A LIFE IN MOTION Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania-USA, Tom David Barna is a graduate of Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico-USA. Tom is a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso-Africa and a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia. Tom's father, Thomas Barna was the first family member born in the United States and buried at Arlington National Cemetery having served in the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. Tom David Barna, playwright has penned more than forty-two full length plays, forty-nine short plays, co-author for a 13-part radio series and author of four children's books (Cantata Publishing) and several eBooks (Rakuten Kobo Publishing). He has been commissioned for projects as varied as episodic radio and children's musicals and recently collaborated on a new full-length musical with Melody Bay Productions/Publisher, a Minneapolis, MN company. He is the recipient of more than twenty-seven regional non-equity and/or festival productions and/or staged readings since 2009. Tom has also directed, produced and performed on stage. ARTIST STATEMENT: LIGHTS UP. I am a Marine combat veteran, having spent the past fifteen years putting pen to paper and words to stage as a playwright. (Music up.) To be honest, I hear voices (in a good way) from my past (some living, some not) and those voices demand center stage attention in every new work I create. I am happy to comply by giving them (though often in conflict with one another) an opportunity to be honest and reflective in my themes and storylines, regardless of how uncomfortable it may make me (or you for that matter) feel or react. Imagine… actual voices in the dark serving as my muse. I love it. (Music fades.) But don’t worry, it’s not all gloom and doom. (Insert nervous laugh.) How it all ends is as much of a surprise to me as it might be for you. That said, I strive to create new worlds, new situations, unexpected characters, and the unanticipated final act by taking chances. I push the limit (more often my own) and I listen to my voices. LIGHTS DOWN. BLACK LIVES MATTER.
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SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2024 --Barna's play RED TRINITY performed on live stage by Marshall Area Theatre Company --Barna's play PEOPLE READY-The Musical selected by Musical Theatres' Educator Alliance for their New Works Collaboration Catalog --Barna's play PEOPLE R READY The Musical now available in paperback (Blue Moon Publishing) and available on Amazon.com --Barna's play ON THE HOMEFRONT performed on live stage by Theatre Du Mississippi for five performances in February. SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2023 ---Barna developing an original screenplay for a short film by Akikta Films. Script in rewrite. Second reading in October. Pre-Production begins in November. ---People R Ready-The Musical is now widely available for world premiere and stage production through national publisher/distributor: HAVE SCRIPTS BLUE MOON LLC. Barna is the commissioned book author. ---Barna to attend Workbench New Play Workshop in Park Rapids (hosted by Northern Light Opera Company) ---Barna's new play "RED TRINITY" selected for the MN Short Play Festival ---Barna's popular play, "4TH LAW REVISTED" to take center stage for three nights in June in Hackensack, New Jersey at the Bergen County Academy for Visual and Performing Arts--One Act Festival. SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2022 ----Barna's new play, "I CAN DANCE, I CAN DANCE' debuts for three nights at Festival in Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts in November 2022. ----Barna's new play "4TH LAW REVISTED" performed on stage at the Fast Fest short play festival in Faribault, Minnesota ----Barna named Artistic Director at Melody Bay Productions, LLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota ----Barna elected to the Executive Board, Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council ---Barna's new play, "RHYTHM ON WHEELS" debuted at the Stoll Theatre in Minneapolis on August 4th and premiered in Mankato, Minnesota on August 2nd. ----Barna's new short play "The 4th Law Revisited" selected as Finalist for Minnesota Shorts Festival. ----Barna's new short play "The 4th Law Revisited" performed at Marshal Area Stage Company Short Play Festival SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2021 ----Barna receives 2021 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Grant to develop video series (released in November 2021 on YouTube Channel, VIRTUALLY THEATRE. ----Barna commissioned by Minneapolis artist group to collaborate on a new full length musical for the stage. The team includes a composer, lyricist, musicians and Barna as the book author. ----Barna's latest full length play, WHAT'S FOREVER FOR ANYWAY was been selected for a May 4th reading and workshop by the national theatre company Quarantine Players. ----Barna's new full length play, ELEVATOR was been selected by the Valdez Theatre Conference. ----Barna's new play, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HELL was announced as a finalist for the 2021 Minnesota Shorts Play Festival. (Didn't make final cut.) SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2020 ----Barna's play, LEMONADE performed by Virago Theatre Group as a Reading and Workshop. ----Barna's new eBook, "Under The Bell Jar" published by Rakuten Kobo, Inc. ----Barna receives Career Development Grant from the McKnight Foundation. ----Barna's play, "The Assumption Of Hope" performed by Quarantine Players Theatre Group as a Reading and Workshop. ----Barna's play, "Lola's Big Life" performed at the Marshal Short Play Festival. ----Barna's play, "A Day In The Life" selected as a semi-finalist for the Minnesota Shorts Festival. ----Barna's play, "I'm Dying" selected as a semi-finalist for the Minnesota Short Play Festival. SELECTED HEADLINES FROM 2019 River Valley Woman Magazine (June)-- Featured Artist www.rivervalleywoman.com PAGE 25 McKnight Foundation-- Artist Grant Recipient Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference-- Selected Playwright VLFTC Fringe Festival -- Knock Knock (Stage production) B Street Theatre New Comedies Festival-- Semi-Finalist Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Minnesota Shorts Festival-- Semi-finalist Knock Knock |