Last week we explored Sowell’s origin, born into poverty in North Carolina before moving to Harlem, New York.

Catch up here:

Now we continue, covering a traumatic event from Sowell’s schooling—that became a turning point in his young academic career.

You can see that from the start that he was a disagreeable and defiant individual—traits that would serve him well as an adult:

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KEY POINTS:

• First draft of Act 1 is done, though significant revisions will be needed

• An overview of the structure I plan on using for the script

• Ideas for style of performance

…and much, much more.

All you have to do is start.

After months of paralysis, the act of showing up every day has produced a completed act one of the script.

It’s far from perfect, but I expected it.

In this vlog I’ll discuss my process, the outline that I’m using to structure the script, where to go next, and much more…including a potential venue for the world premiere!

The great work continues,
CD

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In my most recent vlog I discussed the preliminary plot outline I’m using to write this script, as well as the challenges and problems I’ll be facing going forward.

Although I’ve already drafted a scene, it’s unclear where that scene would go in the final script—if it will be used at all.

That said, below is an exclusive first look at the start of the work.

From here on out I will continue sharing pages and scenes as they emerge. Check your inbox.

The great work has begun.
CD

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This has been a very exciting and productive week.

In this vlog I’ll reveal:

• Why I’m writing the play by hand.

• The 3 “Act” structure I’m using (for now).

• How I’m elevating Sowell’s words for dramatic impact.

• The plot twist I’m planning for the climactic moment of Act One.

…and more!

Very exciting stuff. Watch or listen here:

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KEY POINTS COVERED

The play’s concept has crystallized around creating an intimate character portrait of Thomas Sowell during a period of profound personal transformation.

Key decisions include:

• Shifting from envisioning large venues (like the 900-seat Tuscaloosa theater) to smaller, more intimate spaces—ideally a 200-seat black box theater or well-constructed 500-seat venue

• Preference for thrust stage or arena staging where the audience surrounds the performer on three or four sides, creating immersive three-dimensional performance

CORE DRAMATIC QUESTION AND THEMES

The central dramatic question driving the piece: “What if everything I thought about the world is wrong?”.

This question encompasses:

• Identity death and transformation—the forging of a new identity as Sowell’s Marxist worldview evolves

• The fundamental question “Who am I?” underlying all of drama (according to William Storr)

• Personal connection: the writer is experiencing their own identity transformation, moving from pre-2020 life as an up-and-coming New York actor to current circumstances

• Question creates dramatic action on multiple fronts

OTHER TOPICS COVERED:

• Intriguing insights from Sowell’s work Marxism: Philosophy and Economics

• The challenge of conceiving of the play in three dimensions (including set design, soundscape, and a vocabulary of movement)

• How concentrated Deep Work (as articulated by Cal Newport) has yielded massive results in a short timeframe

• Ultimate creative goals for the work

Watch/listen to the full update below:

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Each week I’ll record a vlog summarizing that week’s work.

As I’ve already been at work, these vlogs—for the time being—will be several weeks behind.

Today’s vlog was originally recorded on December 20th, 2025.

CONTENT SUMMARY:

The Status of the Project

• How multiple competing priorities significantly delayed the work

• Uncomfortable truths about how research became procrastination

My Core Creative Challenges

• Synthesizing Sowell’s massive body of work

• Avoiding stale bioplay AND avoiding academic lecture

• Creating visceral and immediate theatre vs retrospective storytelling

Rethinking Storytelling

• How John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story wasn’t helpful

• How William Storr’s The Science of Storytelling created a spark

• How Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots changed everything

Assessing the Texts of Other One-Man Shows

• Robeson by Phillip Hayes Dean

• Thurgood by George A. Stevens

• Satchmo at the Waldorf by Terry Teachout

• I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright

Other Topics Covered:

• Should the 1969 crisis at Cornell University by the central story event?

• Potential central themes for the story

• Developing a strong structure

• Current challenges, and what to do next

Watch the full vlog below.

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In late 2025 I was desperate to find a way to begin writing, after months of paralysis.

Finally, I read Will Storr’s The Science of Storytelling and, crucially, Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots. Both were immensely helpful in helping me develop a theory of composition from which to begin writing.

Shortly thereafter, ideas began to emerge. And then words.

