Special Thanks

Thanks to The Jocunda Festival, who presented a special live play reading of The Grace of God & The Man Machine, a Black Lives Matter play on Sunday, Oct. 25th to benefit The Riant Theatre

CLICK HERE to learn more…

Download the Press Release.

“The Naked House Painting Society”

“Easily the festival’s best. Riveting drama with genuine humor and intense relationships. Mystical in nature, the play turns on incisive philosophical dialogue.” — Winifred Walsh, The Baltimore Sun

“Slavery,” a play in one act

Ownership is the issue as two associates draft a patent at a huge law firm in Robert Bowie, Jr’s one‑act play “Slavery.”

“Crash & Burn PA”

“It’s pretty damned refreshing. Tightly woven, with comic prowess and a nicely fast pace. If you want a carefree night of fun and laughs, this is your ticket.” — Pandora Locks

“Witchcraft,” a play in one act

“‘Witchcraft’ offers the suspenseful flavor of Alfred Hitchcock show. The drama unfolds with many unanticipated twists and turns…” — Janet Stidman Evleth

Poet Laureate - Harvard Alumni Association

Robert is also an accomplished poet and HAA Poet Laureate. You can read some of his poems here.

Plays by Robert Bowie, Jr…

Sold-Out Shows, Rave Reviews!

Our FringeNYC premiere could not have gone better…

ONAJE sold out all five shows, the performances were riveting, and both audiences and critics were exceedingly positive. Check out these great reviews from onstageblog.com and Theatre is Easy (theasy.com) .

Thanks again to our incredible cast, crew, and creative team — and to everyone whose generous support helped bring ONAJE to life!

Recent Posts

Learning to Live from the Heart of Thank You

Learning to Live from the Heart of Thank You

I am trying to learn how to live at the heart of thank you.

Sixteen months ago, in March of last year, I left New York with a new play, The Grace of God & The Man Machine, born from the success of my one act play Onaje at FringeNYC. Mind The Art Entertainment (MTAE) had taken over management and production of the play and we were getting ready for an off-Broadway production. An unimaginable dream was coming true…Life was good!

Then COVID hit. Members of the team got sick, had to leave New York to recover and in some cases got the long-term devastating effects of the disease.

These people were my friends. These people are my friends!

The theaters closed. The effect of the pandemic on New York Theatre and on my friends was devastating.

During these dark times, the play was picked up by Riant Theater. They gave a surprising and outstanding virtual performance directed and staged by Van Dirk Fischer with amazing backdrops and brilliant actors who performed seamlessly from different locations and even different states. A remarkably large audience saw it and stayed on the Zoom call to discuss it for almost an hour afterwards. The pandemic loomed on unabated but the heart of theater kept beating…

On July 4 I was surprised and ecstatic. I received the following text message from MTAE:

“Mind the Art Entertainment will be presenting The Grace of God & the man machine by Robert Bowie as their opening mainstage production of their 15th season”

We were on again! We were headed for off-Broadway again! After almost a year and a half we were still alive. But then…

On July 27 I received a follow-up message from MTAE: The Delta variant is expected to continue impacting theater openings. This puts theaters back in closure scenarios for the winter.

… We were off again. There would be no opening this fall or coming year. Then yesterday I get this message…

“It looks like we are moving forward. Good. Sending you some project updates this week.”

This play will happen!

I jokingly sent a message back to MTAE

“We are going to Broadway even if I have to go in a coffin!”
I’m sure they laughed because they get it!

These people, for me, have more fortitude and courage than I can imagine. They have brought into light the courage of numerous others who have faced this pandemic with great courage: the overworked healthcare workers, the selfless care givers who have seen the elderly die without loved ones around them, or the deceived who begged for the vaccine too late.

I have been learning that if I can convert the selfishness of my own pain to a selfless understanding of others’ lives, I will be better off. I am trying to learn how to live at the heart of thank you.

All the people at MTAE and The Riant Theater are the heart of theater, and the heart of theater keeps on beating.

The theater for me has always showed me, on stage, who we are. Now the theater has shown me, in real life, what I hope I can learn. I am grateful.

An Accidental Diary

Ever since I was a little boy I dreamed that some day I would have the opportunity to write professionally full time, so I practiced. Twenty years ago, I decided, for practice, to write a sonnet a week for a year and to exchange them with a friend every Monday morning...

