Five Finalists Move On In Great Gay Screenplay Contest

"We started with more than 100, and now are down to five," says PFP Executive Director David Zak. "We have had a tremendous outpouring of exciting and fresh new writing submitted." And thus five new screenplays with LGBT themes or characters have been named finalists in the 2011 Great Gay Screenplay Contest sponsored by Pride Films and Plays. 

The five screenplays named as finalists are:
Bre'gan's Fist by Tom Emerick, Chicago, IL
Easy on the Eyes by Kevin Michael West, Los Angeles, CA
Wandering the Elysian Fields by Richmond Weems, Clayton, NC
The Way Shim Likes It by James Palmer, Los Angeles, CA
Welcome to LA by Howard Casner, Los Angeles, CA

Tickets for each reading are $12, or a five-play pass can be purchased for $45.

Industry and student tickets are $6. Tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets, or by calling 1800 838 3006.

The 5 scripts move on to the next round of judging, and each will be performed as a staged reading in our Great Gay Screenplay Finale Weekend at the Hoover-Leppen Theater at Center, 3656 N. Halsted, October 21 to 23.

The performance schedule is:
Easy on the Eyes, Friday, October 21, 7:30 pm
Welcome to LA, Saturday, October 22, 4:30 pm
Wandering the Elysian Fields, Saturday, October 22, 7:30 pm
The Way Shim Likes It, Sunday, October 23, 1:30 pm
Bre'gan's Fist, Sunday, October 23, 4:30 pm

Bre'gan's Fist by Tom Emerick, Chicago, IL
Bre'gan's Fist is the story of two people, one a human, the other a Mage, who have both suffered personal loss. As they comfort each other, a crisis emerges that threatens the entire Earth itself. Can they repair the damage done to their shattered lives and save the planet in the process?

Easy On The Eyes by Kevin Michael West, Los Angeles, CA
Ethan (a neurotic playwright) and Jake (a hunky actor) are best friends who decide to become friends with benefits. Unfortunately, the arrangement triggers a lot of emotional consequences that neither one counted on. It's a "When Harry Met Sally..." for gay men.

Wandering the Elysian Fields by Richmond Weems, Clayton, NC
A hard-boiled, gay private detective must reflect on his own relationships and his misanthropic behavior as he tries to solve a murder case that no one wants solved.

The Way Shim Likes It by James Palmer, Los Angeles, CA
When Jamie's private tutor dies unexpectedly, this intersex teenager defies father's wishes and enrolls in public school to achieve popularity "like the kids on TV." The Way Shim Likes It follows Jamie as she/him/shim poses alternatively as a boy and girl, fools the whole school, and breaks a few hearts.

Welcome to LA by Howard Casner, Los Angeles, CA
In this black comedy, Adam's first few days in Los Angeles are greeted by a continual discovery of dead bodies in his building; an amorous police officer who wants to have sex with him, then wants Adam to read his screenplay; and a mentor whose main advice is not to masturbate more than once a day.

Author Bios

Howard Casner (Welcome to LA) moved in 2001 from Chicago to Los Angeles, where he has earned a reputation as a script consultant as well as providing coverage for several screenplay competitions and Here! Networks/ Regent Entertainment. His plays have been seen in Chicago, New York, and L.A. In 2002, he received a GLAAD nomination for best L.A. production for A Cold Coming We Had of It. Find more info here.

Tom Emerick (Bre'gan's Fist) is an aspiring screenwriter and playwright. He also enjoys writing poetry, short stories, and songs, and holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Detroit Mercy. Originally from Detroit, he currently resides in Chicago.

James Palmer (The Way Shim Likes It) is gay and a comedy writer (in that order). Originally from New Jersey, he now lives in Los Angeles. When not writing scripts or blogging, he's scouring press releases for his name.

Richmond Weems (Wandering the Elysian Fields) is a published short story writer, and DVD reviewer. His work has appeared in Necrotic Tissue, Aberrations, Absent Willow Review, Every Day Fiction, and other print and online venues.

Kevin Michael West (Easy On The Eyes) is currently an MFA student at USC, studying film directing. His gay-themed play Top and Bottom performed to sold- out houses in L.A., N.Y. (off-Broadway), and Provincetown. His film A Very Fair Deal screened at the L.A. Shorts Festival.

For more information on the contest, and other Pride Films and Plays events, including the Great Gay Play and Musical Contest (which will accept entries from September 1 to October 31), visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

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