What's your origin story? Where were you born/raised?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.
How did you first encounter theater? How did you come to playwriting?
I encountered theatre much later in life, but I've always been an artist and a storyteller. Some of my earliest memories are writing short stories to go along with pictures I'd drawn. In undergrad I studied Fine Arts and I took writing classes to break up the monotony of studio classes. I took short fiction so many times that the university would no longer allow me to take it, so on a whim, I enrolled in Playwriting 1. I initially struggled with the playwriting process but I somehow wrote my first play, a one act entitled Niggerville. This first play was shortlisted for an award through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and I won a trip to DC for a summer playwriting intensive. Through the intensive I was able to witness contemporary plays and theatre, and it struck me that theatre was the combination of words and pictures; two things I already loved. I've been writing plays ever since.
What were/are your biggest artistic influences?
I like to think there are no low brow forms of inspiration. I'm inspired by everything from masterpiece paintings to episodes of Family Guy. The key I think is to think deeply about the small things that don't seem to matter. I'm also greatly inspired by my family, there's a little a bit of them in everything I write.
You went from the Catholic MFA to the Juilliard Playwriting Program. How did those programs and cohorts shape your writing and collaboration process?
I went to Catholic because I had no true background in theatre, and I thought there were bunch of rules I didn't know and understand. What Catholic actually taught me is that there are no rules and you can pretty much do whatever you want. Catholic taught me to trust my instincts.
Juilliard was just a place to take those instincts and run with them. Being in a room with such talented writers pushed my work and allowed me to be shaped by group of artists with varied sensibilities and experiences. The caliber of the writing in the room pushed me to greater heights and expanded my understanding of the craft.
What was the original inspiration for PYG?
I originally wrote PYG as way of telling white people what to do. At the talk backs for my plays Hooded; or Being Black for Dummies and Br'er Cotton there was invariably one audience member who would ask, with earnest, "what can they do?" The plays had inspired them to act but they didn't know what steps to take to help race relations and injustice. I wanted to write a play about how to be an ally.
What's been the development process for PYG? How has the play evolved over time, and with different collaborators?
Well if my original intent was to tell white people what to do, the development of this play changed that greatly. It became less an instruction manual for allyship and more of an exploration about collaboration and when cultural exchange is beneficial and when it can be harmful. The play also became less about Dorian and more about the relationship between Black & Alexand. The represent two sides of black consciousness, and as I worked with actors along the way I was really able to hone in on that story.
Why did you want to direct your own work?
As a playwright you concede to the collaborative process and allow others to manifest their vision through your words. The collaborative process is one of my favorite aspects of theatres and different collaborators have made many contributions to my work along the way, but I was curious what it looked like if there were no concessions made. I was curious as to what it looked like if I oversaw the vision of my play from inception to fruition.