Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Education: BA, English, Kent State University
Select Credits: Playwright—Making Faces, 1999. Actor—Richard Nixon (An Evening with Richard Nixon by Gore Vidal), Paul Verlaine (Total Eclipse by Christopher Hampton), John Halder (Good by C.P. Taylor), Bitos (Poor Bitos by Jean Anouilh), Doris (Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade).
Why theater?: It’s like life, beautiful and ephemeral.
What inspired you to write Exact Change?: Transgender people need to be seen to be understood. I wanted to show how my transgender journey, as difficult as it was over several decades, ultimately led to happiness and fulfillment. This is important in a world where trans youth and gender non-conforming people continue to be threatened by others and by themselves. Beyond that, my journey is a microcosm of what everyone goes through, the challenge to be who you are and live as you want.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: As an active theater critic and also as a playwright/performer, I love theater that takes chances, where there’s something important at stake. What and who inspire me as an artist are Arthur Miller, John Guare, Pablo Picasso, Quentin Tarantino, Bertolt Brecht, Alberto Giacometti, Matt Stone & Trey Parker, Edward Albee, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, poetry slammers, stand-up comedians, drag queens.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Meryl Streep
What show have you recommended to your friends?: TV: “Fargo”; Movie: “The Hudsucker Proxy”; Theater: Stop, You’re Killing Me by James Leo Herlihy, Doctor Galley by Conrad Bromberg
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Wallace Shawn and Rachel Dratch. Title: “I’ll Get It Right Next Time.”
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The Cradle Will Rock, June 16, 1937.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Listening to Frank Sinatra vinyl LPs.
If you weren’t working in theater you would be _____?: Writing advertising.
What’s up next?: Hopefully touring Exact Change.
For more on Exact Change, visit exactchangetheplay.com