A Place To Call Home
In September I begin a year-long stay at American Stage as the ‘playwright in residence’ where I will have a place to call home while I develop a new play. Many audiences are likely unaware that new plays do not seamlessly transition from the page to the stage. Every play that we’ve ever seen was at one time a brand new piece of theatre. It needed readings, rewrites, more readings, and in some cases workshopped productions where the play is allowed to find its legs.
When I imagine an “artistic home,” I envision the thoughtful, gusty artists who are my collaborators, providing insights, which help infuse the play with truth and balance. The development of never-before-produced work is a journey of love, trust, and patience.
The artists who devote themselves to new work embark on far more than rehearsing a play – they are creators, breathing life into the story the playwright wants to share. For this reason I believe that a place to call “home” is vital, if not essential to my growth as a playwright.