Happy to Return!

After a brief vacation, I’m back and in a good mood! I am refreshed and reinvigorated after visits from the family over July 4th and thereafter, and also by great news and a fresh draft of a new play. Or maybe I’m just happy because I’m not writing about politics?...

Devil’s Advocate, Then a Short Summer Vacation

I have decided to knock off for the next few weeks to enjoy the summer with the family. But before I do, just for the fun of it, let’s play devil’s advocate and irritate everybody. Hey! Where are all the baby boomers protesting the January 6th “Stop the Steal” Capitol...

I am trying to learn how to live at the heart of t

I am trying to learn how to live at the heart of thank you.

Sixteen months ago, in March of last year, I left New York with a new play, @thegraceofgodandthemanmachine, born from the success of my one act play Onaje at @fringenyc. @mindtheartentertainment (MTAE) had taken over management and production of the play and we were getting ready for an off-Broadway production. An unimaginable dream was coming true…Life was good!

Then COVID hit. Members of the team got sick, had to leave New York to recover and in some cases got the long-term devastating effects of the disease.

These people were my friends. These people are my friends!

The theaters closed. The effect of the pandemic on New York Theatre and on my friends was devastating.

During these dark times, the play was picked up by Riant Theater. They gave a surprising and outstanding virtual performance directed and staged by Van Dirk Fischer with amazing backdrops and brilliant actors who performed seamlessly from different locations and even different states. A remarkably large audience saw it and stayed on the Zoom call to discuss it for almost an hour afterwards. The pandemic loomed on unabated but the heart of theater kept beating…

Read more about how theater continues to teach me, despite theaters still being dark at my latest blog. #linkinbio👆
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#theatrearts #play #theaterlife #gratefu #art #iamgrateful #fringetheater #stage #broadwaytheatre #onstage #producer #thankfulgratefulblessed #happiness #quarantinelife #theaterlover #theater #grateful #director #broadwayworld #love #writing #begrateful #lockdown2020 #gratefulmindset #actor #nyc #gratefuleveryday #alwaysgrateful #gratefulheart

From this week's #blog: What was wonderful about

From this week's #blog:

What was wonderful about this accidental diary was that it never was designed to see the light of day. It was whimsical and nakedly honest. In hindsight, each sonnet turned out to be a snapshot of a random thought happening at the given moment that I had to write.

Most were finished late on Sunday nights, written from scratch. One I added latter. A few were reshaped from old stuff if I was short on time.

Each sonnet covered every subject imaginable but together they were a subjective scrapbook of a year of my life. They were little stories written in 14 lines which ended in rhymes and a rhyming couplet to tie it all up.

Now as I turn the pages of that year, I can see how unconsciously I developed confidence and a sense of humor and I found my voice.

It is so wonderful to take the time to look back over your shoulder and accidentally discover what you didn’t know you were. Practice makes pluperfect.
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#poetryofig #poetryofinstagram #poetryloving #poetsofig #writing #poetryislife #poetryoftheday #spilledinkpoetry #writerscommunity #writersofig #poetrycommunity #writer #poetsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #poem #poetrydaily #poetryofinsta #poetry #poetrylovers #bymepoetry #writingcommunity #poetrychallenge #poetryisnotdead #amblogging #amwriting #amwritingpoetry #10kstoriesofrbb

Ever since I was a little boy I dreamed that some

Ever since I was a little boy I dreamed that some day I would have the opportunity to write professionally full time, so I practiced.

Twenty years ago, I decided, for practice, to write a sonnet a week for a year and to exchange them with a friend every Monday morning for 52 weeks to keep this discipline alive. After that year I forgot about them. They were just another exercise like calisthenics or running laps. It was just practice.

Recently, I rediscovered the sonnets but they were different. I was surprised to find that because I was forced to write every week I had accomplished something I’d never expected. I had written an accidental diary.

