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1100 Playwright Interviews

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Aug 21, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 40: Steve Patterson

Steve Patterson

Hometown: Spokane, Washington.

Current Town: Portland, Oregon.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: Of late, I’ve been playing with twisting “genres.” Last year, I wrote “Bluer Than Midnight,” which took film noir conventions into the afterlife (and the Mississippi Delta blues country), and I’m currently revising “The Rewrite Man,” which overlays the spy genre with sort of Phillip K. Dick questions about paranoia and reality. Good times.

 Q: Everyone says that Portland is the greatest place to live in the world. Is this true? How long have you been there?

A: I’ve been here since 1989. Christ, that’s 20 years, isn’t it? Doesn’t seem that long. When I left the Northwest for New York in 1982, Portland seemed like this kind of weird, dark, alcoholic town; when I came back at the end of the decade, it had transformed into a sparkly boho paradise. Currently, we’re really suffering from the recession—unemployment’s quite high—but, if you’ve got work, it’s pleasant. Everything’s moderate: temperatures, prices, traffic, crime. It’s very easy to get around. Gardens bloom from March to November. We’re rotten with parks, coffee shops, book stores, and indie bands. And the library system’s one of the best in the country. Plus, as you might have heard, it rains a bit here, which is conducive to staying inside and writing.

Q: What is the theater scene like in Portland. If I moved there tomorrow what theaters or shows would you recommend I check out?

A: It’s really quite remarkable. Although we have only two Equity houses—Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre—we have some 100 theatre companies. Not all of them produce consistently, most produce now and then, but that’s still pretty amazing for a mid-sized city. Right now, Third Rail Theatre’s probably the most universally respected house in town, but Vertigo Theatre, Miracle Theatre Company, and defunkt theatre all have consistently interesting seasons. Portland Playhouse is a new company making waves, doing some new plays. FUSE also does new plays, and the terrific Portland Theatre Works specializes in readings and development of new work. There’s also a…hmm. For now, let’s just say there’s a new theatre company in development, and, once it launches, it may be very important to Portland’s new play scene. Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival is still kind of the Big Kahuna of new play development in town and pulls in some pretty major names from around the country. I was fortunate enough to have a play featured there in 2006 (“Lost Wavelengths”), and the experience was just way too much fun.

Q: I loved your post about learning the guitar over the last year. ( http://splattworks.blogspot.com/2009/08/365-days-of-being-experienced.html ) I especially was interested in the part about the learning curve. Can you talk a little about the learning curve as it relates to playwriting for you?

A: Playing barre chords is almost as hard as plotting. I’d already put in a good ten years writing fiction and journalism before I kind of fell backward into writing plays; so it didn’t seem too hard at first. It was only after I began to learn more about it that I found out how difficult it is to do well. I guess there’s a loose analogy there in that I played piano and organ as a kid, then gave it up, and guitar put music back in my hands. But guitar, frankly, has seemed hard from the beginning, and, like playwriting, every time you think you’ve achieved a certain mastery, you find there’s so many more steps to climb. They’re both terrifically fun…but not every time you sit down to write or play.

Q: Besides being a playwright, you are also a photographer. Are there similarities for you between these two kinds of art or are they wholly different kinds of creation?

A: No matter how quickly you write—and I’ve been known to write quickly when it’s hot—playwriting is a slow process, with the story revealing itself at its own pace, whereas photography occurs in the moment. You’re there, you see it, you own it. (Unless you’re shooting a studio still life or building images in Photoshop.) I do think many good pictures have their own narrative, though. It may be elliptic, compressed, and a little mysterious, but there’s a story there. And just as you learn where to start and end a scene on stage, you have to know how much (or how little) to show in a photograph. I spent a couple years shooting theatre rehearsals in black and white because the results reminded me of movie stills and seemed to tell their own stories independently of the plays being rehearsed. Henri Cartier-Bresson told short stories as well as Raymond Carver.

Q: Tell me a story about your childhood that explains who you are as a person or a playwright.

