2007 Semifinalists Announced!

Eileen Heckart at the 1973 Academy Awards with presenter Cloris Leachman; Ms. Heckart was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Butterflies Are Free. According to her son, Luke Yankee, his father kissed her so enthusiastically when her name was announced, holding her face, that he gouged her chin with his fingernail. You can see the spot of blood just below her chin in the photo. This made her, accordingly to Luke, "The first bloody Oscar winner in history!"

Here are the semifinalists for 2007, out of 506 scripts submitted:

Ten Minute Plays

Jani Brandli, Somerville, MA: Moon Man

Sandra Dempsey, Toronto, ON, Canada : Rosa’s Lament

Jim Gordon, Norwalk, CT: A Good Deed

Evelyn Jean Pine, San Francisco, CA: Counting the Minutes

Judith Pratt, Ithaca, NY: Metaphorical Shoes

Linda Holland Rathkopf, Brooklyn, NY: First Tier

Douglas Stewart, Santa Fe, NM: Final Exam

Nicholas Tasi, Worcester, MA: Boxer

Justin Warner, Jackson Heights, NY: Lunch Boat

Harriett Weiss, Palm Springs, CA: Billie and Henry

One Act Plays

Dori Appel, Ashland, OR: Bon Voyage

Martha Boesing, Oakland, CA: Song of the Magpie

June Calender, New York, NY: After Evelyn

Jay D. Hanagan, Geneva, NY: Pitching the Good Game

Judy Carlson Hulbut, Tacoma, WA: Driving Daughter

Maureen Brady Johnson, Oberlin, OH: Limbo

Robert L. Kinast, Prairie Village, KS: Salt in the Pepper Shaker

Kathleen Kramer, Newfield, NY: Hearts of Cloves

John Lordan, Evanston, IL: Friendly Skies

Mary Steelsmith, Los Angeles, CA: List of Honor

Full Length

Jan August, Mountain View, CA: Still in the Game

Donald Drake, Philadelphia, PA: The Passage

Judy Juanita, Oakland, CA: Theodicy

David Kravitz, Oak Park, IL: The Standoff

James McLindon, Northampton, MA: For Unto Us

Julia Pearlstein, New York, NY: PLINKO; or, the Goddess of Static Cling

Bonnie Rozanski, Lawrenceville, NJ: Still-Life With Dog

Mark Scharf, Gaithersburg, MD: The Whispers of Saints

Lynn Snyder, Berkeley, CA: Older Than Dead

Marcia Wilkie, Los Angeles, CA: Living Room

Nancy Zaman, Lake Isabella, CA: To Heir is Human

The competition was particularly brisk this year; there were 506 scripts submitted, in the following categories:

151 ten minute plays
160 one act plays
185 full length

The next Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition is scheduled for 2009