A Bathroom on Drake

An early morning writing exercise that turned into an award winning short film

In 2019, I was writing a feature screenplay, Mumbly Peg, based on my 1976 summer camp experience. I wanted to understand the relationship between my central character, a version of me, and his grandfather.

To do this, I used a memory that I hadn’t written about until this time. Yes, it was a fun story about a time I inadvertently locked myself in my grandparents' bathroom, and subsequently, they had to call the fire department to get me out. It was a simple moment that really got out of hand quickly.

I wrote the story over a cup of coffee, and it was eight pages. I shared it with a friend who is an established playwright, and he loved it. I submitted it to a few festivals, and it had momentum. I then shared it with some television friends, who shared it with a director friend, Adam Sorota, and we were off. The story was produced and directed in the fall of 2019, starring Adrian Raio and no other than Jerry Springer. I don’t think I ever would have imagined him playing my grandfather, but he was funny and nailed it. Adrian was fantastic as the central character. I had wanted him to play Allan in my feature, Mumbly Peg, but he grew up faster than I could raise the funds. Its a fun slice of life Chicago story, check it out and leave a note. Thanks, Mark