Island; Or, To Be or Not to Be
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Kevin Brewer
September 23, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright.
Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I was born in Riverside, California. My Dad was in the air force so my family moved a lot. I lived in Washington state, Japan, Colorado, Texas, and finished high school in Michigan. My family is from the Midwest and my hometown is Jackson, Michigan.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
I had easier access to theater when I was younger. I started acting in theater when I was a Junior in high school. I didn’t start writing plays until I was almost finished with college. I also like language. I like the sound of language.
What was the most memorable/funny/unusual thing that has happened during the development and rehearsal process for this show?
The way this show came about was unexpected. I initially wanted to write a play that was one-hundred percent recycled language. However, I realized that constructing a play out of quotes would not be interesting to an audience. The plot came about because of what I was going through in my life at the time. The place, the island, came about because I needed a place where there was both contemporary language and old English.
Which cartoon character would you identify your show with: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Marge Simpson?
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck because my style is highbrow and lowbrow. Island is about getting the audience to love the characters and have fun with them early in the show so that I can earn the right to throw drama and hard, life questions at them later in the show.
Who are your heroes?
People who are involved in theater for twenty, thirty, or forty years and keep coming back and participating. It’s a really tough business.