Read more at my #linkinbio👆
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#poetryofig #poetryofinstagram #poetryloving #poetsofig #writing #poetryislife #poetryoftheday #spilledinkpoetry #writerscommunity #writersofig #poetrycommunity #writer #poetsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #poem #poetrydaily #poetryofinsta #poetry #poetrylovers #bymepoetry #writingcommunity #poetrychallenge #poetryisnotdead #10kstoriesofrbb

After a brief vacation, I’m back and in a good m

After a brief vacation, I’m back and in a good mood! I am refreshed and reinvigorated after visits from the family over July 4th and thereafter, and also by great news and a fresh draft of a new play.

Or maybe I’m just happy because I’m not writing about politics?

I have a new draft for COVID comedy: The Future of the World in 70 Minutes. It is high stakes.

What makes a COVID comedy? Rebellion, revenge, and redemption?

Consider the deep lingering embarrassment rats have suffered since they dropped the ball 400 years ago when they failed to eradicate mankind with the Black Plague and thus save the planet. What could be worse?

Bats.

Bats are getting all the glory for COVID. They are smart. They have organized all of the planet’s animals and organisms to lay a new eradication trap for mankind. To trigger it, all that is needed is one revenge murder of a COVID spreader—in the name of justice. But why has the rat who has been assigned this responsibility delayed it for six months?

Could the rats fail again?

Our rat hero claims he can’t set the trap and the plan won’t work because humans are too stupid. Too stupid to fix global warming, the world’s pollution, or practice social distancing. Too stupid to wear masks and get vaccinated. So they can’t even imagine seeking justice against those who are killing their own fellow humans.

Millions dead and not even one prosecution or revenge murder? Even Man’s inhumanity to man will not work because mankind is too stupid.

Is that it? Or is our rat hero a victim of Stockholm Syndrome who secretly wants to go to Princeton, or has an eating disorder from living in a dumpster and is actually vegan?

The bats are very angry. They have just sent a general who is flying in from Wuhan. It must happen tonight…

Okay, so maybe I am still writing politics… but at least I’m happy because I had a great vacation.

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#playwrightsofig #playwrightlife #nyctheatre #playwright #playwrightfestival #writer #writinginspiration #theater #playwrights #lovetheatre #writerscommunity #theatrelife #offoffbroadway #offbroadway #theatres #playwrightssupportplaywrights #art #theatre
#amwriting #amblogging #10kstoriesofrbb

Hey! Where are all the baby boomers protesting the

Hey! Where are all the baby boomers protesting the January 6th “Stop the Steal” Capitol takeover and why aren’t they demanding an investigation?

And where are all the baby boomers protesting the misinformation being used by the Trump Republicans to take back the Senate and the House in only sixteen months?

The baby boomers divided into two groups back during the Vietnam War. There were those that were drafted and went to the war and those who went skirted the draft somehow and protested the war. Both sides claimed to be patriots.

The patriotism of the war protesters has always been tinged with a possible conflict of interest. Did the protesters prefer college rather than risking their lives at war? Still, their patriotism has always been secure because the war and its purpose were so mismanaged and the country was so misled. But…

But where are these patriots when our country and democracy are being threatened as it has rarely been before? Was that not an insurrection at the Capitol and is “Stop the Steal” not an ongoing attempted take over the country?

Is this not an issue that is far greater than the Vietnam War?

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#protest #stopthesteal #america #protesters #bidenwon #vietnam #trumplost #insurrection #justice #veteran #vietnamwarhistory #peacefulprotest #protecttheresults #makeamericagreatagain #vietnamwarprotest #fakenews #election2020 #capitolbuilding #republican #usa #jan6 #vietnamwar #riot #newblog #blogger #blog #newblogposted #newblogposts #babyboomer #10kstoriesofrbb

From my latest blog: "Today, I read a blog post b

From my latest blog:

"Today, I read a blog post by #HeatherCoxRichardson, the brilliant @bostoncollege professor, about the courage of Frederick Douglass as he risked his life to secure his freedom. He was a tradesman in Baltimore with a relatively safe life compared to other slaves of his time, but he risked his life for freedom to become the leader he became.

He got on a train from Baltimore to New York with false documents saying that he was free to travel as a freeman. Once he left on that train, he was either going to get off in New York or he was going to be imprisoned and shipped to the Southern states and his likely death.

It must have taken incredible courage and determination to get on that train. He risked his life for his freedom.

