They were trying to recruit you to become addicted to heroin

I grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. East of Yonkers, north of the Bronx, in case you don’t know it. Back in 1971, we called it the Bermuda Triangle because so few people made it out of there alive.

The guys who lived in my neighborhood were all high school dropouts.

They got drafted, went over to fight in Vietnam. They taught my twelve-year-old friends and I this game called Vietnam Blackjack.

If you won, you got to have your way with one of their girlfriends. Mind you, these were full grown women. If you lost, you had to snort this line of brown powder.

They were heroin dealers and that’s how they got kids hooked on their product.

Today, my life is different.

Today, I write plays that promote mental health and the quest for identity.

Just in time. Look, we live in tumultuous times. People are scared. They’re questing. They crave stability. They want to grow.

I know. I’ve been there. The best thing I found that could give me that, wasn’t drugs, violence, or anything else like that.

It was being part of a community, part of a team, and making theater together.

Telling stories about what really matters: helping each other get better.

By helping each other, we help ourselves. And vice versa.

That’s what my plays are about and why you should read them.

They’re the perfect transformational tool for anyone in therapy, teenage kids who are finding themselves, or anyone looking to kickstart their personal growth.

I would love for you to read my plays yourself and see how they can help you, your family, and your community in mental health.