Pat the Dog Playwright Centre speaks with playwright Evan Tsitsias about his recent production, Aftershock. Evan says:

Aftershock was originally written in 2009 as part of Pat the Dog’s 24 hour Playwriting Contest with the IMPACT festival. It placed 3rd.

I then worked with Lisa O’Connell on developing the script with the hopes of entering it into Summerworks. It was also part of Magnetic North’s piece/meal series before it premiered at Summerworks.

Synopsis: Anna has just returned from one of those “Extreme Makeover” shows on television. She returns to the trailer she lives in with her eccentric family who are all shocked at her transformation and not sure how to communicate with her now.  This makeover ignites a sea of change in everyone around her, except for Anna, who doesn’t know what to do with her new and improved self.  She finds she has to take some desperate measures to get herself to finally move, in any direction.

I don’t think there is enough cyberspace to tell you how much I learned from this experience. The most valuable lesson I learned is the art of true collaboration. You truly are only as good as your collaborators. I also learned to put my ego aside for the benefit of the piece. I learned patience…a lot of it! I learned to keep an open mind and spirit and not treat my words preciously or as sacred text. I learned to take risks and trust that process is more important than product.  I learned not to analyze the tone in which people ask you questions about your script.  I learned how vulnerable it makes you when people speak your words out loud.  And that was just the first day of rehearsal!!

What did you wish you had known going in?
Basically I wish I had known everything from the first question above. I had no idea how much work it was going to be which I think is actually better. I have produced many shows in the past but for some reason this one was the most challenging of all. Probably because I was so close to it.

How has the process of getting a play produced at Summerworks affected your voice as a playwright?
The festival itself was an amazing experience. The audiences and the word of mouth was incredible and the atmosphere is charged with creativity and nurturing and fun. It gave me confidence that I can follow this path and not be frightened of my voice, whatever the response to the work may be. It definitely showed me I can take a risk and have it pay off. I’m not sure if it directly shaped or affected my voice but it definitely shaped my perception of playwriting.

What were the audiences like?
The audiences were incredible.  This festival thrives on word of mouth and the audiences are on the hunt for good work.  They really changed drastically night to night, as did the show. Some were very vocal, some were very intense and focused, and some were a mixture of both. Still not sure which one I liked best. It was interesting for me to watch each show and see what the audience responded to every night, whether it was in the same moments or different ones and trying to figure out why they responded to those moments that particular way. One constant in each show was the audible gasps every time the character began to mutilate herself. It was a thrill to hear such vocal responses. Felt like they were right there, along for the ride.

Did the audience reaction change how you felt about your play? If so, how?
It didn’t change the way I felt about the play itself, but it did change the way I approached my rewrites. It was such a valuable experience to treat the Festival as a preview of what the show would become and evolve into. I think that is my favourite aspect of Summerworks. A chance to experiment in an environment that is geared towards process.

Aftershock got a lot of reviews. Were the reviews positive or negative and how did they affect you?
I would say almost every review was extremely positive. I still find it a little strange to be reviewed on a new work that is only one hour long, truncated due to the time limits of the festival.  I approached this process as a “workshop” or a chance to preview the show with an audience. My first viewing of the show in full with tech etc. was in front of the opening day audience, so it was a surprise for me as well. It’s daunting when you think of reviewers critiquing your piece when you know it’s in stage one of its development process. So I had to prepare for whatever the reviews said. I knew there were holes in the script because of the time constraints and so I took them all with a grain of salt. I’ve developed a very thick skin through this process.  I’m just grateful that the reviews were so positive!

There was, of course, one review that put a negative spin on the exact things I was aiming for.  It was my favourite review because I felt like I accomplished exactly what I wanted, even though the reviewer disagreed with my intention. I do take a little nugget from each review that has helped in the rewrites. I wish we lived in a world where reviews didn’t matter but they absolutely do. Not to my inner world, but to the outside world, unfortunately they can dictate the future of the piece.

Self-producing as a playwright — good or bad? Please explain.
It was both sides of the coin. On one hand, it was great to have more creative control over the process and try to bring as much of my voice into the experience as I could. I was able to choose props, set, creative team etc.,  which allowed me to feel more comfortable.  But on the other side, it was difficult to split my focus as a playwright.  I couldn’t sit there and just listen to the words because I’d be thinking about props, costumes, set, publicity and a million other things that I knew needed just as much attention. I had two amazing co-producers that took a huge load off my shoulders so I would definitely suggest that playwrights/producers collaborate with another producer to take over once rehearsals begin.

