CHARLES DEEMER

A Playwright’s Resume

 

Education

BA, UCLA, English (Phi Beta Kappa)

MFA, University of Oregon, Playwriting

 

Books Published

Christmas at the Juniper Tavern (Arrowood Books, 1985).

Ten Sonnets (Irvington Press, 1994).

The Deadly Doowop (Cedar Bay Press, 1997; Greatunpublished.com, 2003).

Screenwright: the craft of screenwriting (SPHP, 1997; Xlibris, 1998).

Seven Come Eleven: Stories and Plays, 1969-1999 (Writers Club Press, 2000).

Collected Plays (NoSpine, 2000).

Seven Plays (Greatunpublished.com, 2001).

Five Screenplays (Greatunpublished.com, 2002).

Selected Stories (Greatunpublished.com, 2003).

What Happens Next? An Introduction to Screenwriting (Greatunpublished.com, 2003).

Three Oregon Plays (Greatunpublished.com, 2003)

Emmett’s Gift (Three Moons Media, 2003)

Love At Ground Zero (Sextant Books, 2003)

The Seagull Hyperdrama (Sextant Books, 2004)

Dress Rehearsals: The Education of a Marginal Writer (Sextant Books, 2004)

See updated list

 

Writing Grants and Fellowships

 Shubert Playwriting Fellowship, 1971

 Maryland Committee for the Humanities, 1976

 Metropolitan Arts Commission, 1979, 1981, 1984

 Oregon Committee for the Humanities, 1980, 1984 (3)

 Actors Theatre of Louisville, 1981

 Oregon Arts Commission Fellow, 1981 (fiction), 1988 (drama)

 Distinguished Writer-in-residence, 1988, The Catlin Gabel School

 Distinguished Scholar-in-residence, 1989, The Catlin Gabel School

 

Writing Awards

Haycox Short Story Prize, 1967

3rd Place, National Short Play Competition, University of Missouri, 1971

Roll of Honor, Best American Short Stories, 1971, 1972, 1974

Greasepaint Best Original Play, 1983, 1984, 1985

Willies Best Original Play, 1984, 1986, 1987

Oregon Arts Foundation Theatre Award, 1984

ACE, cable-TV, best regional drama (nationally), 1984

Writer of the Year, 1986, Neighbor Newspaper Community Award

Winner, "Crossing Borders" International New Play Competition, 1997

Winner, Buckham Alley Theatre Playwrights’ Competition, 1998

Highest ranking playwright (international), New Century Writer Awards, 1998

Finalist, Oregon Book Award, 1998 (twice), 2001.

 

Plays produced in last 10 years (* = Premiere)

 

1994

Christmas at the Juniper Tavern, Eclectic Theatre Co., Portland

Ramblin’: stories and songs of Woody Guthrie, Nobby’s, Portland

1995

*The Bride of Edgefield, Edgefield, Gresham

Abigail and Harvey, University of Portland

Christmas at the Juniper Tavern, Eclectic Theatre Co., Portland

The Half-Life Conspiracy, Eclectic Theatre Co., Portland

Ramblin’: songs and stories of Woody Guthrie, Newport Performing Arts Center

1996

*Who Forgives?, Cork Theatre Co., Ireland

Ramblin’: songs and stories of Woody Guthrie, Seattle Community College

1997

*The Buddha Child, Haven Project, Portland

Who Forgives?, Stark Raving Theatre, Portland

*Last Song of Violeta Parra, Prisma, Santiago, Chile

1998

*Famililly, Wharf Rat Theatre Co., Salem, MA; Clark College, Vancouver

*Bedrooms & Bars, Buckham Alley Theatre, Ohio

*Dribbling for the Home Team, Haven Project, Portland

Christmas at the Juniper Tavern, Community Theatre, Coos Bay

Last Song of Violeta Parra, University of Barcelona, Spain

1999

*Sad Laughter, Clark College, Vancouver

*The Last Roundup, Haven Project, Portland

*The Legacy of the Wobblies, Unitarian Church, Portland

2000

*The Guardian of the Light, Haven Project, Portland

Christmas at the Juniper Tavern, Community Theatre, Corvallis

2001

*The Man Who Searched for Tomorrow, Haven Project, Portland

The Half-Life Conspiracy, Variety Café, New York City.

*The Ordeal of James Otis, Unitarian Church, Portland

2002

*Wonderful One Times One: An Appreciation of E.E. Cummings, Unitarian Church, Portland

2003

*You Might As Well Live: An Appreciation of Dorothy Parker, Unitarian Church, Portland

*American Gadfly: The Story of Wayne Morse, Wayne Morse Ranch, Eugene.

2004

American Gadfly: The Story of Wayne Morse, Lane Community College; also Springfield.

Here I Stand: An Appreciation of Paul Robeson, Unitarian Church, Portland

In Memoriam: Reflections on Grief, Unitarian Church, Portland.

2005

*Snoops, UU short play festival, Vancouver, WA.

American Gadfly: The Story of Wayne Morse, Newport Performing Arts Center.

 

 

Full production list: 51 plays by Charles Deemer

(all dates are premieres; italics: premiered in Portland, asterisk: major work)

 

2005:   Snoops (10 min.)

2004:   In Memoriam: Reflections on Grief

Here I Stand

2003:  American Gadfly: The Story of Wayne Morse

You Might As Well Live

2002:  Wonderful One Times One

2001:  The Man Who Searched for Tomorrow (10 min.)

            The Ordeal of James Otis

2000:  The Guardian of the Light (10 min.)

1999:  "We Have Fed You All For A Thousand Years" --  the Legacy of the Wobblies

          The Last Roundup (10 min.)

          *Sad Laughter (staged)

 1998: Dribbling for the Home Team (10 min.)

          *Bedrooms & Bars (staged & full)

       *Famililly (winner, 1997 "Crossing Borders"  International Playwriting Competition)

1997:  The Buddha Child (10 min.)

          *The Last Song of Violeta Parra (hyperdrama)

1996:  *Who Forgives?

1995:  *The Bride of Edgefield (hyperdrama)

1989:  Champoeg: the Story of Old Oregon

          *Varmints

1988:  The Oregon Constitutional Debates (one act)

          *Cocktail Suite (hyperdrama)

          Who Should Educate Our Children? (10 min.)

1987:  The Evacuation (10 min.)

          *Bateau de Mort (hyperdrama)

          Rancho! (hyperdrama)

          *Turkeys (hyperdrama)

1986:  The Trouble With Wally (one act)

          *Chateau de Mort (hyperdrama)

          Abigail (one act)

1985:  *Waitresses

          Abigail and Harvey (one act)

          Echoes of the Peaceful Heart (one act)

1984: The Genie in the Bottle (one act)

          Armed in the Spirit (one act)

          *The Comedian in Spite of Himself

          *Christmas at the Juniper Tavern

1983:  Song of the Salmon (staged)

          Testing (one act)

          *The Half-Life Conspiracy

1981:  The Talkin' Oregon Rainwater Blues (staged, one act)

          *Country Northwestern

          The Ballad of Sam Crab (one act)

          Mongrel Woman's Blues (one act)

1980:  *1934: Blood and Roses (one act)

1979:  *Ramblin' (one act)

           *The Pardon

1976:  The Battle of the Ages (one act)

1971:  The Profession

           The Dragon (one act)

1970:  Above the Fire (one act)

 

Employment

Writing Faculty, Portland State University, Screenwriting