·
When
did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?
I think I always knew I wanted to write, without
knowing it. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be an impresario. I’ve always
loved entertaining others, and making my ideas come to life. I never really
acted on it, though, until I grew older. Growing up where I grew up, doing such
things really wasn’t an option. That is why, when it was time for college, I
left. That is some advice I give to anyone out there – if you can’t do what you
want where you live, go off to pursue it. If your family doesn’t support you,
don’t fret, it will always be a sore spot, but, you’ll quickly find others that
support you.
·
What
inspired you to write plays?
Originally, I wanted to write novels, that was a
dream back in High School of mine. However, as time went on, I realized that it
wouldn’t quite work out. While some writers say they “think in words,” I always
see everything as if it is a movie running through my head – I imagine the way
the characters look, the way they move, how they sound, how the world is around
them – as if I were a movie director. I would spend pages of description with
no dialogue, which does not make for a good novel. I put off writing for a
while to find myself in college, then wrote a stageplay on a whim. That play
was The Color of Coalsmoke, which
ended up being my first published work. It was written over the course of two
nights, in creative desperation.
·
How
many plays have you written?
Currently, my catalog rests at five. However, my
catalog is always growing. I intend to have at least five new releases out this
year, time permitting. Three of these releases are written and simply awaiting
release. One being Sassafras Cannon,
my latest work, which will be releasing very soon, and two shorts, one being a
return of some favorite characters, taking the middle slot in their planned
trilogy.
·
What
are you currently working on?
Currently,
I am working on musical-izing Tune In,
an already-published play of mine, about an unlikely group of society-made
rebels that come into the ownership of a television station. It is a lampooning
of educational public television, which I grew up watching the children’s block
of while I was growing up. Some of the characters are parodies of real figures
from such channels. I consider it a parody of America at its core, really.
I am
also working on the later stages of outlining Re:Public, the sequel to Sassafras
Cannon, my latest project, which is preparing to be released by Off the
Wall Plays. I didn’t quite intend to write a sequel for it, but after the
production wrapped, there was much interest and outcry for one, so, here I am.
·
Which
of your plays was the hardest to write?
The hardest, so far, has been Sassafras Cannon,
which is considered my best work to date. I write like many comedia and
vaudeville writers – each scene contains some sort of joke or trick, and the
storyline is written around these portions. It was a challenge to come up with
these scenes, along with writing the storyline which took place in both the
real world, and the world of the play. It took many re-writes to make the
time-twisting nature work. There around 15 versions of the first scene, alone.
The final cut was a mixture of the best pieces from all drafts.
·
Who
is your favorite character from one of your stories?
I would have to say my favorite is Mr. Feltbetter, a
parody of Mr. Rogers of fame in America. I watched a lot of Mr. Rogers as a
kid, and it is great fun to create a fictional alternate persona that is
nothing like him. I also like to use his character as commentary of the current
state of social politics and the arts in America right now. That was the
inspiration for the first play he shows up in, Tune In, which is actually the spinoff to a play I haven’t finished
writing yet. So, in this case, the spinoff came before the original, but, in
this case, it works well.
·
What
do you do when you’re not writing?
Honestly, to my own torture, sometimes, I’m one of
those people that never stops working. Generally, I am always brainstorming,
and when not doing that, I’m working on my freelance work, which I do as well
for both income, getting my name out there, and practice. Again, to my own
torture sometimes, I am an activity-hound, as well. Any time there is an
opportunity to go out to eat, throw a party, or travel, I’m there.
·
What
is the strangest writing habit that you have?
I have a tendency, when working on dialog or stage
directions, to act out things I write from my chair. I have had a few occasions
where I’ve been walked in on reciting some sort of punchline while posing from
my chair like a follies showgirl. Not my prettiest of moments.
·
In
your opinion, what is the hardest part of getting published?
I believe that in the publishing industry, if you
aren’t self-publishing, you have a direct need to prove yourself a viable
investment before you will be taken seriously. The first time getting published
is a lot of times a stroke of sheer luck. However, once that bolder is rolling,
you will find an easier and easier time to find a publisher and support. If you
take the route of self-publishing, you will have to overcome the challenge of
it, as many will consider your work sub-par, since it was not picked up by an
official publisher. You will fight an uphill battle to get readers. However, I
know many self-published writers that end up doing very well.
·
If
you had to choose, what would you say is the most important thing an aspiring
writer needs to do if they’re trying to get published?
Have
patience, in multiple forms. Loads of patience. Bushels of patience. Never
enough patience. Without it, you’re doomed to give up.
·
Who
would you say has influenced your writing the most?