A: I grew up in the rural Pacific Northwest, had chickens, ducks, horses—all that. And I was an only child, so I spent a lot of time alone with my imagination. One time, I was busy spreading hay in the horse stalls, and I looked up to see my uncle curiously watching me. Apparently, I’d been lost in some internal narrative and unconsciously doing all the characters’ voices aloud. My uncle thought I was talking to someone. When he realized I was alone, he kind of lowered his chin and asked: “And who did you think you were talking to?” At the time, I was mortified, but it seems funny and natural now.

Q: What kind of theater excites you?

A: Dark, twisted weird stuff that plays inside your head as well as on stage. Stories and images that haunt. Plays willing to take chances, trash the narrative, or thwart your expectations to find a deeper truth. As much as I admire the genius of “King Lear” and “Death of a Salesman,” I probably consider “Waiting for Godot” the closest thing there is to a perfect play…and nothing happens. On purpose. Of course, I also appreciate good acting, directing, and designing. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some very talented people, and I’ve come to appreciate how terribly difficult their work can be. One of the sad facts about working in theatre long enough is that you end up going to a play, buy your ticket, get settled in your chair…and then look up to check out the lighting rig before you open your program.

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

A: Besides the obvious—read plays and go to the theatre—I’d say listen for the character’s voice. Just like actual people, characters all have their own idiosyncratic way of speaking that reflects their thought patterns, upbringing, geography. If you can channel that, you can often find a story just by asking: why does this person talk this way? And if your characters all sound the same, you need to get to know them better. That and if you find a theatre in your town that does work you like, hang out after the show, introduce yourself, see if they need help—theatres always need more help. Even if you end up distributing posters or doing box office, it introduces you to some interesting people you might end up collaborating with. Finally, have a Plan B for paying the bills.

Update: You can get one of Steve's plays here.

Aug 20, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 39: Erin Browne

Erin Browne

Hometown: Southern California and Michigan- including but not limited to San Diego, El Centro, Palm Springs, Indio, and Dearborn

Current Town: Brooklyn, NY

Q: Tell me about your radio play and the award you just won with it.

A: It's actually a play I wrote as a stage play called Trying in a flurry of about 3 days. My family had just been staying at my apartment for Christmas and after they left I had 3 quiet alone days before going back to work. I just started writing and didn't stop until the play was almost done. I was remembering this girl I knew when I was 7 years old, who had a belt buckle scar on her forehead and wondered what had happened to her after my mom and I moved out of town. I was hoping she'd found happiness, support, and love. Part of moving so much as a kid meant that I knew a lot of people and was part of their lives for a short period of time, so I can make up any future I want for them. This was pre-Facebook and email. I could probably find them now if I thought they had computers. This is a play about a girl with scars she doesn’t really want to talk about and family, whatever that happens to mean. Anyway, after writing it - I worked through it scene by scene with some amazing actors and directors at Flux Sundays (with Flux Theater Ensemble) who really illuminated the humor and innocence of the play and made me excited about it. http://fluxtheatreensemble.blogspot.com/2008/02/trying-by-erin-browne.html After that there was a reading in Actor/Producer Jody Christopherson’s living room with a small group – then a more public reading at the Saltbox Theatre in Katonah. http://saltboxtheatre.org/ Basically, on a whim – I submitted it to the BBC Worldservice Radio Play Contest as is. My “A Meth Play” had been a finalist last time around – and so figured it was worth a try. I was really, really shocked when “Trying” won because to me it feels so small and specific. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specialreports/radioplay_2008.shtml I guess I don’t really think I know what a radio play is since we don’t have radio drama here in the same way they do in the UK. But I’m excited to see what it is and learn more about it. I’ve gotten notes from the producer that suggested nods and smiles might be changed to something more verbal – so I’ve been working on that. It will be taped in mid-October with an airdate sometime in November.

Q: And then after the taping, there's going to be a reading coming up too of that play, right, in nyc?

A: There’s going to be a reading of the play, in it’s original stage version, Monday Sept 28th at the East 13th Street Theatre with the hopes of a production sometime in February of next year. Jody Christopherson has been working really hard to make it happen and I’m getting pretty excited about the chance to see it eventually on its feet. It will be my first produced full-length play.

