This is Now

a dramedy written and directed by Markus Redmond

“Second act. Second chance.”

Logline:

A failed actor returns to his hometown to direct a play at the local community theater.

Synopsis:

MICHAEL REIDEL, a down on his luck actor, returns to his hometown to direct a play in the theater that his high school drama club used to use. It is now owned by his best friend growing up, DANIEL NAZARI, who is terminally ill.

Stan attempts to recreate the good old days of high school drama by announcing Michael as the director of the new play, but despite his best efforts, only a precious few show up to audition: TRACI REYNOLDS, a put upon Mom with a secret guilty pleasure who was a forgettable classmate of Michael and Daniel’s; COLIN MASTERSON, a wealthy and cocky gay man with a secret personal agenda for auditioning; PRISCILLA COSGROW, who, despite being a freshman when Michael and Daniel were seniors, ruled the school thanks to her gorgeous looks. Her whole life since has been about her looks, something she has grown very bitter about; JOHNNY ORTIZ, the bad boy from school who lived up to that potential and became a convict. He realized in prison that he was gay, but has yet to be who he truly is as a free man; LORRAINE WHITMAN, the grand dame of the high school drama club who as an adult has turned herself into a 1940s style stage siren, a character so extreme that it keeps her from dealing with her own deep seated insecurities; and DENISE WOODMAN, the girl Michael never thought he had a chance with in high school, now a single mom who has survived the ups and downs of life and really just wants to enjoy the slow and simple life. Michael’s return brings up mixed emotions for Denise as she wonders if time will bring them closer together or if their worlds are too far apart.

As Michael searches for an appropriate play for this motley crew to perform, the group confronts their past, comes to terms with their present and contemplate going boldly in the direct of their desired futures.

An introspective “Breakfast Club” for adults with shades of “The Big Chill” and “Birdman”, This Is Now challenges the notions of what life becomes as we get older.