Deborah Bostock-Kelley, Community Contributor

Deborah is a theatre reviewer for Broadway World, Creative Loafing Magazine, a reporter for Tampa Bay News and Lifestyles Magazine, Positive Impact Magazine, Watermark Magazine, and past newspaper reporter for Patch, Laker/Lutz News, and The Tampa Tribune with 20+ years in journalism and business copywriting. She is a twice-published author of a children’s early reader, The Alien and Me and Damaged Goods: Narrative Unendings from Inside My Heart and Mind. Deborah is also a multi-time playwright for Carrollwood Players Theatre, Powerstories Theatre, Tarpon Arts, and Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, and the scriptwriter for The Actor’s Clinic actor’s TV show.

Deborah was a 2019 recipient for Tampa Bay Theatre Festival’s inaugural Denise Deneen award for her work in theatre and 2017 Recipient of Theatre Tampa Bay’s Jeff Norton Dream Grant to produce and direct her original production with another educator, A Necessary Conversation at Straz Center for the Performing Arts’ TECO Theatre in January 2018. With a talkback with leaders in the community after the two-show performance, Moms Demand Action, Tampa received all ticket sales. A Necessary Conversation won Broadway World’s 2018 “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” Awards, winning over all community and professional theatre productions in Tampa. An expanded version was written following the Parkland shooting, performed in 2021, won Broadway World's 2021 Best Actor and Supporting Actor in a Stream. In summer 2019, she reached out to the community for true stories about breasts. She wrote Breast Advice, a show that workshopped to a standing-room-only audience in December 2019 and was called The Vagina Monologues for boobs. The Affirmations Project that works with breast cancer and domestic abuse survivors received a portion of the ticket sales. The full production has been submitted to the 2022 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival for competition in September.

In case that’s not enough, since February 2005, Deborah Kelley has owned and operated the perpetually five-star-rated The WriteOne Creative Services. The business is an independent PR and business copywriting service and comprehensive graphic and web design and web maintenance business that offers the talent and design/print capabilities of an agency, without the overhead expense.

Since 2014, Life Amplified, a variety showcase for grassroots charities and the philanthropic side of Deborah’s company, celebrated its 14th show and sixth year in 2020 on Zoom. Deb and Life Amplified have been honored by Bay News 9 Everyday Hero February 2016 and Fox13 Hometown Heroes May 2014. With 100% venue donation and talented volunteer performers, Life Amplified has helped fundraise and raise awareness about human trafficking, PSTD, military sexual trauma, bullying, to sexual violence prevention, and LGBTQ issues. www.lifeamplifiedshowcase.com

Deborah is about paying it forward – whether for her customers, her theatre patrons, or the many charities she supports and never gives less than 110%.