Getting hot with playwright,
Ari Belathar

We asked our HotHouse playwrights what makes them pick up the pen, inspires them, scares them into meeting writing deadlines. It was our chance to get up close and personal with the Cahoots Theatre Company’s 2012/2013 Playwriting Unit.

To read Ari’s interview, click here.

In Conversation with Ari Belathar…

Pen and paper or computer?
It depends, mainly computer –Mac, to be precise. But I can’t go anywhere without an extra-small Moleskine notebook and a pen.

Early riser or night owl?
Night owl.

What is your snack ritual? What do you like to eat while, before or after writing?
Google nearest and most affordable restaurant, call, place order for delivery, spell first name two to three times, cross fingers so credit card will go through, wait impatiently, receive order while awkwardly excusing yourself for still being in your pajamas, bitch because they forgot to add extra hot sauce, eat while regretting not being discipline enough to buy groceries and cook your own meals —damn, how do all those grown-ups do it?

Tell us about the piece you’re working on during the HotHouse?
Inspired by my own experience of illegally crossing the border into the United States as a child to reunite with my father, La Danza Del Venado is a multidisciplinary play exploring the frightening nature of leaving one’s home, to walk into the unknown. It tells the story of a group of migrants whose clandestine journey into the north is thwarted when they find themselves lost in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona —a harsh and desolated area that for hundreds of years has stolen the souls of its travelers.

When and how did you start creating your own work?
Art has been an essential part of my life ever since I can remember. When I was in kindergarten I started writing songs and performing them. My mother –who is a beautiful singer– suggested that instead of singing I should just recite my songs… she was right, I’m a terrible singer, and thus inadvertently I became a writer.

What inspired you?
The most valuable lesson I have learned as a migrant, and as a writer-living-in-exile, is that our stories are all we have to fight off the illness and death created by tragically failed border policies. La Danza del Venado explores the deep contradictions generated by the migration and displacement of human beings who are forced to cross –in silence, always in silence– the oceans, the rivers and the deserts of this world. The silence of the migrant voice and the absence of our stories are the reason for this play.

Three things you do to procrastinate before a writing deadline?
1- Listen to music, and sign along.
2- Facebook.
3- Answer questionnaires.

What does “theatre in full colour” mean to you?
An inclusive and representative theatre…

Getting hot with playwright,
Falen Johnson

We asked our HotHouse playwrights what makes them pick up the pen, inspires them, scares them into meeting writing deadlines. It was our chance to get up close and personal with the Cahoots Theatre Company’s 2012/2013 Playwriting Unit.

To read Falen’s interview, click here.

In Conversation with Falen Johnson…

Pen and paper or computer?
Computer.

Early riser or night owl?
Night owl.

What is your snack ritual? What do you like to eat while, before or after writing?
Lately I go to Saving Gigi and have the bacon and avocado sandwich with a double Americano. They serve beer and wine if I decide to stay late I can make the coffee to booze switch and keep working.

Tell us about the piece you’re working on during the HotHouse?
I am working on a piece on the life of Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance. A man of mixed ancestry (African/Black/Cherokee) who was born in 1890 in North Carolina. He lived his life as a full-blooded Indian running from his true identity until his death. His life was so huge and massively complex.

When and how did you start creating your own work?
Back in 2007 I was working with Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble, we were developing a piece titled “The Only Good Indian…” which explored the history of Aboriginal performers in film and on the stage. In our research we came across Sylvester Long, or Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance as he would eventually be know. His life fascinated us all and we wanted to included him but his life was too large it needed it’s own show.

What inspired you?
Over the years many people have tried to capture Sylvester’s life in various formats there was a NFB documentary, a biography by Donald Smith but no one, I feel, has been able to accurately capture Sylvester. At this stage in my work I am not even sure if accurately capturing him is the point of what I am creating, it may be more about showing his life and himself as he saw himself. I am using the research I have done at the Glenbow, where Sylvester’s personal items are kept, to put together a fuller version of his life.

Three things you do to procrastinate before a writing deadline?
The big thing is research. I can always convince myself I need to do more research. I also clean and the third and worst one is Facebook and the internet.

What does “theatre in full colour” mean to you?
Theatre in full colour means to me theatre that is diverse without attempting to be diverse. When diversity just is.

Getting hot with
playwright, Ed Roy

We asked our HotHouse playwrights what makes them pick up the pen, inspires them, scares them into meeting writing deadlines. It was our chance to get up close and personal with the Cahoots Theatre Company’s 2012/2013 Playwriting Unit.

To read Ed’s interview, click here.

In Conversation with Ed Roy…

Pen and paper or computer?
Both but not at the same time.

Early riser or night owl?
Night owl and early riser which explains the bags under my eyes most days.

What is your snack ritual? What do you like to eat while, before or after writing?
I don’t eat while writing. In fact that becomes a problem because when I’m really into it I forget to eat. Then when I’m done I binge! Then I sink into a guilty gluttonous shame spiral and begin the cycle all over again.

