David W. Christner

David W. Christner was born in Sweetwater, TN and raised in a small farming community in southwestern Oklahoma. After a stint with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and Norfolk, VA, he settled permanently in South County, RI, just across the bay from Newport where he had attended Officer Candidate School. His stage plays The Wall, Bui-Doi: The Dust of Life, Thy Brother’s Wife, Red Hot Mamas, The Babe, The Bard and the Baron, The Bitch of Bailey’s Beach, Ezra and Evil, What About Mimi?, and This Blood's For You have been finalists or winners in national/international playwriting competitions. Speculations on the cosmos, sex, war, religion, injustice, environmental exploitation, aging, women’s issues, the homeless and capital punishment have formed the thematic content of the plays and novels he has written so far. In addition to the U.S., his plays have been produced in Australia, Japan, Belgium, India, Ghana, Singapore, Great Britain, Italy and Canada. His comedy Red Hot Mamas is currently running in five Russian cities and the Republics of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Christner is a freelance theater critic.

Productions & Publications/Readings/Awards

• This Blood's For You—Detroit Repertory Theatre, Winner—Key West Theatre Festival, Kobe University, Kobe Japan; Published by Moonflower Press in 2015; Production scheduled at the National University of Singapore in February 2017.

• Red Hot Mamas—Detroit Repertory Theatre, also produced in Australia, Canada, India, and translated into Russian and Italian in 2015; Published by Moonflower Press 2015, Currently running in repertory at the State Academic Theater in Tula, Russia and on tour in Northern Italy.

• Thy Brother’s Wife—Hudson River Classics finalist; Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• The Wall (award-winning play)—Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• A Day in the Wife of Avery Mann—Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN & University of Judaism, Los Angeles, Serendipity Productions, Hayward, WI, Indianapolis University; Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• The Babe, The Bard and the Baron—Playwrights' Circle, Palm Springs, CA (Winner International Playwriting Competition);Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• Ezra and Evil (Huckleberry Hill: The Play)—Midland Community Theatre, Midland, TX Finalist in comedy competition 2003; Published by Moonflower Press 2016

• The Bitch of Bailey’s Beach—Honorable Mention Writer’s Digest Competition; Published by Moonflower Press 2016

• What About Mimi?—Finalist Ashland New Plays Festival 2003, Ashland, OR; Published by Moonflower Press 2016

• The Oldest Trick in the Book, Boston Playwright’s Theater (staged reading); Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• Free Shot—Finalist, Siena University and University of Oregon new play competitions, Honorable Mention Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition; Published by Moonflower Press 2016

• Bui-Doi: The Dust of Life—Silver Medalists Pinter Review Prize for Drama 2004; Honorable Mention Writer’s Digest Competition 2003. Published by Moonflower Press 2016

• A Little Lower than the Angels—NewGate Theatre, Providence, RI 2004 & Newport Historical Society 2005; Published by Moonflower Press 2015; Staged reading by Break a Leg Productions November 2016 in NYC.

• Get on the Boat—Published by Moonflower Press 2017

• Let it Rain—Published by Dramatic Publishing Company in 1980

• A Cat Named Dog & A Dog Named Cat—Published by Moonflower Press 2015

• The Bride Wore Red (novel)—Published by Moonflower Press in 2016

• Huckleberry Hill (novel)—Published by Moonflower Press 2015 and in Italy by Eclipse Publishing of Milan.

• Code Word: Cowgirl (novel)—Published as e-book by Amazon 2007

• Epitaph for Emily (novel)—Published by Zebra Books

• Amazing Grace—Published by Moonflower Press 2017

• Our Gang—Published by Moonflower Press 2019