Q: Have you written many radio plays? Do you find them easier or harder than normal plays?

A: I guess I’ve never technically written a radio play before. I’ve written a few plays that could work on radio maybe (although it’s still hard for me to imagine how the setting and action plays out without any real examples but I’ll soon find out). I do think I write plays that have a lot of low-key overheard type conversations that reference physical action without needing it to tell a story. I love to listening to people, mimicking their dialect and cadences– I think that’s pretty typical playwright stuff -so it doesn’t take much to cross over into radio.

 Q: What are you working on next?

A: Mmmm good question, I’m at a point where I’m not quite sure. I’m headed to the Flux Retreat at Little Pond with something that’s currently called Crimes that builds off my experiences in my day job (I’m working on the A&E series The First 48, on the update show called After the First 48) and tangentially on the Strindberg play There Are Crimes and Crimes which I love. But I’m at a beginning point where I’m not sure if it’s going to take flight or go anywhere or be worth anyone’s time. I’m also hoping to organize a reading of a really dense play called Return that I finished a draft of a while back.

Q: You're a couple years out of a Columbia MFA. How was that for you? Was Eduardo still there when you were there? I'm still in a great deal of debt from that program.

A: I forgot that you went there too! Eduardo was still there when I was there. Hmmm, Eduardo. I can’t say that we really connected as teacher/student but that’s okay because I connected with other teachers and collaborators and friends – and I still think grad school was one of the most valuable experiences in my life. Just like not every play is for everyone – every teacher is not for everyone. I think it’s really important to know that when you’re studying the arts anywhere, that not every teacher’s word is gospel. Yeah, debt is really lame. I feel like I escaped a bigger portion of that because I was working full time while going to school – plus a fellowship job my 2nd year – and then turned in my thesis early and graduated early to avoid some 3rd year costs. But I also think about what I missed being sleep deprived and delirious through the whole thing… I guess the point for me is that if you want to go to grad school or undergrad or any kind of school and you don’t think you have the money – you can do it – there are always ways. Which is kind of another theme in Trying. Debt is lame but sometimes it’s worth it. It was worth it for me, I hope it was worth it for you.

 Q: What kind of theater excites you?

A: A lot of different kinds of theater, and it changes all the time. I like abstraction when it works because I don’t write like that anymore. I like theater that pushes boundaries and mixes media. I love plays mixed with dance – which was exciting to me about Pretty Theft. I really dig dance and it’s ability to be enormous and emotive and beautiful and epic. I like smart theater for children and teens. I like theater for adults that uses the magical and stretches logic in the same way those plays do. Pretty much the roster of Under the Radar at the Public makes it one of my favorite times of year. I absolutely always see any show I can directed by Anne Bogart or Robert Wilson. I’m totally obsessed with Brecht and Ibsen (especially Brand and Peer Gynt). I’m excited to see the remounting of Killers and Other Family by Lucy Thurber at the Rattlestick this Fall.

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

A: Write, write, write. Don’t worry if something’s good – just finish it. Find a group of friends who will read your stuff back to you without judgment (you’ll probably judge yourself enough). Find directors you connect with and adventurous actors who will take risks with you.

Q: Any other plugs?

 A: I have a non-theater related plug. I’ve been volunteering at an Ali Forney Center apartment for the last half year www.aliforneycenter.org And it really makes my Wednesdays something I look forward to every week. I want to plug volunteering and donating to theater and non-theater related charities if you can because I know they are really hurting right now. NY Cares is a great way to be involved when you’re a busy New Yorker trying to work a day job and be artistic and have a life. And keep your eyes on Flux Theater Ensemble because I don’t know about your experience but in my experience is they are really the most awesomest awesome group of people.

Aug 19, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 38: Annie Baker

Annie Baker

Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts

Current Town: Brooklyn, NY

Q: You have two Off Broadway shows going up this coming season. Very exciting! Can you tell me a little about the plays and who is involved? I heard one of these at Ars Nova, didn't I?

