by
David-Matthew Barnes
Synopsis: A love story set in a coffee shop in the Little Italy section of New York, Temporary Heroes explores the blossoming relationship between a young waitress, Shelby Santella, and a cook, Salvatore Visconti. Having grown up together in the same neighborhood, Shelby and Salvatore have always been "just friends," but recently their shared dreams of a better life in a better place have brought them even closer together. Shelby fantasizes about pop star fame and Salvatore fuels a passion for poetry.
The colorful characters who enter their lives include: Mrs. Lloyd, a sentimental widow who spends her time in the coffee shop musing over crossword puzzles and offering bits of wisdom and advice, Victoria Sheppard, a high school student whose self-esteem is harbored by her affluent friends at school and the constant state of her parents' poverty, Frank, a neighborhood man who still pines for Heather Drake, a woman he once loved who left him behind in pursuit of a career as an actress, and Salvatore's mother, Carmen, who is desperate to bridge the communication gap between Salvatore and his ailing father.
As a blizzard looms over the city, Shelby and Salvatore befriend Tina and George Brew, a recently married couple whose relationship is already strained due to Tina's comical yet manic depression, as well as Rosemary, a young mother who finds herself living on the street and is desperate to have her baby returned to her. And making a sudden but brief return is Heather Drake, who becomes a mentor of sorts to Shelby, urging her to follow her dreams.
Held over in its premiere production, Temporary Heroes is a fun filled and touching play suitable for all ages.
"Temporary Heroes is a sweet, simple, life-affirming love story with charm to spare. Believably sensitive and filled with sweetness and youthful optimism . . . Delightfully energetic."
- The Sacramento Bee.
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Mr. Nick Anthony Moreno
Theatrical Literary Manager
E-mail: nmoreno@davidmatthewbarnes.com
Playwright's website: www.davidmatthewbarnes.com
Performance rights must be secured before production.
As a screenwriter, Barnes wrote and directed the feature film, Frozen Stars (adapted from his successful Chicago stage play), which stars Lana Parrilla (of ABC's "Spin City"). In 2002, Barnes was named in the Top 50 (out of 1,500 applicants) for the Walt Disney Studios Writing Fellowship Program. His short stories and fiction have appeared in several literary journals and anthologies including Nasty ("academia at its brattiest"), Slow Trains, Oasis Magazine, Down In The Dirt, and Across The Generations. In 2001, Barnes received an honorable mention for his personal essay, Just Before The Drop (which explored domestic violence in gay relationships), in the national Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Excerpts from his poetry collection, Ways To Be Wicked, have appeared in over twenty-five publications including California Quarterly, Backspace, Our Journey, Tinae, The Penny Dreadful Review, Poetic Voices, Wired Art From Wired Hearts, Visions From The Heights and both The 1995 and The 1996 American River Literary Review. His poetry has received many accolades including recognition in the National 2000 CNW/FFWA Writing Competition.
Barnes currently lives in Northern California where he works for the NPR affiliate, Capital Public Radio.
Temporary Heroes was first produced by The Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre in Sacramento, California in February, 1996.