Thom Babbes

Thom Babbes is a writer and director living in Los Angeles. He graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and attended the Professional Actor Training Program at UWM-Milwaukee. He is a resident director at Actors Co-op in Hollywood, where he directed award winning productions of WAIT UNTIL DARK, AH, WILDERNESS, SUMMER AND SMOKE, and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.

As a writer, his screenplays DEADLY DREAMS and BODY CHEMISTRY were produced by Roger Corman’s Concorde/New Horizons. He has written screenplays for Samuelson Productions, Kings Road Entertainment, and Apollo Pictures.

His short film THE AUDITION was the Winner of Best Screenplay & Best Comedy at the 168 Hour Film Festival. Mr. Babbes also co-wrote the comedy thriller X-TREME WEEKEND which was an Official...

Thom Babbes is a writer and director living in Los Angeles. He graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and attended the Professional Actor Training Program at UWM-Milwaukee. He is a resident director at Actors Co-op in Hollywood, where he directed award winning productions of WAIT UNTIL DARK, AH, WILDERNESS, SUMMER AND SMOKE, and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.

As a writer, his screenplays DEADLY DREAMS and BODY CHEMISTRY were produced by Roger Corman’s Concorde/New Horizons. He has written screenplays for Samuelson Productions, Kings Road Entertainment, and Apollo Pictures.

His short film THE AUDITION was the Winner of Best Screenplay & Best Comedy at the 168 Hour Film Festival. Mr. Babbes also co-wrote the comedy thriller X-TREME WEEKEND which was an Official Selection at L.A. Comedy Short Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, World of Comedy Film Festival – Toronto, Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, Beverly Hills High-Def Film Festival, and won the Award of Merit at The Indie Fest.

His play SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY was workshopped at the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop in NYC, and his musical ACROSS THE RIVER for which he wrote the Book & Lyrics was produced at the Great American Melodrama in California and at the Cohoes Musical Hall in New York.

Thom has rights to the William Saroyan novel THE HUMAN COMEDY through an arrangement with Warner Brothers Theater Ventures to adapt it into a stage play.

Scripts

The Human Comedy

by Thom Babbes

Cast Size

14—30

Genre

adaptation,

comedy,

drama,

period

THE HUMAN COMEDY is based on the novel by William Saroyan. Set in warfront America 1942, this coming-of-age tale tells the story of Homer Macaulay, a 14-year-old boy who delivers telegrams at night to make money for his family. During the course of two days, Homer grows from an idealistic boy to a mature young man as he struggles with the unfairness of the world around him and the pain of families to whom he...

THE HUMAN COMEDY is based on the novel by William Saroyan. Set in warfront America 1942, this coming-of-age tale tells the story of Homer Macaulay, a 14-year-old boy who delivers telegrams at night to make money for his family. During the course of two days, Homer grows from an idealistic boy to a mature young man as he struggles with the unfairness of the world around him and the pain of families to whom he delivers the War Department’s death notices. But in the midst of the decaying idealism of small town America, and the loneliness of growing up, Homer finds hope in humanity through Mr. Grogan, the old alcoholic telegrapher and Mr. Spangler, the manager of the telegraph office who becomes a father-figure. In these men, Homer learns to see the goodness in people no matter how desperate or broken they may be. He also finds the true meaning of home.
THE HUMAN COMEDY marries the simplicity of OUR TOWN and the theatricality of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER with an ensemble of 14 actors playing 30 roles, (9m, 4w, 1 child) utilizing a minimal set and ensemble storytelling. In the end, it is a timeless American tale that celebrates our common decency. In our present society that is so divisive, THE HUMAN COMEDY has a lot to show us about our humanity and the important things that bring us together.