My Bio - by Shirley Mitchell

I have just handed over my first musical play to the Community Theater of Howell. I have been working on it for four years. We had auditions this past week, picking a cast of red-hot actors to bring this story to life. I feel very unemployed at the moment but something seems to be taking shape below the surface so I’ll wait and see what comes up.

I come from a creative family, five sisters and two brothers. You would be correct in your assumptions concerning our religious affinity. As a group we write, paint, watercolor, sew, teach yoga, knit, grow gardens, can food, teach art, design landscaping, bake breads, train horses, and ask our sister, the lawyer, about all things legal.

If it sounds like I’m bragging about my family, I can’t help it. We have encouraged each other, created together, and yes, there has been a bit of competitiveness. But that helps one grow as well.

 Writing has always been a love of mine. I’ve not been passionately devoted to it, but I have written consistently throughout my life. I wrote lyrics for country songs for a year with my folk singing husband, later turned comedian. I’ve written children’s stories, articles, kept journals, then one day after my second child left home, I got this idea to write a musical play. I don’t know why I thought I could do it. Mainly, not asking anyone if they thought I could, was key to jumping in and doing it. I spent a year writing twenty songs-there are seventeen in the play-and beating my husband with a big stick to come up with the music. {He will freely admit to this.} He is an incredible musician and I am lucky to have his music.

The play is pure fantasy based in real life situations. The characters have taken on their own personalities and speak their own minds. Most of the time, I just went along for the ride. Now, in a few months I will be able to see what it all looks like. That will be a thrill.

I have been surrounded by wonderfully talented people throughout this project. This play can’t help but be successful because of it. I believe it will enchant, delight and entertain people for many years to come. I am grateful for everyone’s help and now may it be released to the universe. 

About Heywood Banks - composer of Swamp Opera (Click here to visit Heywood Banks' site)

Heywood Banks is simply one-of-a-kind, almost impossible to describe, with a style his very own. Equal parts genius and buffoon, this songwriter-comic-singer-poet-musician has become a cult hero and a pop icon, with a show that appeals to college students, stoners, businessmen, yuppies, rednecks, punks, kids or your grandmother.

Heywood intersperses his humorous observations of life with twisted, inventive, bizarre songs, sung and played in a variety of styles, from folk, to country to rock to pop, and way beyond.

You have to be pretty smart to get Heywood at his deepest level (he demands a high level of pop culture literacy), but you can also enjoy him just for his vocal style impersonations, expert musicianship and just plain silliness. But why trust our opinions? Click here and see for yourself.

Heywood has been featured in "Rolling Stone Magazine" and "People Magazine." He won First Place in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search Contest.

Heywood Banks has appeared on A&E's "Evening at the Improv," MTV's "1/2 Hour Comedy Hour," CNN's "Hollywood Minute," "Caroline's Comedy Hour," "Entertainment Tonight," "Showtime Comedy Club Network," "Dr. Demento Show," "12th Annual HBO Young Comedians Special with Paul Rodriguez" and is a frequent guest on the national Bob and Tom radio show.

Stuart Mitchell, the creator of Heywood Banks, tells us that his character was born on a mountaintop in Tennessee and lived for many many years in a log trailer. Heywood's biological parents, Hank and Heyena Banks were killed in a freak revolving restaurant accident back in the sixties - someone had hit the Puree Button by mistake...grisly! Eventually raised by mathematical parents, Heywood was working in a Kroger bagging groceries when he was hit in the head with a can of lunchmeat, giving him spamnesia. This caused him problems for years as he became afraid of the dark, but couldn't sleep with the light on. "Did that ever happen to you???"