Alonzo's profile
Alonzo LaMont, Jr. Playwright/ zulufits.com
I've been writing plays my entire adult life, and am proud of what I've been able to achieve. Outside of my own personal Playwriting journey, I've collaborated with outside organizations (Veteran's organizations, senior citizens and local artists) to produce work that's brought me a sense of fulfillment and perspective that often outweighs the joys I've received from writing Plays. These experiences have enhanced my own work, and given me a far more humanistic appreciation for the power behind collaboration and creation and that's far outside the realm of writing plays.
What makes my work unique is that I create plays that are outside the boundaries of traditional drama. Particularly, as this relates to the language, subject matter and theatrical environments. Throughout my career, I've mounted my own productions, acted in my plays, directed them and managed to do this while working through professional, semi-professional and community organizations.
My goal is to write the Great American Play each time I sit down to write. Artistically I've survived NOT by having the resources of a particular theatre, peers or supporters who "champion my work." In my city, I consider myself a complete unknown, nor do I have any following. I've never had a production in Maryland, aside from the ones I've managed to direct and produce myself. A peek through the synopsis and play excerpts I've included reveal the authenticity of my writing, and a further dive into my application illustrates the chapters of my artistic life that speak to the highlights and attention I've managed to achieve.
MOST RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS:
2024 "The Dynamics of Do-Gooders" (latest play)
2023 “That Serious He-Man Ball, produced by True Colors Theatre, Atlanta, GA. September/October
2022, “B-Side Man,” performed for MARSH SOLO STREAM FESTIVAL
2021, “Exposed To Strangers,” 3rd place Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival
2020, “That Serious He-Man Ball,” reading, Dominion Arts Foundation
2020, “B-Side Man,” reading, “Some1Speaking” Monologue Festival
2019, “B-Side Man,” Atlanta Fringe Audio Festival
NOTABLE ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
“That Serious He-Man Ball,” and “Vivisections From The Blown Mind” have been performed in D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Texas, New York, Amsterdam. NOTABLE: Staff Writer for the NBC sitcom “A Different World,” (Bill Cosby Productions).
PUBLISHED PLAYS:
“That Serious He-Man Ball” was published in 1992 by the Dramatist Play Service, and “Vivisections” was published inn 1991 by the Theatre Communications Group (TCG)“Plays In Process” series.
The major criticism that I heard when I first started writing was my plays lacked PLOT. Or what people would grab hold of and call plot. It took me awhile to understand that they weren't lacking plot, but had a kind of storytelling that replaced traditional plot. As a black writer it took me "a minute" to realize that my plays weren't lacking anything. It was that the world of theatre was expanding to include my style.
However, the chief resistance to my voice was, and remains, that I have a style that defies category. Perhaps many artists utilize this as their chief complaint, and internal motivation. I'm comfortable with my approach to Playwriting, and my category is Alonzo LaMont.
