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William Missouri Downs Professor Playwriting/Screenwriting B.S. Northern Michigan University M.F.A. University of Illinois M.F.A. U.C.L.A. Film School downs@uwyo.edu |
| William Missouri Downs holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Illinois and an M.F.A. in screenwriting from U.C.L.A. He was trained in playwriting by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson, in screenwriting by Oscar winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant and in directing by Oscar nominated director Jerzy Antczak. Bill also spent several years studying playwriting at The Circle Rep Theatre in New York City and was a member of the Playwright’s Unit at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Bill has authored twenty plays and has had over one hundred productions, including those at major regional theatres like the Kennedy Center and the Berkeley Rep. His plays have won numerous awards including The National Playwright’s Award, the Bay Area Critics Award for best production in San Francisco and the Jefferson Award for best production in Chicago. He is a full voting member of the Dramatists Guild (DGA). Bill has co-authored four books: Naked Playwriting (Silman/James), Playwriting: From Formula To Form (Harcourt), Screenplay: Writing The Picture (Silman/James) and The Art of Theatre (Wadsworth); the latter is now in its second edition and is used at over one hundred universities. In Hollywood, Bill started as a script secretary on NBC’s Moonlighting (Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd), and worked his way up to staff writer on the sitcom My Two Dads (Paul Reiser). He also wrote episodes of Amen (Sherman Hemsley) and Fresh Prince Of Bel Air (Will Smith). In addition, he won the Jack Nicholson Award for screenwriting, sold a movie to Ron Howard’s Imagine Films and optioned another to Filmways. He is a member of The Writers Guild (WGA). As director/dramaturg/playwright Bill has helped take five productions to the regional American College Theatre Festival and one to the National American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center. A full professor at the University of Wyoming, Bill is Head of Playwriting and Play Development. He has won fourteen teaching and research awards as well as the Governor's Art’s Award. His favorite thing to do is to find ancient theatres - this quest has taken him to Egypt, France, England, Greece, Italy and China. |
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