![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC_2374-2-1024x1024.jpg\")
between the actor and the audience. So the opening sequence gets you to lean forward literally, figuratively, and metaphorically,\u201d Thomas explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter stage left, Adam Bryant. Thomas\u2019 classmate and his family had lived in New York for 16 years and were coming home, and Thomas made plans to help drive the U-Haul. As Thomas
searched for opportunities to submit \u201cPortrait,\u201d he discovered a New York festival that was set to begin the day before the scheduled move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas said, \u201cI don\u2019t have any grand designs to act; playwright is the hat I want to wear. But this \u201cBeing in New York City<\/em> is rather intoxicating<\/em> to me, so in the buildup<\/em> to going to New York,<\/em> I still couldn\u2019t wrap my<\/em> head around the fact that<\/em> words I wrote were going<\/em> to be spoken aloud in that<\/em> city. The festival was held<\/em> at The Players Theatre in<\/em> Greenwich Village. A strong<\/em> contingent of family and<\/em> friends made the trip, some<\/em> of which were a surprise.<\/em> The night still feels like<\/em> a blur. I know I got all<\/em> the words out, but it still<\/em> feels like a surreal experience,<\/em> but it was something<\/em> I\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas continues to<\/em> balance writing with his<\/em> full-time job at Marellis\u2019<\/em> and time with his wife,<\/em> Collette, and child<\/em>ren Jacob, Anna Grace, and<\/em> Jeremiah, but the New York<\/em> win is opening new doors<\/em> for him.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve had other theaters<\/em> express interest in it,<\/em> primarily because it was<\/em> performed in New York. It\u2019s<\/em> opened doors for some of my<\/em> other work to get read. I\u2019m<\/em> in talks with the theater<\/em> company to perform another<\/em> one of my plays that I<\/em> don\u2019t think they\u2019d have<\/em> known about if it wasn\u2019t<\/em> for [the \u201cPortrait\u201d] performance<\/em> in New York.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most recently, he<\/em> performed \u201cPortrait\u201d<\/em> at The Walnut Housein Murfreesboro.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like ours, Thomas\u2019 life<\/em> story and scripts weave<\/em> in and out of the familiar<\/em> and unexplored territory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur story is never<\/em> over. It\u2019s never too late to<\/em> change the ending. What can<\/em> we all do to pivot our own<\/em> stories?\u201d asks Thomas. GN<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shelbyville playwright Kyle Thomas took his work all the way to New York City for the Rogue Theater Festival, which is opening even more doors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-december"],"yoast_head":"\n
festival required it to be self-produced, so you had to do all the casting,<\/em> directing, costuming, and<\/em> props. I felt I could do<\/em> it. Within 10 days of submitting<\/em> it, I heard back.<\/em> I was going to be a part<\/em> of the Rogue Theater Festival<\/em> in New York City.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n