a life, written for performance
By R. Ray Barnes · Emmy-winning writer & producer
writer · producer,
music producer · songwriter
about the writer
R. Ray Barnes is an Emmy-winning writer and producer whose work moves between the screenplay, the stage play, and the screen — a storyteller shaped by forty-five years in the recording studio and a lifetime of American stories behind him.
A 2019 Michigan Regional Emmy winner for Left Behind in Vietnam, R. Ray Barnes has spent over forty-five years as a music producer and songwriter ⎯ collaborating with his 3-time Grammy Award winning partner, Tony Coleman, they have worked with major recording artists the likes of Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, James Ingram, Aretha Franklin, The Pointer Sisters, Lee Greenwood, Rita Coolidge and many others. He is the author of Queen Pin: The Story of Yvonne Barnes and the Motown Records Bowlerettes, a tribute to his mother who was known as “the Rosa Parks of bowling,” and to the other extraordinary women who comprised their championship team — and the producer of its screen adaptation. Beyond writing and music, he created the biblical board game Resurrection: The Life Of Christ, and authored screenplays, stage plays and the animated proposed feature, The Adventures of Rapman & Homeboy and the Hip-Hop Posse.
This is the home of his work for stage and screen — the scripts, the treatments, and the projects in development, available to producers, directors, theaters, and studios who want to bring the next one to life.
— on to the next story
a picture's worth a thousand words
Before the next script there was the work already recognized by his peers — on the screen, and across a generation of song.
Hall of Recognition
Winner · 2019
Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Michigan Chapter, for Interview/Discussion — Left Behind in Vietnam. Produced by R. Ray Barnes with iMichigan Productions and Peaceful Warriors Foundation.
Hall of Recognition
Winner
Presented to R. Ray Barnes for Outstanding Television or Cable Program, honoring distinguished creative work across screen, song, and the written word.
forty-five years in the studio
As music producers and songwriters, he and Tony Coleman have shared stages and sessions with the generation of legends named here and many more ⎯
Also profiled in the “Spotlight on Ray” press feature.
scripts · screen · stage
The scripts, treatments, and produced work of R. Ray Barnes — available to producers, directors, theaters, and studios. Filter by format, or request a script directly.
Book & Screen
The Rosa Parks of bowling, on the page and the screen.
The true story of Yvonne Barnes and the Motown Records Bowlerettes — the first all-Black female pro bowling team to win first place in the highest-scoring all-white league in the United States.
Adapted from the author's book of the same name, Queen Pin is the screen telling of his mother's life: a tribute to the woman called the “Rosa Parks of bowling,” to the championship team she built, and to an era that moved to its own rhythm. Produced by R. Ray Barnes — watch the official trailer below.
Documentary
The Emmy-winning interview that gave veterans their say.
A long-form interview and discussion program honoring the voices of Vietnam veterans too long left out of the conversation.
Produced by R. Ray Barnes with iMichigan Productions and the Peaceful Warriors Foundation, Left Behind in Vietnam earned the 2019 Michigan Regional Emmy for Interview/Discussion — recognition from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Michigan Chapter.
Animated Feature
A proposed animated feature for a new generation.
An animated proposed feature following Rapman, Homeboy, and their Hip-Hop Posse — a original-music-driven adventure written for the screen.
One of the author's long-gestating screen works: an animated feature proposal pairing original characters with the musical sensibility he built over forty-five years in the industry. Concept, treatment, and sample sequences available to qualified production partners on request.
Board Game
A biblical board game built for the whole family.
A tabletop journey through the life of Christ — the author's original biblical board game, designed for play and reflection.
Beyond writing and music, R. Ray Barnes created Resurrection: The Life Of Christ, an original biblical board game. The work demonstrates the same storytelling instinct that drives his scripts — a narrative made interactive.
the career
From the first studio sessions to the Emmy and beyond — every chapter of
R. Ray Barnes's career as a writer and producer.
A music production and songwriting career spanning more than forty-five years — built in the studio with three-time Grammy winner Tony Coleman, alongside Stevie Wonder, Mary Wilson, James Ingram, Lee Greenwood, The Pointer Sisters, and many more.
Left Behind in Vietnam — produced with iMichigan Productions and the Peaceful Warriors Foundation — wins the Michigan Regional Emmy for Interview/Discussion.
Honored with the 36th Annual Eclipse Award for Outstanding Television or Cable Program — recognition across screen, song, and the written word.
Queen Pin is published and adapted for the screen; the proposed animated feature The Adventures of Rapman & Homeboy and the Hip-Hop Posse is in development. Additional script and stage titles will be added as they are confirmed.
the process
Every project begins with a story only this writer can tell — drawn from a life in studios, on sets, and inside the American family.
A screenplay, a stage play, a treatment, a trailer. Each form is shaped to its medium — built to be performed, produced, and felt.
From page to production: R. Ray Barnes Productions works with producers, directors, theaters, and studios to bring the work to audiences.
official trailer
Produced by R. Ray Barnes himself, this short film opens the door to Queen Pin: The Story of Yvonne Barnes & The Motown Records Bowlerettes — the true story of his mother, the woman called the “Rosa Parks of bowling,” and the all-Black female team that triumphed inside a divided America.
The book became the screen adaptation. Watch the trailer here, then inquire about the next project in development.
Now Playing
Queen Pin · Official Trailer
A Queen Pin video promotion by R. Ray Barnes Productions.
request a script
For producers, directors, theaters, studios, and development executives — request perusal scripts, treatments, or a conversation about works in development.
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coming attractions
This is the home of R. Ray Barnes's work for stage and screen. For his five-volume poetry collection and his other books — visit the companion site.