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1100 Playwright Interviews
1100 Playwright Interviews A Sean Abley Rob Ackerman E.E. Adams Johnna Adams Liz Duffy Adams Tony Adams David Adjmi Keith Josef Adkins Nicc...
May 12, 2012
450 Playwright Interviews (alphabetical)
Sean Abley
Rob Ackerman
Liz Duffy Adams
Johnna Adams
Tony Adams
David Adjmi
Keith Josef Adkins
Derek Ahonen
Kathleen Akerley
Zakiyyah Alexander
Luis Alfaro
Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Lucy Alibar
Joshua Allen
Mando Alvarado
Sofia Alvarez
Christina Anderson
Eddie Antar
Terence Anthony
David Anzuelo
Rob Askins
Alice Austen
Elaine Avila
Rachel Axler
Jenny Lyn Bader
Bianca Bagatourian
Annie Baker
Trista Baldwin
David Bar Katz
Jennifer Barclay
Courtney Baron
Abi Basch
Mike Batistick
Brian Bauman
Neena Beber
Chad Beckim
Nikole Beckwith
Maria Alexandria Beech
France-Luce Benson
Kari Bentley-Quinn
Alan Berks
Brooke Berman
Susan Bernfield
Jay Bernzweig
Hilary Bettis
Mickey Birnbaum
Barton Bishop
Martin Blank
Radha Blank
Lee Blessing
Jonathan Blitstein
Adam Bock
Jerrod Bogard
Emily Bohannon
Rachel Bonds
Margot Bordelon
Deron Bos
Hannah Bos
Leslie Bramm
Jami Brandli
George Brant
Tim Braun
Deborah Brevoort
Delaney Britt Brewer
Jessica Brickman
Erin Browne
Julia Brownell
Bekah Brunstetter
Monica Byrne
Renee Calarco
Zack Calhoon
Sheila Callaghan
Robert Quillen Camp
Darren Canady
Ruben Carbajal
Ed Cardona, Jr.
Jonathan Caren
Aaron Carter
James Carter
Nat Cassidy
David Caudle
Emily Chadick Weiss
Eugenie Chan
Clay McLeod Chapman
Christopher Chen
Kirsten Childs
Jason Chimonides
Andrea Ciannavei
Eliza Clark
Alexis Clements
Paul Cohen
Alexandra Collier
James Comtois
Joshua Conkel
Jennie Contuzzi
Kara Lee Corthron
Kia Corthron
Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas
Erin Courtney
Cusi Cram
Lisa D'Amour
Heidi Darchuk
Stacy Davidowitz
Philip Dawkins
Dylan Dawson
Gabriel Jason Dean
Vincent Delaney
Emily DeVoti
Kristoffer Diaz
Jessica Dickey
Dan Dietz
Lisa Dillman
Zayd Dohrn
Bathsheba Doran
Anton Dudley
Laura Eason
Fielding Edlow
Reginald Edmund
Erik Ehn
Yussef El Guindi
Michael Elyanow
Libby Emmons
Jennie Berman Eng
Christine Evans
Jennifer Fawcett
Joshua Fardon
Lauren Feldman
Catherine Filloux
Kenny Finkle
Stephanie Fleischmann
Kate Fodor
Sam Forman
Dana Lynn Formby
Dorothy Fortenberry
Darcy Fowler
Kevin R. Free
Matthew Freeman
Edith Freni
Patrick Gabridge
Fengar Gael
Anne Garcia-Romero
Gary Garrison
Melissa Gawlowski
Philip Gawthorne
Madeleine George
Meg Gibson
Sean Gill
Sigrid Gilmer
Peter Gil-Sheridan
Gina Gionfriddo
Kelley Girod
Michael Golamco
Jessica Goldberg
Daniel Goldfarb
Jacqueline Goldfinger
Jeff Goode
Idris Goodwin
Tasha Gordon-Solmon
Christina Gorman
Craig "muMs" Grant
Katharine Clark Gray
Elana Greenfield
Kirsten Greenidge
David Grimm
Jason Grote
Sarah Gubbins
Stephen Adly Guirgis
Lauren Gunderson
Laurel Haines
Jennifer Haley
Ashlin Halfnight
Christina Ham
Sarah Hammond
Rob Handel
Trish Harnetiaux
Jordan Harrison
Leslye Headland
Ann Marie Healy
Julie Hebert
Marielle Heller
Charity Henson-Ballard
Amy Herzog
Ian W. Hill
Andrew Hinderaker
Cory Hinkle
Richard Martin Hirsch
Lucas Hnath
David Holstein
J. Holtham
Miranda Huba
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Les Hunter
Sam Hunter
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Chisa Hutchinson
Arlene Hutton
Lameece Issaq
Tom Jacobson
Laura Jacqmin
Joshua James
Julia Jarcho
Kyle Jarrow
Rachel Jendrzejewski
Karla Jennings
David Johnston
Daniel Alexander Jones
Nick Jones
Julia Jordan
Rajiv Joseph
Aditi Brennan Kapil
Lila Rose Kaplan
Stephen Karam
Jeremy Kareken
Lally Katz
Lynne Kaufman
Daniel Keene
Karinne Keithley
Greg Keller
Daniel John Kelley
Sibyl Kempson
Jon Kern
Anna Kerrigan
Kait Kerrigan
Boo Killebrew
Callie Kimball
Alessandro King
Johnny Klein
Krista Knight
Josh Koenigsberg
John Kolvenbach
Kristen Kosmas
Sherry Kramer
Adam Kraar
Andrea Kuchlewska
Larry Kunofsky
Aaron Landsman
Eric Lane
Jennifer Lane
Deborah Zoe Laufer
Ginger Lazarus
J. C. Lee
Young Jean Lee
Dan LeFranc
Forrest Leo
Andrea Lepcio
Victor Lesniewski
Steven Levenson
Barry Levey
Mark Harvey Levine
Michael Lew
Alex Lewin
EM Lewis
Sean Christopher Lewis
Jeff Lewonczyk
Kenneth Lin
Ethan Lipton
Michael Lluberes
David J. Loehr
Matthew Lopez
Alex Lubischer
Stacey Luftig
Kirk Lynn
Taylor Mac
Mariah MacCarthy
Heather Lynn MacDonald
Laura Lynn MacDonald
Maya Macdonald
Wendy MacLeod
Cheri Magid
Jennifer Maisel
Martyna Majok
Karen Malpede
Kara Manning
Mona Mansour
Warren Manzi
Israela Margalit
Ellen Margolis
Ruth Margraff
Sam Marks
Katie May
Oliver Mayer
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Mia McCullough
Daniel McCoy
Ruth McKee
Gabe McKinley
Ellen McLaughlin
James McManus
Charlotte Meehan
Carly Mensch
Molly Smith Metzler
Dennis Miles
Charlotte Miller
Jane Miller
Winter Miller
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Yusef Miller
Rehana Mirza
Michael Mitnick
Anna Moench
Honor Molloy
Claire Moodey
Alejandro Morales
Desi Moreno-Penson
Dominique Morisseau
Hannah Moscovitch
Itamar Moses
Gregory Moss
Megan Mostyn-Brown
Kate Mulley
Paul Mullin
Julie Marie Myatt
Janine Nabers
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
Brett Neveu
Don Nguyen
Qui Nguyen
Don Nigro
Dan O'Brien
Matthew Paul Olmos
Dominic Orlando
Rich Orloff
Marisela Treviño Orta
Sylvan Oswald
Jamie Pachino
Kristen Palmer
Marc Palmieri
Tira Palmquist
A. Rey Pamatmat
Kyoung H. Park
Jerome A. Parker
Peter Parnell
Caitlin Montanye Parrish
Julia Pascal
Steve Patterson
Daniel Pearle
christopher oscar peña
Begonya Plaza
Brian Polak
Daria Polatin
John Pollono
Chana Porter
Craig Pospisil
Jessica Provenz
Michael Puzzo
Brian Quirk
Marco Ramirez
Adam Rapp
David West Read
Theresa Rebeck
Amber Reed
Daniel Reitz
M.Z. Ribalow
Molly Rice
Mac Rogers
Joe Roland
Elaine Romero
Lynn Rosen
Andrew Rosendorf
Kim Rosenstock
Sharyn Rothstein
David Rush
Kate E. Ryan
Kate Moira Ryan
Riti Sachdeva
Trav S.D.
