John Byrd

Playwright, Screenwriter, Young Adult Author, Jazz Archivist - (open to see all) Having written several plays and screenplays, and recently completed drafts of my new play TORCHES OF CANE on the subject of the first and longest slave revolt in the Americas St. John, V.I. 1733), as well as my young adult novel SHELBY AND THE LOST BOY OF MISBEGOT ISLAND, a new adaptation of Peter Pan I describe as: "Kunta Kinte meets Never-Never Land." It also exists as "FOREVER MPETA"(M-pee-ta), an Afro-Caribbean musical that has had readings, workshops and productions in New York over the past years. byrdnestproductions.com is my site to promote my writing projects (and jazz book) written myself and with other co-writers. My plays have been produced and workshoped Off and Off-Off Broadway and in Los Angeles. POLES APART on arctic explorers Matthew Henson and Robert E. Peary's relationship was a 2nd runner-up at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference. I attended the City College of NY and majored in Film and Communication. Currently, my co-written screenplay on the career of pioneer black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux has been under option a couple of thimes and is currently of interest with a major director. A co-writer and I were commissioned to write LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, a biopic-screenplay for "SHREK" producer John Williams of Vanguard Films on life of pioneer r&b singer/musician Louis Jordon. I have long credits in the theatre and films as an actor, with his early appearance on Broadway in "THE GREAT WHITE HOPE", and many Off-Broadway shows which experiences I bring to my writing career. I've written an African-American Young-Adult fantasy novel inspired by the story of "Peter Pan". This updated version, set in 1970's Brooklyn with a backstory in the Colonial-African slave trade lends a unique and poignant take to this classic tale. I am currently completing a draft of my 2-Act play "Purging Purvis," a drama on the rift between J. Edgar Hoover and his famous FBI agent Melvin Purvis. I live in Upstate New York with my wife Ruthann.