Todd McGinnis playwright, screenwriter, script/story consultant
Todd McGinnis is a Master Storyteller. An award-winning Canadian playwright, author, actor, screenwriter,
script consultant and writing teacher his knowledge of all-things screen and storytelling is bolstered from
decades of study and professional work experience in almost every single aspect of film, television and
stage/theatrical production. In addition to his many screenplays as a writer-for-hire, Todd is the author of
more than two dozen full-length and one-act plays that have all been produced for traditional and alternative
venue theatrical production.
Todd’s theatrical plays and monologues are performed throughout the English-speaking world.
He has taught introductory screenwriting and storytelling for Raindance Canada, Focus UP and independently
for high schools and adult evening classes. He has also taught his more advanced Mastering Genre
Screenwriting courses and Introductions to his own Philosophy and Methodology for Story Creation and
Storytelling through these same venues.
The insights shared in his courses and his private script/story consultancy will soon be available in his
upcoming book “A Practical Guide to Story Creation and Storytelling for aspiring Screenwriters, Playwrights
and Novelists.” Though his particular passion is for writing Comedy or Genre Material (Horror, Thriller, Sci-
Fi), Todd is at home in working in any genre and has also scripted Romances, Farces, Historical, Drama,
Arthouse and more.
Notable achievements include:
Blur, the independent feature film he co-created and scripted for director George D’Amato won acceptances
and multiple nominations at multiple film festivals including – Cinequest, Manhattan Film Festival,
Raindance UK, Worldwide Berlin… etc., and took home a Best Film Award – Manhattan Film Festival.
Shelly, the short film he scripted for a 48 Hour Toronto Film Challenge, directed by Eric Johnson (Fifty
Shades Darker, The Knick) was nominated in all Best Film categories and took home the Audience Choice –
Best Movie Award. ( watch here )
His horror-comedy STAGE FRIGHT Or “LAUGH!?! I Thought I’d DIE!” is published and represented by is
published/ represented by Samuel French Inc. the world’s leading publisher of plays.
In 2014 MCA/UNIVERAL & The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) selected monologues from Todd’s
stage plays Thunderbolts and Dunderheads and Gone Fishin’ as the Official Qualifying Audition Pieces for
all Actors (male & female) competing for acceptance into the ABFF’s “STAR Project” program.
Todd’s stage farce Thunderbolts & Dunderheads won a Writer’s Digest 75 th Anniversary Award for Published
Comedy and in 2002 also took a Bloom Award for Best Original Stageplay.*
City of Brampton, Ontario selected Todd’s comedy Gone Fishin’ to inaugurate its First Annual NewWorks
Play Festival. On the strength of the overwhelmingly positive reception to Gone Fishin’…
Todd’s play Self-Help by Dummiez (co-authored with T. Gregory Argall) was selected to open the Second
Annual NewWorks
In 2012 Todd received an Arts Person of the Year Arts Acclaim Award from the Brampton Arts Council.
A production of his one act psychological stage thriller “Trammel the Cull” swept the 2002 BBDF One Act
Play Festival Awards.
The first draft feature screenplay adaptation of “Trammel the Cull” was a 2007 Scriptapalooza Quarter-
Finalist. (Top 3% worldwide) Now in development in L.A.