Sarah Sander
Tanya Saracho
Heidi Schreck
August Schulenburg
Mark Schultz
Jenny Schwartz
Emily Schwend
Jordan Seavey
Adriano Shaplin
Erika Sheffer
Katharine Sherman
Christopher Shinn
Rachel Shukert
Jen Silverman
David Simpatico
Blair Singer
Crystal Skillman
Mat Smart
Alena Smith
Matthew Stephen Smith
Tommy Smith
Ben Snyder
Sonya Sobieski
Lisa Soland
Octavio Solis
E. Hunter Spreen
Peggy Stafford
Saviana Stanescu
Nick Starr
Deborah Stein
Jon Steinhagen
Victoria Stewart
Andrea Stolowitz
Lydia Stryk
Gwydion Suilebhan
Gary Sunshine
Caridad Svich
Jeffrey Sweet
Adam Szymkowicz
Daniel Talbott
Jeff Talbott
Kate Tarker
Roland Tec
Lucy Thurber
Paul Thureen
Melisa Tien
Josh Tobiessen
Joe Tracz
Catherine Trieschmann
Dan Trujillo
Alice Tuan
Jon Tuttle
Ken Urban
Enrique Urueta
Karen Smith Vastola
Francine Volpe
Kathryn Walat
Ian Walker
Michael I. Walker
Malachy Walsh
Kathleen Warnock
Anne Washburn
Marisa Wegrzyn
Anthony Weigh
Ken Weitzman
Sharr White
David Wiener
Claire Willett
Samuel Brett Williams
Beau Willimon
Pia Wilson
Leah Nanako Winkler
Gary Winter
Bess Wohl
Stanton Wood
Craig Wright
Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
Anu Yadav
Deborah Yarchun
Lauren Yee
Steve Yockey
Kelly Younger
Stefanie Zadravec
Anna Ziegler
450 Playwright Interviews
Zack Calhoon
Jennie Contuzzi
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Marc Palmieri
Adriano Shaplin
Adam Kraar
Trish Harnetiaux
Michael Elyanow
Forrest Leo
Ginger Lazarus
Daniel John Kelley
Fengar Gael
Katharine Sherman
Alex Lubischer
Robert Quillen Camp
Lauren Feldman
Dorothy Fortenberry
Ethan Lipton
Riti Sachdeva
Melissa Gawlowski
Aaron Landsman
Joe Tracz
Nat Cassidy
David Rush
Josh Koenigsberg
Philip Gawthorne
Jennie Contuzzi
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Marc Palmieri
Adriano Shaplin
Adam Kraar
Trish Harnetiaux
Michael Elyanow
Forrest Leo
Ginger Lazarus
Daniel John Kelley
Fengar Gael
Katharine Sherman
Alex Lubischer
Robert Quillen Camp
Lauren Feldman
Dorothy Fortenberry
Ethan Lipton
Riti Sachdeva
Melissa Gawlowski
Aaron Landsman
Joe Tracz
Nat Cassidy
David Rush
Josh Koenigsberg
Philip Gawthorne
Julia Brownell
David Anzuelo
David Wiener
M.Z. Ribalow
Neena Beber
Joe Roland
Radha Blank
Kelley Girod
Sean Gill
David Bar Katz
Daniel Alexander Jones
Taylor Mac
Sharyn Rothstein
Jon Kern
Sylvan Oswald
Mickey Birnbaum
Jeff Talbott
Deborah Brevoort
Rob Askins
Paul Cohen
Stephen Karam
Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
Karen Smith Vastola
David Grimm
Claire Moodey
Bess Wohl
Wendy MacLeod
Kate Mulley
Octavio Solis
Ian W. Hill
Monica Byrne
Don Nguyen
Dana Lynn Formby
Dennis Miles
Marco Ramirez
Warren Manzi
Mia McCullough
Ellen McLaughlin
Tom Jacobson
Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Hannah Moscovitch
Alessandro King
Alex Lewin
Laurel Haines
Renee Calarco
E. Hunter Spreen
Michael Lluberes
Kathleen Akerley
Sonya Sobieski
Gwydion Suilebhan
Jane Miller
Eric Lane
David West Read
Katie May
John Pollono
Mona Mansour
Miranda Huba
Lydia Stryk
Rachel Jendrzejewski
Karen Malpede
Darcy Fowler
Daniel Pearle
Heather Lynn MacDonald
Gabe McKinley
Keith Josef Adkins
Brian Quirk
Israela Margalit
Kia Corthron
Christina Anderson
Jenny Lyn Bader
Catherine Trieschmann
Oliver Mayer
Jessica Brickman
Kari Bentley-Quinn
John Kolvenbach
Daniel Keene
James Carter
Josh Tobiessen
Victor Lesniewski
Abi Basch
Matthew Paul Olmos
Stephanie Fleischmann
Chana Porter
Elana Greenfield
Eugenie Chan
Roland Tec
Jeff Goode
Elaine Avila
Ashlin Halfnight
Charlotte Meehan
Marisela Treviño Orta
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Kait Kerrigan
Bianca Bagatourian
Kyoung H. Park
Honor Molloy
Anna Moench
Martin Blank
Paul Thureen
Yusef Miller
Lauren Gunderson
Jennifer Fawcett
Andrea Kuchlewska
A. Rey Pamatmat
Sean Christopher Lewis
Rachel Bonds
Lynn Rosen
Jennifer Barclay
Peggy Stafford
James McManus
Philip Dawkins
Jen Silverman
Lally Katz
Anne Garcia-Romero
Tony Adams
christopher oscar peña
Lynne Kaufman
David J. Loehr
Julie Hebert
Aditi Brennan Kapil
Elaine Romero
Alexis Clements
Lila Rose Kaplan
Barry Levey
Michael I. Walker