Would you do it again? If so, what would you do differently?
Yes I would absolutely do it again and can’t wait for the next phase of this process. In hindsight, I would have given myself more rehearsal time. With a new piece, there were so many questions and rewriting during rehearsals. It would have been nice to take more time to explore the world of the play. I would also have my dramaturg with me for more or all of the rehearsal process. I realized how important they are to the process of producing new work.

What are you working on now?
I’ve already begun working on rewrites for AFTERSHOCK. I started them the day after the festival was over. I was so inspired after watching it in front of an audience that I needed to expand and fix and edit the whole thing. Immediately!! I’m also working on a brand new script. One of my other plays, UNSTUCK, is also being produced as part of the Foundry Theatre’s 2010-11 season so I will also begin working with a dramaturg and director on that piece. I am also initiating a Canadian version of the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab which I’ve attended the last two years in New York. It’s a very exciting project and one that I hope continues to grow year after year. I am working with two other Canadian Lincoln Lab Alum members to create it. So my plate is pretty full and I couldn’t be happier!

What do you look for in a script?
For Touchmark I look for a well-crafted dramatic action and characters which will pique the interest and reward the efforts of experienced actors. Whatever the play’s age and origin, it should be capable of enriching the experience of our audience here and now.

From a practical standpoint – is there an ideal number of characters  or script length?
Dozens of plays which would otherwise be ideal candidates for Touchmark are beyond our means because of cast size or scenic demands. I look for plays which have two to five characters and lend themselves to simple and imaginative staging. Occasionally we take on a bigger project.

Does script formatting matter or can it get in the way?
Our scripts tend to have a production history and are usually published so formatting is not a concern.

How do you feel about detailed stage directions?
I believe it’s important to pay attention to a playwright’s directions, especially at the beginning of a rehearsal period. Stage directions, character directions, character and set descriptions and playwright’s notes all have their place. But even a good playwright sometimes gets it wrong when it comes to the words in italics.

What turns you off a script?
If I read fifteen or twenty pages, and I still don’t know what the play is about (or whom) and where it might be headed, I will put it aside.

Does the topic matter as much as the delivery? Or are there topics so important any discussion is worthy of staging?
For me the essential ingredient of a play is a dramatic action. If a script doesn’t have one, it will not play effectively on stage, no matter how worthy the subject matter.

What bad habits from television / movie scripts does a playwright need to break?
Is it a question of breaking bad habits, I wonder, or recognizing that each medium lends itself to certain modes of expression and not others? Generally a stage play tells a story by means of words, a screenplay, by pictures. A series of short scenes with indefinite beginnings and/or endings can be effective in a movie but is exasperating to watch on stage. A full-length film or play should involve a life-changing experience for the main characters. A half-hour TV show doesn’t need to and in most cases shouldn’t.

What is the most important play of the past 100 years and why?
I don’t have a strong conviction about the importance of a particular play; I’m more impressed by the total legacy. As a director I seem to have an affinity for the plays of J.M. Synge and Tennessee Williams (among the acknowledged “greats” of the twentieth century). I’m also an admirer of Tom Stoppard.

Fill in the blank. I wish people would stop telling playwrights to _________________?
“Write what you know.”

If you could give emerging playwrights three pieces of advice, what would they be?

1. Think dramatically! When generating ideas for plays, imagine motivated characters pursuing goals, meeting obstacles, achieving success or failure.
2. Outline your play first. Then develop the outline. If ideas for dialogue occur, jot them down, but keep expanding the outline until you have a feel for the arc of each character and how every scene functions and contributes to the whole.
3. When you come to write the scenes, let them take on their own life. Treat the outline as a guide, not a prescription.

Recent directing credits also include: And All For Love (National Arts Centre), Generous (Tarragon), Afterplay (Shaw Festival), The Last Five Years (CanStage and MTC), This is How it Goes (Neptune Theatre), Helen’s Necklace (Grand Theatre), and The Play About The Baby (Soulpepper).