As I read the news today, I am convinced that we are at a turning point for freedom in the United States."
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#linkinbio #votingmatters #rockthevote #blm #policebrutality #love #america #whenweallvote #politics #vote #votevotevote #voting #election #blackvotesmatter #yourvotematters #votebymail #georgefloyd #democracy #vote2020 #registertovote #blacklivesmatter #voteforchange #nojusticenopeace #blackhistory #blackhistory365 #blackhistoryeveryday #10kstoriesofrbb

Last week I again listened to Amanda Gorman’s po

Last week I again listened to Amanda Gorman’s poem at President Biden’s inauguration and then to her TED Talk about how poetry is political. She points out that when totalitarian leaders take over, they burn books and imprison the creatives to silence alternative voices to their propaganda.

Read how I connect this to #frederickdouglass and our current fight to preserve our #democracy in my latest #blog. #linkinbio

Posted @withregram • @amandascgorman No matter how you say it, the hill we climb is a hill we climb together. So proud that this book is out today in the U.S. as well as abroad. It means so much to me because poets are so rarely given the privilege of being translated internationally. I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again: I truly believe we can raise this wounded world into a wondrous one, and I am here for the climb. Love, Amanda 💛
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#poetryislife #poetrygram #poetrycommunity #quotes #bloglife #poetryofinstagram #poetrylovers #lovequotes #beautiful #bloggerstyle #writersofinstagram #photooftheday #nature #lifestyleblog #bloggerslife #lifestyle #happy #blogger #travel #poetsofinstagram #art #blogpost #poetryisnotdead #bloggerlife #motivation #10kstoriesofrbb

This week on the #blog, I talk about @amandascgorm

This week on the #blog, I talk about @amandascgorman, #frederickdouglass, and how their examples may move us towards the preservation of freedom.

"As I read the news today, I am convinced that we are at a turning point for freedom in the United States.

The Republican party stands for nothing but itself, its authoritarianism, and Trump. It is unrecognizable and unreconcilable with its past.

There is a high likelihood that because of the propaganda, the falsehoods of “the big lie,” and the Republican southern legislatures that have curtailed the right to vote, the GOP will win dominance in the House and perhaps the Senate in 2022.

If we each do not act now to protect this democracy over the next year and a half, we will lose it as we know it.

I think of what it will take for all of us to get on the train.

But I fear we do not know what we are losing." More at the #linkinbio👆
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#poetryislife #poetrygram #poetrycommunity #bloglife #poetryofinstagram #bloggerstyle #instagood #writersofinstagram #bloggerslife #blogger #poetsofinstagram #art #blogpost #poetryisnotdead #bloggerlife #motivation #votingmatters #blm #policebrutality #america #whenweallvote #politics #vote #democrats #votevotevote #voting #10kstoriesofrbb

Until we realize that our individual freedoms are

Until we realize that our individual freedoms are dependent on each other, we will repeat this servitude without end.

#linkinbio #amwriting #amblogging #poetry #poetrycommunity #10kstoriesofrbb

On August 16, 1845, 27-year-old Frederick Douglass

On August 16, 1845, 27-year-old Frederick Douglass, a runaway slave at the risk of recapture, left the United States for a speaking tour of Ireland and the British Isles to promote his antislavery mission. When he reached Dublin, Douglas first saw Daniel O’Connell the famous Irish patriot and, that afternoon, went to hear him speak on Catholic emancipation, self-government for Ireland and his hatred of slavery in America. After O’Connell spoke, he was introduced to Douglass. O’Connell had just turned 70 and was more than twice Douglass’ age. They shared their mutual hatred of slavery, and then unexpectedly, O’Connell introduced Douglass to the remaining crowd as “the Black O’Connell.”

Hats off to Robert Manson, who introduced me to this subject. Click the #linkinbio for my poem on the subject.

#poetry #poetrycommunity #poetry #10kstoriesofrbb

Part 2 of "Our Pandemic Déjà Vu-- All Over Again

Part 2 of "Our Pandemic Déjà Vu-- All Over Again? (2020-2021)"
A Salute to President Larry Bacow, Radcliffe College and the med school, my ode for the @harvardalumni virtual spring meeting. You can read all nine of my odes as Poet Laureate of the Harvard Alumni Association at the #linkinbio👆

Cut loose their students, to create crimson glory
And turn a dying world into a living laboratory
But though they risked their lives for their fellow man
Harvard still made them all take their final exams.
But this time it is all different! There was no way
We would let this become John Harvard’s Groundhog Day!

