Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Kitty Felde: I moved to DC from LA in March of 2009 and immediately set out to find Washington's theatre and playwriting community. Step one was becomming a Helen Hayes judge and seeing every theatre in town. Step two was finding a writing group. I came to DC to create the Washington bureau (me) for public radio station KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, based in Pasadena. I cover Capitol Hill for them. I stay because my day job work is still here and because my husband is a policy wonk with an expertise in nuclear disarmament and because DC is a great theatre town! JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? KF: I miss several things about LA: better summer weather, the beach, fresh produce in winter, and my playwrights lab at Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles. Couldn't do much about the first three, but I was lucky to discover the Playwrights Gymnasium, headed by DW Gregory. It only meets monthly, but provides me with feedback, encouragement, criticism, and a community of writers. Not everyone needs this, but it's invaluable to me. I also have a weekly writing session with a playwright buddy I met at the Great Plains Theatre Conference several years ago, Omaha writer Ellen Struve. We meet on skype to share about 15 pages and kick each others' butts about submitting. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? KF: I've applied for both Source and Mead Lab and made the finals, but no go. However, last summer I plunged in and put up a show for Fringe - my one-woman show with a ghost ALICE, an evening with the tart-tongued daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. It was the perfect show for DC: hometown girl, political sniping, very funny. I hate producing. I co-founded Theatre of NOTE in LA and served as Managing Director for six years. I should have remembered that I hate producing. But I do know how to do it. And ALICE was quite the hit: we played to sold-out houses (there was even a fight in the lobby the last performance; I told a few folks they could stand in the back if they promised to help strike the set!) and the Washington Post made us a "critic's pick." We even made a bit of money. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? KF: My day job is as a public radio reporter, covering California issues and people, mostly on Capitol Hill. It's stressful, and because my station is three hours later, my days can stretch into the evening. Finding writing time has been a challenge. I should get up in the morning and write. But instead, I feel the need to read the paper, Politico, The Hill, tweets, blogs, etc. and my brain gets stuck in day job mode. When I'm cooking on a play, I'll write at dusk, sometimes in the windowed stairwell of my high rise, watching the sky turn dark. But it's tough. And this year's been tough. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? KF: My only full DC production was ALICE. But I've had readings of other plays as well - THE LUCKIEST GIRL at MetroStage and Baltimore Playwrights Festival; TOP OF THE HOUR at Baltimore Playwrights Festival, A PATCH OF EARTH at Busboys and Poets as part of the Beltway Drama Series, and most recently, LAKE TITICACA as part of Theater J's 5 by 5 Festival. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? KF: That's tough because I write different plays that would be appropriate for different theatres. I'd love to see my musical BUM'S RUSH at Signature, THE LUCKIEST GIRL at Imagination Stage, ALICE at Arena. A PATCH OF EARTH should be done at Theater J or Forum or Rorschach. GOGOL PROJECT belongs at Studio. And I'd like to write something on the burning of Washington for Active Cultures. JL: DC audiences are ... KF: Terrific! I love how there's age diversity here. I think the most senior of folks I've seen were at Quotidian, 20-somethings at Taffety Punk, and all mashed up together at Studio. Going to theatre is part of the culture of DC. And becomming subscribers! JL: DC actors, designers and directors are .. KF: First class. But it's a small town in some ways. You can count on seeing the same actors in several shows a season. Good for actors! But the pool seems small. Love the designers and directors! JL: DC critics are ... KF: Actually published in the newspaper! In LA, the theatre section had shrunk to half a page on Fridays with four paragraph reviews. So sad. Here, you can read a review or a feature story almost every day of the week. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? KF: Growing up, I was raised with the belief that women could do anything. My mom had been student body president, so I ran. And lost. It wasn't until years later that I realized Mom had gone to an all-girls college. In my co-ed school, girls were Vice President and Secretary, not President. It still comes as a shock to me that "girl" playwrights aren't produced on a par with their male counterparts in this 21st century. Several of my plays have multi-ethnic casts, which for some reason seems to confound theatres. At the same time, I think there's more of a geographic bias than gender or racial one. If I was an NYC playwright, a graduate of some hot playwriting MFA program, I think I'd have a better shot at a production at a big theatre here in DC. That said, it's a topic that DC theatres are talking about and that's encouraging. Consider the discussions at Theater J and the Roundhouse decision to add one play by a woman. The more attention is paid to the topic, the more the machine will be moved. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? KF: See as much theatre as possible! Stay for talkbacks. Join the Dramatists Guild. Join the DC Area Playwrights group on Facebook. It's an easy town to meet people. And because it's a small theatre town, eventually you seem to run into the same people all the time. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? KF: My GOGOL PROJECT returns to the stage in LA next year. And if a grant can be gotten, THE LUCKIEST GIRL will premiere at Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles this winter. I'm currently at work on a second act to one of my favorite plays MAN WITH NO SHADOW - the story of a 1950's radio cowboy whose show is moving to television, but without him: he doesn't look like his voice. Act two is seven years later as the cast reunites to provide voices for cartoons. You can catch up with me at www.kittyfelde.com. I'm also a regular blogger at LA Female Playwrights Initiative and if you're a public radio junkie, you can hear me at www.kpcc.org.