Daryl has been awarded the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize for an Outstanding Emerging Theatre Director, the Toronto Theatre Emerging Artist Award, and a Robert Merritt Award for Outstanding Director (This is How it Goes).  He is also one of three writer/directors for the interactive feature film Late Fragment, produced by the Canadian Film Centre/National Film Board, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

What do you look for in a script?
A surprise.

From a practical standpoint – is there an ideal number of characters  or script length?
Nope.  I’ll happily sit in a theatre for 9 hours if the playwright earns every minute of it. (Conversely, there’s nothing more excruciating than a 3-hour play that only has 10 minutes of compelling content.)

Does script formatting matter or can it get in the way?
Nope. As long as I understand what’s going on, the format doesn’t matter.

How do you feel about detailed stage directions?
Write the information you need to impart to make the action make sense. Long detailed stage directions become cumbersome in rehearsal and often ignored. If you are selective and concise with stage directions, they stand out better, and have a far better chance of being adhered to.

What turns you off a script?
Cliches.

Does the topic matter as much as the delivery? Or are there topics so important any discussion is worthy of staging?
Doesn’t matter how you deliver the story if you have nothing to deliver. Content is everything.  You must have an important story to tell.

What bad habits from television / movie scripts does a playwright need to break?
Lots of short episodic scenes in lots of different locations.  Storytelling in theatre needs time to develop. Long scenes. Rich dialogue.

What is the most important play of the past 100 years and why?
Wow, that’s impossible to answer.  Though I would say that Caryl Churchill is one of the most important playwrights of the past century.

If you could give emerging playwrights three pieces of advice, what would they be?
I’ll just give you one good one I heard recently. I’m directing “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire right now.  He explains that as a young playwright, his instructor told him that in order to write a great play he must “write about what scares him most” He had no idea what that meant. Years later, he became a father. When friends of his lost their young child in a tragic accident, he suddenly realized that losing his child was the thing he was most scared of in the world.  And he wrote “Rabbit Hole”, about a young couple losing a child.  And won the Pulitzer Prize for it.

Ken Cameron

Ken Cameron is the Artistic Director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, a national festival showcasing exceptional new Canadian work, co-presented with the National Arts Centre. Also a playwright, Ken is the author of Harvest, My Morocco and My One And Only. All three plays will be published by Newest Press in 2010.

What do you look for in a script?
At Magnetic North we do not produce scripts from scratch, like a theatre company: instead we present touring productions by theatre companies, bringing in the ready-made work to our festival. As a result I am not really looking at scripts these days, so much as I am looking at full productions.

But when I think about scripts that I love, they are often “rich”: rich in characterizations, rich in plot, rich in dialogue. I am really intrigued by plays which give the actors lots to play with in relation to one another – lots of opportunities to attack, cajole, insult, seduce in turn – dramatic action in other words.

From a practical standpoint – is there an ideal number of characters or script length?
Since the mid-90s when government funding for the Arts hit the first of its many crises, the average cast size on Canada’s stages have steadily shrunk. At about the same time Canada’s Fringe Festivals emerged as a popular and cost-effective platform for emerging playwrights to develop their craft. Both factors put pressure on playwrights to create plays with ever smaller casts, culminating the ultimate small cast: the one-man show.

It’s not entirely a bad thing. By focusing on only three or four characters a playwright has the opportunity to really develop character, intention and plot. Every character matters and must be full fleshed-out, and the playwright must use all their skill in drawing the remaining characters into conflict and sustaining tension between a small cast over a full length play. It’s a great way to practice one’s craft. And one- or two-person plays often provide the actors with opportunities to show off their craft and turn in a truly virtuosic performances.

Fortunately, though, we are starting to see Artistic Directors and audiences tiring of small cast plays and looking for those affordable plays that allow them to create with a larger canvas.

Does script formatting matter or can it get in the way?
When I was the Executive Director of the Alberta Playwrights Network the most common question we received from budding playwrights was “what is the proper format for stage plays?” I’ve often surmised that this question comes from reading manuals on how to write a screenplay. In film, there are rigid rules for how to format a script. And I mean rigid. This is because, if formatted properly, a page of screenplay really does translate into a minute of screen time. This is not the case for stage plays, however, where an average page can vary widely in the time it takes to play out onstage.

I feel very strongly that the format of a script should reflect the play itself. I am publishing a book of three plays later this year and one of the plays, a one-person show, is formatted quite differently, with line breaks to reflect the cadence and flow of text. It’s not something I do often, but when a script demands it I will break from traditional formatting.

