TOPHER PAYNE (Crumpet) arrived in Atlanta at age nineteen, and offered himself up for whatever local theatres needed somebody to do. This worked out quite well, so he just kept doing that. As an actor, favorite roles include a whole bunch of folks in ON THE VERGE (Georgia Ensemble), David Frost in FROST/NIXON (Springer Opera House) Julia Sugarbaker in DESIGNING WOMEN LIVE (Process Theatre), Vince in TAPE (Pinch n Ouch), King Ludwig in VALHALLA (Essential Theatre), and of course, two years of serving as a sidekick in THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Horizon Theatre.
As a playwright, Topher is a two-time Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award winner, and was the recipient of the 2016 Suzi Bass Award for Best World Premiere. This year, readers of Creative Loafing named him Best Local Playwright for the seventh time. Topher was a 2017 Lambda Literary Award nominee for PERFECT ARRANGEMENT, which played Off-Broadway in 2015 and can be seen this season in Atlanta at Theatrical Outfit. His most recent work, MORNINGSIDE, premieres this season at Georgia Ensemble Theatre.
Topher’s third screenplay for The Hallmark Channel, the holiday romance A GIFT TO REMEMBER, airs throughout December. His book, FUNNY STORY: THE INCOMPLETE WORKS OF TOPHER PAYNE, is available on Audible and iTunes. Topher is a proud member of The Writer’s Guild of America and The Dramatist’s Guild, and is represented by The Gersh Agency. He lives in Cabbagetown with his three favorite creatures in the whole world: Daniel, Daisy, and Fred.