertain ourselves. But we did have our roommate's video camera. So we would often make these strange yet funny videos.

One of them involved us just wandering the video store and using the produce for our prop comedy. We made up a Headless Horseman character who used a cantaloupe instead of a pumpkin -- and ever since then (even though I hate the taste) I've had an affinity for the fruit.

So -- if you've ever seen my play "Conflict" and wondered why the playwright created a story about a young man who is obsessed with a cantaloupe -- the source of his inner and outer conflicts -- now you know why. No symbolism or anything. Just a fruit I admire.

"Conflict" was a script I wrote specifically for the Repertory East Playhouse. I entered their Page 2 Stage competition -- and happily the script won! "Conflict" was produce and directed by a top-notch crew -- and performed by a cast of talented actors. It was a joy to watch. "Conflict" runs about 25 minutes, and like some of my other shorter plays, it has done quite well at drama student competitions.

"Conflict" is available at Heuer Plays.