William Missouri Downs has written everything from NBC sitcoms to Kabuki tragedies. His comedies and musicals have been produced over 350 times worldwide, and he has won numerous writing awards, including two rolling world premieres from the National New Play Network. He’s also been a two-time Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights finalist. His plays have been produced globally—in Spain, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, India, the UAE, Australia, England, South Korea, and the United States. Fourteen of his plays are published by Concord Theatricals, Playscripts, Heuer, TRW, and Next Stage Press. William was a staff writer on the NBC sitcom My Two Dads and a freelance writer for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Amen. He has also sold and optioned screenplays and a TV pilot. He’s the author of six books, including the popular textbook "The Art of Theatre," now in its fifth edition and used by over 100,000 college students. His other titles include "Screenplay: Writing the Picture," "Naked Playwriting, Playwriting: From Formula to Form." He has also published two novels, "Five Minutes from Chaos" and "Immaculate Deception." He holds two MFAs—one in screenwriting from UCLA and another in acting from the University of Illinois. He studied playwriting under Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt at New York’s Circle Repertory Theatre. Pat McLaughlin represents him at the Beacon Artist Agency, New York.