David Anzuelo
David Wiener
M.Z. Ribalow
Neena Beber
Joe Roland
Radha Blank
Kelley Girod
Sean Gill
David Bar Katz
Daniel Alexander Jones
Taylor Mac
Sharyn Rothstein
Jon Kern
Sylvan Oswald
Mickey Birnbaum
Jeff Talbott
Deborah Brevoort
Rob Askins
Paul Cohen
Stephen Karam
Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
Karen Smith Vastola
David Grimm
Claire Moodey
Bess Wohl
Wendy MacLeod
Kate Mulley
Octavio Solis
Ian W. Hill
Monica Byrne
Don Nguyen
Dana Lynn Formby
Dennis Miles
Marco Ramirez
Warren Manzi
Mia McCullough
Ellen McLaughlin
Tom Jacobson
Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Hannah Moscovitch
Alessandro King
Alex Lewin
Laurel Haines
Renee Calarco
E. Hunter Spreen
Michael Lluberes
Kathleen Akerley
Sonya Sobieski
Gwydion Suilebhan
Jane Miller
Eric Lane
David West Read
Katie May
John Pollono
Mona Mansour
Miranda Huba
Lydia Stryk
Rachel Jendrzejewski
Karen Malpede
Darcy Fowler
Daniel Pearle
Heather Lynn MacDonald
Gabe McKinley
Keith Josef Adkins
Brian Quirk
Israela Margalit
Kia Corthron
Christina Anderson
Jenny Lyn Bader
Catherine Trieschmann
Oliver Mayer
Jessica Brickman
Kari Bentley-Quinn
John Kolvenbach
Daniel Keene
James Carter
Josh Tobiessen
Victor Lesniewski
Abi Basch
Matthew Paul Olmos
Stephanie Fleischmann
Chana Porter
Elana Greenfield
Eugenie Chan
Roland Tec
Jeff Goode
Elaine Avila
Ashlin Halfnight
Charlotte Meehan
Marisela Treviño Orta
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Kait Kerrigan
Bianca Bagatourian
Kyoung H. Park
Honor Molloy
Anna Moench
Martin Blank
Paul Thureen
Yusef Miller
Lauren Gunderson
Jennifer Fawcett
Andrea Kuchlewska
A. Rey Pamatmat
Sean Christopher Lewis
Rachel Bonds
Lynn Rosen
Jennifer Barclay
Peggy Stafford
James McManus
Philip Dawkins
Jen Silverman
Lally Katz
Anne Garcia-Romero
Tony Adams
christopher oscar peña
Lynne Kaufman
David J. Loehr
Julie Hebert
Aditi Brennan Kapil
Elaine Romero
Alexis Clements
Lila Rose Kaplan
Barry Levey
Michael I. Walker
Maya Macdonald
Mando Alvarado
Adam Rapp
Eliza Clark
Margot Bordelon
Ben Snyder
Emily Bohannon
Cheri Magid
Jason Chimonides
Karinne Keithley
Rich Orloff
David Simpatico
Deborah Zoe Laufer
Brian Polak
Kate Fodor
Sibyl Kempson
Gary Garrison
Saviana Stanescu
Brian Bauman
Mark Harvey Levine
Lisa Soland
Sigrid Gilmer
Anthony Weigh
Maria Alexandria Beech
Catherine Filloux
Jordan Harrison
Alexandra Collier
Jessica Goldberg
Nick Starr
Young Jean Lee
Christina Gorman
Ruth McKee
Johnny Klein
Leslie Bramm
Jennifer Maisel
Jon Steinhagen
Leslye Headland
Kate Tarker
David Holstein
Trav S.D.
Chad Beckim
Ruben Carbajal
Martyna Majok
Sam Marks
Stacy Davidowitz
Molly Rice
Julia Pascal
Yussef El Guindi
Meg Gibson
Daniel McCoy
Amber Reed
Joshua Fardon
Dan O'Brien
Jonathan Blitstein
Dominique Morisseau
Fielding Edlow
Joshua Allen
Peter Gil-Sheridan
Tira Palmquist
Sarah Hammond
Charlotte Miller
Deborah Yarchun
Anna Kerrigan
Luis Alfaro
Jonathan Caren
Jennifer Haley
Sofia Alvarez
Kevin R. Free
Ken Weitzman
Michael Golamco
J. C. Lee
Ruth Margraff
Kirk Lynn
Tanya Saracho
Daria Polatin
Delaney Britt Brewer
Alice Tuan
Alice Austen
Jeffrey Sweet
Dan LeFranc
Andrew Hinderaker
Brett Neveu
Christine Evans
Jon Tuttle
Nikole Beckwith
Andrea Lepcio
Gregory Moss
Hannah Bos
Steven Levenson
Molly Smith Metzler
Matthew Lopez
Lee Blessing
Joshua James
Chisa Hutchinson
Rob Ackerman
Janine Nabers
Cory Hinkle
Stefanie Zadravec
Michael Mitnick
Jordan Seavey
Andrew Rosendorf
Don Nigro
Barton Bishop
Peter Parnell
Gary Sunshine
Emily DeVoti
Kenny Finkle
Kate Moira Ryan
Sam Hunter
Johnna Adams
Katharine Clark Gray
Laura Eason
David Caudle
Jacqueline Goldfinger
Christopher Chen
Craig Pospisil
Jessica Provenz
Deron Bos
Sarah Sander
Zakiyyah Alexander
Kate E. Ryan
Susan Bernfield
Karla Jennings
Jami Brandli
Kenneth Lin
Heidi Darchuk
Kathleen Warnock
Beau Willimon
Greg Keller
Les Hunter
Anton Dudley
Aaron Carter
Jerrod Bogard
Emily Schwend
Courtney Baron
Craig "muMs" Grant
Amy Herzog
Stacey Luftig
Vincent Delaney
Kathryn Walat
Paul Mullin
Kirsten Greenidge
Derek Ahonen
Francine Volpe
Julie Marie Myatt
Lauren Yee
Richard Martin Hirsch
Ed Cardona, Jr.
