Theatre, film, travel, restaurants (I'm a serious foodie), tennis (strangely, now that I live in Los Angeles and can play year-round, I hardly play), chess, reading, photography (check out a few of my pics on the picture page!)
Music
Elton John, Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, Todd Rundgren, REM, Collective Soul and many other bands...coming soon...
Movies
Lord of the Rings (obviously), Bourne Identity/Supremacy, Mysterious Skin, Brick, Empire Strikes Back, Saved, About a Boy, Silence of the Lambs, Billy Elliot, Transamerica, An Inconvenient Truth, L.I.E., The Player, Sweet Sixteen, Little Miss Sunshine and many more to come...
Television
The Wire, Boston Legal, Entourage, Weeds, Everwood (ah, the late and lamented...), ER...
Books
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, of course. The Harry Potter series. Since there isn't a place for them, though, I'm going to list some of my favorite plays and musicals here as well: The Zoo Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Homecoming, Waiting for Godot, Angels in America, Falsettos, Lonely Planet...and more to come.
About me: I'm always a bit behind on updating this space, but here are a few quick facts and links that may be of use to you. Be sure to read my notes under "I'd Like to Meet" before adding me.
I'm a playwright (and screenwriter) with more than two dozen plays available for production, and published by Playscripts, Eldridge, Original Works and Brooklyn Publishers. Many are ideal for schools and teen actors, and they've been seen in more than 40 states across the US, as well as in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries. You'll find more information about me and my work at www.jondorf.com.
Among my more produced plays...
After Math. A student disappears in the middle of math class, and as those left behind come up with reasons for Emmett's absence, we gradually discover that it's only in his disappearance that he's attracted their attention.
Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions follows the daily struggles of a pair of bullied students, Achilles and Helen. When their “bully buddy” Glinda offers them a way out—to become bullies themselves—will they take it?
From Shakespeare With Love? Four of the Bard's characters wait for an overdue flight to London. When Romeo reveals that he plans to revenge himself upon Shakespeare by killing him in a duel, it's up to the others—Titania, Viola and Antipholus—to save Shakespeare by convincing Romeo that Shakespeare "does indeed love love."
I have many monologues for use by teen and adult actors (some of which appear in collections from Meriwether and Smith & Kraus). If you want to get permission to use one for a class or audition, just follow the directions on my monologue page. You can go visit it at www.jondorf.com/monologue.html.
Need help with playwriting? I created http://youngplaywrights101.com as a source of instruction for young playwrights and those who teach them. You'll find lots of free instructional materials, as well as information about Young Playwrights 101, my course-in-a-book that guides playwrights (and their teachers) through the process of writing a play, as well as rewriting, marketing and more.
I also wrote the content for Playwriting 101, sponsored by The Writers Store and one of the net's most popular playwritng sites, and I'm Final Draft's resident playwriting expert (so if you own Final Draft 7 or later, you'll find me in your software!). I'm available to writers as a consultant, and you'll find more information about my services at http://thewriteconsultant.com.
I travel frequently as a guest artist, and have taught playwriting at schools across the country, as well as at the International Thespian Festival and the Tennessee Arts Academy. I've taught playwriting workshops at the state Thespian Festivals in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. I've also been Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre at Hollins University in the MFA playwriting program, and the United States cultural envoy to Barbados!
More to come soon, but for now, please explore some of my links!--Jon
A moving music video created by the students of Minnesota's Foley High School for their production of my play Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions.
Who I'd like to meet: Producers, actors, writers, directors, composers, designers and anyone with an interest in theatre and film. If you wish to add me as a friend, unless you know me already, please be involved in the arts in some way. Best to send me a note first, because if I can't figure out why you've tried to add me, I probably won't accept the add: I'm not simply looking to add another scalp to my Myspace collection.
I've had a few recent cases of people who tried to add me, but their profiles were set to private, and they didn't accept messages from people who weren't on their friends list. Since I couldn't contact them to find out who they were, I had to deny them. So please write me first!
To contact me for business purposes, please visit my website (link above) and contact me via email rather than through MySpace. Thank you.
hey, thanks for the add. I read your text 'how to write a play' yesterday, it's excellent. nothing is certain yet, but I would like to be a playwright one day.
Glad you made it home safely, Jon, and thanks again for your contributions this summer here at Hollins. An excellent connection, and I think our students are going to benefit from that connection for years to come.
I think I got a small production of Ken's play from your class already. We'll keep you posted.
More to come soon, but for now, please explore some of my links!--Jon
