All Photos: Alan Mercer
I have known the Prolific Hit Writer-Director, Don B. Welch since 2005! He has never stopped working in all these years. After the overwhelming national success of ‘The Bachelorette Party,’ ‘The Divorce,’ 'In My Sister’s House,’ and ‘The Bachelor Party’ he may very well have written his most controversial play yet called ‘My Brother’s Keeper.’ Its a story about two brothers who own and operate their family business. The brothers are put in precarious situations igniting lies, lust, greed, and betrayal forcing them to turn against each other.
Besides being a playwright/producer and director, the Philadelphia native is also an actor, singer and a successful novelist. Two of his stage plays, 'The Bachelorette Party’ and ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ have been published as books by Random House. His play ‘The Bachelor Party’ has been released as a film and he has a second film coming later this year.
Don describes himself as spontaneous, loving, somewhat controlling, borderline crazy, a hopeless romantic, ageless, talented, sentimental, emotional, a great friend, religious, and a multi-tasked neurotic.
He loves life and he believes it should be about laughter and fun. He says, “God has continued to bless my life with so much goodness, and I will forever praise his name because without him, I know I am nothing!”
AM: Don, the last few years have been really hard on all creative types. Why do you think you have survived and thrived during this difficult time?
DW: The level of survival and success is always what you make it. It doesn’t mean that I’m doing so great all the time financially or career wise but I keep busy doing what I love. It may not always be on a large scale. I may not always be playing a 2000 seat theater. Sometimes it’s a 99 seat house and you don’t make any money.
AM: What is your priority?
DW: It’s about keeping the creative energy going even when it’s rough for writers, singers, dancers, photographers and everybody in the industry. I think when you find your niche, even during the slim times, you can still make it along.
AM: What skills do you use for this?
DW: It takes faith and perseverance and the patience to know that these things are going to pass. I tell actors all the time that we have chosen the most difficult profession of them all.
AM: What do you mean by this?
DW: What I mean is you can go to law school and when you pass the bar, you will be an attorney. You can go to medical school and pass the tests, you are a doctor, but no matter how many classes and workshops you take, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be where you want to be in this industry. Just to be able to work in this industry is a blessing.
AM: What keeps you going?
DW: I’ve always been able to keep going because I’ve always been self made. When Hollywood didn’t knock on my door I created my own way until something came through. I hear from actors all the time that they know they won’t get paid much but they just want to work. It takes their minds off the things that are not happening sometimes. It’s always a cycle too. We go through it, but we will come out of it.
AM: The bad economy isn’t helping either.
DW: The economy is bad in every profession now but I do believe because people love entertainment and the escapism of that, we will do alright even when things aren’t that great. People like to escape for a couple hours in a movie or a play and have a great time.
AM: Luckily your plays are not interfered with by technology because that’s also an issue.
DW: I’m moving into film right now. I’m in the middle of my second movie, but I’ll never abandon theater.
AM: You’re an author as well. How are your books doing?
DW: My first book did really well so I was happy and then my second book did even better!
AM: Why do you think the second book was more successful?
DW: I think for a couple of reasons. More people knew who I was and I think it was a better book. I had more time. The first novel was written in between two tours of stage plays and I had to make the deadline. I do think it’s a good book, but with my second book I didn’t do anything else except write for six months. The book is also in several countries. When I found out the book was in India I was so shocked! You can even download it on your phone now. I’m on my third book right now.
AM: Do you have a title yet?
DW: It’s called ‘Running in Heals’ and it deals with a female entertainment reporter who is always running for something. She stumbles onto a story about a serial killer and she has become his target. I’m also writing an industry book called 'How I Survived Show Business Without Losing My Damn Mind.’
AM: That’s a book all of us in the business need!
DW: I plan on having my friends in the industry give me their take on it. Those are some projects I’m working on. The books are doing well.
AM: Are you selling more downloads than actual books these days?
DW: I’m with Random House and they send me quarterly statements and they are selling more e-books. I’m still old fashioned. I like to hold a book! Talk about technology...I don’t even have a kindle. I’m still fighting it. I know it’s crazy because the book cover just has models on it, but I like to look at the cover now and then and go that’s the character in the book! It’s fun stuff.
AM: Don, you started out as a singer but do you still have time to record?
DW: Do you know I’ve completed a whole CD and I have the masters and I have to make the time to get it out. I plan on doing a concert in January or February. A lot of folks who don’t know that I do that are going to wonder what I’m doing.
AM: But you started out as a singer in Philadelphia didn’t you?
DW: Yes and the east coast people know I sing. It’s still a love of mine and I need to get back to it. All I have to do is work on three of the songs and then just release it.
AM: You can just put it on I-tunes and amazon as a download.
DW: It upsets me that I have to release it as a download now. They still do CD’s but it’s much harder now. I think I’m going to release a single first of the old Bonnie Raitt song ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ because I love the song so much. It’s a beautiful song that says so much! I’m going to have to go back to some vocal training over the next few months. When you haven’t used your voice in a while the muscles get relaxed so I have to take care of that.
AM: You usually direct plays that you have written, but now in September you are directing a play that Scherrie Payne wrote.
DW: Scherrie is the fourth playwright I will have directed a play for. Her play is called ‘It Always Rains on Sunday’ and then I am directing another play by Stephen Slates called ‘Waiting On The Rain’ that are total different stories with rain in the title.
AM: Do you like directing another writer’s work?
DW: It’s fun but it’s different for me because I’m always doing my own things. Even though I am the director, when I am working with someone else’s work I want them to be involved enough that the characters and the play go where they want it to go without me stepping on their toes or them stepping on my toes. If they put you in the position of being the director they have to trust you enough to do that.
AM: What makes you decide to direct another writers work?
DW: When another writer has the passion and they have the good work, but they don’t have the way or someone to help them do it, you just reach out and you give back. You say, “Let me introduce you to another audience. Your play is good.” It’s wonderful when you have a writer who has as many scripts as Scherrie does and they are just sitting there. We want to get them out there. What better way than to have them introduced by someone who’s known for that, so it helps in that way.
AM: Are you happy doing what you do forever or do you still have some bigger goals?
DW: I have so many bigger goals. I am happy. One thing about me is that whether things are going great or not, I wake up every morning happy. Some people just don’t love themselves. I really love who I am. If you do that you can love others and have it be genuine and you can feel good about it. I’m in the middle of filming my second film 'Love Buddies’ right now and we are doing two more. I just want to keep expanding the whole Don B. Welch brand, so am I happy, Yes, I’m very happy!
Follow Don B. Welch on Twitter https://twitter.com/Theonlydonb
