William Missouri Downs has written everything from NBC sitcoms to Kabuki tragedies. He's had over 350 productions of his comedies and musicals and won many writing awards including 2 rolling premieres from the National New Play Network. He's twice been a finalist at the Eugene O’Neill. His plays have been produced in Spain, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, India, UAE, Australia, South Korea, and the USA. He’s directed 40 plays and published 14 with Concord, Playscripts, Heuer, TRW, and Next Stage Press. He was a staff writer on the NBC sitcom My Two Dads and a freelance writer on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Amen. He’s also sold/optioned movies and a TV pilot. He’s published four books, including The Art of Theatre, a textbook, now in its 4th edition, which has been used by 100,000 college students.
His other books include Screenplay Writing The Picture, Naked Playwriting, and Playwriting From Formula To Form. He has two MFAs, one in screenwriting from UCLA film school and one in acting from the University of Illinois. He was trained in playwriting by Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt at the Circle Rep Theater in New York. He's represented by Pat McLaughlin at the Beacon Artist Agency, New York. Last but not least, his first novel will be published in 2024.
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