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Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Kristen LePine: I moved to Northern Virginia in 2001 when my then-husband was transferred here for work. Within a couple of months, I was involved in a writer’s group and meeting other playwrights. Today, I’m a single mom with a 13 and 9 year old, and this area is now home. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? KL: When I first arrived, I joined Ernie Joselovitz’s Playwright’s Forum. Not long after that, I met Robert Alexander at a playwright’s conference at Arena Stage. He told me about a playwright’s group he was running at Woolly Mammoth called PlayGround, and I joined that group, too. PlayGround was very useful for me. We met twice a month to workshop within the group pieces we were writing. The group was filled with abundant talent that was inspirational and motivational. We also produced an annual reading series where I met and worked with many actors and directors whom I continue to work with today. Currently, I am not a part of a formal writing group, but I do feel like I am a part of an artistic community with The Hub Theatre. I am a company member, and the Hub has commissioned 3 plays to date: FOOLISH FIRE, LETO LEGEND, and DIRE WOLVES. With each of these plays, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the artistic director, a director, and actors to help me from first draft to a polished draft ready for audience feedback. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? KL: I have participated in the Source Theatre Festival (2003), The Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival (2006, 2009-2012) Inkwell’s Play Lab (2008), and Active Culture’s Diving Board Festival (2009). My experiences have all been positive, and if I had the opportunity to participate in these festivals again, I would. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? KL: I teach Theatre courses at the University of Mary Washington and Theatre and English courses at Lord Fairfax Community College; additionally I run a freelance writing and editing company called Scribeworks. Teaching theatre and writing plays works hand in hand. I know I am a better instructor because of my experiences in the theatre, and teaching dramatic literature specifically has helped me hone my craft. I am happiest when I’m writing and I really enjoy teaching, so I find a way to make it all work together – though I’d be lying if I said it was always balanced and harmonious. It’s not; it takes planning and discipline. But, I am lucky because I get to do daily what I love to do! JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? KL: In DC, I have had loads of readings (like 20!) and one production with the Source Theatre Festival. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? KL: Right now I am continuing to work with The Hub Theatre, who commissioned DIRE WOLVES and is producing a 2nd reading of the play at the Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival. My relationship with The Hub Theatre’s Artistic Director, Helen Pafumi, dates back to my days at Woolly’s PlayGround. While working on LETO LEGEND with The Hub Theatre, I met Toni Rae Brotons of Pinky Swear Productions. Toni Rae brought the script to the attention of the ladies of PSP, and I am excited about the potential to continue the journey, so stay tuned. When I find smart, talented, and generous people to work with, who understand my voice and intention, I want to keep working with them. JL: DC audiences are ... KL: ... hungry for new plays (but that just might be my fantasy…I hope it isn’t.) JL: DC actors, designers and directors are … KL: ... dedicated, talented, and truly generous. JL: DC critics are ... KL: ... theatre lovers themselves, and this comes across when I read their reviews. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? KL: Last season, I saw a number of DC productions; over half of the plays featured female dramatists – and a few were by DC woman! That being said, the statistics circulating that DC theatres produce more male dramatists than female dramatists and the national reports that male roles out number female roles is ironic and alarming when matched against audience data showing that more woman go to the theatre. I want to believe that these female driven audiences support the theatre that they want to see, that speaks to them, and if race and gender parity is important, then it ought to be reflected in what these audiences choose to see. Has this issue impacted me? I think my own self-promotion/circulation efforts impact me more than anything. At the end of the day, when I have an hour or two to myself, I tend to write. Still, I can’t complain because I get to write, find opportunities, work with incredibly talented people, and see my work on its feet. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? KL: When I was a grad student, I took a summer workshop taught by Tina Howe, who stressed the importance of making connections in your own back yard. I took this message to heart, and when I moved to DC, I made a commitment to get involved with the DC theatre community. I would encourage any newly arrived or new playwright to see DC theatre, attend new play readings, join a playwright’s social group like the DC-Area Playwrights, join a writing group like the Playwright’s Forum, and socialize with other playwrights and theatre artist. And, when you find good people to work with, hold onto them. Without a doubt, I owe my success in DC to the connections I have made and maintained. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? KL: The HUB Theatre is producing a reading of my play DIRE WOLVES at the Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival on 9/3 at 7:30pm. I am also writing a monologue that I will be (gulp) performing at the Intersections Art Festival in March 2012. And, I have (finally!) started a website: www.kristenlepine.com; please visit me there. Jackie – Thanks for including me in your project. I am honored to participate. Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Heather McDonald: I moved to D.C. in the late 80s after grad school in New York, traveling for a year through Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a rather young marriage to someone fiercely interested in politics and journalism, and this growing feeling that I just couldn't "be" a writer in New York. It was too damn stimulating, too many of my friends were dying or sick, and I longed for a life that would eventually have room for children, a house, a garden. Washington turned out to be a great creative move for me. In the early 90s I began a long relationship with TFA (Theater of the First Amendment) nurtured by Rick Davis. Not only did TFA produce my work, they gave me incredible opportunities to develop as a director. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? HD: Not officially, but my first job here was with Living Stage at Arena as Bob Alexander's assistant. Jennifer Nelson was one of the marvelous actors. Through a series of synchronicities, I ended up with a commission at Arena Stage (during the times when there was a company and a whole helluva lot more money for such things) and a residency that allowed me to write a big-cast play, "The Rivers and Ravines." It was a chance to create on a large canvas. Oddly, that remains my most produced play. 26 actors, but every community theatre and college theatre department wants that. I've had close to 400 productions and I'm something of a goddess in Texas it's been done there so many times. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? HD: Joy Zinoman directed a short piece of mine for the Source Theatre Festival when Jeremy Skidmore jumpstarted that whole shebang. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? HD: I am full time position as a Professor at George Mason University (GMU). Also, I direct, write in other mediums, like opera libretto and have done film and TV work and I do other kinds of workshops around the country. It's a cobbled-together sort of living. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? HD: As far as theatres in the area, I've worked as a playwright and director at a number of them. Signature, Round House, TFA, Source, Center Stage, Arena and when the Playwriting Intensives were happening at The Kennedy Center, Gregg Henry invited me to that party every summer. Never cracked Studio and almost with Woolly, which leads me to the other theme in my life as a playwright in D.C. I was all set to direct Howard Shalwitz in "The Gigli Concert" at Woolly when my younger daughter, Marilyn Grace, became very ill. I withdrew from all work for about a year to care for her, and I have never been so scared of anything as I was when Marilyn was sick and held on through that year. When I resurfaced, my life was in a bit of a shambles. I couldn't write, my own immune system was a wreck, I had massive medical bills, my marriage had come apart, and I just didn't "feel" like a writer anymore. That began a decade of many selves and writer was just one of them. A long, expensive, violent divorce and two small children to care for shifted my priorities. Stability and earning a steady living with benefits became my focus. I moved out of Arlington and lived for 7 years in Catonsville, MD. Once again, that white knight, Rick Davis, played a significant role. When I began working with TFA, I also began teaching at GMU part-time and maintained that relationship. The realization that, as a single parent, I needed to earn a decent living this year and next and the one after that changed my life. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? HD: If I had my druthers, hmmm ... I'd finish my long overdue commission for Signature, Howard would ask me to direct something at Woolly, somebody in town would commission me to write my musical about painter Artemisia Gentileschi and pair me with a composer, and I'd purchase a fabulous new dress to have dinner with this fierce group of women known as D.C. Women Playwrights. JL: DC audiences are ... HD: ... so smart. The conversations that happen in and around plays I've had produced are some of the most insightful and thought-provoking ones I've experienced. But, like the critical world, I think the audiences are a bit conservative when it comes to form. Traditional linear plays. It's a tough town for interdisciplinary, devised/built, collaborative kinds of work. The reception, I mean. But I think that is most places dominated by a regional/subscription model of making theatre. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ... HD: Through a production of my own play "Dream of a Common Language," a whole slew of marvelous artists came into my life. Naomi Jacobson, Jane Beard, Marty Lodge, Jim Kronzer ... and later Nancy Robinette, Michael Willis, John Lescault, Jimmy Whalen ... All of these people I worked with many times. Naomi the most. She is like a muse for me. If I were an actor, I imagine (hope) I'd be Naomi. She has performed in 4 of my own plays and, I believe, I've directed her 6 times. She's my perfect actor. JL: DC critics are ... HD: I stopped reading all reviews a long time ago. When a play of mine was referred to as the "nadir" of the festival at Humana and another was described as "murkily symbolic," I stopped. I was haunted by those phrases and crippled by the fear that I would maybe one day write again something that was "murkily symbolic." Whatever the hell that was! I also don't want to have someone else define my experience. I get someone to tell me the gist of the review and you can sure tell when it's bad when you come to the theatre the next day, and fourteen people put their hand on yours and look at you with concerned eyes and say, "Are you okay?" I didn't make this up, but my favorite saying about the relationship of critic to artist is: How do you feel about critics? The way a fire hydrant feels about dogs. Or less smartass, Cervantes: The dogs bark but the caravan passes by. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? HD: As far as being a woman, that's annoying too. My play "Dream of a Common Language" is all about that. What it feels like not to be at the table or to be told that your way of seeing the world or telling a story or experiencing life is somehow wrong. It's frustrating to be in 2012 and still so few women who are playwrights and directors are actually working. And I have complicated feelings about the term "woman writer." It takes me back to college when I took courses in "American Literature" or "British Literature" and back in the day there was not a single book by a writer who was female on either of those lists. The message that sent me was that, yeah, you could be a writer, but not a REAL heavy duty writer. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? HD: My advice would be to do lots of things and use those skills in storytelling in a range of ways. I've ended up supporting myself financially and creatively as a playwright but also as a director, adaptor, librettist, teacher, coach, mentor and writing in other mediums like film, television and opera. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? HD: I committed to that work and all that came with a full time position as a Professor at GMU. I still feel I am all those roles - mother, teacher, writer, mentor, director, professor, artist. My youngest daughter is a senior in highschool, and I find myself dreaming of an earlier self and aching for that "life in the studio" an artist needs. Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Caleen S. Jennings: I moved to D.C. in 1983. I started working as a playwright here in the mid 80’s. We’d lived in New York City, and then spent a year working in Lagos, Nigeria. We had a four year old son and we had often talked about moving out of the city. We knew if we moved back to NYC from Lagos, we’d never leave. We decided to move to D.C. because it put us closer to my family and closer to better public schools. D.C. has been a wonderful artistic home for me. I was embraced by Black Women Playwrights and Source Theatre Company almost immediately. The artistic community was so non-territorial and open-minded. I can’t imagine living and working anywhere else. I love the interplay between the universities and the professional arts community. I love the ease with which D.C. artists make connections between their “job-jobs” and the arts. I love the variety of kinds of theatres here and the generous spirit of the arts community. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? CSJ: Yes. Black Women Playwrights was the first organization to embrace me and my work. It has been a major force for nurturing talent in D.C. and it’s great to see them expanding to the national arena. I have been formally and informally affiliated with Playwright’s Forum for many years. Ernie’s done a fabulous job of making this a playwright’s town. There’s a community of very fine writers here – creative, intellectually sharp, driven, generous. The Playwright’s Forum conferences have been pivotal in my development. Washington Women in Theatre has done staged readings of 7 or 8 of my pieces – it’s been a support and inspiration to my work. Definitely. Playwrights tend to be lone wolves but interaction with others who are as insane as you are, and who can exchange ideas and techniques is essential for growth. D.C. organizations are particularly generous about sharing information regarding various kinds of opportunities as well. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? Yes. If so, can you speak about your experience? CJS: I was part of the old Source Theatre gang with Pat Murphy Sheehy, Keith Parker, Joe Banno, Lisa Middleton and crew. They were my first artistic home and Pat’s and Lisa’s efforts helped me receive the Kennedy Center’s Fund for New American Plays Award. I won two awards in Source Festivals in the early 90’s. Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival has done readings of two of my plays and I’m part of this year’s D.C. Playwright’s Slam. I participated this past year in the Intersections Festival and loved it so much that I’m doing a project in next year’s as well. I had a reading this past year in the Black Theatre Festival and I was very impressed by the director’s work on my play. Washington Women in Theatre have done staged readings of 3 of my plays in conjunction with the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theatre. I fear I’m too long in the tooth for the Capital Fringe and Hip Hop Theatre Festivals, but there may be life in the old girl yet. Stay tuned. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? CSJ: I have taught theatre at American University for the past 24 years. Prior to that, I was a freelance focus group moderator and trainer, a children’s theatre teacher, and an ad writer for a suburban newsletter. When I was freelance I was also mother to young children. There was no such thing as “balance”. I wrote in short bursts when I had time. I wrote some of my best children’s plays when I was teaching young people at the Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts (which is now Imagination Stage). Bonnie Fogel, Janet Stanford and Kate Breyer encouraged me as a playwright and a teacher. When I transitioned into academia, writing became part of my requisite scholarly/artistic output. I find teaching tremendously stimulating. There’s nothing like teaching playwriting to make you walk your talk. I try to stay in process on a piece while I’m teaching the course. That way I’m writing along with my students – having the same experiences and finding ways to problem solve. I think that this makes me a better teacher and a better playwright. It also makes me constantly read new books on the art of playwriting. Can’t beat that! I have premiered a number of plays at AU. There’s nothing like the intensity of writing, directing, producing your own work in front of and with your students. It holds your feet to the fire. It forces you to create and adhere to best practices. Is there time to do all the writing I want? Of course not. I’m grateful for my sabbatical every seven years but can anyone do everything they want to do? Of course not. But I’ve never felt as if my teaching interfered with my writing process. Would I give up teaching to write full time? Of course not. What I’ve learned over the years is that when a play is burning in your brain and in your gut, you’ll make the time to write it. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? CSJ: Eight. No. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? CJS: Arena Stage because I’d be honored to be in the company of some of the outstanding playwrights they have produced. I must also say Round House Theatre because their artistic staff is outstanding and because Montgomery County is my home. JL: DC audiences are ... CSJ: ... sharp and intellectually curious. You have to come with your A-game as a playwright. Many Washingtonians have seen theatre all over the world so they hold you to high standards. Theatre goers who work here and retire here expect theatre to provoke and provide fresh perspectives. From Woolley to Folger to Studio to Synetic – each has a fiercely passionate audience who expects the best. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ... CSJ: ... Sweethearts! So bright, talented, engaged, daring. The vast majority are here because they LIKE it here. I’ve never encountered one of those “I’d rather be in New York” attitudes. Consequently, they challenge me as a playwright – ask tough questions, broaden my vision. They give 1000% to whatever project they’re engaged in. They are humble and good spirited. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from them. JL: DC critics are ... CSJ: ... Tough. Most are fair. Some don’t know how to be entertaining without being snide or even cruel. The ones I admire are smart about the process of creating art and knowledgeable about theatre and theatre history. Others think they know more than they actually do. I wish they knew that you can write even the most negative review with grace and with constructive criticism that’s well grounded in an understanding of the art form. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? CSJ: Source, Horizons, and Woolly come to mind as having been leaders in providing opportunities to playwrights of color and to women playwrights as part of their seasons. Arena has made concerted efforts, as has Theatre J. In general, I’ve seen an overall improvement in sensitivity to these issues during the past 29 years I’ve lived here. Despite its economic struggles, ACTCO has done a heroic job in making sure that black theatre is seen in D.C. JL: How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? CSJ: I feel I get passed over because I’m local more so than because I’m a woman or a playwright of color. Horizons, Charter and Source have always championed local playwrights. Theatre J, Round House and Arena have also come on strong for local playwrights in recent years, as have Adventure Theatre and Imagination Stage in children’s theatre. I still get the feeling that some D.C. theatres look over the heads of local playwrights in order to get nationally recognized names like Lynn Nottage, Cheryl West and Lydia Diamond. Make no mistake -- it’s splendid to see their work and to have seen Arena do a play like Trouble in Mind. I celebrate the successes of these women playwrights of color as if they are my successes. I also understand that playwrights with this kind of name recognition get butts in the seats. It would be interesting to know if D.C. artistic directors feel that they’re taking a risk by doing local playwrights. As I said above, D.C. audiences are cosmopolitan and could perceive “local playwright” to mean “provincial” or “unsophisticated”. Are D.C. Artistic Directors worried that some critics might feel this way too? In all fairness, however, I need to be more proactive about marketing and promoting myself to D.C. theatres. I may be speaking from an outdated paradigm. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? CSJ: Go to as much theatre and as many talk backs and opening night receptions as you can. Meet local playwrights and talk to them. Usher. Apply to be a Helen Hayes judge. Attend a Playwright’s Forum conference. Most of all, give it time. I think many people arrive from places like New York, Chicago and L.A. and think D.C. is provincial when it comes to theatre. They expect to get produced immediately. D.C.’s way more sophisticated than people expect and each of our many theatres has a specialized mission. Get to know the city, the theatre artists in all disciplines. See at least a season’s worth of work. Get connected to the PEOPLE before you try to promote your work. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? CSJ: D.C. Playwright’s Slam as part of the 2012 Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival. On Facebook and via e-mail. I don’t have a website -- it’s that long in the tooth thing again. Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Bari Biern: I moved to DC in 1975 after an acting job with an improvisation group in Cambridge MA fell through (they gave my slot to a former company member who had recovered from a nervous breakdown). I picked Washington because I had family here and it was accessible to New York. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the nation’s capital over the years but, ultimately, I was won over by the close-knit theatre community and the ever-expanding range of opportunities available to work in the field I love. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them BB: Playwrights Forum founder Ernie Joselovitz has been my cherished mentor since I started writing. The Forum has presented excellent readings of four of my plays: Mapp & Lucia, Titus! The Musical!, The Real Thing and The Marriages. I’m also a proud virtual card-carrying member of the Naked Ladies Lunch and DC-Area Playwrights. I highly recommend belonging to a group of like-minded creative spirits. They offer comfort, empathy, good counsel, encouragement and, above all, community. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? BB: I’ve had shows in the Capital Fringe Festival (Arlen & Berlin Occupy the Fringe!), the Intersections Festival (WAM2), the Source Theatre Festival (When You Care Enough with composer Roy Barber, nominee best musical), and the Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival (The Real Thing & The Marriages, adapted from Henry James). What I loved most about these experiences was the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best actors and directors in town. Their talent and professional feedback were invaluable. I also appreciated the moderated post-show discussions with the audience. There’s no better way to learn what works and what doesn’t while your play is still in the developmental stage. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? BB: I’m a fulltime performer with the political satire troupe, the Capitol Steps. Happily, in addition to helping pay the bills, it’s a joyous job in every way. I also occasionally freelance as an off-camera announcer at C-SPAN and voice video game characters for Bethesda Softworks. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? BB: I’ve had about a dozen shows produced in this area, including ten-minute plays, musicals, children’s shows and operas. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? BB: It really depends on the project. I’d love to have my adaptations of Mapp and Lucia, The Marriages and The Real Thing produced by Washington Stage Guild. I’d love to collaborate on a children’s show with Adventure Theatre and Imagination Stage. I’d also like to have the opportunity to work with some of the newer edgier companies in the area, just to force me out of my comfort zone! JL: DC audiences are ... BB: ... sophisticated, adventurous and voracious. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ... BB: ...the most talented in the business, bar none. JL: DC critics are ... BB: ... people who love theatre, whether you agree with them or not. I particularly appreciate the emergence of of websites like DC Metro Theatre Arts, DC Theatre Scene, Maryland Theatre Guide and the late allartsrevue4u, founded by the late Bob Anthony. These sites make a concerted effort to cover as many productions as possible, not just the larger venues. They help get the word out about smaller theatre companies, who rarely have much in their coffers for marketing. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? BB: One look at New York’s current Broadway season can send shivers down your spine--Porgy & Bess, Evita, Chicago, The Best Man, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf--the youngest of these vehicles is over 30 years old and most of them are antiques! Theatre has always been a risky business (hey, Risky Business, the Musical!) but I like to think that, with more than 80 theatre companies of every shape, size and mission statement in the DC area, more diverse voices and, in particular, more local voices will be heard. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? BB: Market yourself better than I do! JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? BB: Here's what I have coming up:
Check out my website, www.baribiern.com. Now that I’ve mentioned it, I’d better go update it! Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Thembi Duncan: I’ve lived and worked in this area all my life, so it was a foregone conclusion that once I began to transition from actor to playwright that I would remain. Once my daughter leaves for college in a few years, who knows? I can write from anywhere, so I may fly away and move near her dorm. But wait, there’s something quite special about the diverse populace and numerous cultural offerings in the DC area – I never get tired of this place! DC is the “Cheers” to my “Norm.” JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? TD: I’m a member of the DC-Area Playwrights Group, which is about to post its second season of the Beltway Drama Series at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville. We don’t write together, but we’ve created another opportunity for local playwrights to see their work. I think that each playwright should give herself the time to develop a clear voice before joining any kind of group. Since theatre is such a collaborative art form, it helps to have a strong sense of one’s own place so that one knows when to bend and when to assert one’s ideas. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? TD: I’ve performed in Champagne, a 15-minute piece that I wrote and directed for Monte Wolfe’s Brave Soul Collective, which was produced during the Black Theater Festival. I had reservations about performing in the work, because I really wanted to see it from the audience. After time, though, I came to appreciate the writer/actor/director experience all happening at once in my person. I consider myself a playwright who writes for actors. I write characters that I want actors to be excited about inhabiting. By being inside both those bodies at once, I was able to revise the acting and writing in tandem, which (I think) made the piece better. I’ve also had my short play Gridiron: Adventures from the Sidelines produced twice by Active Cultures for the Sportaculture Play Festival. The second time I saw it was with revisions and with a different cast and director, so it was quite helpful to see how the work played out with different bodies and a different vision. The dramaturgical input from Active Cultures was a big help in my subsequent revision – I heart dramaturgs!! JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? TD: I work as the Lead Teaching Artist and