Topher Payne Explained

Topher Payne
Birth Place:Kosciusko, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation:Playwright, Screenwriter
Notableworks:Perfect Arrangement, Angry Fags
Spouse:Tommy Payne (2009-2014)
Portaldisp:yes

Topher Payne (born 1979) is an American playwright and screenwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia. Two of his plays premiered in 2015: Perfect Arrangement, which premiered Off-Broadway and was produced by Primary Stages,[1] and Angry Fags, which was produced at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre.[2] Perfect Arrangement was awarded the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award for best new play by an emerging playwright by the American Theatre Critics Association in 2014.[3] Since 2016, he has scripted five original films for The Hallmark Channel, including My Summer Prince and the Gift to Remember series.[4]

Early life

Payne was raised in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and attended the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California.[5] He completed the tenth grade but dropped out to pursue a professional career. In an interview with ArtsATL, Payne explained, "I was a terrible student, unless it was something that I could see the end result from, and I could understand what the process was working toward and the benefit that I would receive from that—in that jerky way that teenagers think they know everything." He returned to Mississippi at age 17 and began working with New Stage Theatre in Jackson. "I had long arms and I wasn't afraid of heights and I became the electric intern. Then they had space with enough room to put in platforms. I asked for permission to put up one of my shows after the main stage show, and that worked."[6]

Career

Topher Payne relocated to Atlanta in 1999 and quickly became known for a "near-constant output of broadly appealing plays," building "a faithful core of local fans for his clever, zingy Southern comedies."[7] He has premiered 13 full-length plays at Georgia theaters since 2009. He lists among his influences fellow Mississippi-native writers Ida Bell Wells, Eudora Welty, Beth Henley, and Richard Wright.[8] His emphasis as a playwright is on comedy, believing that laughter is crucial for audience engagement. As he explained to Backstage Magazine in 2015, "If you can make someone laugh, they listen. And they lean in and they want to hear more. And once you have that level of engagement, then you can start layering in a message that you want them to take away. You can do that in film. You can do that in a book. But the act of being in the same room with the storyteller is just fundamentally different. It lands differently."[9]

In 2013, after being named Best Local Playwright for several consecutive years in a wide range of publications including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Creative Loafing, The Sunday Paper, and The GA Voice, Payne's work began to be produced in other American cities. His play Perfect Arrangement premiered at the Source Festival in Washington DC,[10] followed by productions in Louisville, Kentucky,[11] Atlanta,[12] and Anchorage, Alaska.[13] In 2015, his play Angry Fags was produced by Pride Films and Plays at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago,[14] and Perfect Arrangement made its début Off-Broadway, produced by Primary Stages.[15] In a 2015 interview with WABE in Atlanta, director Shannon Eubanks described his writing: "Topher writes funny. And his rhythms, if you obey those rhythms, you get to a comedic payoff. But you also get to, if you honor them, to an internal emotional sense."[16]

Produced works

Plays (and original producer)

Television

Other works

Awards and honors

Personal life

Topher served as Grand Marshal of the Atlanta Pride parade in 2011.Topher married his husband, Tommy, in a 2009 ceremony in Massachusetts. The couple announced their separation in 2014. In a column for The GA Voice, Payne wrote about the challenge of ending a marriage in a state where the union was not legally recognized: "Despite what the State of Georgia may claim, this has been a real marriage in every possible sense...Divorce is the ugly element of the marriage equality conversation. We're far more hesitant to discuss it—I know I certainly was. It's embarrassing. It sounds like failure. We fear it will somehow weaken our argument if we acknowledge same-sex couples will be contributing to America's divorce statistics."[49]