Terence Anthony
Alena Smith
Gabriel Jason Dean
Sharr White
Michael Lew
Craig Wright
Laura Jacqmin
Stanton Wood
Jamie Pachino
Boo Killebrew
Daniel Reitz
Alan Berks
Erik Ehn
Krista Knight
Steve Yockey
Desi Moreno-Penson
Andrea Stolowitz
Clay McLeod Chapman
Kelly Younger
Lisa Dillman
Ellen Margolis
Claire Willett
Lucy Alibar
Nick Jones
Dylan Dawson
Pia Wilson
Theresa Rebeck
Me
Arlene Hutton
Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas
Lucas Hnath
Enrique Urueta
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Anne Washburn
Julia Jarcho
Lisa D'Amour
Rajiv Joseph
Carly Mensch
Marielle Heller
Larry Kunofsky
Edith Freni
Tommy Smith
Jeremy Kareken
Rob Handel
Stephen Adly Guirgis
Kara Manning
Libby Emmons
Adam Bock
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Liz Duffy Adams
Winter Miller
Jenny Schwartz
Kristen Palmer
Patrick Gabridge
Mike Batistick
Mariah MacCarthy
Jay Bernzweig
Gina Gionfriddo
Darren Canady
Alejandro Morales
Ann Marie Healy
Christopher Shinn
Sam Forman
Erin Courtney
Gary Winter
J. Holtham
Caridad Svich
Samuel Brett Williams
Trista Baldwin
Mat Smart
Bathsheba Doran
August Schulenburg
Jeff Lewonczyk
Rehana Mirza
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
David Johnston
Dan Dietz
Mark Schultz
Lucy Thurber
George Brant
Brooke Berman
Julia Jordan
Joshua Conkel
Kyle Jarrow
Christina Ham
Rachel Axler
Laura Lynn MacDonald
Steve Patterson
Erin Browne
Annie Baker
Crystal Skillman
Blair Singer
Daniel Goldfarb
Heidi Schreck
Itamar Moses
EM Lewis
Bekah Brunstetter
Mac Rogers
Cusi Cram
Michael Puzzo
Megan Mostyn-Brown
Andrea Ciannavei
Sarah Gubbins
Kim Rosenstock
Tim Braun
Rachel Shukert
Kristoffer Diaz
Jason Grote
Dan Trujillo
Marisa Wegrzyn
Ken Urban
Callie Kimball
Deborah Stein
Qui Nguyen
Victoria Stewart
Malachy Walsh
Jessica Dickey
Kara Lee Corthron
Zayd Dohrn
Madeleine George
Sheila Callaghan
Daniel Talbott
David Adjmi
Dominic Orlando
Matthew Freeman
Anna Ziegler
James Comtois
Mando Alvarado
Adam Rapp
Eliza Clark
Margot Bordelon
Ben Snyder
Emily Bohannon
Cheri Magid
Jason Chimonides
Karinne Keithley
Rich Orloff
David Simpatico
Deborah Zoe Laufer
Brian Polak
Kate Fodor
Sibyl Kempson
Gary Garrison
Saviana Stanescu
Brian Bauman
Mark Harvey Levine
Lisa Soland
Sigrid Gilmer
Anthony Weigh
Maria Alexandria Beech
Catherine Filloux
Jordan Harrison
Alexandra Collier
Jessica Goldberg
Nick Starr
Young Jean Lee
Christina Gorman
Ruth McKee
Johnny Klein
Leslie Bramm
Jennifer Maisel
Jon Steinhagen
Leslye Headland
Kate Tarker
David Holstein
Trav S.D.
Chad Beckim
Ruben Carbajal
Martyna Majok
Sam Marks
Stacy Davidowitz
Molly Rice
Julia Pascal
Yussef El Guindi
Meg Gibson
Daniel McCoy
Amber Reed
Joshua Fardon
Dan O'Brien
Jonathan Blitstein
Dominique Morisseau
Fielding Edlow
Joshua Allen
Peter Gil-Sheridan
Tira Palmquist
Sarah Hammond
Charlotte Miller
Deborah Yarchun
Anna Kerrigan
Luis Alfaro
Jonathan Caren
Jennifer Haley
Sofia Alvarez
Kevin R. Free
Ken Weitzman
Michael Golamco
J. C. Lee
Ruth Margraff
Kirk Lynn
Tanya Saracho
Daria Polatin
Delaney Britt Brewer
Alice Tuan
Alice Austen
Jeffrey Sweet
Dan LeFranc
Andrew Hinderaker
Brett Neveu
Christine Evans
Jon Tuttle
Nikole Beckwith
Andrea Lepcio
Gregory Moss
Hannah Bos
Steven Levenson
Molly Smith Metzler
Matthew Lopez
Lee Blessing
Joshua James
Chisa Hutchinson
Rob Ackerman
Janine Nabers
Cory Hinkle
Stefanie Zadravec
Michael Mitnick
Jordan Seavey
Andrew Rosendorf
Don Nigro
Barton Bishop
Peter Parnell
Gary Sunshine
Emily DeVoti
Kenny Finkle
Kate Moira Ryan
Sam Hunter
Johnna Adams
Katharine Clark Gray
Laura Eason
David Caudle
Jacqueline Goldfinger
Christopher Chen
Craig Pospisil
Jessica Provenz
Deron Bos
Sarah Sander
Zakiyyah Alexander
Kate E. Ryan
Susan Bernfield
Karla Jennings
Jami Brandli
Kenneth Lin
Heidi Darchuk
Kathleen Warnock
Beau Willimon
Greg Keller
Les Hunter
Anton Dudley
Aaron Carter
Jerrod Bogard
Emily Schwend
Courtney Baron
Craig "muMs" Grant
Amy Herzog
Stacey Luftig
Vincent Delaney
Kathryn Walat
Paul Mullin
Kirsten Greenidge
Derek Ahonen
Francine Volpe
Julie Marie Myatt
Lauren Yee
Richard Martin Hirsch
Ed Cardona, Jr.