Below is the first complete scene I wrote. I’ve also included an audio version with me reading (as Tom, of course).1

What was surprising is how quickly the scene materialized, and the sources I was able to pull from.

Starting from the premise of Sowell speaking in the mid-1960s, during the rise of the Civil Rights revolution, I thought of a story from his memoir A Personal Odyssey. Midway through, I had the intuition to weave in another story, from his 1974 work Black Education: Myths and Tragedies.

I’d already bookmarked the latter story, and to my astonishment I found that the phrase “Separate but Equal” appeared there, which made tying the stories together easy.

After months of agony I was just happy for the work to truly begin in earnest.

I’m not sure if I’ll use this scene, but I’m learning that no work is wasted.

Without further ado:

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FEBRUARY 18, 2024

This is it. This journal will be dedicated to my exploration of Thomas Sowell. All of my thoughts, dreams, notions, will go in this journal. I know that I’ll need to be clear-minded and drug-free1, to begin my journey, so that I may have access to my dreams.

What I’ll first acknowledge is my fear—what will I create? What CAN I create? What should this show be? Well…that’s the process. That’s the adventure, the exploration. Any exploration begins with asking questions.

I have profound admiration for Thomas Sowell; but I’m not going to revere the man. How can I, and seek to create a full portrait of him?

Am I doing a character study? A documentary? A character study sounds interesting. Less pedantic. I think I want multiple characters. More dynamic from an audience perspective. But Sowell’s look is so distinctive—it wouldn’t be easy to switch characters. The solution, A solution, would be that Sowell himself is embodying these characters while telling his story. Honestly, I don’t know what the piece will be—but I know I want it to hit on multiple levels.

I think the name alone—SOWELL—is interesting. It’s a play on words—it seems a perfect name for a man notorious for a perfect afro. “Soul” is a word that cuts to the heart of black identity, and the word carries a heightened definition among black Americans; this can be a point of tension, as I see RACE being a big part of the piece2.

Milton Freidman and perhaps Bill Buckley make appearances [sic]? At the end of the day—creating a unique piece of theatre is the aim. The piece doesn’t need to be straight bioplay; I’m wondering if SONG and SHAKEPSEARE can be part of the evening. What’s the format? Nightclub act? Lecture? Debate? Cross-examination? Would the stage be the “marketplace of ideas”?

Is it a soliloquy? What is the EVENT? What is the main ACTION of the evening? What is the story being PROMISED3? I know it will need to be funny at first—Sowell, fortunately, has a dry wit to him—and take on more fire and pathos.

I also want to try and stretch to the cosmos—what ARCHETYPE might Sowell align with? What might the “collective unconscious” need? How can the piece capture the pulse of the time, the urgency of the moment, while attaining classic—that is, universal—human themes? At the core of the piece is a character that the audience must root for.

I just caught a glimpse of perhaps moments of rhetorical flair, intellectual jousting—there’s a vitality, a sensuality, even, to the electricity of this figure. He’s sharp. His columns, interviews, speeches are packed with zingers. They4 don’t always have to like him.

What would his overall objective—his WILL—be? To get to the truth? To refuse to live the lie? Might I be haunted by the direction of black America? There comes to mind the anger in his old age, with social justice fallacies. Is the piece a tragedy? Does he age throughout the piece? What sort of stage magic is possible?

The concept of character study does, indeed, appeal to me. A public debate. Philosophical debate?

I’m already thinking that capturing the “essence” of Sowell will be more useful than a carbon copy. Also elements of CLOWN—being there to share an amazing story and experience. Athletic and intellectual prowess emphasized in design?

How can movement and lighting be used to tell a story? Just got a glimpse of “dance” sequences, that maybe are a metaphor for other parts of the story.

HOW CAN I GIVE THE AUDIENCE THE EXPERIENCE AS IF THEY’VE JUST BEEN TOLD THE GREATEST STORY EVER, BY THIS WITTY ECONOMIST? THE FUNNIEST, SADDEST, MOST ENLIGHTENING, MOST ENRAGING EVENING? That’s very intriguing.

I think that’s something. An evening, a furious debate, an ODYSSEY. Perhaps read old plays to see how big language is handled; I love the idea of a thrust stage5. Somehow embrace the theatricality of the event?

WHAT IS THE MAIN ACTION?