Notes and References

  1. News: Perfect arrangement a Comic Tale of Closeted Lives. The New York Times. 19 October 2015 . 2015-12-13. Soloski . Alexis .
  2. Web site: Steppenwolf Theatre Company . Steppenwolf.org . 2015-12-13.
  3. Web site: Mickunas . Vick . Topher Payne wins national playwright award . Myajc.com . 2014-03-14 . 2015-12-13.
  4. Web site: Writer Topher Payne Brings Christmas Romance To Hallmark. Myke. Johns.
  5. Web site: Cahoon . Margaret . No Payne, No Gain | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS . Jackson Free Press . 2006-05-31 . 2015-12-13.
  6. Web site: Topher Payne on a perfect arrangement. December 11, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222101046/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/theater/2013/06/10/topher-payne-on-a-perfect-arrangement-at-source. December 22, 2015.
  7. Web site: Levesque . Fred . Topher Payne is getting angry . Clatl.com . 2015-12-13.
  8. Web site: Topher Payne - Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center . Msarts.org . 2013-11-21 . 2015-12-13.
  9. Web site: Lin . Jaime . Playwright Topher Payne Discusses His Upcoming 'Perfect Arrangement' | Backstage Actor Interviews | Acting Tips & Career Advice . Backstage . 2015-08-25 . 2015-12-13.
  10. Web site: Sheir . Rebecca . A 'Perfect Arrangement' In An Era Of Secrets | WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio . Wamu.org . 2013-05-31 . 2015-12-13.
  11. Web site: Pandora Productions to Present PERFECT ARRANGEMENT . Broadwayworld.com . 2015-12-13.
  12. Web site: Review: Topher Payne's "Perfect Arrangement" perfectly evokes the fifties' "Pink Scare" . ArtsATL . 2014-09-17 . 2015-12-13.
  13. Web site: Hillman . Anne . Out North Re-opens with "A Perfect Arrangement" | Alaska Public Media . Alaskapublic.org . 2015-03-18 . 2015-12-13.
  14. Web site: Angry Fags | Theater in Chicago . Timeout.com . 2015-03-23 . 2015-12-13.
  15. News: Exploring the Cold War History Behind Perfect Arrangement. The New York Times. 22 October 2015 . 2015-12-13. Collins-Hughes . Laura .
  16. Web site: Atlanta Playwright Topher Payne Comes Home For The Holidays | WABE 90.1 FM . News.wabe.org . 2015-12-03 . 2015-12-13.
  17. Web site: Topher Payne's "Morningside" a hilarious take on modern motherhood. 1 November 2017.
  18. Web site: Topher Payne's uneven, engaging "Greetings" lets loose comedic chops. 11 January 2017.
  19. Web site: Theatre Review: 'Let Nothing You Dismay' at Stage Door Players. Atlanta INtown Paper. 2015-12-09. 2015-12-13.
  20. Web site: Review: Playwright Topher Payne turns on The Only Light in Reno at Georgia Ensemble. ArtsATL. 2015-12-13.
  21. News: Goldstein. Jessica. Backstage: Topher Payne has a 'Perfect Arrangement' for a hot issue. The Washington Post. 2013-07-02. 2015-12-13.
  22. Web site: Wendell Brock. Theater review: 'Swell' night for an inquest. Ajc.com. 2013-01-16. 2015-12-13.
  23. Web site: "Lakebottom Prime" is worth your time and money. ledger-enquirer.com. 2013-05-16. 2015-12-13.
  24. Web site: Review: In comedy-drama "Evelyn in Purgatory", Topher Payne gives us characters worth caring about. ArtsATL. 2012-07-06. 2015-12-13.
  25. Web site: Levesque. Fred. Topher Payne makes Token attempt to comprehend marriage. Clatl.com. 2015-12-13.
  26. Web site: A 'Proper' look at Columbus: Springer Opera House presents 'Lakebottom Proper'. Ledger-enquirer.com. 2011-05-05. 2015-12-13.
  27. Web site: REP release. Theprocesstheatre.org. 2008-09-07. 2015-12-13.
  28. Web site: Flying Carpet Theatre's MEDICINE SHOWDOWN to Begin 10/12 at the East 4th Street Theatre. Broadwayworld.com. 2015-12-13.
  29. Web site: Levesque. Fred. Grace under fire. Clatl.com. 2015-12-13.
  30. Web site: Levesque. Fred. Trying to relate. Clatl.com. 2015-12-13.
  31. Web site: Levesque. Fred. Wailing wall. Clatl.com. 2015-12-13.
  32. Web site: Topher Payne Discusses His New Shows 'Rome in Love' and 'Entertaining Lesbians' - 90.1 FM WABE. 30 July 2019.
  33. Web site: Atlanta Screenwriter Topher Payne Gives 'Gift To Remember' - 90.1 FM WABE. 22 November 2017.
  34. Web site: Atlanta writer pens Hallmark Christmas movie. FOX. December 2016 .
  35. Web site: Alexander . Andrew . Critic's Notebook: Topher Payne has a 'Funny Story' . Clatl.com . 2014-09-17 . 2015-12-13.
  36. Web site: Atlanta Intown Newspaper . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222110540/http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/features/November2008/Books.php . dead . December 22, 2015 . Atlantaintownpaper.com . 2015-12-13.
  37. Web site: GTC Hall of Fame . 5 May 2020.
  38. Web site: Aurora's "Madison County," WABE's Lois Reitzes receive Suzi Awards. 7 November 2017.
  39. Web site: 29th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced. Edit. Team. 14 March 2017.
  40. Web site: The Suzi Bass Awards recognize the best in Atlanta theater. 8 November 2016.
  41. Web site: TUCK EVERLASTING Wins Big at Atlanta's 2015 Suzi Bass Awards; More Winners Announced . Broadwayworld.com . 2015-11-02 . 2015-12-13.
  42. Web site: Winners . The MAT Awards . 2015-12-13.
  43. Web site: American Theatre Critics Association - ATCA Home - Topher Payne wins 2014 Osborn Award . Americantheatrecritics.org . 2014-03-14 . 2015-12-13.
  44. Web site: November, 2013 | Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation . Aabbfoundation.org . 2013-10-20 . 2015-12-13.
  45. Web site: "Les Miserables," "Time Stands Still" and Topher Payne stand out in 2013 Suzi Bass Awards . ArtsATL . 2013-11-05 . 2015-12-13.
  46. Web site: Previous Playwriting Competition Winners . Essential Theatre . 2014-06-20 . 2015-12-13.
  47. Web site: 2011 Archives . Atlanta Pride . 2015-12-13.
  48. Web site: 2009 MAT Award Winners and Nominees . The MAT Awards . 2015-12-13.
  49. Web site: Topher Payne: Seeking to conclude our marriage with the respect it deserves - LGBT Georgia | Gay Georgia | Gay Atlanta | LGBT Atlanta . Thegavoice.com . 2014-05-22 . 2015-12-13.

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