Artistic Statement
I’ve heard it said that the best storytellers have suffered through a miserable childhood. That’s not me. I had a great childhood, and some of my fondest childhood memories are about my dad regaling his friends with stories. I knew from an early age that I also wanted to be a storyteller. And despite my happy childhood, I’ve lived a life rich in experiences, some of them painful. Hemingway said that to write about life, we must first live it. So, all my life experiences, painful and otherwise, have created a launching pad for my stories. One of my favorite playwrights, Stephen Adly Guirgus, claims that if one writes anything that’s any good, it’s going to have a lot of autobiography. My stories range widely, from sophomoric farces to serious dramas, but surely, there is a bit of me in every story and in every one of my characters. My stories demand vibrant flesh and blood characters, characters that the audience will love or might love to hate, characters giving life to meaty roles that mature actors can sink their teeth into.
I choose to write primarily for the stage, because that’s storytelling with dialogue. I love sparkling realistic dialogue! Sure, stories begin with characters, but those characters must hurl words at each other. They must deliver dialogue that’s real, that bites, that burns the ears or warms the heart. And always, words that engage the brain and make the audience lean in and forget their butts have been in uncomfortable seats for eighty minutes. In the end, I hope my stories, my plays, provoke reflection and discussion and never fail to entertain. I hope my stories lead to a better world.