And what is that traditional formatting? There are several different options, and Canadian publishers vary even amongst themselves. Buy a few plays and see what works for you.

How do you feel about detailed stage directions?
I think Samuel French has lead many playwrights astray. Scripts available form Samuel French are covered with detailed stage directions and annotated with set descriptions and props lists. Beginning playwrights often over-write their stage directions feeling it is their responsibility to follow Samuel French’s example.

What many people fail to realize is that these directions are usually based on the first production or the Broadway hit production and are rarely written by the playwright herself. Often they reflect the director’s vision. Oddly, directors and actors are taught in theatre school that the first thing they ought to do is cross out stage directions and begin from a blank slate, using the words and the actor’s impulses as their only stage directions. I once wrote an entire script without a single stage direction as a challenge to myself to see if I could communicate my intentions through the text alone.

Beautiful moments can emerge when a director and playwright trust the actors to bring the script to life. Theatre is at its best when it involves collaboration, and trust is at the heart of it.

What turns you off in a script?
If it’s not clear from the above, over-written stage directions turn me off!

Does the topic matter as much as the delivery? Or are there topics so important any discussion is worthy of staging?
I think topic and delivery are intertwined and inseparable. There are many important subjects that need to be dealt with, but if that is one’s primary impetus for writing a play, the really you are dead in the water. A play that deals with an important topic is the same as any play – it must tell a compelling story and it must tell it in an interesting way that captures and retains the attention of an audience.

What bad habits from television / movie scripts does a playwright need to break?
When Directors talk about how a play is too cinematic, they oftentimes mean that the scenes are very short, not leaving enough time for the characters to develop. Just as often it can mean that plot points are introduced and just as quickly resolved. Theatre has difficulty “cutting” from one location to another, so once you have asked a director, designer and cast to go to all the work of creating a particular time and space, then its important to let them stay and explore one another in that space. (Note I said “explore one another”, not the space itself – a play is nearly always about conflict between characters).

I recently saw the film Inglourious Basterds, and was surprised by just how much time the director takes with each scene. If one can set aside all the violence and Second World War revisionism, then each segment of the film builds to a scene that is essentially little more than two or more characters sitting at a table with one another. Yet, because of the plotting, the characters and the given circumstances, these simple moments are rich with dialogue, subtext and dramatic action. Truly virtuosic storytelling on the part of the writer/director and the actors.

What is the most important play of the past 100 years and why?
For Canadians it’s likely The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. The odd thing about having a country that is so young is that our theatre culture is very, very recent. Rita Joe premiered in 1967 in Vancouver: and starred Chief Dan George, then chief of the Squamish Band of Burrard Inlet, BC. Two years later it was revived at opened the studio theatre in The National Arts Centre. That was the year I was born. Its worth noting that The Ecstasy of Rita Joe is sometimes called one of the first plays written about Canada to be professionally produced: in a way Canadian Theatre is as old as I am. So I like to think Canadian Theatre is very, very young.

I saw Rita Joe in 1990 while I was a 20-year old student at McGill University. The same year that I saw the play a group of Mohawk Warriors blockaded a bridge in Montréal to protest the development of land which they claimed they had land rights. Here were political events outside my doorstep that had their roots in the same institutionalized racism depicted in a play that had been written two decades earlier. It sad that this political situation should persist: but I think it also champions the relevance of theatre generally.

Fill in the blank. I wish people would stop telling playwrights to… …
… think about their audience. The worst plays I have written in my life are plays I wrote to please someone else. At one point in my career I discovered I was over-concerned with what an audience might think of a particular moment or a turn in the plot, or an atrocious action a character might make or shocking line of dialogue they might say. Write what you want to see onstage: write a story that grips you, about a subject you personally are passionate about.

If you could give emerging playwrights three pieces of advice, what would they be?