A: So my play CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION (which we did read in the Ars Nova Play Group) is going up at Playwrights Horizons this October, and my play THE ALIENS is going up at the Rattlestick in the spring. Both plays will be directed by the mad genius Sam Gold. CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION is about five people doing Creative Drama exercises in a windowless room in Vermont, and my cast is incredible: Didi O’Connell, Reed Birney, Heidi Schreck, Peter Friedman, and Tracee Chimo. I wanted all of these people to be in the play very badly, and so far none of them have dropped out, thank god. THE ALIENS is about three dudes who are sitting outside a coffee shop in, big surprise, Vermont. It’s the first time I’ve ever written music into my play—two of the characters break into song every once in a while. I’ve always been interested in writing a naturalistic play with music, because where I grew up dudes sitting outside coffee shops really did just break into song every once in a while. The music in THE ALIENS is by Michael Chernus and Patch Darragh, who are allowing me to use these wonderful trippy songs they wrote ten years ago when they were out-of-work actors living in Greenpoint. Both plays are also explorations of my two long-time obsessions: silence and stillness. During one scene in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION the stage is completely empty for like thirty seconds. THE ALIENS is only 71 pages long, but I’m hoping it’ll be like a two-hour play after we put the pauses in.

Q: What are you working on next?

A: I’m just starting work on two new plays. I haven’t totally figured them out yet, but in one the audience will be forced to hear a middle-aged man recite the same poem over and over again. The other takes place in a bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the audience will be forced to hear the elderly woman who runs the bed and breakfast tell the same boring story over and over again. I guess my third long-time obsession is repetition.
 
Q: Who are your heroes?

A: Chekhov. Chekhov. Chekhov. Chekhov.

Q: How did you come to start writing plays?

A: I started writing plays, sort of, in fifth grade, because of this weird perverse game my friends and I would play after school. It was called The Jewish Game. We all must have been super-confused about our Jewish identities, because the game involved simultaneously running away from the Pharaoh, hiding in the basement while Cossacks rode through town, and screaming and weeping while Nazis separated us into two lines. I grew up in a small town, so there were lots of barns and trees to crouch behind and lots of berries to ration while we were fleeing our various oppressors. I played Rifka, the slutty 17-year-old daughter who was always running off into the forest to make out with her burly bearded woodcutter boyfriend, Schmuel. So I would spend hours writing these passionate romantic scenes for Rifka and Schmuel. Then I would go stand by myself in the middle of a meadow and whisper both parts to myself while my best friend Molly, who played my Papa, would yell “RIFKA! RIFKA! GET BACK HERE! NIGHT IS FALLING!” from the edge of the forest.

Q: Tell me a story about your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A: See above.

Q: What kind of theater excites you?

A: I’m reading this amazing book by Susan Howe about Emily Dickinson, who also grew up in Amherst, and at one point Howe says that Dickinson “audaciously invented a new grammar grounded in humiliation and hesitation.” And I think that describes the kind of theater that excites me. I really loved Nature Theater of Oklahoma’s NO DICE. I really loved Richard Maxwell’s THE END OF REALITY. I really loved Young Jean Lee's PULLMAN, WA. I really loved Caryl Churchill’s A NUMBER. And I really love seeing Chekhov performed. For years Brian Mertes and Melissa Kievman staged a Chekhov play at their house every summer and it was consistently some of the best theater I’ve ever seen. A million times better than those horrible, horrible, stodgy, expensive British productions of Chekhov.

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

A: Oh boy. It’s rough. Don’t give up. Don’t love everything you write, be hard on yourself, but don’t become so crippled by self-hatred that you can’t finish a draft. Apply to everything—every writers group in New York, every developmental festival in the country. If you’re interested in grad school and you like weird plays, go study with Mac Wellman at Brooklyn College. He is one of the smartest and most generous people on the planet. And maybe this is me being a curmudgeon, but I think way too many New York theater people just see plays and watch movies and TV and don't read novels or poetry or philosophy or try to learn about history. A lot of young playwrights are weirdly anti-intellectual. That pisses me off, man. And I think you can see that reflected in all of the boring paint-by-numbers theater out there. So I guess I also recommend reading lots of books that have nothing to do with theater/film/TV (which is not to say that I think plays should be written for an audience full of intellectuals; quite the opposite. That kind of play makes me want to die).

