(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts presents Certifiably Yours, an award-winning play by Metuchen resident Lawrence Paone. Certifiably Yours is a hilarious farce that won the Theatre Victoria Playwriting Contest in Texas and was a semifinalist at the O’Neill Playwriting Conference. The production runs run March 31-April 2 at duCret Center of Art in Plainfield.
Inspired by a situation close to Lawrence, Certifiably Yours tells the story of Wallace Ouimet who has a freeloading brother, Cecil. Despite being “creatively unemployed,” Cecil is certain he is destined for greatness in Hollywood. In order to rid himself and others of the frustration of basement-dwelling relatives, Wallace creates Double Utopia, a place where brothers and sisters who are unwilling to take anything less than their dream jobs, can live and wallow in their fantasies. But on the day the government inspector is coming to greenlight Wallace’s plans,
Cecil, along with a romantic vice cop, a Restless Leg-suffering call girl, and a mattress-toting gangster show up and threaten Wallace’s plans.
"Dragonfly’s production of Certifiably Yours will mark the play’s New Jersey premiere. It will be directed by me, his wife. After seeing the play performed in Texas, I knew it was one New Jersey audiences will love," said Catherine LaMoreaux, Artistic Director.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors. Tickets are available for purchase online.
duCret Center of Art is located at 1030 Central Ave in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Lawrence Paone was born in Malverne, New York and graduated from Drew University, where he studied Theater Arts. His first play produced post-college was presented many years ago on Roosevelt Island. Somewhat more recently, Lawrence co-authored a one-man show Do You Have Anything Closer? with Matthew Aibel, which was produced in the 2004 Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City. Do You Have Anything Closer was a biographical comedy illustrating some of Lawrence’s experiences working in a box office on Broadway. Lawrence’s other works include the one-act I Forgot to Worry, which won the Best Play Award in the 28th Annual Pittsburgh New Works Festival in 2018.
In 2021, Law was a semifinalist in the National Playwrights Conference for his fulllength farce, Certifiably Yours. Certifiably Yours won first place in the Theatre Victoria Playwriting competition, and, in April 2022, received its world premiere in the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts, Victoria, Texas, produced by Theatre Victoria. The New Jersey premiere of Certifiably Yours will take place from March 31 to April 2 at duCret Center of Art in Plainfield, produced by Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center.
For 22 years, Lawrence worked in the Box Offices of various Broadway theaters, and he is currently the President of Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Union, Local 751, IATSE. Lawrence lives in Metuchen, NJ, with his wife of 39 years, Catherine LaMoreaux. He is the proud father of Anna and Laura, and the proud grandfather of Louisa.