Terence Anthony
Alena Smith
Gabriel Jason Dean
Sharr White
Michael Lew
Craig Wright
Laura Jacqmin
Stanton Wood
Jamie Pachino
Boo Killebrew
Daniel Reitz
Alan Berks
Erik Ehn
Krista Knight
Steve Yockey
Desi Moreno-Penson
Andrea Stolowitz
Clay McLeod Chapman
Kelly Younger
Lisa Dillman
Ellen Margolis
Claire Willett
Lucy Alibar
Nick Jones
Dylan Dawson
Pia Wilson
Theresa Rebeck
Me
Arlene Hutton
Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas
Lucas Hnath
Enrique Urueta
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Anne Washburn
Julia Jarcho
Lisa D'Amour
Rajiv Joseph
Carly Mensch
Marielle Heller
Larry Kunofsky
Edith Freni
Tommy Smith
Jeremy Kareken
Rob Handel
Stephen Adly Guirgis
Kara Manning
Libby Emmons
Adam Bock
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Liz Duffy Adams
Winter Miller
Jenny Schwartz
Kristen Palmer
Patrick Gabridge
Mike Batistick
Mariah MacCarthy
Jay Bernzweig
Gina Gionfriddo
Darren Canady
Alejandro Morales
Ann Marie Healy
Christopher Shinn
Sam Forman
Erin Courtney
Gary Winter
J. Holtham
Caridad Svich
Samuel Brett Williams
Trista Baldwin
Mat Smart
Bathsheba Doran
August Schulenburg
Jeff Lewonczyk
Rehana Mirza
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
David Johnston
Dan Dietz
Mark Schultz
Lucy Thurber
George Brant
Brooke Berman
Julia Jordan
Joshua Conkel
Kyle Jarrow
Christina Ham
Rachel Axler
Laura Lynn MacDonald
Steve Patterson
Erin Browne
Annie Baker
Crystal Skillman
Blair Singer
Daniel Goldfarb
Heidi Schreck
Itamar Moses
EM Lewis
Bekah Brunstetter
Mac Rogers
Cusi Cram
Michael Puzzo
Megan Mostyn-Brown
Andrea Ciannavei
Sarah Gubbins
Kim Rosenstock
Tim Braun
Rachel Shukert
Kristoffer Diaz
Jason Grote
Dan Trujillo
Marisa Wegrzyn
Ken Urban
Callie Kimball
Deborah Stein
Qui Nguyen
Victoria Stewart
Malachy Walsh
Jessica Dickey
Kara Lee Corthron
Zayd Dohrn
Madeleine George
Sheila Callaghan
Daniel Talbott
David Adjmi
Dominic Orlando
Matthew Freeman
Anna Ziegler
James Comtois
I Interview Playwrights Part 450: Zack Calhoon
Zack Calhoon
Hometown: Salem, Oregon
Current Town: New York City
Q: Tell me about RINO.
A: RINO is a new play that is getting produced in association with Core Creative Productions and Resonance Ensemble which will be part of the Brick Theater’s Democracy Festival this June. In 2010, Resonance Ensemble commissioned me to write a play that was inspired by Henry IV, Part 1. RINO explores several themes: What does it mean to be a citizen? How far is a person willing to go to achieve their goals? The term RINO (Republican in Name Only) is actually a slur within the party proper, referring to someone who does not pass the purity test as a conservative. Shakespeare’s play Henriad takes place during an English Civil War. I decided to write a comedy that would explore the civil war being waged within the Republican party. I also thought that trying to write a modern day equivalent of Falstaff (one of the most complex characters in Shakespeare’s canon next to Hamlet) was a fool’s errand, so the leads in my play are women.
When the play begins, Senator Henry Harrison has just won the Utah Primary, clinching the Republican nomination for President only to discover that the tabloids are broadcasting footage of his party-girl daughter, Halley and her entourage (including the larger than life Isabella Castellucci) in a state of intoxication. Harrison’s campaign staff (and the GOP at large) are waging a civil war for the identity and soul of the party’s future.
The play will go up right before the Republican National Convention, and like the GOP primaries, it is a rip-roaring farce and will be a lot of fun to watch.
Q: What else are you working on now?
A: I am working on a new play commission for Rising Phoenix Rep, and I am about to begin rehearsals to play the title role in Boomerang Theatre’s upcoming production of HAMLET.
Q: Tell me about Visible Soul and People You Should Know.
A: I started my blog, when I was doing SUBURBAN PEEPSHOW with Nosedive Productions. It seemed like something all the cool theatre geeks were doing. Then over the years, my opinions about theatre and our community have evolved.
I’ve always been a huge fan of autobiographies written by actors, writers, directors, etc., and often lamented the sycophantic tone of the show Inside The Actors Studio. I’d have to say Howard Sherman is one of the best theatre interviewers there is on the planet. I listen to his interviews on the American Theatre Wing’s Downstage Center podcast all the time. He always manages to get his subjects to share insight, anecdotes and secrets about their craft. I wish he was still doing them. Anyway, one day, I started my little feature, People You Should Know. The only thought that occurred to me when I posted the first interview was, “Maybe I could pimp a few of my friends so that people might cast them.” This segment like the rest of the blog, evolved into something very different. Now, these interviews are read all over the world, and I am able to showcase the work of hundreds of different kinds of artists every month.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A: When I was in third grade I attended the closing performances of a public summer theatre program called Children’s Educational Theater in Salem, Oregon. I came home to my mother and told her that I might like to enroll in the program the following year. Since she was a single parent, she thought it solved having me running around all summer unsupervised.
C.E.T. was a very popular program and also very difficult to get into. My mom stayed up all night standing outside in the cold so that she could register me for the program. Thankfully, I got in. After the five-week program ended, I decided then and there that I wanted to be an actor. With a withered smile, my mother said, “Okay, but you’re going to be an educated one.” From then on, I had her encouragement and support - taking dance and singing lessons, you name it.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: I would encourage producing organizations to do more than “take chances” on established and recognized talent.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: Sir Antony Sher, Mark Rylance, Harold Pinter, Joe Penhall, Eugene O’Neill, Daniel Talbott, Sam McMurray, Sarah Kane, Kathleen Chalfant, Buzz Goodbody, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Samuel Beckett, and Susan Ferrara.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: Theatre that makes me lean forward in my seat. Theatre that avoids being precious. I love theatre that is visceral, honest, and personal.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: Read everything you again: plays, novels, teleplays, and especially the news. Have opinions about things. Healthy addiction to reading will help any writer. Try to write everyday. Even if that means journaling. See everything you can. Take everything in.
Q: Plugs, please:
A:
Hometown: Salem, Oregon
Current Town: New York City
Q: Tell me about RINO.
