It was 1983.
Reagan was President. Asteroids was king. MTV was still new. And, at the
Booth Theater, in the heart of the great white way, a young, up and coming
actor by the name of James Hayden was appearing on Broadway in David Mamet's
classic of deception and disloyalty, American Buffalo. The play starred
Al Pacino as Teach, J.J. Johnston as Don, and Hayden as the wayward drug
addict, Bobby. The production was scheduled for a limited seven week run.
Unfortunately, Hayden's run would be even shorter. Just six hours after
receiving a standing ovation for his performance, Hayden was found dead
in his upper west side apartment. The cause of death was an apparent drug
overdose. He was twenty-nine years old.
Sixteen years later, the short and tragic life of actor James Hayden inspired a new Off-Broadway show, Actor Found Dead.
The play starred Paul Gonçalves
(Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God), Andrew I. Mones,
and David B. Martin. It was written and directed by Charles Messina. The
executive producer was Adrienne DelPercio. Set design by Fred Sorrentino.
Lighting by Chris Allingham. Sound by Chris Boylan.
The screenplay for Actor Found Dead is currently in development. It is being written by Charles Messina and Barbara Hayden