It (Still) Never Rains But It Pours
And continues to have four pair of pants, live in Philadelphia.
dictated but not read
Have I told you I don’t like summer? I have, right? Well, I do love the beach. And the Jeff Walker One-Act Festival at the Wilmington Drama League (and baseball) so I guess the oxymorons just keep piling up.
Lots of good news below but (as always) not as much as I would like to share. Largely because I’m in the middle of one of the least fun processes in this business of show: acquiring the rights to a property.
To be clear, this should not be fun. Rights acquisitions should be slow and painful and meticulous to make sure everyone knows exactly what is going on and what they are allowed to do and what is being done and what is expected when it is completed.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t complain about it, right?
If you’ve never done it (and I imagine most of you haven’t), it usually starts like most things do in entertainment: a very excited conversation between friends.
And while the author of the title to which I am acquiring the rights is more of an acquaintance, we had a lovely chat about my adapting their work and then they referred me to their agent who referred me to the person in the agency in charge of drawing up the deals and so forth.
And what almost always happens in these cases is what happened to me in this case. The first agent says, “No problem! We have a form for that, very standard.” And then the second agent says, “Wait. What is this for?” (They almost always actually say “wait” and I love it.)
Now, I anticipated this so I was ready for it. But it’s still frustrating. Not because of the agents, they are just doing their jobs (and, luckily in this case, they have also been incredibly nice and responsive). It’s frustrating because no one cares about this project as much as I do. This is no one’s top priority except mine. And I can’t move on it at all until everyone else has time to work on it.
So a project I was hoping to tell you about this issue will have to wait until at least next time (god, I hope it’s next time). In the meanwhile, LOTS of great news below so please read on!
- Patrick, 8/13/25
pre-production
Born Sleeping
READING DATE SET! SEPTEMBER 28 (Sunday)! DETAILS TO FOLLOW!
Once we’ve got everything locked down, I’ll give you a full cast/location/time update. In the meanwhile, did I ever tell you what this play is about? If not, I probably should.
Born Sleeping is a dramedy/memory play about a woman wrestling with the decision to have children after her best friend's first pregnancy ends in a stillbirth. As we work through Abby's past and present, we see how this experience has dredged up memories she’s never really dealt with.
But it’s funny, I swear. There’s a musical number. It’s a whole thing.
Anyway, hope you can make it!
coming soon
The Ferberizing of Coral
I am INCREDIBLY excited to let you know that The Ferberizing of Coral will make it’s world premiere at the DC Shorts International Film Festival this September! Exact details are forthcoming, but the festival runs September 4-6 and will be at the Alamo Drafthouse in Northeast DC’s Edgewood neighborhood (just blocks from the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metro. And more good news is coming as soon as the gag orders are lifted!
now playing
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Talk to You Later
Episodes started dropping August 4 and the response has been responsive! Catch episodes every Monday-Friday from now until late December on one of these fine platforms:
TikTok: @unkn0wnp3ngu1n
Instagram: @unknownpenguin
YouTube: @unknownpenguin
2ND EDITION - Visual Literacy: A Practical Text on the History, Analysis, and Creation of Visual Media
The 2nd Edition of the textbook that Kylos Brannon and I wrote is out in the world! 20% new content PLUS online resources for teachers. We worked really hard to get this ready in time for the 2025-26 school year. So if you know a film/photography/professor, send it their way!
live on stage
Tinker Bell
available through Dramatic Publishing
Golden High School (Golden, CO) - September 4-6
Harlem High School (Machesney Park, IL) - November 6-8
Hughesville JSHS (Hughesville, PA) - November 14-16
DeSales University (Center Valley, PA) - March 17-April 7, 2026
from the vault
The Original Cast: Intermission: Design, Composition, Tension, Balance, Light, & Harmony (w/ Robbie Rozelle)
originally released 7/31/2019 - Robbie is the A&R Director and in-house designer for Grammy-winning record label Broadway Records. So he has a lot to say about design. Patrick wrote a book about visual literacy. So he has a lot to say about design. Here's some of what they said together.
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And it never rains but it pours