My works are influenced by my partner of many years,
Savannah, who is a constant source of material. In every play there is a
character based on her, and, truly, the roles are written as a role I know she
would like to play. It acts as a bit of quality assurance.
·
What
famous person would you love to have as a fan of your work?
If he was still alive, I would really enjoy Roald
Dahl being a fan, as his works really inspired me and created the foundations
for my creativity as a child - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the
Giant Peach, and others. I think his stories really drilled in the “make
anything possible” part of my creative identity into my skull. So, in a way, I
have to thank much of my success to him, as it has been a major part of my
early writing successes. I once interviewed Al Lowe, the creator of the Leisure
Suit Larry games, who said something that really stuck with me. “Hit em’ where
they ain’t” – when I asked him about his process of creating games. I think
that is the best way to explain my philosophy as well.
·
I
see you have two plays that involve Southern foods. As a Southerner myself, I
love Southern cooking. Do you have any favorite Southern foods?
Oh, of course. There is nothing better than brunch.
I was partially raised by grandparents, who were all born, raised, and lived in
North Carolina all their lives. Needless to say, I grew up around rich southern
foods and potluck dinners. I can’t say I have a favorite, but, I love it all.
·
Where
did you get the idea for In the Drink?
In
the Drink was actually a prototype for Sassafras Cannon, which I used to test the unique humor of the
script on a test audience. It was a changed-up version of the script, with only
two of the characters instead of the entire cast, with some re-done
personalities to make them different. Once In
the Drink did well, I took it as my clear to write Sassafras Cannon.
·
You
were the acting producer for your show, Sassafras Cannon. What was that
experience like? What was your favorite aspect of being the producer?
Well, since I’m being completely honest, here, the
content of the show was completely inappropriate for the organization funding
it, and the opening night performance space. I won’t name the organization or
space, though; I don’t have time for a lawsuit. Some aspects of being producer
were fun and great, and others, challenging. To preface this, I had some of the
best, top-tier talent on my production staff that I could ever ask for. Casting
and getting the show put together was tough due to the fact that most of our
actors were entering rehearsals for Sassafras
Cannon as soon as they had wrapped up a particularly disastrous/difficult
school production, and were studying the script even while still in the school
show. As the show is set in the American Civil War, it contained language and
phrasing that wasn’t exactly easy to remember, but, they pulled through. On my
side, I had to cover up much about the show in order to keep its funding. Some
of that process was quite stressful – alongside that, I had to oversee
auditions in the opening night space (it
was a traveling show, playing two places over two nights), then setup on
opening night, which included themed refreshments and the such. At the end of it
all, it really was a beautiful night. Like I said earlier, I’ve always loved
entertaining people and being a showman, so, I find that the best part came
inherently in that. When you’re in my position, the most relieving sound is
that of the audience laughing.
·
Do
you shy away from subjects that people might find offensive or are you more
likely to “push the envelope”?
Yes, without a doubt, I push the envelope. In my
opinion, there is no social change without someone pushing the envelope, even
though, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m really not out to change the world,
I just seek to entertain people. As part of my style, I use only Machiavellian
characters, and utilize moral gray areas to tell my stories. Why? I want the
audience to see the other side of the issue. For example, in Tune In, the main cast of characters is
made up of rejects not of their own making. The storyline follows them as they
start a television station, rip off the entire town, run a nursing home drug
ring, ruin a child pageant, bribe the court, and other escapades. What I prefer
to leave the audience is – you enjoyed these characters during the show no
matter what they were doing… Was what they were doing really all that wrong, in
their case? That is what is special about being able to write comedy – with
roots in reality, the audience leaves laughing, but starts thinking on the ride
home.
·
You
are studying Criminal Justice and Political Science. Has studying these two
subjects helped in developing your stories or your characters?
Yes, but I would say that history has been much more
of an effect on my work than either of those two. I particularly enjoy playing
on history, as it is interesting to see how far our culture has come. Some
things like patent medicines and ancestor worship were considered real things
then, as compared to now – so it is always fun to revisit this and poke fun,
with the ultimate twist being that 100 years from now, the same thing will be
happening with our computers and flatscreen televisions. They’ll be considered
archaic and silly.
·
Where
have your plays been performed?
Currently, the most of my plays that have been
performed have been through a direct connection with me – some of those places
include UNC Charlotte, and other locations in the North Carolina area. I’ve had
performances not directly involved with my interaction or direction, as well.
·
If
you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have ONE character from
one of your plays on the island with you, who would it be and why?
Orpheus, from Sassafras Cannon. He’s the butler who
can fix anything. He’d find a way to get us off the island! Well, either that
or kill me. Go read the script. You’ll figure out why.
