Sunshine Quest

by William Fowkes

Overview

It's the year of our Lord 1999. Retired gay men flock to the Sunshine Quest Club in Fort Lauderdale, FL for dancing, companionship, and nonstop fun. But not everyone is waiting for them with open arms.

In this comedy in two acts, William Ivor Fowkes presents a group of colorful characters grappling with issues of sexual identity, oppression, the journey to authenticity, and the need to forge meaningful relationships, whatever your age or sexual orientation. Al Getz, a local real estate broker-and former closeted movie star, Todd Hammond-deals with his attraction to the club's young but homophobic assistant manager, Brad Hall. Brad, meanwhile, is struggling with the lingering effects of his religious upbringing in North Carolina and the growing realization that he, too, is gay. When Brad turns to Al for help, they embark on a rocky inter-generational relationship. Retired company man, John Strathmore-an openly gay man who retreated from the gay scene during the AIDS crisis-gingerly re-enters the social scene after the recent death of his wife. Retired agent, Robby Smirnoff, juggles his need for companionship and love with his inability to control his sharp tongue. Ballroom dance instructor, Mary King, seeks love but keeps settling for the comfort of friendship with gay men. Most members think Sunshine Quest is heaven on earth until their lives are thrown off track when the club's survival is threatened.

SUNSHINE QUEST had its world premiere at the 2014 Fresh Fruit Festival at the Wild Project in New York City.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781519786371
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	12/09/2015
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.33(d)

About the Author

WILLIAM IVOR FOWKES is an author and playwright based in Manhattan and Connecticut. His full-length plays include All in the Faculty (Dramatists Play Service), The Best Place We've Ever Lived (Love Creek Productions), Couple of the Century (Yes Plays), A Field Guide to Table Manners (Finalist, Reva Shiner Comedy Award & W. Keith Hedrick Playwriting Contest), The German Lesson (Great Plains Theatre Conference Playlab), Private Property (New Works Festival, Penobscot Theatre Company), Sunshine Quest (Fresh Fruit Festival), and others. His short plays include The Brazilian Dilemma (published & produced by The Collective NY; First Prize, McLean Drama Company), The Dakota (Best Short Play Award, Downtown Urban Theater Festival), Miss Peddy & Grace (Gallery Players), Museum Piece (Downtown Urban Theater Festival), Museum Piece #2 (Best 10-Minute Plays 2013, Smith & Kraus), The Next Move (Winner, One-Act Play Competition, Brevard Little Theatre), Not Here Yet (Love Creek Productions), The Session (Finalist, Strawberry One-Act Festival 2005; published in The Distillery; nominated for a Pushcart Prize), Table Manners in Chicagoland (Audience Favorite Award & Third Prize, CAST Players), Table Manners in Mexico City (American Globe Theater; Spokane Public Radio), Table Manners in Santa Monica (Clockhouse Review; Shoestring Radio Theatre, KUSF San Francisco), and others. He is a member of the Pulse Ensemble Theatre Playwrights' Lab and the Dramatists Guild and a graduate of Yale University (BA, magna cum laude) and Northwestern University (MA, PhD). His plays have been presented in 12 states and the District of Columbia. His short fiction has been published in many literary journals. His books include A Hegelian Account of Contemporary Art (UMI Research Press) and Skyline: Tales of Manhattan. He has been a philosophy professor, a promotion copywriter, and a marketing executive at Showtime Networks. He is married to Stephen Michael Smith, a music conductor, and has two daughters, Laura and Julia, in the fashion industry in New York.