MOLTING
by Michael Towers

SYNOPSIS

 

Tears and shells are shed during a father/daughter lunch date at a local Seafood Shack where lobster isn’t the only thing trapped and served.

 

PLAYWRIGHT’S BIO

 

Michael Towers earned his MFA in Playwriting from Boston University under the direction of Kate Snodgrass, Melinda Lopez and Ronan Noone. His plays have been read and produced throughout the United States and have been recognized on four continents. His short play, Pole Position, has been produced in Sydney, Australia and named a Short+Sweet Finalist in Hollywood, CA; Essex, UK; Perth, AU; Dubai, UAE, and most recently Illawarra, AU. Pole Position was awarded with The Honneger Prize for Best Short Play by the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport, MA. Molting has earned notoriety with stage, film and zoom productions including selections by Village Playwrights during their June Pride Celebration and the Think Fast Short Play Festival (Union, NJ) where it earned the Judges’ Prize and the Audience Favorite Award. Most often, Michael’s plays explore subjects that mystify and inspire him (the natural world, marriage, religion and the dynamic relationships between teachers and their students.) In his thirty-year career as a theatre educator, Michael has been blessed with the opportunity to play the roles of husband, father, director, actor and playwright.

 

A BIT ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

 

When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?

I have always been a storyteller. (My grandmother would remind me of that regularly.) Writing them down? Probably in 8th grade. But formally and officially, I was in my thirties.

 

How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?

I was traveling from Boston to NYC accompanied by an actor whom I had hired to direct in another short play festival in the Village. The name of that play was The Right Whale. Little did I know that in addition to moonlighting as an actor, this talented gentleman worked at the New England Aquarium. As we explored the play, he commented: “Surely you know about the symbiotic relationship between the Right Whale and the Lobster…” I replied: “Um. Absolutely. Of course! Who… doesn’t know about the symbiotic relationship between The Right Whale and the Lobster!?! Tell me everything.” And MOLTING was born. The pair make wonderful companion plays.

 

What are five words that describe who you are as a playwright?

A teacher looking to learn.

 

What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?

Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Suzanne-Lori Parks, Melinda Lopez, Paula Vogel, David Mamet (I know).

 

What’s one fact someone would never guess about you?

I’ve never seen Good Will Hunting.

 

What are some of your favorite plays?

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Disgraced
My Name is Asher Lev
Sonia Flew
Top Dog Underdog
How I Learned to Drive
Indecent
Glengarry Glen Ross
Molting

 

Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?

Excited to be one of 29 high schools in the US who’ve been selected to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in October of 2024.