Sparkler, a play by Erik Champney; Art by Steph Pyne.

Hollywood, 1964: Clayton Boyd is America’s favorite movie star. The symbol of family values and wholesome masculinity, Clayton is every woman’s fantasy and the envy of every man. For years, studio moguls have maintained an aggressive publicity campaign to promote the unstoppable power of Clayton Boyd’s lust for the ladies. They’ve also provided him with the perfect wife, cherished television icon Carol Hayes. Great measures have been taken to make that fairytale incontestable, and the fans are wild for Clayton. Behind the scenes, Clayton is wild for Jack Halpon, a former Mouseketeer with radical politics and big ideas he should probably keep to himself. Meanwhile, Carol’s career ambitions have been straying from the brand and she’s having crazy epiphanies, like art might be more meaningful than fame. This flock of celebrity royals is kept on a tight leash, their every move governed by talent agent Henry Willson, who always proves to be remarkably constructive when it’s time for his clients to fall in line. Unfortunately, his methods of persuasion may now require a more draconian approach. Clayton, Carol, and Jack have learned the electrifying truth of their counterfeit kingdom. They’ve sold their souls for a prison and Henry would sooner summon a bloodbath before releasing them from it. Time is running out, and their defiance is stirring up ample friction to light a fuse that could galvanize an explosion hot enough to melt the silver off every screen in Tinseltown. There’s only one way for a star to escape. The star must fall. A mouthwatering soufflé, served with razor blades, Sparkler uncovers the corrupt dynasty of a tyrannical studio system, guarded by structures of tarnished metal once known as The Golden Age of Hollywood.

  • Rehearsed Reading, dir. Erik Champney; featuring Stephanie Styles, Chad Ryan, Marrick Smith, Michael Gnat. New York, NY.

  • Staged Reading, presented by Kierstead Productions & Broadway Factor; feat. Alan Cumming, Erich Bergen, Christy Altomare, Garrett Clayton; dir. Sheryl Kaller. New York, NY.

  • Reading, dir. Sheryl Kaller. New York, NY.

  • Reading, dir. Leigh Silverman. New York, NY.

  • Workshop of the Original Half-Hour Version, Paradise Factory; dir. Janet Bentley. New York, NY. VIDEO

  • “A quartet of stage and screen favorites will take part in a private reading of Sparkler, a new play by Erik Champney.” PLAYBILL

  • “A foursome of mega-talents will come together later this week for a reading of the new play Sparkler by Erik Champney.” ODDS & ENDS (BROADWAY.COM)

  • “A high compliment to pay to a one-act play is that it is so good that one wishes it were a full-length one. Such is the case with Sparkler. The writing and performances are so exceptional that one wants to know what happens next.” THEATERSCENE

  • “A story of pointed manipulation with a backdrop of fame and stardom, Sparkler explores the ‘in the closet’ culture of Hollywood's Golden Age and the back door dealing that comes with it…Sparkler is triumphant.” THEATER IN THE NOW