A: RINO is a new play that is getting produced in association with Core Creative Productions and Resonance Ensemble which will be part of the Brick Theater’s Democracy Festival this June. In 2010, Resonance Ensemble commissioned me to write a play that was inspired by Henry IV, Part 1. RINO explores several themes: What does it mean to be a citizen? How far is a person willing to go to achieve their goals? The term RINO (Republican in Name Only) is actually a slur within the party proper, referring to someone who does not pass the purity test as a conservative. Shakespeare’s play Henriad takes place during an English Civil War. I decided to write a comedy that would explore the civil war being waged within the Republican party. I also thought that trying to write a modern day equivalent of Falstaff (one of the most complex characters in Shakespeare’s canon next to Hamlet) was a fool’s errand, so the leads in my play are women.
When the play begins, Senator Henry Harrison has just won the Utah Primary, clinching the Republican nomination for President only to discover that the tabloids are broadcasting footage of his party-girl daughter, Halley and her entourage (including the larger than life Isabella Castellucci) in a state of intoxication. Harrison’s campaign staff (and the GOP at large) are waging a civil war for the identity and soul of the party’s future.
The play will go up right before the Republican National Convention, and like the GOP primaries, it is a rip-roaring farce and will be a lot of fun to watch.
Q: What else are you working on now?
A: I am working on a new play commission for Rising Phoenix Rep, and I am about to begin rehearsals to play the title role in Boomerang Theatre’s upcoming production of HAMLET.
Q: Tell me about Visible Soul and People You Should Know.
A: I started my blog, when I was doing SUBURBAN PEEPSHOW with Nosedive Productions. It seemed like something all the cool theatre geeks were doing. Then over the years, my opinions about theatre and our community have evolved.
I’ve always been a huge fan of autobiographies written by actors, writers, directors, etc., and often lamented the sycophantic tone of the show Inside The Actors Studio. I’d have to say Howard Sherman is one of the best theatre interviewers there is on the planet. I listen to his interviews on the American Theatre Wing’s Downstage Center podcast all the time. He always manages to get his subjects to share insight, anecdotes and secrets about their craft. I wish he was still doing them. Anyway, one day, I started my little feature, People You Should Know. The only thought that occurred to me when I posted the first interview was, “Maybe I could pimp a few of my friends so that people might cast them.” This segment like the rest of the blog, evolved into something very different. Now, these interviews are read all over the world, and I am able to showcase the work of hundreds of different kinds of artists every month.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A: When I was in third grade I attended the closing performances of a public summer theatre program called Children’s Educational Theater in Salem, Oregon. I came home to my mother and told her that I might like to enroll in the program the following year. Since she was a single parent, she thought it solved having me running around all summer unsupervised.
C.E.T. was a very popular program and also very difficult to get into. My mom stayed up all night standing outside in the cold so that she could register me for the program. Thankfully, I got in. After the five-week program ended, I decided then and there that I wanted to be an actor. With a withered smile, my mother said, “Okay, but you’re going to be an educated one.” From then on, I had her encouragement and support - taking dance and singing lessons, you name it.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: I would encourage producing organizations to do more than “take chances” on established and recognized talent.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: Sir Antony Sher, Mark Rylance, Harold Pinter, Joe Penhall, Eugene O’Neill, Daniel Talbott, Sam McMurray, Sarah Kane, Kathleen Chalfant, Buzz Goodbody, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Samuel Beckett, and Susan Ferrara.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: Theatre that makes me lean forward in my seat. Theatre that avoids being precious. I love theatre that is visceral, honest, and personal.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: Read everything you again: plays, novels, teleplays, and especially the news. Have opinions about things. Healthy addiction to reading will help any writer. Try to write everyday. Even if that means journaling. See everything you can. Take everything in.
Q: Plugs, please:
A:
May 11, 2012
Long Live 13P
The thirteenth play from 13P is going to go up soon (a new play by Sarah Ruhl). Now 13P has said that after that play they will cease to exist which is both sad and kind of spectacular. They have been an amazing force in New York theater and I can only hope another group of playwrights decides to harness their own collective energy to self produce the way 13P has. I'm waiting to find out who that would be.
My question to you is, if you were creating your own band of super playwrights, who would be your 13 playwrights (or 14 or 15)?
My question to you is, if you were creating your own band of super playwrights, who would be your 13 playwrights (or 14 or 15)?
May 9, 2012
I Interview Playwrights Part 449: Jennie Contuzzi
Jennie Contuzzi
Hometown: Belle Mead, NJ
Current Town: Astoria, NY
Q: What are you working on now?
A: A play I've been working on for nearly three years, BODY LANGUAGE, has just gone into rehearsal, so I've been spending a lot of time getting that script into the best place it can be. I'm also trying to get my head around a new play where the main character journeys to a commune to try and escape her problems, only to discover the key to healing is to face herself and her past. I actually traveled out to a Nevada commune last summer with a friend to do some research and it was really fascinating-nothing at all like what I expected.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: Writer's groups, readings, and workshops are all wonderful tools for a writer, but I don't think you can really know your play until you see it in production. Financial constraints really limit the amount of risk theater companies can take on new writers, and I know many talented people who have had reading after reading all over the country and still have not had an actual production. The reason BODY LANGUAGE is being produced right now is because The Active Theater, and especially artistic director Nathaniel Shaw, took a real risk on an unknown writer (me). I had absolutely no connection to the group until Nathaniel read a skeletal version of the play, saw something in it that he liked, and made a commitment to it. When I say skeletal, I really mean it-I think the draft he read was about 1/4 the size of what it is now. And yes, we spent a lot time developing the play, but it was always, from the first meeting, with the understanding that if I did the work, the play would be produced. It makes a huge difference, knowing someone is interested in you in that way. There are other smaller companies who have a similar focus, but I'd love for bigger theaters to embrace new writers on their main stages. It's wonderful that these large companies sponsor writers groups and create programs for new writers, but when you look at what's actually being produced, and you notice there's no overlap between the work and writers they are "developing" and the work and writers they are producing, that's a problem.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: I'm a big fan of the unsung heroes-the stage managers, techies, production managers, rehearsal studio staff, ushers, box office staff-the people who make the entire magical process run smoothly, efficiently, and comfortably for the rest of us-and who make our audiences feel comfortable so they can more fully absorb what we're trying to say. My professors at the New School for Drama-all professional people who choose to take time from their own writing schedules to help other writers find their voices. And Stephen Adly Guirgis. Love him.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: The darker the better. I love Mark Schultz's work for that reason. I like really sparse, focused work as well. How much you can say without actually having to say anything.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: Try not to compare your successes or failures to those of other writers you know. It's ultimately just a huge waste of energy. Focus on your own work and don't let the speed with which success comes to you be a measure of your talent or the potential longevity of your career.