CLICK HERE for a detailed Biography
ACHIEVEMENTS – SCREEN:
BLUR
Official Festival Selection at…
Raindance FF – London
Cinequest FF – San Jose
Manhattan FF – New York
Blow-Up International Arthouse FF – Chicago
International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema – Berlin
Nominations for…
Best Feature Film
Best Cinematography
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
SHELLY (short)
Audience Choice Award, 2013 Toronto 48 Hour Film Challenge)
THE NEVER MAN (sci-fi feature)
(1st draft) Cinecoup Film Accelerator National Competition (Canada) Top 20
TRAMMEL THE CULL (thriller feature)
(1st draft) WildSound Screenplay Contest Finalist (1st Runner Up)
TRAMMEL THE CULL (thriller feature)
(1st draft) Worldwide Scriptapalooza Screenplay Contest Quarter-finalist (Top 3%)
ACHIEVEMENTS – STAGE:
“STAGE FRIGHT Or…”
published/agented by Samuel French/Baker’s Plays (soon to be under the umbrella for Concord Theatricals)
SELF-HELP BY DUMMIEZ (original title: Self-Help for Dummiez)
selected to open 2nd NewWorks Playwright’s Festival
GONE FISHIN’
selected to open/inaugurate 1st NewWorks Playwright’s Festival
TRAMMEL THE CULL
most awarded, BBDF One Act Play Festival
THUNDERBOLTS AND DUNDERHEADS
75th Annual Writer’s Digest Honorable Mention Best Stage Play
THUNDERBOLTS AND DUNDERHEADS
Bloom Award Winner 2001/2002 Outstanding Original Script
STAGE FRIGHT Or… “
Bloom Award Runner-up 2001/2002 Outstanding Original Script
Todd McGinnis’ catalogue of plays are rapidly becoming available for purchase in book form from Playing After Dark’s online and on-demand publication service at: http://www.lulu.com/playingafterdark
PRODUCED WORKS – HIGHLIGHTS & FIRSTS INCLUDE:
2010-2019 – too many productions/ too little time for website design & updates and to list them all. will update shortly
2009 – Thunderbolts and Dunderheads; debuts in the U.S. in Washington State by Redwood Theatre.
2009 – Point of Viewing; is produced by Calliope Sound Productions as part of their 10th Anniversary summer theatre festival series in August.
2008 – (Oct – Dec) Point of Viewing; produced by Stellar Productions.
2008 – (Feb – Mar) IN-SECURITY; An Alarmingly Romantic Comedy by McGinnis and Argall is premiered by Stellar Productions
2006 – (May) Thunderbolts and Dunderheads; produced by Streetsville Secondary School, the first High School production.
2005 – (July) Self-Help for Dummies; (remount of the original production by popular demand to open the Second NewWorks Theater Festival) produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Heritage Theatre (renamed “Self-Help By Dummiez” in 2010 for the benefit of the Owners of the “For Dummies” brand… who were apparently concerned that people might confuse a stage-play with a self-help manual)
2005 – Thunderbolts and Dunderheads; (an all-new production) produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Heritage Theatre
2004 – Self-Help for Dummies; (co-authored with T. Gregory Argall) produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Heritage Theatre
2004 – Gone Fishin’; produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. (remount of the original production, selected to inaugurate and open the First Annual NewWorks Playwright’s Festival) at Brampton’s Heritage Theatre
2003 – Knave of Hearts; produced by Kitchener/Waterloo Little Theatre
2003 – Point of Viewing; produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Cyril Clark Theatre.
2002 – Gone Fishin’; produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Cyril Clark Theatre.
2002 – Trammel the Cull (1 Act Play); Produced by Bramalea Live Theatre for their 2002 Backstage Bramalea Drama Festival. Winner of Best Technical Achievement, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress
2001 – Thunderbolts and Dunderheads; produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Cyril Clark Theatre. Winner of Bloom Award for Best Original Script.
2001 – “LAUGH?” I Thought I’d DIE!; produced by SLVS Productions at the Heritage Theatre.
2001- The King’s Affaire Parts I, II , III & IV and Camelot in Briefs; produced by Camelot Era Productions.
2001- Knave of Hearts; produced by Playing After Dark Ltd. at the Cyril Clark Theatre.
1999- King’s Feast; Human Chess Game and Royal Court shows, with John Lunman, produced by the
1999 Ontario Renaissance Festival
1998- Everybody Dies; a black comedy in one act, presented at the 1998 B.B.D.F. One Act Play Festival
1997- The Peel Hallowe’en Haunting ’97; co-authored with William Poulin, produced by the Brampton Arts Council.
1996- The Peel Hallowe’en Haunting; co-authored with William Poulin, produced by the Brampton Arts Council
1996 – Manuscript for Murder; produced by Brampton’s Interactive Murder Mysteries.