1. Go to the theatre and see plays. When I was at the Alberta Playwrights Network I was astonished at how many budding playwrights turned up at my door wanting advice on their script, but who had not set foot in a theatre in years. When I asked them about this many simply blinked at me, curious as to why it would matter. Would you expect to be able to play hockey if you had never seen the game played?
2. Go to the library and read plays. A play on the page is never the same as on the stage. The actors, director, designers and creative team breathe life into a play that, on the page, is only a blueprint of production. Better yet: read the play before you go see it onstage and compare what was in your imagination with what you saw onstage.
3. Write. Many playwrights forget this stage. Writing is hard work, and it’s easy to get distracted and to spend one’s time talking about writing. One can only go to the pub and talk about how hard the writer’s life is before one needs to stay home on a Thursday night and actually do some writing.

A theatre director and performer, Bou-Matar immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 2003 and focuses on Canadian intercultural theatre.

An active member of the arts community in Waterloo Region, Bou-Matar has also directed several productions in Beirut and been an active participant in several theatre, television, and film projects in the Middle East and Tunisia.

In Beirut, Majdi’s directing portfolio includes: Nijinsky: the Hour of his Wedding to the Lord (1997); Miss Julie (1999); Something Like Macbeth (2000). In Canada, he has directed for The MT Space: Three-Legged Horse (04-05), Seasons of Immigration (2006), Yes or NO! (2007), Exit Strategy (2008), and The Last 15 Seconds (2009).

What do you look for in a script?
I am personally attracted to the physical, the inter-cultural and the inter-disciplinary. How much the script allows for new and challenging presentations of the body and its politics? What frictions and negotiations does the script present between different cultures? And how much does the script challenge the conventional deadly forms of theater that are usually imprisoned in categories and within the solid walls around performance disciplines?

From a practical standpoint – is there an ideal number of characters or script length?
Particularly in my work at The MT Space, I prefer casts between 3 and 8 performers and shows that are between 50 and 90 minutes in length. This is related to the particular aesthetics of the work we do in terms of its simplicity and minimalist qualities.

Does script formatting matter or can it get in the way?
I don’t think there is a rule or prescribed format for any work of theatre. Plays breath, grow and evolve in the space of creation, in the body of the performer and with the audience attending the show.

How do you feel about detailed stage directions?
In my work stage directions are useless. I believe in recreating any piece of theatre in an immediate way directly related to the time, place and people of creation. This might sound radical, but I don’t usually read the script as I am directing it, I rely only on witnessing it through the bodies and voices of my performers as they play in the workshop space.

What turns you off a script?
It would be too long of a list to mention here!

Does the topic matter as much as the delivery? Or are there topics so important any discussion is worthy of staging?
What matters to me most is the relationship between the performer and the story. What does the performer have to say about the play/ character/or script. It is in this in-between space of negotiation and witnessing that theatre prevails. In that sense delivery might take the front row, but both the topic and delivery are important depending on the relationship that exists between them.

What bad habits from television / movie scripts does a playwright need to break?
Write for the wide shot rather than the close-up.

Write what the camera can not see. While the camera can capture life very accurately and imaginatively, it cannot capture the theatricality of life. The theatricality of life only exists through the medium of theatre.

While playwrights can benefit a lot from the motion picture as a form, they need to understand theatre as a totally different form where the moment can never be repeated (as in film); on the contrary the moment lives and dies constantly within the moment itself. Therefore, playwrights should not write plays that could be repeated and re-produced. They should write plays that can be born, breath, grow, change and die endless times.

What is the most important play of the past 100 years and why?
I don’t know what the ‘most important’ play is in the past 100 years. Important to whom, I wonder, and by what standards? Theatre history, the canon and the published plays of the last 100 years have mostly been written, evaluated and categorized by Western male academics, and are not by any way inclusive of all the important theatre achievements of the century. To my personal taste and experience Harold Pinter has been one of the most exciting playwrights (to read) of the 20th century. Fadhel Jaibi (Tunisia) is the most skilled theatre creator I have ever encountered and Pina Bausch – in my opinion – is the most influential figure in the 20th Century theatre/dance.

Fill in the blank. I wish people would stop telling playwrights to _________________?
…write plays, but instead to createtheatre.

If you could give emerging playwrights three pieces of advice, what would they be?

1. Work in the studio with the actors because theatre is created in the body and space, not in the mind and on paper.
2. Simplify and write fewer words because the magic of theatre is in what is not said.
3. Let the few words you write be rhythmic and poetic like a song.

Dominik Loncar is the Artistic Director of the InspiraTO Festival, Toronto’s annual ten-minute play festival held in June (now in its 5^th year). He has produced 45 ten-minute plays to date, as well as, directed and written numerous ten-minute plays.