No! This time we turned an “influenza” into a blessing:
Alston expanded its plans and our profs kept professing
With new teaching tools like Zoom to raise the dead...to the dean’s list
While the med school brilliantly kept the COVID cases de minimis
And new off campus virtual labs where you can “blow stuff up” --
I’m so retro I once tried that with a cherry bomb and a cigarette butt.

But no. No. This was no reboot of some pre-Zoot suit goof.
No. No. Because this time there weren’t no “oops!”
So behold a spirit moves and John Harvard walks the Yard
And the books will reopen and soon the gates will be unbarred
And Larry Bacow, hats off for your leadership and thank you
For the quarantine that saved us from some horrible, centennial, déjà.

#poetry #harvard #harvarduniversity #harvardalumni #harvardalumniassociation #poetlaureate #10kstoriesofrbb

This year's @harvardalumni Ode, Part 1 (full poem

This year's @harvardalumni Ode, Part 1 (full poem at link in bio)

Our Pandemic Déjà Vu-- All Over Again? (2020-2021)
A Salute to President Larry Bacow, Radcliffe College and the med school

Since the HAA Spring Meetings – again -- will not convene in person this year, my ode as your Poet Laureate (again - with the tip of my hat to our poet Seamus Heaney) Is recited – like last year - from outside my kitchen door. Take a look at the video.

“A spirit moved. John Harvard walked the Yard.
The books stood open and the gates unbarred.”
I quote Seamus Heaney. Cause he’s a real rock star....
I’m not, so imagine the gates are not unbarred...
Because I’m quarantined and locked out of Harvard Yard
With my ode to Radcliffe and our med school stars!

Wait! Seriously, what, as your Poet Laureate, am I supposed to do?
What is funny about a pandemic, déjà vu?
The T.V. talks back and works when it wants
“Are you there?” each Zoom call is like a séance.
So what do you do if you’re caught repeating in a déjà vu?
Maybe rediscover the past and add a touch of voodoo:

...So let’s travel back before Zoom calls and the cell phone,
Even before the Yard, was “the Yard” and Harvard’s home.
Before the Roaring Twenties and all that glamour and glitz
Before the gates were “unbarred” because they didn’t exist
And Widener and the new dorms were just completed.
Is this the déjà vu that’s being repeated?

...Back a hundred years when tea was served on a credenza.
Back to 1918, to the “Spanish Flu.” Yeah--the “Influenza.”
There were Harvard heroes... but some got fooled.
Radcliffe quarantined but Harvard briefly... opened the school.
Oops! Radcliffe wrote a feminist musical spoof to poke fun
About a group of men who fell in love with a smoking gun

Named, Ina Flue Enza, and kissed her mouth on mouth
And were quarantined in Bertum Hall renamed: the “Pest house.”
And HMS emptied out its classrooms and came through
To study each patient’s cough, sniffle and Ha-choo
And great professors like George Minot and Dean David Edsall,
Under pressure, heroes with their backs up against the wall,

#poetry #poetrycommunity #harvarduniversity #classof2021 #10kstoriesofrbb

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About Robert Bowie, Jr.

Playwright and Poet Robert Bowie, Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland has had ten plays produced, including “Onaje,” which was selected for professional production at FringeNYC in October 2018. Its five sold-out FringeNYC performances received rave reviews. Other plays include “There Ain’t No Wyoming” and “Naked House Painting Society,” which were produced through The Baltimore Playwrights Festival. Bowie’s political farce “Crash & Burn P.A.” was the only submission selected by the 2016 Festival Committee for a full production at Theatrical Mining Company, Baltimore.

Currently, Bowie is working on a operetta in partnership with Mind The Art Entertainment. Entitled “Vox Populi,” it is a comical, interactive tale about the deadly sin of pride.

Bowie’s plays are focused on social justice and span a broad spectrum between drama and comedy. His subject matter ranges from plays about racial prejudice and civil rights to political farce.

Bowie is a graduate of Harvard University and is the Poet Laureate of The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA).

“Without the arts, we are a rudderless boat.”
— Robert Bowie, Jr.