Q: Plugs, please:
A: Did I mention the upcoming production of my play BODY LANGUAGE? It's dark, angsty, and occasionally very funny. May 25th-June 10th at the Workshop Theater. Please visit www.theactivetheater.com for more information about the play and this up-and-coming company of artists.
May 7, 2012
I Interview Playwrights Part 448: Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
Current Town: Brooklyn, NY
Q: Tell me about Veil'd.
A: Veilʼd began as my undergraduate playwriting thesis at Marymount Manhattan College. During my fall semester I was lucky enough to stumble upon an article by Naomi Wolf in which she interviews Afghani women about their burqas. Two groups emerged: 1) women thoroughly opposed to wearing burqas, and 2) women who saw the burqa as a symbol of sexuality, protection, and empowerment. I thought the latter was an interesting viewpoint that I, as an American woman, had never been exposed to. Shortly after reading this, I was visiting my niece, Elle, in California. As a toddler she was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), a condition on the Autism spectrum. Symptoms can include a range of complications, including difficulty socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli, etc. When Elle was very young, she had a particular aversion to being touched (that has since passed). She once told me that it felt “like fire” when I brushed against her arm; somehow this phrase always stuck with me. Every time I see my niece, I find myself looking at the world with new eyes because she sees everything so differently; everything about nature is precious to her and sheʼs always asking questions without provocation. It makes me wonder how we, as adults, lose that raw, honest instinct that we had as children. I wanted to explore these themes in Veilʼd, so I model a lot of my protagonist, Dima, after Elle and my thoughts on the article. As for the rest? Sharks, magical realism, Ebay, hipsters and fairy tales are all irrational obsessions that I have and refuse to answer for.
Since then, Veil'd has gone on receive various development opportunities from Rising Circle Theater Collective, The Kupferberg Center, |the claque|, and The Lark. It's been a very exciting process!
Q: What else are you working on now?
A: My friend, Karron Karr, and I are currently collaborating on a performance piece about online dating. We are interested in how it's changing the way we communicate, court; that it's essentially changing our culture. The piece will be multimedia, incorporating live actors, video, projection, and possibly even live feed on the internet. We are applying for a space grant for performance space some time in June, July or August. The space is a windowed storefront, so the performance will be free and accessible to everyone. If this goes well, we hope the piece will have a longer life in venues more equipped to deal with pieces dealing with technology.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A: One of my most defining childhood moments was the day I stopped believing in Peter Pan.
I was 4, and I was sitting on the top bunk of the Ikea bunk bed set my sister, Esprit, and I shared. Esprit and I were playing and at some point, she left me to go to the bathroom. In an effort to keep me safe (or trapped), she took the ladder off the bunk bed, so that I wouldn't fall. Big mistake. She must have found something else of interest because she was gone for a lot longer than she said she would be. I wanted to get down, but I couldn't.
At the time, I was obsessed with Mary Martin in the musical version of Peter Pan -- I even had a costume my mom made for me that I would wear all the time and refuse to take off! So, I figured, "think a happy thought" and I jumped off and landed head first on a chair, splitting my head open. I ran into the kitchen, blood rushing out, and I think my dad nearly fainted. 5 stitches. I just remember crying the entire car ride, not from the pain, but from the sheer fact that Peter Pan was a liar. And ever since then, I've been trying to find alternate ways to fly.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: More women. More artists of color. More opportunities for "emerging" writers that are actually "emerging."
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: Oh gosh, there are so many. Sarah Kane, JoAnne Akalaitis, Deborah Warner, Naomi Iizuka, Young Jean Lee, Anne Bogart, Sarah Ruhl, Sheila Callaghan, Katori Hall, Paula Vogel, Lynn Nottage, Mac Wellman, Rollin Jones, Samuel Beckett, Jules Feiffer, Jean-Paul Sartre.... I could go on forever.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: Variety excites me. I like seeing a-typical stories told from various perspectives. Subjects that make me want to laugh, cry, dry heave, clench my fists, and stand up & make something out of my life are always winners in my book. There are 4 specific theatrical experiences whose stories got to the core of me that I always bring up in conversation because I was so moved. They are, Crooked by Catherine Trieschmann at Women's Project, Iphigenia 2.0 by Chuck Mee at Signature Theatre, Blasted by Sarah Kane at Soho Rep, and Lear by Young Jean Lee, also at Soho Rep.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: I myself am still starting out, but this is what has worked for me:
Find an artistic home with people who believe in your work -- friends, other artists, theatre company big wigs, anyone who is positive and loves to read/see your work. Support is so important to your well-being as an artist and a person. Theatre that you create in your living room is just as relevant and wonderful as packing a full house at Lincoln Center. See plays. Read plays. When opportunities rain, it pours; if it's been a dry season, you're not a failure. Try something new that scares you as a writer. Don't give up on yourself. Be persistent. Apply, apply, apply. Sooner or later, someone cool will read your play, love it, and ask you to be interviewed for their blog :)
Q: Plugs, please:
A: Veil'd is having a workshop with simple design elements at Queens College May 12 & 13th. It's directed by Nicole A. Watson and will be co-presented by Rising Circle Theater Collective and the Kupferberg Center for the Performing Arts. http://kupferbergcenter.org/veild.htm
I'm also co-producing the PlayRISE Summer Play Festival for Rising Circle Theater Collective at Theater Row June 6th-10th. It's a celebration for emerging writers of color who have gone through our 12-week play lab intensive, INKtank. This year we are presenting readings of plays by Matthew Paul Olmos, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Susan Soon-He Stanton, and Raquel Almazan. www.risingcircle.org
I try to maintain a blog (and do podcasts!) here: www.angrypatrons.com
Apr 30, 2012
I Interview Playwrights Part 447: Marc Palmieri
Marc Palmieri
Hometown: Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey -
Current Town : Queens, New York.
Q: Tell me about the play you had a reading of at SCR.
A: The play is called THE GROUNDLING and it was inspired by the final moments ofShakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, with which I have been obsessed since being in the play for the first time about 16 years ago. Basically, it's about a Long Island man who has never seen a play before who sees LLL and is deeply affected. He writes his own verse play and hires two New York City theatre types to help him mount it in his garage on Long Island. I hope it's about how we, as theatre people so wrapped up in surviving and sustaining a place in the theatre, might be reminded now and then of the reason we're really doing this thing: the audience.
Q: What else are you working on now?
