I began as an actor but quickly switched to playwriting. My comedies and musicals have since received more than 400 productions worldwide.  Fourteen of my plays have been published by Concord Theatricals, Heuer, TRW, and Next Stage Press, and my monologues have appeared in seven collections. My work has been staged across the United States, from the Kennedy Center to the San Diego Rep, and internationally in Spain, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, India, Australia, England, and South Korea. I’ve been fortunate to have two plays selected for National New Play Network Rolling World Premieres and to be named a finalist twice for the Eugene O’Neill.

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In Hollywood, I wrote for several NBC sitcoms, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Will Smith), My Two Dads (Paul Reiser), and Amen (Sherman Hemsley). I’ve also sold or optioned screenplays and a television pilot.

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My books include The Art of Theatre, an introductory theatre textbook now in its fifth edition, which has been used by more than 120,000 college students. I’ve also written books on the craft of playwriting and screenwriting, including Screenplay: Writing the Picture and Naked Playwriting.

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My fiction reflects my love of comedy and my curiosity about the worlds we build around ourselves. My third novel, Almost Picasso, explores how AI will change the arts. It will be published next summer by Heresy Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. My earlier novels include Five Minutes from Chaos, a Kafka-inspired comedy that takes aim at theatre departments and academia, and Immaculate Deception, a satire about Christian nationalism. I’m currently writing my fourth novel, The Brothers Kafka, about finding our way through this bewildering, sometimes maddening, and thoroughly absurd age.

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Along the way, I’ve directed more than 40 productions, acted in 20, and picked up MFAs in acting from the University of Illinois and screenwriting from UCLA.