Intermission
a creative coffee break from writing the play

I don’t even know how one would go about teaching the drama. One can’t tell students how to write; therefore why doesn’t drama belong to literature just as literature belongs to the drama? This is not to say that certain technical aspects of the theatre such as stage designing and lighting cannot be taught; it may even be possible to each acting, although personally I’m very uncertain about that. Theatre writing, however, in my mind, is unteachable. It seems much more closely tied to instinct than do other forms of literature.

An Evening with Lillian Hellman, Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 27, No. 7, April 1974, p.32

The idea that bureaucrats have authority to do anything with writing is enough to give everybody the horrors any place in the world. It’s certainly something to be fought any place in the world.

“Lillian Hellman Says She Found Ferment Among Soviet Writers” New York Times, May 31, 1961

If a play is good, the public does not care if it runs one hour or eight hours.

“Lillian Hellman Discusses Directors,” New York Times, October 23, 1949

I try to keep stage business as simple and natural as possible. Entrances and exits ought to be natural. It is terrible when a character announces that he is going off to play tennis for an hour, and says in effect ‘Wait around, people; I’ll be back for another line in the next act.’

“Women Playmakers,” New York Times, May 4, 1941

I’ve come to the place where I’m not sure any writer can see the truth about his own writing, no matter how hard he tries. They’re fancy talkers about themselves, writers. If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don’t listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.

“Lillian Hellman Talks of Love and ‘Toys’” New York Times, February 21, 1960

…one writer grows out of other writers.

“For Lillian Hellman, More Honors and a New Book,” New York Times, November 7, 1975

Suzan Lori-Parks
Fort Knox, Kentucky
May 10, 1963

A play begins with characters. It never starts with an idea. I think some people say, “Oh, I have a great idea; I want to talk about the homeless problem.” And then they write a play about homelessness. But my plays never start with an idea about anything, and it is only way, way late in the game that I figure out the question: So what’s the play about? And not even then…I always start with characters, sometimes a word.

Interview with Suzan-Lori Parks
Callaloo, Vol. 19, No 2, Spring 1996, p.315

You know how people have arguments and seven days later you think of a good answer?

Nellie Forbush
South Pacific
Book by
Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan
Music by
Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Of the six hands he had, none of them were mine.

Carmichael
A Behanding in Spokane
by Martin McDonagh

Are these your keys?

Fissures
by
Steve Epp, Cory Hinkle, Dominic Orlando, Dominique Serrand, Deborah Stein and Victoria Stewart

You can’t uneat a bird.

The Tiger
The Method Gun
by
Kirk Lynn

I can be the victim of my own enthusiasm if I’m not careful.

Bruce
Phoenix
by
Scott Organ