Some playwrights struggle for years to get 1 play read.
Eric Burns is 2 for 2.
And — struggling writers, don’t be jealous — he’s come late in life to his craft.
Eric Burns
Eric spent the bulk of his career as an Emmy-winning media critic, and a non-fiction writer on subjects like the social history of alcohol, the 1st years of American journalism and — coming in September — “Invasion of the Mind Snatchers: Television’s Conquest of America in the Fifties.”
Now Eric’s turned his attention to plays. His 2nd effort — “Places to Sit” — will be read in New York next month. Cynthia Harris — Helen Hunt’s mother in “Mad About You” — has the lead.
Even bigger news involves his 1st play. “Mid-Strut” was read in New York last fall. Richard Thomas — John-Boy in “The Waltons” — was the lead.
“Mid-Strut” is also 1 of three works chosen — from hundreds of submissions — to be read at the prestigious Eudora Welty New Play Series. The producers are flying Eric down to Jackson, Mississippi this weekend, to see it.
The plot involves a charming, prosperous man in his mid-50s who is given less than a year to live. He wants to reconnect with a majorette he lusted after more than 3 decades earlier — though he’s not sure “lust” is still the operative word.
We won’t tell you any more, because “Mid-Strut” is in the hands of producers who are considering it for New York. If it reaches on- or off-Broadway, you’ll for yourself how the play ends.