This past season he directed Michael Kimball’s Say No More (2^nd prize People’s Choice Award).  Dominik encourages playwrights to get inspired and write a ten-minute play.  Visit www.inspiratofestival.ca for details.

What do you look for in a script?
The three “I’s”:

Is it imaginative?
Is it interesting?
Is it intriguing enough for me to want to see what happens next?

From a practical standpoint – is there an ideal number of characters or script length?
For a ten-minute play it should be … ten minutes.  You‘d be surprised how many ten-minute plays are not. It can be slightly shorter but not longer. Read it out loud.  Time it.

I’ve seen some great ten-minute plays done as monologues and with four characters. However, these are the exceptions.  I would recommend any one starting out in this medium to aim for 2 to 3 characters.  Each character is important. Every minute counts.

Does script formatting matter or can it get in the way?
As long as the script is easy to read and the format is consistent it doesn’t matter.

How do you feel about detailed stage directions?
Too much stage directions can be a turn off.  Keep it to the bare necessities. Let the director decide. It’s her job.

What turns you off in a script?
When it’s not a play but a skit, a scene, or a sketch.  A ten-minute play, like any other play, needs dramatic action.  Just get to the conflict quicker.

Does the topic matter as much as the delivery? Or are there topics so important any discussion is worthy of staging?
Delivery. Delivery. Delivery. I’d rather watch a great play about a chair then a mediocre play about how we need to save the world.   However, if the delivery is great and the topic is relevant that’s a bonus.  Theatre is drama, first and foremost.

What bad habits from television / movie scripts does a playwright need to break?
Be more demanding of your audience when writing a play. Let them work for it. Maximize the effect of the theatrical element by really taking the time to understand the possibilities and limitations of the stage.

What is the most important play of the past 100 years and why?
No play can claim to be the “most important”.  However, plays that have left an undeniable imprint on the theatre world include Hedda Gabbler, The Three Sisters, Playboy of the Western World, Death of A Salesman and Waiting for Godot. Each play pushed the craft of playwriting to greater heights.

Fill in the blank. I wish people would stop telling playwrights to…
…be realistic.  NO.  Be imaginative. That’s why it’s called a “play”.

If you could give emerging playwrights three pieces of advice, what would they be?
1. Write the play you really want to write – not the play you think you‘re suppose to write.
2. Get inspired. You’re writing even when you’re not writing.
3. Stay connected with the theatre community.

Vern Thiessen currently divides his time between Edmonton, AB and New York City

Vern Thiessen is one of Canada’s most produced playwrights. He has written for stage, radio and television.

Thiessen received is BA from the University of Winnipeg and an MFA from the University of Alberta. He has served as Playwright in Residence at Workshop West Theatre (where he founded the Playwrights Garage program), and the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.  He is a Past President of both the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Writer’s Guild of Alberta.

His stage plays have been seen across Canada, the US and Europe, including Shakespeare’s Will, Apple,  Einstein’s Gift, Blowfish and Vimy. His most recent play, A More Perfect Union, recently had its world premier in New York.

Thiessen is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding New Play, The City of Edmonton Arts Achievement Award, the University of Alberta Alumni Award for Excellence, The Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition, and the Governor General’s Literary Award, Canada’s highest honour for playwriting. He has also been shortlisted for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre.

Playwright Q&A

Best writing habit?
Sitting down and writing.

Worst writing habit?
Thinking about sitting down and writing.

What time of day do you write best?
Any time that I am writing.

What inspires you?
The world, both outside my door, and inside my head.

Music, does it inspire or detract?
Essential. All plays have music, rhythm, a beat.

What music do you write to?
I  listen to the the music the play demands me to listen to – both on my ipod and in my head.

Best advice someone gave you about your work?
The play is never as good as you think it is, and its never as bad as you think it is.

What is the most satisfying sound?
The espresso maker in the morning.

If you could have dinner with anyone who would it be and why?
My parents. They are my heroes and my inspiration.

What would you serve them?
Whatever they wanted to eat.

How important for playwrights is networking / knowing your community?
Essential.

What inspired you to write A More Perfect Union?
I was commissioned to write a play about what happens when passions, professions and politics collide. I did so.

What question haven’t I asked that I should have asked?
How do you make a living?