Aug 14, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 37: Crystal Skillman

Crystal Skillman

Hometown: Born in San Diego but mostly grew up in Wappingers Falls, Upstate NY

Current Town: Brooklyn!

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m currently writing my new play Hack which will debut in the Vampire Cowboy's Saloon Series kicking off Sept. 12th. It's about how three hackers, who all work on the same I.T. team, are forced to pull an all nighter at their big shot company to fight a virus but things get personal when they discover it must have been planted by one of them. I actually just started writing it at the Voice & Vision Theater’s Envision retreat up at Bard this summer. It asks what's more important in these troubled economic times - keeping your job, friends or challenging the system and ultimately climaxes into a kinda showdown of the Good, the Bad and the Geek. When I was asked to be a part of the Saloon Series with the other amazing writers (Dustin Chinn, James Comtois, Brent Cox, Jeff Lewonczyk, Mac Rogers) I thought this idea would be a perfect “serialized play” as the work is shown "episodically" one Saturday a month at Battle Ranch from September to January. It’ll be directed by John Hurley who I’m excited to work with. Also the recent workshops of The Sleeping World (Rattlestick, Side Project in Chicago, MCC Theatre Playwrights Coalition), which is about four playwrights who come together to read their dead friend’s play, have been incredible. I’m on the verge of finishing the next draft that is really exciting.

Q: Can you talk about your musical? What's going on with that?

 A: That’s Andy, about a boy who wants to play Annie, is a musical that I'm working on book/lyrics for with the creative team (Kevin Carter, Bobby Cronin). It's a terrific piece that was conceived by Bobby who brought us together. We've all learned a lot working on the piece over the years and something recently just clicked - there's something about where we all are now creatively that is resulting in some of the best work we've ever done in our development of it this summer. Whole new opening and direction that’s rocking my world. Kevin Carter’s kick booty score blows me away. Like Daniel Goldfarb just expressed in your interview with him – seeing a song or a musical moment come to life that you were a part of is really thrilling. It’s some of the hardest work you’ll ever do because ultimately you’re working hard to create something to exist effortless on all three levels – book, lyrics & music – yikes! - but it can reach people emotionally in a whole new way. And what I’ve always loved about this musical is how it's so unpredictable and fun but asks tough questions about the times we live in. It also features a chain smoking Mary Martin dressed as Peter Pan – and what is there not to like about that? I'm happy to say it'll be directed by Clayton Phillips in a workshop at the York Oct. 6th at 3 PM. It’ll feature a slew of awesome talent including Beth Leavel and Lauren Kennedy.

 Q: You've worked with Rising Phoenix a bunch. Can you talk about the plays you did at Jimmy's No. 43 and your collaboration with Daniel?

 A: If you've met Daniel Talbott, you know he's awesome. If you haven't, then you'll meet him at some point and think - oh, he's awesome! I was lucky to work with Daniel, Artistic Director of Rising Phoenix Rep, as he directed my "ghost story" plays The Telling Trilogy a few years ago which were done at Jimmy's No. 43 by the company. It was an amazingly fruitful collaboration. We’re really proud of the work we did, and of the great actors work on it - for those who haven't checked it out - it's published in Plays & Playwrights 2008, along with two other plays produced by Rising Phoenix Rep (by Daniel Talbott & Daniel Rietz). We also became really close friends over many chai lattes, and various NYC adventures while chatting about plays. This year Daniel directed my two new plays Nobody and Birthday for Rising Phoenix Rep which was a huge step for me artistically. The given circumstances for Birthday – why Leila & Kyle needed to stay in that room – the outside world they were trying to escape - was so clear to me through our process that it really created a believable 45 minutes where two strangers changed each other's lives. It captured a personal truth that was new for me in how it unfolded in the room - a real turning point that I dove back into all my plays with. Rising Phoenix and my work with Daniel is a major part of that artistically for me and it has been really cool.

Q: What's it like to be married to a comic book writer?

