Mark Whicker

Mark Whicker

I have worked since 1974 as a professional sports writer and columnist for newspapers in Winston-Salem, N.C, Dallas, Philadephia and Orange County, Ca. I retired in February of 2022. I have won three state Sportswriter of the Year awards, was twice on the list of Top 10 columnists as voted by the Associated Press Sports Editors, and won the 2014 Nat Fleischer Award for distinguished boxing writing. In 2020 I...
I have worked since 1974 as a professional sports writer and columnist for newspapers in Winston-Salem, N.C, Dallas, Philadephia and Orange County, Ca. I retired in February of 2022. I have won three state Sportswriter of the Year awards, was twice on the list of Top 10 columnists as voted by the Associated Press Sports Editors, and won the 2014 Nat Fleischer Award for distinguished boxing writing. In 2020 I was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame. I am 69 years old and live in Long Beach, Ca. with my wife and son. In January of 2020 I began to launch a playwriting career, beginning with classes at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, Ca. with instructor Diana Burbano. On July 31, 2021, my play "Vote For Herbert" was performed by actors in a staged reading at Newport Theatre Arts Center in Newport Beach, CA . On Feb. 26, 2022 my play "Bless This Divorce" was performed by actors in a staged reading at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, CA.

Plays

  • Ted Turner And The Last Roundup by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Ted Turner, Jane Fonda + 8 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic
    Keyword: Ted Turner, Jane Fonda, bison, Atlanta Braves, sailing, Fastnet, god, Gone With the Wind, baseball, billboards.
    After a life of near-impossible accomplishment and tangled relationships, Ted Turner is old and declining and staying at his cabin in Montana, trying to make sense of it all. A familiar interlocutor stays with him and guides him along his backwards journey. Regrets? Only a few.
  • The Suits On The Bed by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    6–9
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: 9/11, Sweden + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: 9/11, Sweden, jail, affair, Muslim, forgiveness, church, bin laden, Stairway A, twin towers
    Astrid has spent 10 years immobilized by the deaths of her husband and son in the Twin Towers. Now she reawakens and tries to re-enter the world, but finds it's not so simple after she runs into secret betrayals and confronts her own damaged value system.
  • Bless This Divorce by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: Culver City, USC + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Culver City, USC, tacos, Venice, homeless, myeloma, honeymoon, Las Vegas, gym
    Barrett and Esther find that their marriage has basically gone dormant after 28 years. They file for divorce, but they decide to make that divorce an organic, living thing. They draw up boundaries and, gradually, grow closer than they were in their marriage. Through family crises and simmering bitterness, they become so comfortable in their divorce that they began to counsel others on their marriages -- and how to end them.
  • From The Neck Up by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    8–12
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    ·
    Keyword: football, concussions + 7 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: football, concussions, ice fishing, Iraq, golf, Wisconsin, Minnesota, anger management, Packers
    Kevin Tomalski played football the way all players should, intelligently and at maximum speed. His spirit endured but his brain didn't. His parents Forrest and Hilda watch his downward spiral, and suddenly have to deal with their own guilt and anger. Girlfriends, coaches, agents and sudden late-night friends try to pull Kevin back from his fate.
  • The Real Chris by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, radio drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Iowa, marriage + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: Iowa, marriage, Pie, farm animals, women in love.
    Christine and Lenora are engaged, but first they travel to Iowa to see if Lenora's dad approves. It doesn't matter much to Chris but it means the world to Lenora.
  • MMXX by Mark Whicker
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
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    Keyword: Canada, Kobe Bryant + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: Canada, Kobe Bryant, border, cruise lines, hockey, impeachment, citizenship
    The events of 2020 have driven Frank to the brink. But his plans to escape to Canada are confronted by Alex, a border guard who has heard all this before.
  • Seven Hundred Square Feet by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: George Floyd, Covid-19 + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: George Floyd, Covid-19, Gov. Cuomo, jeopardy, spiritual encounters, New Jersey real estate, Upper West Side, chef, pilot, 9/11
    James and Gloria threw themselves into their work for years in a feverish attempt to distract themselves from the death of their son Paul. Covid-19 stopped them in their tracks. As they feel the walls in their Upper West Side apartment closing in, they grow both closer and farther apart.
  • Vote For Herbert by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    9–12
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Seniors, Politics + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Seniors, Politics, ohio, Heart surgery, homeless shelters, barbershop
    He had never run for office before, but Herbert Granger found himself with time on his hands and an insufferable opponent to beat, so he went for it. At age 82.
  • Peach Season by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    9–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: comedy, Covid-19 + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, radio drama
    Keyword: comedy, Covid-19, dementia
    Nathan's dad Andrew is slipping further into dementia, but that's far from his only problem. His wife Elizabeth has apparently taken up with his brother, and his adult daughters are both living at home and are anything but low-maintenance. Since it's 2020, Covid-19 rears its ugly head as well.
  • Bailey Drake by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    10–15
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Relationships, independence + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Relationships, independence, damage
    Bailey Drake is an aging, wisecracking, tough-minded convenience store owner in the middle of the Mojave Desert, her world defined by the traffic that runs from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Along with the random tourists that she tries to entertain, she deals with an extended family of customers who wander in and out of the store, all with their own stories, problems and dreams. When Bailey's brother shows up...
    Bailey Drake is an aging, wisecracking, tough-minded convenience store owner in the middle of the Mojave Desert, her world defined by the traffic that runs from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Along with the random tourists that she tries to entertain, she deals with an extended family of customers who wander in and out of the store, all with their own stories, problems and dreams. When Bailey's brother shows up after a long run from the law, she's reminded of the demands of love and trust.
  • Protect Yourself At All Times by Mark Whicker
    Cast: 
    20–25
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    ·
    Keyword: Boxing, death + 6 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: Boxing, death, betrayal, adult friendship, fashion, Relationships, Las Vegas, sports book
    Curtis "The Hammer" Jerome is a 30-year-old boxer who is in position to fight for a title, but when he accidentally causes the death of an opponent in the ring, he struggles to regain his footing in the ring and in his relationships. As he tries to avoid being manipulated by his promoter and his girlfriend, and as he remains haunted by unfinished business back home, he tries to find the focus needed to become a champion.