Fletcher Rhoden
100-word biography:
In 2008, Fletcher Rhoden directed the acclaimed premiere run of his stage play in two acts, Last Tango With Marlon and the equally-acclaimed novella of the same title. Rhoden earned his first feature ‘story by’ credit on the award-winning 2007 slasher Stump the Band. Fletcher Rhoden is an acclaimed author / illustrator, produced playwright / director, festival veteran short subject writer / director, creator of popular animated short subjects and children’s programs, ebooks and dvds.
1-sheet biography:
Born in Los Angeles in 1966, Rhoden took up guitar and began song writing at age 11. He did little else until his second year at Berklee College of Music in 1985. The writer of nearly 500 songs, Rhoden also began scoring, culminating in the soundtrack for the American Heritage Award-winning videos THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS 1 and 2. In 1997/98 Rhoden produced and starred in WRITER’S BLOCK and THE MIGHTY THREE, two radio feature programs which reached 1.5 million people each, twice weekly . Also in 1998, Rhoden worked as a story board artist for Warner Brothers’ preshow production for DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24TH 1/2 CENTURY IN 3D. In 1999 he wrote and illustrated the fact-based novella, THE TRIAL OF DAVY CROCKETT (Trafford), called, “A must read...thoughtful yet riveting from the first page to the last,” by Midwest Book Review. The book was widely praised elsewhere and is featured on many Alamo “recommended reading” lists. Also in 1999 Rhoden wrote and directed the one-act play SOUL CANCER, which played to SRO crowds in Los Angeles. The subsequent video was featured in the New York International Film and Video Festival, among others, and the play was performed live in excerpt at Madison Square Garden. The hour-long video was broadcast in TV markets throughout the United States and is was made available on dvd. In 2000 Rhoden wrote and directed the dv short subject THE CHRISTOPHER WALKEN ECSTATIC DANCE ACADEMY, which followed SOUL CANCER to the NYIFVF and was also presented at Cannes and MIFED, picking up several honorable mentions at other festivals. NEW TIMES LOS ANGELES called it, “Hilarious...rivals the best of SNL...” One of many projects to feature Rhoden’s music, THE CHRISTOPHER WALKEN ECSTATIC DANCE ACADEMY included the single CAN’T STOP TALKIN’ LIKE CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, called “Immensely hummable,” by New Times’ Gregory Weinkauf. The short became an internet staple, making a recent debut on Youtube, along with a live video performance of the tune by Rhoden. This short, with extra material, was also available on dvd from Rhoden’s home site and in rental shops across the LA area. Rhoden has also worked as a writer for interactive projects from leading toy companies and film studios,including Warner Brothers and Mattel, Inc. Rhoden began producing animation in 2005, producing 6-8 animated projects per year in 2005 and 2006, including celebrity impersonations of Christopher Walken, Paul McCartney and others. 2006 also saw the release of STUMP THE BAND, (Boathouse Studios). Rhoden earned ‘story by’ credit on this slasher about an all-girl rock band terrorized by ax murderers with an unfortunate foot fetish. The film, produced and scored by BRADY BUNCH/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES actor Robbie Rist, has screened in Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, picking up seven awards, including 2 for best feature. STUMP THE BAND is available to buy from Amazon.com or to rent from Netflix.com. That same year Rhoden introduced BALLOONZEE, an animated children’s program (books also available), for which he also penned and recorded several new tunes, released to rent or own on DVD. In February 2008, Rhoden directed the world-premiere run of his two-act stage play LAST TANGO WITH MARLON, about the lives and friendship of Marlon Brando and Wally Cox. The play was called, "Funny and touching... fast-moving... fascinating..." and its actors, "Intensely comedic ... deliciously funny," by the Tolucan Times and other published reviewers. Trafford published the novella in August, 2008, called, "Amazingly well written... dialogue is incredibly believable throughout..." by goodreads.com and, "Entertaining and enlightening and well worth the read," by Midwest Book Review. The DVD of the play was hailed by LivelyArts.com as, "A welcome release...a theatrical dance to remember," and is available on Amazon.com in April 2009. That month Rhoden also returned to comic books with THE REBELS OF OZ, a dark sequel to the L. Frank Baum books, available as a digital download graphic novel. Susequently, THAT'S RUDE, JUDE!, as well as three short novels, were published in ebook form. Spring of 2009 saw the CreateSpace DVD releases of 8 of Rhoden's major works, including new Director's Cuts, new commentaries and more. Two new books are expected in the summer, both CreateSpace online publications to include the abolitionist novel FREEDOM HALL and a collection of two of the short ebook novels, CARING FOR CAROLYN and SISTERELLA, as TWICE IN THE HEART: 2 SHORT NOVELS BY FLETCHER RHODEN. Rhoden began working as a freelance video editor the same year, editing various video programs for 2hip4tv.com, Narconon and others. Rhoden's writing career took a turn toward non-fiction when Rhoden and writing partner Jeanell Suggs began writing booklets and other material for a San Diego-based doctor of holistic medicine. Among Rhoden's current projects are a new childrens' book, which he wrote and is currently illustrating for an ebook release in summer 2009.