A: My novel, WHEN I WORE FLOODS and a webseries called THE THING, which is about a group of New York theatre types who never "made it" and left the scene years ago but who come back together for one more off-off Broadway experience. This project may be the first of a sequence of midlife crises, but I'm enjoying it.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: In terms of NY theatre, I wish somehow that it appealed more to people not in the theatre. It's not the fault of theatres necessarily - but it often seems to me that much of theatre in our city is written, produced, publicized and critiqued for people in the theatre. I say that and here I am having written a play about a play...but in it there's a guy who's just discovered the power of theatre and is so moved he writes his own. I really wish more people who know nobody involved in the production - or theatre in general- could be in the seats (and I'm not talking about Broadway)...but again, there's much blame to go around for this...unless I'm just wrong.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: Anyone who produces, buys, or even talks about my plays. Kidding, but not really. The real answer: Teachers of theatre I've had. Dr. Harold Tedford at Wake Forest University who invited me, a jock majoring in baseball, to take his theatre class. Deloss Brown of NYU, who cast me in...you guessed it...Love's Labour's Lost when I first came to New York in the '90s to be an actor. Both teachers, both people who devote their lives to spreading the word about theatre to those who may not otherwise ever find it in life, both who feel theatre is for and about everyone. I 'm lucky enough to plays at City College. I try to emulate them.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: So many different kinds it's impossible to answer. I get an extra kick out of theatre that works with no budget. But really, I'm ready to be excited at any show big, small, classical, new, professional, amateur, New York, anywhere.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: See plays. Read plays. And revise, revise, revise. Get to know actors and have readings of your play- in your apartment, in front of an audience, wherever- and realize that 3 years from first draft to opening night is pretty damn good. The Lark Theatre is a place for playwrights to meet directors. I met Shelley Butler there who directed a bang-up reading at SCR. Long live the Lark.
Q: Plugs, please:
A: My bootleg website: www.marcpalmieri.com
Apr 25, 2012
Reading at Primary Stages May 9
Come if you can.
Mercy by Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Michelle Bossy
Wed May 9 at 3pm
Primary Stages Studios
307 West 38th Street, Suite 1510, New York, NY 10018
Reservations readings@primarystages.org
or call Taylor at 212 840 9705
Synopsis:
Apr 24, 2012
I Interview Playwrights Part 446: Adriano Shaplin
photo by Duska Radosavljevic
Adriano Shaplin
Hometown: Burlington, Vermont
Current Town: Jersey City & Philadelphia
Q: Tell me about Sophie Gets the Horns.
A: It’s about a group of young artists attending a liberal arts college in the ‘90s. Just as I was starting to work on the piece, I saw an amazing student production of The Glass Menagerie, so I was thinking about memory plays. I was also reading a lot of Sylvia Plath, mainly her diaries as well as The Bell Jar and reading a bit about her relationship with Ted Hughes. I was drawn to something in these stories, something about the way they used their pasts, and that started me writing about young artist in the 90’s, attending an elite school, and I started to want to measure the distance between then and now. The Riot Group was formed when we were all freshman at Sarah Lawrence College, and a lot of shit went down there; a lot of great shit, but also some really scary shit. Those experiences absolutely shaped who we are as individuals and who we are together. As of last month, we’ve been collaborating for 15 years, and something felt right about reaching back and telling a story inspired by our collective past. Of course, that was only the beginnings--a few pages of ideas and prompts. Soon after that, all the other artists join the project and bring their own associations and desires to the piece, and the story grows from there.
Q: Can you describe the process by which you create work with The Riot Group?
A: Yeah, it always starts with some seed of a desire to express something that isn’t easily expressed. I make some notes and sketch some voices and just basically throw some darts at the wall. I write some disembodied soliloquies and fragments of dialogue. And long, long before there is anything that resembles a script we all begin working together, the cast and director and designers, to create the show. As the writer, I usually bring in new pages, but everybody writes, everyone generates proposals, and we throw tons of shit away, and start over many times. We build the physical language of the piece alongside the text, brick by brick. Text isn’t always the mover of what’s happening. I’m really inspired by actors. Each actor is a given in the piece before anything has been worked out about their “character”. I like to tailor and shape the role for the actor and collaborate with them in creating it. We stalk the story for a long time before we find it. Every piece is a new collaboration of some kind, with new performers or designers or a director working alongside the long-standing ensemble members, so the new encounters are also always feeding the piece.
Q: What else are you working on now?
A: Well, I’m also acting in Sophie Gets the Horns, so I’m working on my choreography and memorizing lines while also finessing the script and generally getting ready to perform the piece, and rehearsing everyday. This is our first time working with Rebecca Wright, which has been incredible: she is the ultimate collaborative director, but her rehearsals are also very physically demanding. I’ll just speak for myself and say that it is kicking my ass, but I’m loving it, and can’t wait to do it again.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A: I liked to draw as a child. That was what I was into. If I remembered a dream, I would draw it. I had a little army of characters I would draw and some of them were from movies or TV and some of them were from my dreams. Then I would draw pictures of these characters racing into battle with each other.
Also, I remember taking an after-school drama class when I was very young, like elementary school. And we were improvising, and I figured out that if I put a wooden block underneath my shirt and hit that part of my shirt with my fist, it would help me create the illusion that I was Frankenstein. I don’t think I actually knew who Frankenstein was—I guess I thought he was a robot or something, and wood was the closest I could come to metal—but I remember that moment, and being excited by the potential for conjuration and transformation.
Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?
A: I would kill all the blurbs before they kill us. No. I don’t know. I spent a lot of my youth concerned with the state of theater in general and what I thought needed to change about it (hence the name Riot Group) but I’m not so certain about those things these days. I think it would be cool if there were more artistic directors who were actors, writers, or designers. I also think it would be great if artists could make a living wage while also letting audiences see the work for free.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: I would say that Hulk Hogan and Meredith Monk were my theatrical heroes in terms of early influence and that today it is Vegard Vinge and Ida Muller, no question. They have shaken me to the core. I was there when their 12-hour production of John Gabriel Borkman was shut down in Berlin, and it definitely changed the way I think about what I’m doing. They are unafraid to pursue their obsessions all the way to the end. Their work is totally uncompromising, totally personal, and totally epic, all at once.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: I like sacrifice and transgression. I like to be scared. I’m looking for that feeling where you float a little bit outside of your body, like when you’re just starting to go to sleep and your dream life is taking over. I want to see artists putting themselves on the line. I also like things that are mysterious. I’m excited by performers who create their own work and designers who perform. I love Sibyl Kempson’s plays and Jim Findlay’s work. I’m way into Sheila Callaghan and Young Jean Lee, and I’m obsessed with Applied Mechanics and, of course, Vegard and Ida.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: Make friends. Form a gang. Don’t go into it alone. Identify the people around who are inspiring and find a way to work with them. Act. Work in three dimensions; don’t live on the page. Don’t write everyday
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