What Are Friends For? by Roy Battocchio

ISBN #1-60513-199-7
JAC #2013-0003

Cast of Characters

• JOHN: A rough-looking guy in his sixties, balding and a bit overweight.
• TOMMY: A man slightly younger than Joe and a bit rough-looking.

Synopsis
Two old friends bump into each other at the cemetery and discover there's a lot going on in each other’s lives that they really weren't aware of... but maybe "digging up" the past isn't such a good idea after all.

The Setting
The scene is a rather large, well-appointed cemetery on a sunny morning. There are none of the usual stone tombstones. Instead we see mostly bronze, flat grave markings. There are, however, quite a few large statues and ornate markings suggesting the resting place of the more affluent deceased. On many of the graves we see cut and potted flowers. Scattered about are some uncomfortable-looking stone benches.

About This Playwright
A native of Mount Vernon (NY), Roy Battocchio’s first professional writing job was as a sports writer with the Yonkers Herald Statesman, just outside of New York City. He then spent several years with popular New York radio stations WOR and WINS as a music programmer. His interest in popular music led him to the music industry where he was Artist Relations Manager for Capitol Records and, later, RCA Records. During this time he worked with such legendary recording artists as The Beatles, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, John Denver, Dolly Parton and many more. He continued his interest in writing by having his humorous essays and light verse carried in various publications, including McCall’s, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, The Los Angeles Times and a number of other periodicals. He has written several episodes for television’s “Love Boat” and was head writer for “The New Hollywood Squares” (John Davidson/Joan Rivers edition). He also spent a period with Ralph Edwards/Stu Billett Productions in the development of game shows and other TV fare, many of which were his own creations. In the theatre he is an active member of Theatre West, one of Los Angeles’ oldest theatre companies. His comedy, “Thicker Than Water,” was first produced there in 2000 and presented again as a staged reading at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles starring Doris Roberts. It was produced again in 2004 at The Long Beach Playhouse, in Long Beach, California. It was also a finalist in the Dayton Ohio Futurefest Competition and produced there at the Dayton Playhouse. His one-act, “Crass Reunion”, was a semi-finalist in the Los Angeles First Stage contest and tied for first place in the Theatre West Ellen Idelson Playwrighting Award in 2007. (It was produced there later that year.) He has also had numerous other one-acts and short pieces produced at Theatre West and other west coast venues. His 10-minute piece, “Leap Year” was a finalist in The Secret Rose 10-Minute Play Festival in Los Angeles in October of 2007 and once again a finalist there with, “Goodie Bags” in 2010. His sequel to “Thicker Than Water”, entitled “Dead Wrong,” had a highly successful run at the Long Beach Playhouse in 2007. He has also been honored by having it accepted into the Eileen Heckert Senior Drama Collection at Ohio State University. His short comedy, “Something Old…Something New” was a finalist in The Lakeshore Players Theatre 10-minute Play Festival in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area in June of 2010. Another play, “Lemonade With A Twist” was a finalist in The Tehachapi, California Playwrights Festival and produced in 2010. In 2011, his 10-minute piece, "The Big Splash" was a winner in Secret Rose's monologue festival and went on to win again in their Best of the Best program. In the 2012 WestFest Festival at L.A.'s Theatre West, two of his short pieces, "Why Me?" and "The Plot Thickens" were featured on the program.  He recently completed a piece entitled, “More Fun Than Passing A Kidney Stone,” which he describes as, “A bunch of short comedies with absolutely no message.”  Battocchio is a member of The Writer’s Guild, The Dramatists Guild of America, The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights and The Automobile Club.