Program Administrator at Ford’s Theatre. This job gives me the occasional opportunity to write dramatic pieces for students, among many other thrilling responsibilities related to the shaping of young people’s minds. My work pleases me, so I don’t often feel that I’m neglecting my writing through my work. Sometimes I have great stretches of time when I could feasibly be writing, but I don’t. I choose to write when the muse hits me, and I refuse to feel guilty for not writing at any given time. [Full disclosure: the latter part of that statement was a recent development. Like last week.] And if I ever get prickly about my quietude, I think of Saul Bellow, who wrote, “...all the while you thought you were going around idle, terribly hard work was taking place... excavation and digging, mining, moling through tunnels...working, working, working, painting, hauling, hoisting. And none of this work is seen from the outside. It's internally done...” JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? TD: The above were the only plays I’ve had produced in the area, and neither of them are full-length, so now I’m ready to take that next step – I suppose when the muse hits again? I’ve had two very well-attended and helpful staged readings of Mon Chaton, a full-length piece set during the Harlem Renaissance, and soon I’ll be ready to do some serious workshopping. Time will tell. Self-production may be the only way this piece gets seen in the area, and I am SUPER okay with that. Teaser: another piece that I’m working on will be mentioned at the end of this interview. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? TD: Perhaps the fact that I haven’t given that much thought is directly connected to the fact that I haven’t been produced at any of the major theatres in DC. I honestly don’t know if there’s a theatre whose vision fits my voice – or vice versa, I suppose, since I’m the one who needs the exposure. I would want my work produced at a DC theatre that has a reputation of treating its actors and production staff well. JL: DC audiences are ... TD: ... Underutilized and undercultivated. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ... TD: ... Courageous, clique-y, passionate. JL: DC critics are ... TD: ... Knowledgeable about theatre history and stagecraft, and I often feel a little more educated after reading the reviews of some of the more experienced and exposed critics, but let’s face it - they have their favorites. Favorite actors, favorite theatres, favorite playwrights. They try to mask it, but it seeps through. Ah, but I love to read reviews, whatever the temperature, if only to get yet another perspective on the work. It takes all kinds! JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? TD: This community generally has its heart in the right place, but action speaks louder than words. Awareness of race and gender disparities are ever-present in my African-American, female person, so I’m often super-sensitive to what is missing vs. what is being shown to me. I would give main stages in this area a C+ grade for producing work by a variety of genders and ethnicities, mainly because I don’t consider reusing the same “ethnic” playwright season after season very diverse. Now, many of the smaller companies are doing original and lesser-known work driven by the vision of their members (rightfully so), who are often not very diverse ethnically. It’s not something I take personally, nor do I necessarily think it should change. I think there’s room for all of us. Everyone has a right to tell her/his own story, and I don’t want to depend on anyone else to allow me to tell mine. I just have to shove the obstacles aside and find a way to be heard. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? TD: Go to as many shows in as many different area theatres as you can in order to get a true sense of what’s being produced here. See what local audiences get excited about, and determine if your work might serve an established audience. No? Then build the audience from scratch. However long that takes. It’s not a race. Ok, that last statement was more to myself. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? TD: Right now I’m working on a cross-gender musical satire of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, written for the magnificent James Foster Jr. and the phenomenal Michael Sainte-Andress. That will see some staged readings within the next couple of months and will likely be produced within the next year or so, but not necessarily on local stages. I’m on Facebook and Twitter, and one of these days, I just might re-launch my website! Anything’s possible in Duncania (otherwise known as my spotless mind)... Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Renee Calarco: I moved to DC in the mid-80s right after graduating from college with a degree in English and absolutely no job prospects. Amazingly, I found a job within a week, doing editorial assistant work for a teeny-tiny trade publication. I’d always been a writer and had done a little bit of theater…and I ended up falling in love with comedy improv after I moved here. I began learning, performing, and teaching improv and eventually realized that improv was essentially a kind of spontaneous playwriting. So in the late ‘90s I started writing ten-minute plays, then eventually full-lengths. The theater scene here just absolutely exploded (as did the improv scene). I loved it all so much that I had to stay! JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? RC: Up until recently, not really. I’m a very very bad (and lapsed) member of an online writing group. But I’ll be joining a group later on this fall, and am really looking forward to it. I need the friendly pressure and camaradarie of other playwrights! JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? RC: I’ve had plays in (and have performed in) the Source Festival. It’s where I began to understand playwriting: how plays work, how they don’t work, and why it’s so important to write for an audience and not yourself. I’ve had plays (and performed in) Page-to-Stage, too. There’s no substitute for having a reading in front of an audience because you learn very quickly what the next revision will look like. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? RC: I’ve got a handful of part-time jobs. I teach improv and playwriting at the Theatre Lab; I teach playwriting at George Washington University; I do freelance writing; and I’m a licensed DC tour guide. It’s tough to balance sometimes, but it’s all working out (knock wood). For years and years, I did the 9-to-5 thing, which meant that I wrote primarily on the weekends and in the early mornings. Now that I’m essentially a full-time freelancer, I’m still figuring out my writing schedule. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? RC: I’ve had two full-length productions: SHORT ORDER STORIES at Charter Theater and THE RELIGION THING at Theater J. I had a commissioned production of IF YOU GIVE A CAT A CUPCAKE at Adventure Theater. I’ve had a one-act and a handful of 10-minute productions at the Source Festival. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? RC: Theater J—which has produced me! I love that it’s a writer’s theater with a fierce, contemporary (and political) point of view. I love the community outreach and programming. I love that Theater J produces women playwrights consistently. And shoot, I don’t think there’s a DC-based playwright out there who wouldn’t want to be produced at Arena Stage or Woolly Mammoth or Round House or Theater J or any other DC theater. JL: DC audiences are ... RC: Smart, opinionated, and incredibly supportive. And not shy about letting you know why your play works (or doesn’t). Passionate. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are .. RC: Serious geniuses at what they do. Also: inventive, collegial, generous…. JL: DC critics are ... RC: Not just for breakfast anymore? It’s great that there are now so many more critical voices being heard. There’s such a huge variety of voices. I think social media has changed the way audiences learn about shows, artists, and theaters in general, too. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? RC: We’re getting there, but slowly. It’s fantastic that we have Intersections and Fringe and the Black Theater Festival and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival—there’s clearly a demand for more diverse work and more experimental work. But DC has too many artists who aren’t being seen or heard. Which is why it’s great that Theater J has made a big commitment to DC-based writers, women playwrights, and playwrights of color. As have: Theater Alliance, The Hub Theatre, Pinky Swear, Forum… JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? RC: Go see a lot of plays. Join the DC Area Playwrights Facebook group. Take classes in acting, improv, and dance. Usher for shows. Basically: get out of the house! JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? RC: I’ve got a reading coming up at Page-to-Stage as part of the DC Playwrights Slam. Monday, Sept. 3 at 8pm in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre. And I’m working on a new play about religion and swindling. And there are a couple of other things in the works that aren’t quite final yet, but once they are, I’ll have the information up on my website: www.reneecalarco.com Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Natsu Onoda Power: I moved to DC in 2006 for a Visiting Assistant Professor job at Georgetown. Prior to that, I lived in Chicago finishing my Ph.D. and running a very small theatre company called Live Action Cartoonists. I was heartbroken to leave Chicago, but now I LOVE my job... I've been blessed to have such incredible colleagues and students. My position became tenure-track in 2011 so now I am here for the long haul. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? NOP: I haven't. I am curious. I'd love to learn more about such groups. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? NOP: I have done two projects with the Fringe, one as a writer/director and one as a designer. I love all the energy the Fringe brings to the city. I also participated in the Source Festival as one of the 10 minute play directors. This was a true challenge... primarily because of scheduling, but also because the play I was assigned to direct was very different from my usual style. When I think back, it was a really valuable experience in stretching myself... and everyone can (and should!) safely stretch themselves for a ten-minute project! The same goes for my Mead Lab experience. I participated as one of the ten-minute-play directors for Rorschach Theater's Klecksography project in 2010. I had a lot of fun with that. These projects connect you to people and communities that you wouldn't otherwise meet (especially if you are not a naturally social person). JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? NOP: I love my job. I am one of the most fortunate people in the entire world. I teach theater and performance to young, brilliant people. Students give me so much inspiration. I do most of my research for plays through teaching. For example, I taught a course on Madness and Performance while I was working on a play called Madness and Civilization, partly an adaptation of Michel Foucault's book of the same title and partly about my brother-in-law who was in a group home for the mentally ill. Again, I have an amazing job. I get to share my research with students and really investigate the material through discussions and performance exercises. These are my best classes too — I just have so much passion and dedication in the classroom when my pedagogical, scholarly and creative interests align in such a direct, immediate way. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? NOP: I have written and directed six plays at Georgetown, one for the Fringe, and one at the Studio 2ndStage. My Fringe show was self-produced... I did it on the third floor of my husband's restaurant (he is the owner/chef). It was such a garage-band operation, I was the writer-director-projections designer-costume designer-light board operator-box office. I bought my lights at IKEA and installed them myself on the ceiling. I built my tech booth out of milk crates. It was hilarious. Oh and I cracked my windshield transporting a set piece too. I am currently in the process of working on a show with Synetic. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? NOP: Hmmm not sure. I think it's more about the team than the venue. JL: DC audiences are ... NOP: Not sure if I can make general statements about audiences anywhere. Audiences are just individuals, and that's why it's so hard to make theater that caters to everyone's taste. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are .. NOP: I have met some amazing people here. Actors, designers, directors, and also some really talented and dedicated technicians, people who would stay with me until 3am fixing a prop. JL: DC critics are ... NOP: I don't read enough reviews to make general statements about dc critics... But I will say that the critics I have met in person (for interviews, mostly) have all been so insightful, and FASCINATING as people. This was shocking (in a good way) and took some getting used to. My husband is a chef and i was more used to his relationship to food critics. He is not even supposed to know what they look like! JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? NOP: Hmmmm!!! I have a lot to say about it and can't really contain it here. Can I get back to you on that? JL: Absolutely! Now, what advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? NOP: I wish I had good advice... but I don't. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? NOP: I am doing a show with Synetic that goes up in December. It's an adaptation of Georges Melies 1902 film A Trip to the Moon, combined with other narratives of lunar travel, real and fictional. It's secretly about romantic idealization and disappointment. After that, I have a show with Forum in July. It is a reworking of a project I did at Georgetown in 2008, a collection of stories from DC's transgender community/communities. Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Denise Hart: I have lived in DC for the past 24 years. I came to DC to attend college in 1988 and I stayed because I wanted my son to grow up living near his father. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? DH: Yes I have participated and yes I would recommend this experience to other playwrights. I've been a participant in The Playwrights Forum. I sound the forum sessions to be invaluable because it was helpful to be able to try out my writing choices in a group environment and receive immediate feedback. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? DH: Yes, I have participated in the Page-to-Stage Festival with a reading of my work. It was a helpful experience to see the play produced with a good amount of rehearsal and working with the actors and director. I was able to work more quickly on the rewrites because of the collaborative experience. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? DH: To pay the bills, I work as a tenured professor of theatre at Howard University where I coordinate the playwriting concentration. I also opened my own training studio, The Performing Arts Training Studio in Takoma DC where I offer playwriting workshop groups for advanced writers and playwriting and acting classes for folks who are just starting out. Because I also act and direct I tend to create in seasons. For example, I just completed a playwriting season working on my newest play, Nothing to Lose. I'm now moving into a season where I'll focus on acting. However, I also return to playwriting when I need to. I actually took sabbatical in the fall of 2011 to focus more intently on writing my most recent play. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? DH: I've had one of my plays produced at Howard University. I learned that it was important for me to be a part of the process, particularly during a first production. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? DH: I'd like to be produced at Arena Stage. I feel that Arena Stage has done a great job of cultivating a diverse audience through both imaginative casting and producing playwrights of color. JL: DC audiences are ... DH: ... segregated as black or white (for the most part). JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ... DH: ... wonderfully creative and supportive. JL: DC critics are ... DH: ... supportive! JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? DH: I feel like the DC theatre community has started to address race primarily through the creation of the DC Black Theatre Festival. Also, many of the prominent critics, including The Washington Post and The DC Theatre Scene, reviewed plays produced in the Festival which encouraged a more diverse audience to attend the festival offerings. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? DH: Join one of the writers workshop group for the support, accountability and feedback. Join the Dramatists Guild for the professional support and the community of playwrights. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? DH: I'll be submitting my newest play, Nothing to Lose to several national competitions and am in talks with a Montgomery County group about producing the play in the near future. Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Mary Resing: I wrote my very first play, Bar Stories, while working as a lifeguard at the Watergate (no one ever came to the pool). I’m a native. I’ve lived in all four quadrants of DC. I like it here. JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them? MR: Although I have never been a member of a formal playingwriting group, for years Jacqueline Lawton and I would take turns dramaturging each other's work. We are both formally trained as dramaturgs. I dramaturged her Blood Bound and Tongue Tied, A Delicate Balance and The Devil's Sweet Water. She dramaturged my Hansel and Gretel Eat Crabs, Petri Dish Circus and Visible Language. It was wonderful to get detailed feedback from a dramaturg who is also a playwright. I'm obsessed with structure and style and she is in love with narrative and character, so we really liked to hear what the other had to say. Her input definitely improved my work. I also co-author plays with other writers. JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience? MR: I worked with the Source Theatre Festival for 11 years as a writer (Transitional Neighborhood; From the Tube to the Boob, etc.), director (Life’s a Beach; Jenny, a Lady; New Times; Full Title Boogie) and organizer. The festival is a crazy, wonderful thing and was a true artistic home for me. This year, Active Cultures will participate in the Intersections Festival with .govaculture, an hour of one minute plays about working for the federal government. JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing? MR: I run a theatre company, Active Cultures, the vernacular theatre of Maryland. In the past I have worked in marketing, fundraising, research and development and project management. JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience? MR: I’ve written thirteen plays. Twelve have been produced by theatre companies here in DC. I’ve directed five of them. I greatly prefer it when a theatre produces my work and someone else directs it. Theatre is a collaborative form and my work requires critical mass. As a writer, I feel that my best ideas are already in the script. I don’t have much left over for directing and producing. JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why? MR: I prefer productions at Active Cultures. It has a strong mission, reaches a diverse, multi-generational audience, and draws fantastic artists. JL: DC audiences are ... MR: Unlike audiences anywhere else in the world. JL: DC actors, designers and directors are .. MR: Driven, scrappy, visionary and politically savvy. JL: DC critics are ... MR: Just like the rest of us. JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages? MR: As a writer, I am interested in power dynamics both on and off stage. I’m fascinated by the intersections of race, gender, class, education, age and political agenda. And, obviously, all of these things come in to play when a theatre picks a season. One thing I have noticed, although I have not personally experienced it, is that DC Theatre is quite Agist. Many theatres decide to allocate a disproportionate share of programming, funding, and artistic opportunities to artists under 30. This is particularly true of opportunities for actors and directors. JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.? MR: Volunteer to help out at a small theatre company. Blog for the Washington City Paper about the DC Fringe Festival. Get to know some local artists. Find some kindred spirits. But don’t limit yourself to the theatre world. Get to know some Hill staffers, join an Ultimate Frisbee team, learn to hand dance, renovate houses as part of Christmas in April. Live an interesting life so you have something to write about. And make friends. Create an audience for your work. JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work? MR: My play Faceless will be performed in October 2012. It is one of a trilogy of ghost stories being produced under the title HellSpawn II: Black Aggie Speaks. You can read about it at: hellspawnii.wordpress.com |
My BlogI'm a playwright, dramaturg, and teaching artist. It is here where you'll find my queries and musings on life, theater and the world. My posts advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity in the American Theatre and updates on my own work. Please enjoy!
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