Heidi Darchuk
Hometown: Issaquah, WA
Current Town: Los Angeles, CA
Q: Tell me about Hotel Bardot going up soon in LA.
A: It's about the bardo, as a sort of afterlife hotel. The other Bardot looms (Brigitte). Kind of a dark comedy. There are rats.
Q: What else are you working on?
A: I'm working on a short play about the Alamo and a longer play, The Wrights, based on a case study from Laing's Sanity, Madness, and the Family.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A; My parents had a theatre and once a year we would do these musical revues for people in nursing homes and community centers in outlying areas. Just bringing that energy to people had a transformative quality that I am just beginning to understand.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
I wish it was easier to get people to come see shows in Los Angeles. People have been sort of damaged from the theatre of obligation-- like seeing their friend's showcase, and then they're afraid to go to something good. There are some great theatre artists here, but you have to have your ear to the ground to find them.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: Maria Irene Fornes, Caryl Churchill, Harold Pinter, The Suzuki Company of Toga, SITI Company, Wooster Group, my parents.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: I like performance art with strong texts. People taking risks. And lately, sincerity excites me.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: Organize with your people. Write and read. Make stuff. Hold each other accountable.
Q: Plugs, please:
A: Hotel Bardot ( a workshop production) May 1st and 2nd in Los Angeles.
http://www.lastwest.com/HotelBardot/
Also coming in June a group show at the Odyssey in Los Angeles, an evening of plays about the Alamo.
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