A Dwayne Finnegan Novel Series

ChicagoOnStage says: "Engling's satire on storefront theatre is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish." "Richard Engling knows Chicago's famously chaotic and glorious storefront theater scene like the back of his hand. It's the perfect setting for absurd comic hi-jinx." – Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune In this "rollicking ride through the underbelly of the acting world" (Midwest Book Review), Chicago director Dwayne Finnegan has a long shot at the big time and only two obstacles: himself and everyone he knows. Dwayne's got an idea of how to direct Shakespeare's least-favorite play that could set him on the road to Broadway. We're talking Bob Fosse choreography, Jimi Hendrix guitars, and the hottest cast in the city of Chicago. But when the show's producer cuts out with the cash, Dwayne decides to produce the show himself, putting his marriage and his meager finances at risk. What could go wrong? Give My Regards to Nowhere is a hilarious novel of love, lust, and life-threatening electrical shocks. It's "a scrappy, big-hearted backstage comedy layered with mordant wit and full of a deep, abiding love for its characters..." – Adam Langer, author of Cyclorama "Hilarious, witty, touching, intelligent, and spot-on... The characters pulse with life, conflict, tons of drama, and humanity. Entire chapters are laugh-out-loud funny..." – Nadeem Zaman, author of The Inheritors and Up in the Main House and Other Stories "...Give My Regards to Nowhere is a magic trick performed in plain view. The novel is comic, wise, and riveting. It gives us the theatrical world, but also the world of anyone who's ever struggled against the odds." – Liam Heneghan, author of Beasts at Bedtime "...Engling vividly captures the disparity between grand artistic ambition and what reality has to offer in this very funny, briskly written, and often touching book. Fans and inhabitants of Chicago's (or any city's) theater scene will feel right at home..." – Mark Larson, author of Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater "Without a doubt, the best examination of the theatre trade I've ever read. Insightful, satirical, painful, but joyous." – Darren Callahan, dramatist for the BBC and SyFy

"Richard Engling knows Chicago's famously chaotic and glorious storefront theater scene like the back of his hand. It's the perfect setting for absurd comic hi-jinx." – Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune In this hilarious follow-up to Give My Regards to Nowhere, Chicago director Dwayne Finnegan has another crack at the big time if only his production of Romeo and Juliet can shine. However, Dwayne shares rehearsal space with a psychedelic drug cult that believes Dwayne's production is evil. The cult sabotages him. His actors rebel. His publicist gets entangled with a loan shark. Bones are broken, the production drops into chaos, Dwayne's marriage hangs by a thread, but despite it all, the show must go on.   Praise for Romeo and Juliet Keep Their Eyes on the Prize   "Fans of Evanston writer Richard Engling's 2023 comic novel about Chicago theater, Give My Regards to Nowhere, will be delighted to learn he has written a follow-up. The rollicking sequel, Romeo and Juliet Keep Their Eyes on the Prize, lovingly pokes fun at the backstage world of squabbling actors, amateur wannabes, dilapidated stages, financial crises, and chaotic rehearsals that may or may not lead to theatrical magic. Engling knows this landscape well. He has a long history of acting, writing and directing in Chicago and was artistic director of Polarity Ensemble Theater for more than a decade in the early 2000s, launching new plays as well as fresh versions of classic works. He finds comic gold in some unlikely places." – Evanston RoundTable Praise for the first Dwayne Finnegan novel "As Carl Hiaasen does with his Florida-based satirical crime novels, Engling's gloriously silly narrative allows his readers to witness how the sausage gets made, which isn't always pretty but is often eye-opening. Engling's satire on storefront theatre is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish." – ChicagoOnStage "The chaotic shenanigans conceal a tightly constructed plot full of vivid dialogue that hones to comedy's fundamental principles: pleasure, surprise, folly, luck both good and bad, and a celebration of human ingenuity and resilience." – Evanston RoundTable "The rollicking ride through the underbelly of the acting world and the determination of a man who sees his world fall apart and come back together in a new way as the show goes on will attract anyone interested in drama, theater, Chicago backdrops, or a drive to succeed against all odds." – Midwest Book Review