Link to video of the original 1991 production.

Hello, I'm Michael Oaks, an actor based in Seattle, Washington.

Thirty years ago, I wrote a one-man show called "Nomads," describing my life growing up in the back seat of a car during 15 cross-country moves my family made for my father's work with Boeing.

The show consisted of five narrative sections entitled "Auto-Biography: My Life from the Back Seat," using 200 family slides that were taken on those road trips. These segments were interspersed with five character monologues related to travel and life's journeys.

I self-produced the show and ran it for three weekends to critical acclaim. I raised enough money to fund my move to New York the following year.

I was very proud of this freshman effort, but I always felt I had more to say about the psychological and social impact all those moves made in my formative years.

I also felt I could have delved deeper into the family dynamic, in particular my relationship with my father. He was still alive at the time and I feared saying too much would have negative ramifications on our already rocky relationship.

All these years later, I have much more life experience, several more road trips, greater insight into what made my dad tick, and with his passing, greater liberty to speak the truth.

So I want to revisit that story, probably deleting the character monologues in order to focus on the family's story.

I've found a seven-day writer's workshop taking place in 2025 which I'd like to attend so that I can focus on reworking that script. The cost of the workshop for 2025 has not yet been announced, but the 2024 total cost was $2,200, which included food, lodging, and tuition.

I currently work for a non-profit and can't afford that much money. I also anticipate an increase in the cost next year and am setting a fundraising goal of $3,000, but would be grateful to raise any amount.

If you are able to contribute to the cause, no amount is too small, and I will be eternally grateful! I will also invite you to any early workshop readings and will keep you informed of any potential full productions of the finished script.