Small-town stories inspire the writing of ‘The Sage of Charles City’

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

About five years ago, the urge to write plays hit Conrad Thompson like a bolt of lightning.

“That’s really what it was like,” he said. “It was all of the sudden. When I wrote the first one, I saw the next four in my mind’s eye.”

Those five plays turned into 10, which turned into 20, on so on.

“I like to say I found my calling,” he said.

Thompson, who writes under the pen name “Dugan,” said his 29th play is ready for a public reading.

The Charles City Arts Center will host an open reading of the play at 5 p.m. Friday. The play is entitled “Of Press Booth: The Stage Play of The Stage Play.” Thompson admits that the name might need some work.

“If we ever produce it, we’re probably going to have to do something with the title,” he said.

Thompson’s 28th play was called “Press Booth: The Stage Play.” Thompson had a local table reading for that play in December, and this new play shows what happened behind the scenes of that reading.

“It’s a stage play about how we did a stage play,” he said. “That’s essentially it.”

Thompson will read the four-act play himself, and will voice all of the characters. The public is welcome to attend, and although Thompson said he will listen to feedback, the reading is not meant to be a critique.

“I’ve never felt I’ve gotten much out of critiques,” he said. “Either you like the play or you don’t, and that’s all there is to it.”

Thompson has lived in Charles City for most of his life. He grew up here and went to school here.

“This is my home town,” he said.

Much of his work combines local and historical folklore to reflect on the unexpected challenges and enduring values in Iowa’s changing small towns. Thompson was featured on a recent episode of “Greetings from Iowa” on IPTV, entitled “The Sage of Charles City.”

He does a lot of his writing at the Charles City Public Library.

“I draw a script up by hand and then go over to the library and type it up,” said Thompson, who also plays guitar and wanted to be a musician for much of his life, before the playwriting bug bit him.

“I’m just blown away by the medium,” he said. “I wrote things all my life. I’ve got books of poetry, but when you write a stage play you’re in the center of all the arts. It all gravitates into a stage play. I saw that and thought ‘wow, I could actually write stories that could be put on a stage.’”

While writing plays is his passion, Thompson’s current day job is in housekeeping at the IOOF therapy center in Mason City, which he said he loves. His co-workers don’t know about his playwriting.

“I’ve kept it from them, but we’re getting to a point where maybe it would be OK if they found out,” he said. “What happens with my life now is all about writing, however any kind of worksite situation is to survive. I don’t personally view it as my job, I view it as a funding source.”

Thompson said that it’s all part of the circle of living as a “writer/artist.”

“The joy I have in writing transfers into whatever work I’m doing,” he said. “I see it as a part of the writing, and so life is kind of a circle. It’s whole.”

By looking at it that way, Thompson said, he is able to find an amount of fulfillment in everything he does.

“If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you lose,” he said.

Thompson said he always has hopes for production and perhaps even publication for every play he writes, but that isn’t necessarily the ultimate goal.

“I want to produce, certainly, but my philosophy is not about making lots of money — it’s about making product — and ultimately enjoying my existence and making a connection to it,” Thompson said.

So after the reading at the Arts Center Friday for his 29th play, “Dugan” will move on to the next one.

“The 30th play is in my pocket,” he said. “I’m still putting it together.”