This is a play whose development has spanned many years. Can you remember what the first sparks were for wanting to write the play?

 

Plays are mysterious and ethereal. And, I believe, a huge part of them comes out of the subconscious and it is my job to get out of the way and go along for the ride. That said, I know there are parts of this play that come from my own experience.

 

Additionally, over the past decade, I have spent time working and living with people who have a wide range of disabilities. The relationships I formed with these individuals caused me to reevaluate my frame of mind on disability, identity, and sexuality. It quite frankly completely reshaped my perspective on my own life and beliefs. I had my preconceived notions challenged and have been surprised by my reactions at times. This inevitably has influenced a lot of my writing.

 

 

What moments, images, or elements crystallized first?

 

Asking myself: “What does it mean to feel?” And by that question I didn’t just mean the physical.

 

 

What elements have changed the most?

 

The last third of the play has gone through the most development and revisions: the structure, the content, and the arcs of the characters have. All of the changes have to do with making sure the story I’m telling is coming across as clearly as possible. Writing plays isn’t quick. It is often a long process that takes years and involves a ton of collaborators. I’m indebted to everyone who has given their support to this play.

 

 

What were the biggest challenges in writing this piece?

 

I hope the play is honest and vulnerable. That’s been challenging to tap into as a writer, but it’s always a goal with everything I write.

 

I’m also very sensitive to being an able-bodied man writing a character who is a young woman with a disability. My own education is ever-evolving about how to present this story on stage and ensuring that the play isn’t about living with a disability - that the disability doesn’t define Ellen or this family - but it is about a broken family still reeling from an accident that injured and trying to find their way back together.

 

 

This play has been developed in partnership with many wonderful theaters over the years. Can you talk about the timeline of development with each of the theaters you worked with?

 

How much space do you have?

 

The Lark, in NYC, was instrumental in supporting the play early on - from Roundtables where I could hear it out loud to Playwrights’ Week, which is a festival of public new play readings.

 

Shortly after that experience, a NYC theatre company called terraNOVA Collective invited me to their playwright group which allowed me to focus on revising Tranquil for a year. They then provided an opportunity to explore the play on its feet in a very barebones workshop setting.

 

Additionally along the way I had public and private readings/workshops at MCC, La Jolla Playhouse, American Theater Company, and Luna Stage.

 

I've spent a number of years working with Carlyn Aquiline (the dramaturg on this production) on its development as well as Lucie Tiberghien (a director).

 

That’s a snapshot, but there were a ton of other individuals along the way who also helped the play continue in its life.

 

 

How did you two meet and begin working together?

 

After grad school, I was at Florida Stage on a playwright residency through the National New Play Network (NNPN). While there, we had a new play festival in which we brought Carlyn down from City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh. We were paired up on my play and just hit it off. Ever since - and that was about 8 years ago - we’ve been working together - she hasn’t been able to shake me. It’s a collaboration that is instrumental in the development of my work. She simply understands my voice and who I am as a playwright in a way that not many people do.