Tell us about the piece you’re working on during the HotHouse?
The working title of the play is Maya’s Thimble. Hopefully it will be a relevant and thought provoking drama that explores every artist’s worst nightmare; what happens when the ownership of our intellectual property is challenged and plagiarized? Although the circumstances that precipitate this story of betrayal and unbridled ambition are firmly rooted in the present the contentious issue of plagiarism is inspired by events that took place in Nazi Germany. Memory, mentorship, mayhem, and murder are just a few of the ingredients in this play that propel a young writer to place his career on the line in order to reclaim Maya’s Thimble. (Sorry if that’s a little vague. Just trying to protect my intellectual property)

When and how did you start creating your own work?
Before I thought about being a ‘theatre artist” (an actor actually) I was primarily interested in visual arts. My passion was painting and sculpture (and still is) however although we might start our creative journey’s with a certain destination in mind the trails we take can be divergent. So along the way to becoming a visual artist I took a few detours and studied psychology, sociology, comparative religions, philosophy, and dance. It was my interest in dance and choreography that unexpectedly led me to theatre and acting. As I pursed my career in acting my love for it never diminished however I did find it was part of my nature to not just want to be an interpretive artist. Even as a child I was interested in creating things, drawings, paintings, sculptures, dioramas, etc. When I studied dance it was natural for me to be interested in choreography. So taken to its natural conclusion, if I was going to act in other people’s plays I would eventually want to direct, and then write my own.

What inspired you?
An innate inquisitiveness about this thing we call life.

Three things you do to procrastinate before a writing deadline?
Watch talent search reality shows from foreign countries (Latvia’s Got Talent, Istanbul’s Got Talent, X Factor Australia,etc) on Youtube. I’m not kidding. I get really teary when I watch the most unlikely contestants win over skeptical judges and audiences. Guess I’m always cheering for the underdog.

Go to the gym. Have to go to the gym to prepare for the calorie enhanced post-writing binges.

Clean and organize anything and everything. Okay the house is order, so now my mind is in order, and now I can write. But now I’m exhausted because I went to the gym before I started cleaning the house so maybe I’ll take a little break before I start writing and watch Germany’s Got Talent . . . and so it goes.

What does “theatre in full colour” mean to you?
Does this phrase pertain to watching theatre while under the influence of some kind of psychedelic drug?

Getting hot with playwright,
Radha S. Menon

We asked our HotHouse playwrights what makes them pick up the pen, inspires them, scares them into meeting writing deadlines. It was our chance to get to know the Cahoots Theatre Company’s 2012/2013 Playwriting Unit.

To read Radha’s interview, click here.

In Conversation with Radha S. Menon…

Pen and paper or computer?
Both.

Early riser or night owl?
Both.

What is your snack ritual? What do you like to eat while, before or after writing?
Fruit and nuts.

Tell us about the piece you’re working on during the HotHouse?
Learning To Swim is a full –length play about two women who both feel marginalized by society. It’s about finding courage in the face of adversity.

When and how did you start creating your own work?
I wrote my first play at 14 and my first play was produced in the 1990s but I was distracted by my work as an actor and singer, which took up most of my time. I started to write plays once more in 2008 and I am glad I did as I feel at home right where I started as a child in the theatre.

What inspired you?
Windows, my first play was written because I found that as a South Asian actress, the parts were not only limited but also very stereotypical. I realized that plays had to be written before they could be performed so that’s what I did. I continue because I have many stories to tell and want to share them.

Three things you do to procrastinate before a writing deadline?
Character development lists, arcs and dreaming about it. When the characters speak to me then it’s time to start writing.

What does “theatre in full colour” mean to you?
Unabashed, alive and in your face!

Getting hot with playwright,
Amy Lee Lavoie

We asked our HotHouse playwrights what makes them pick up the pen, inspires them, scares them into meeting writing deadlines. It was our chance to get up close and personal with the Cahoots Theatre Company’s 2012/2013 Playwriting Unit.

To read Amy’s interview, click here.

In Conversation with Amy Lee Lavoie…

Pen and paper or computer?
Both. I love journals and the physical act of writing. Unfortunately (or fortunately) with deadlines and technology, computers are a much more efficient tool.

Early riser or night owl?
I let the process of each play dictate my sleeping schedule. Lately I’ve been getting up with the sun and writing.

What is your snack ritual? What do you like to eat while, before or after writing?
I must have breakfast. I feel irresponsible otherwise…like I’ve forgotten to feed the child or dog I don’t have. The rest of the day I’ll snack. Basically anything that’s easy to put on a plate and pick at while working. I opt for gluten free options. Lastly, it doesn’t matter if a meteor threatens the earth, I will make a pot of coffee and drink ¾ of it before impact.

Tell us about the piece you’re working on during the HotHouse?
I’m keeping it a secret…because I’m superstitious and Italian….

What I will say is that it’s a challenging piece with plenty of thematic fodder.

When and how did you start creating your own work?
I began writing plays full-time at the National Theatre School. It was a three-year playwriting program I started in 2007. It allowed me to take the time to build three very different plays and various projects while experimenting with the craft. I graduated knowing my process and what I need to create.

What inspired you?
Every time I read/hear/see things that upset me or make me feel helpless will invariably be my inspiration for new material. I didn’t know, before I found writing, what my release was. The world is incomprehensible at the best of times. All the questions I have about it are answered, for me, in my work. The rest of my inspiration comes from pure, funny, gorgeous moments, often supplied by my friends and family…and complete strangers too.

Three things you do to procrastinate before a writing deadline?
The Internet. Whittling. Texts.

What does “theatre in full colour” mean to you?
“Theatre in full colour” means an acknowledgment of the greater perspective. The fact that we still need to make a distinction between the two is absurd. All theatre should reflect the full-range of color that our society does.