Selected Short Subjects
nytheatre.com q&a preview by William LoCasto
September 15, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright.
When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
Well, I've been a writer for many years but being a writer and working in the theater are two entirely different things. A lot of writers tend to be inherently solitary and introverted by nature, hence having the ability to stare at blank pieces of paper for hours on end, but for me, my love of theater started when I forced myself to get out of my shell and simply be around the theater. Hanging around Stage Left Studio opened my eyes to what theater is, why people do it, why they continue doing it. The quality of work I see there and the joy it brings so many people is not only what feeds my love of theater, but inspires me to be a better writer everyday. To me, one cannot exist without the other.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
I choose theater over film or TV because of the connection it gives you with the audience. Although not a performer myself, I get probably just as big of a rush from it as do the actors. Sitting in the back of the house, watching talented people perform my words and having a live audience react them never gets old. It thrills me every time and always will.
In your own words, what do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
For me, "Treatment" is about relationships, why people enter them, what they hope to achieve and get from them. Ultimately the play is about two people who realize they have different answers to these questions and then how they reconcile these discrepancies. In the end, perhaps audiences will be inspired to examine these questions in their own relationships, romantic or otherwise.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
I hate to seem like I'm copping out on this question but the play really seems to embody all of these "S" words. SMOOTH because of the ease and sophistication of the language especially as played by Cheryl King and TC Corwin. SEXY because of the undeniable and palpable physical chemistry between them. SMART because of the underlying currents of trust, honesty and responsibility that permeate every line. SURPRISING because of where the piece ends up after the other "S" words play out.
Theater is a necessary ingredient in democratic societies. Do you agree or disagree, and why?
I think theater is an extremely necessary ingredient in today's society. I don't want to make myself seem out of touch, because I love technology as much as then next guy, but with all the social networking, text messaging, etc, etc, we do today, I feel that real human interaction, real connection is starting to drift away from us. We're being separated from the words we speak as if the words are not part of who we are. Live theater and the reaction it brings to an audience is perhaps one way of keeping people together in a tangible and present way.
