V.P. Walling

Living carefree on the west coast, Michael has seemingly managed to outride the ups and downs of his youth -- until his father suddenly dies and he has to go home to Baltimore to reconcile his past and his future.

When two depressed loners run away together on an impulsive standup comedy tour, can they make it back without killing each other -- or themselves? "CELEBRATE & BEHAVE features two endearing and refreshingly flawed protagonists, and the script's effective humor is beautifully tempered by such dark elements as addiction, grief, and thoughts of suicide. The latter are presented with an arresting seriousness that lends the script an emotional punch, and both [lead characters'] respective catharses are well-earned. The script's humor works exceedingly well when at its subtlest, and throwaways demonstrate an intelligent and fun authorial sensibility. Even broader gags prove funny, and there is a measured consistency to the humor that is to be commended... CELEBRATE & BEHAVE remains a more than worthy project." (Black List Evaluation 2/8/16) "It's hard to explain, but somehow the writers make the lowbrow humor work, which is a testament to their talent, and is indicative of the way in which they weave a complex tale with both serious and funny elements." (Nicholl Fellowship evaluation, 2015)