Synopsis: When a music producer finds a new prospect he finds himself entering into a relationship with her mother.

 

Characters: (The contest only allows you to have four)

Jerome Martin-Music producer and manager who discovers Danika singing on a bus stop.

Danika Maxwell-Sixteen year old ingénue

Gwen Maxwell-Danika's mother.

Josie Parker-Danika's best friend.

 

I wrote Love, Rhythm, & Blues the summer of 1997. It was my fifth entry into the Scripps Howard Broadcasting contest. The local Scripps Howard station, WMAR Channel 2 and theatre company Arena Players (The nation's longest, continuously running, African American community theater.)

 

The station handled the technical part, and the theatre company handled the theatrical part. Arena Players auditioned and hired all the actors and directors, Channel 2 personnel, who would normally work on news programs, handled the filming aspect.  As usual (in the industry) the writer (me) had no hand in any of the creative process. It was basically, "Thank you for your script, we'll see you when it's finished."

 

Love, Rhythm, & Blues won first place in 1999-making it my second first place win. The play was originally titled Waiting to Explode, no relation to Waiting to Exhale, but Channel 2 wanted me to change it anyway. Waiting to Explode was short for Creative Entities Waiting to Explode-the name of Jerome's agency. The characters of Jerome and Gwen were named after my aunt and uncle, who always supported my artistic endeavors.

 

The filmed play had its "world premiere" party at Arena Players February 24, 1999, aired on Channel 2 February 27, 1999.

 

This play was also special (aren't they all?J)  because I had a chance to give props to my aunt and uncle,  also it combined two loves of mine writing and music. It also created a new goal of mine.

 

After winning a second time I was going to quit entering the contest, however the director of Love, Rhythm, & Blues encouraged me not to. I thought that the judges of the contest (Arena Players) would get tired of my entering [again] and it might work against me. However, the director told me that if my writing was good, "I could not be denied". So I took her advice and continued to enter the contest. I had won twice, but another writer already did that in the 80's, so my goal was to be the most prolific winner in the contest 20 year history.