A script by one Utah playwright has received the literary award in drama from the Association of Mormon Letters and a another new play by a former University of Utah student has received positive reviews in the greater Los Angeles media and was recently extended for one week.
- TIM SLOVER, well-known Brigham Young University playwright and faculty member, is recipient of the recent Mormon Letters award for his play, "Joyful Noise," based on research about how George Frederic Handel composed his most famous and majestic work, "Messiah."The script was featured in a staged reading last week during the second annual Mormon Arts Festival at Tuacahn, west of St. George, and is scheduled to be produced at BYU during its 1997-98 theater season.
Another of Slover's recent scripts, "March Tale," was also honored recently by being selected as grand prize winner in the 65th annual Writer's Digest competition. The latter, also loosely based on historic situations, focuses on the relationship between playwright William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth.
- DAVID HOWARD, who studied play writing and was an acting instructor at the University of Utah during the 1980s, has received critical acclaim for the world premiere engagement of his dark comedy, "The Fast," which has just ended a five-week run at the Rose Theatre in Venice, Calif.
Deborah Klingman, critic for the L.A. Weekly, said Howard's script "builds cogently and entertainingly to its ultimate ironic conclusion," noting that "greed, hypocrisy, indifference to human suffering and the excesses of the modern herd mentality are among the worthy targets of . . . David Howard's spoof of our mass media culture." (But Klingman also said the script was "moderately predictable and in need of pruning.")
Dany Margolies, writing for the Malibu Times, said: "Throughout the play, tricks and treats of the English language abound," adding it was "well-paced and cohesive."
Howard, who lives in Santa Monica with his wife and their two children, received his MFA in play writing from the U., and an M.A. in theater with emphasis on acting from Penn State.
Recent plays include "Electric Roses," published by Samuel French; "Do You Love Me?" staged by the esteemed Actors' Theatre of Louisville, and "The Rite of Spring," produced by Second Stage in Southern California.
He is a freelance writer and producer in Southern California.
Howard also attended then-Southern Utah State College in Cedar City in 1981, when he received his B.A. in theater and English.