William Cameron

William Cameron

William Cameron is best known as the author of Violet Sharp, winner of the 2007 Julie Harris Playwriting Prize. Violet Sharp, a drama of the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, received its world premiere at Theatre 40 in Los Angeles in 2009 and was published by Samuel French in 2012.

More recently, William’s drama Truth Be Told has received national attention. A taut, two-character drama exploring the...
William Cameron is best known as the author of Violet Sharp, winner of the 2007 Julie Harris Playwriting Prize. Violet Sharp, a drama of the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, received its world premiere at Theatre 40 in Los Angeles in 2009 and was published by Samuel French in 2012.

More recently, William’s drama Truth Be Told has received national attention. A taut, two-character drama exploring the aftermath of a mass shooting, Truth Be Told won both the 2020 Stanley Drama Award from Wagner College and the W. Keith Hedrick Playwriting Contest from HRC Showcase Theatre. Truth Be Told was also featured in this year’s Ashland New Plays Festival in Ashland, Oregon.

William’s plays have been performed around the country, including off-off Broadway at the Harold Clurman Theatre, the Source Theatre in Washington, DC, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, and numerous community and academic theatres. Professor emeritus of Theatre and Communication Arts at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, William has written several plays tailored specifically to his students. These include Intersect, a drama about racial tensions at a small college, and Cease to Exist, a chronicle of the Manson murders.

William lives in Washington, Pennsylvania with his wife, artist and actress Susan Martinelli.

Plays

  • Every Livin' Soul by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period
    In the darkest days of the Depression, a stranger finds refuge in an Ohio farmhouse. He begs a meal from Hannah, the widowed owner, and the two form a kinship. For Hannah, this handsome young man might be the harbinger of a brighter future. As her husband used to say, “There’s a little bit of good in every livin’ soul.” But when the stranger’s perilous secret is revealed, Hannah finds herself in a struggle for...
    In the darkest days of the Depression, a stranger finds refuge in an Ohio farmhouse. He begs a meal from Hannah, the widowed owner, and the two form a kinship. For Hannah, this handsome young man might be the harbinger of a brighter future. As her husband used to say, “There’s a little bit of good in every livin’ soul.” But when the stranger’s perilous secret is revealed, Hannah finds herself in a struggle for her family’s very existence. Inspired by actual events, “Every Livin’ Soul” celebrates the resilience of hope in the face of desperation and heartbreak.
  • Truth Be Told by William Cameron
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    Kathleen Abedon is the mother of Julian Abedon who, one year earlier, allegedly carried out a mass shooting at a food warehouse that claimed the lives of 14 people, including Kathleen’s husband and Julian’s stepfather, Harlan Kenney. The shooting spree ended with Julian’s apparent suicide. When true-crime writer Jo Hunter comes to town to interview Kathleen for a book on the shooting, Kathleen seeks to convince...
    Kathleen Abedon is the mother of Julian Abedon who, one year earlier, allegedly carried out a mass shooting at a food warehouse that claimed the lives of 14 people, including Kathleen’s husband and Julian’s stepfather, Harlan Kenney. The shooting spree ended with Julian’s apparent suicide. When true-crime writer Jo Hunter comes to town to interview Kathleen for a book on the shooting, Kathleen seeks to convince the skeptical journalist that her son was framed for the shooting. At a time in our history when the truth is under daily attack, Truth Be Told seeks to explore the nature of objective truth and the ways in which we manipulate and distort it to serve our own ends.
  • Violet Sharp by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    8–13
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller, period
    Based on the true story of the 1932 Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, Violet Sharp is named for the young British maid working at the home of Anne Lindbergh’s mother. In the wake of the historic kidnapping of beloved aviator Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son, Violet raises the suspicion of the police with a contradictory testimony about her whereabouts to police investigator Officer Walsh. Under pressure from her...
    Based on the true story of the 1932 Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, Violet Sharp is named for the young British maid working at the home of Anne Lindbergh’s mother. In the wake of the historic kidnapping of beloved aviator Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son, Violet raises the suspicion of the police with a contradictory testimony about her whereabouts to police investigator Officer Walsh. Under pressure from her own personal demons as well as the police, Violet’s efforts to clear her name cannot seem to overpower a growing reputation of guilt.
  • Doofus by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy, satire
    In the midst of the final dress rehearsal for her new play, director/playwright Dana is devastated when her fiancée Cliff, incensed and embarrassed that the character based on him comes off as a hapless buffoon, storms out. Distraught, Dana turns to Alice and Beck, her two actors, for comfort but they have issues of their own. Trapped in a loveless marriage with an older man, Alice has stumbled into a secret...
    In the midst of the final dress rehearsal for her new play, director/playwright Dana is devastated when her fiancée Cliff, incensed and embarrassed that the character based on him comes off as a hapless buffoon, storms out. Distraught, Dana turns to Alice and Beck, her two actors, for comfort but they have issues of their own. Trapped in a loveless marriage with an older man, Alice has stumbled into a secret affair with Beck, her leading man. After some soul searching by all involved, Cliff stumbles back in with yet another crisis that brings everything to a head.
  • The Trial of David Bradford by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    7–9
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    David Bradford is brought to trial for treason for his role as a rebel leader of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. His lawyer, Daniel Redick, must fight the considerable powers of the United States government to save his client from the gallows.

    Commissioned by the Whiskey Rebellion Festival in Washington, Pennsylvania, The Trial of David Bradford will receive its world premiere in July 2021.
  • Cease to Exist by William Cameron
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–10
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller
    Patricia Krenwinkel, convicted for her role in the 1969 Tate and LaBianca murders, has now served 38 years of a life sentence and is up for parole. As she attempts to convince the parole board of her suitability for release, Krenwinkel is inevitably drawn back into the events of her troubled past—her childhood, her first meeting with Charles Manson, her life with the 'Family'" and, ultimately,...
    Patricia Krenwinkel, convicted for her role in the 1969 Tate and LaBianca murders, has now served 38 years of a life sentence and is up for parole. As she attempts to convince the parole board of her suitability for release, Krenwinkel is inevitably drawn back into the events of her troubled past—her childhood, her first meeting with Charles Manson, her life with the 'Family'" and, ultimately, her participation in the infamous murders.

    "Cease to Exist" takes us inside the tormented mind of Patricia Krenwinkel as she recounts her crimes and, ultimately, comes face to face with the sister of her most famous victim.
  • A Disturbing Encounter at the Calhoun Residence Involving Sex, Marriage and the American Musical Theatre by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, parody/spoof
    Inspired by the notion that bad exposition can make for good comedy, A Disturbing Encounter at the Calhoun Residence Involving Sex, Marriage and the American Musical Theatre takes us to the home of Roger and Charlotte Calhoun. Having received a mysterious phone call suggesting that Roger may be the illegitimate father of a local teenage girl, the Calhouns are thrown into a tizzy when their teenage son Billy...
    Inspired by the notion that bad exposition can make for good comedy, A Disturbing Encounter at the Calhoun Residence Involving Sex, Marriage and the American Musical Theatre takes us to the home of Roger and Charlotte Calhoun. Having received a mysterious phone call suggesting that Roger may be the illegitimate father of a local teenage girl, the Calhouns are thrown into a tizzy when their teenage son Billy shows up with Suzie, his new girlfriend. Could this be Roger's daughter? Gasp!