William Cameron

William Cameron

William Cameron is a playwright, director, actor, and educator. His plays have been performed at venues around the country, including Theatre 40 in Los Angeles, the Harold Clurman Theatre in NYC, and the Curious Theatre Company in Denver.

Bill’s plays include Violet Sharp, a prize-winning drama of the Lindbergh kidnapping (Concord Theatricals); Truth Be Told (Stanley Drama Award, 2020), a drama...
William Cameron is a playwright, director, actor, and educator. His plays have been performed at venues around the country, including Theatre 40 in Los Angeles, the Harold Clurman Theatre in NYC, and the Curious Theatre Company in Denver.

Bill’s plays include Violet Sharp, a prize-winning drama of the Lindbergh kidnapping (Concord Theatricals); Truth Be Told (Stanley Drama Award, 2020), a drama confronting the mass shooting epidemic; and Every Livin’ Soul (Winner, Dayton Playhouse FutureFest 2022), a tale of Depression era crime and redemption.

In his thirty-one-year tenure as a professor of theatre and communication arts at Washington & Jefferson College, William founded the College’s first academic theatre program and directed over 40 student productions.

Plays

  • 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.
  • Truth Be Told by William Cameron
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    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.
  • Criminal Mischief by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    Freddy’s in love with Angie and she’s in love with him. The problem? Angie’s married to Spencer, Freddy’s older brother. This sets off a series of comical yet criminal misadventures, putting the whole family in the sights of Detective Lieutenant Alice Ford, who’s got issues of her own. Criminal Mischief takes a humorous look at love and sex, family and forgiveness, crime and punishment.
  • 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.
  • The Trial of David Bradford by William Cameron
    Cast: 
    7–9
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    ·
    Keyword: History, courtroom drama
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: History, courtroom 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 received its world premiere in July 2023.
  • 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.
  • 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.