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Oct 1, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 64: Erin Courtney


Photo by Peter Bellamy   (Check out his upcoming book of photographs of playwrights!)

Erin Courtney

Hometown: Hermosa Beach, California

Current Town: Brooklyn, NY

Q: Tell me about what you're presenting at the Prelude festival.

A: I am presenting a reading of a new play called A MAP OF VIRTUE. Ken Rus Schmoll is directing. A Map of Virtue is a symmetrical play in which a bird statue guides us through a story of coincidence, tragedy and friendship. Part interview, part comedy, part strange middle of the night horror, a group of friends encounter evil and dissect their own responses to it. We have a great cast - Maria Striar, Matthew Dellapina, Birgit Huppoch, Matt Maher, Benton Greene, Matt Korahais and Normandy Sherwood.

Q: What else are you working on?

A: I will have a ten minute play in the Fall at the Flea Theater. The collection of short plays is called THE GREAT RECESSION. My piece is called "severed" and I am a big fan of all the other writers in the project - Thomas Bradshaw, Sheila Callaghan. Will Eno, Itamar Moses and Adam Rapp.

Ken Rus Schmoll and I are looking for a producer or a space to do a run of Black Cat Lost, which is a sort of an "entertainment" about mourning.

Q: Like me, you're married to another playwright. (The wonderful Scott Adkins) Would you suggest playwrights marry playwrights?

A: All playwrights should marry playwrights, but if you can't find a suitable playwright to marry then you should marry a very patient, generous and creative soul who appreciates your need to compulsively go see theater and write at odd hours and spend many hours at rehearsals.

Q: Can you tell me about teaching at Brooklyn College?

A: Teaching at Brooklyn College is something I am extremely grateful for. The genius of Mac Wellman continues to inspire me every day. He is a great mentor as a teacher and a playwright. Also, Mac chooses amazing grad students who are incredibly smart and courageous in their quest for finding new ways to make theater. So, it's a great job because I am continually learning and I never, ever take for granted that there is only way one to think about and make theater. It is an astounding community of artists.

Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A: Write, Dream, Write down your dream when you wake up, go see great and bad and good theater, be nice to other playwrights and actors and directors, listen to good ideas, let yourself fall in love with your own plays, support your friends.

Link to Prelude: www.prelude.nyc.org

2 comments:

Eric Pfeffinger said...

Good stuff, Adam! O how I love Demon Baby.

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