A: Super-tastic and full of sound effects like super-tastic! Seriously. How could it not be crazy good fun? Putting my wife-hat aside, Fred is one of the best writers I’ve ever known – his comics, screenplays and short stories continue to be a great influence (now more than ever as I’m working on DougToons, a webtoon online). And it’s the best to hear when a director or playwright friend of mine loves X-Men Noir, Hercules or Action Philosophers as much as I do.

Q: What's your day job now?

A: Part of the reason that Hack, the new play, is so timely for me is that I just found out that I’m going to be laid off from a dayjob I’ve had for about three years as a receptionist in an architectural firm (where I've pretty much written everything from Telling Trilogy to Sleeping World to Birthday). But it’s time. The past year has been a great step for me and almost all my work has been commissioned or paid for. So I’ll be putting my efforts towards writing for a living and developing opportunities for that.

Q: What kind of theater excites you?

A: 1. Theatre that has a personal, unique story told in an original way. 2. That has real truth. 3. That has beer. A play that lets you drink booze while watching is awesome.

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

A: Each new play is another step on your journey. It may get produced tomorrow or in five years. Who knows? Yikes! Write it, and develop it, but also at the same time move on. The answer always seems to be in the next play. And keep sharing your work – that’s how you find the right folks to work with!

 Q: Any plugs?

A: Join me at the Vampire Cowboys Saloon Series – where there’s beer)! (http://www.vampirecowboys.com/index2.htm). And if you like musicals or want to check out That's Andy, play hooky or get canned like I did and come on down to the York Theatre (http://www.yorktheatre.org/) on Oct. 6th at 3 PM.

Aug 12, 2009

I Interview Playwrights Part 36: Blair Singer

Blair Singer

Hometown: Woodland Hills, California.

Current Town: Brooklyn, NY (like every other playwright you've interviewed.)

Q: Tell me about your play Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas which is going up at the Geffen. How did this come about?

A:  I met Matthew while I was working on the TV show "Weeds". I was a big fan of his work prior to meeting him and an even bigger fan after I'd met him. He's not only a brilliant actor but he's a terrific human being. He's kind, he's honest, and he's generous. When I left to come back home to New York, Matthew and I vowed to work with each other on a play. Six months later, I pitched him the basic idea of MMSTA, he loved it, and we were off.

 Q: A friend of mine recently took your TV class. He said you were a great teacher. Can you talk a little about how you set up your class?

A: I focus on the business of making television. I assume that everyone who takes the class can write. I would rather focus on how good writers can break into television and how to become aware of yourself as a commodity to be sold to the marketplace. Pretty much, the class is me talking a lot. I talk about my experiences in TV, good and bad, I share my very strong opinions, and spend the rest of the time begging them to take everything I say with a huge grain of salt.

 Q: What TV shows did you write for?

A: Weeds, Monk, and Book of Daniel.

 Q: What are you working on next?

A: You got a job for me, Adam? I'd love to live in Atlanta and have a free maid! I'm very fortunate to have found Mark Armstrong and the Production Company, an excellent off-off Broadway theater company. I've been named their playwright-in-residence and have written a play for the company called MEG'S NEW FRIEND that Mark will direct at Manhattan Theatre Source in November and December.

Q: Who are your heroes?

A: I am in awe of playwrights. EVERY playwright. I began as an actor and I am always amazed at the unique worlds that playwrights construct. Herb Gardner once said, not to me, but to someone, "How do you ask a kamikaze pilot if his work is going well?" Playwrights are kamikaze pilots, trying to find targets that doesn't exist. How can you not find the lifetime pursuit of an ever-moving target heroic?

Q: You are, like me, married to another playwright. Would you recommend marrying a playwright?

A: I would recommend marrying my wife. She's really spectacular. Everyone should get the chance to be married to my wife at least once.

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

A: Marry my wife. That, and put the name of a famous actor in the title of your next play. Matthew Modine is mine but I think Judd Nelson is looking to do some theater.

Q: What kind of theater excites you?

A: I love watching great acting-- that's why I go to the theater-- so any play that offers actors the ability to stretch themselves excites me. I also like anything written about farm animals. Link for Blair's show: http://www.geffenplayhouse.com/180