Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Education: BFA from NYU Tisch
Why theater?: I have enough screens in my life. It’s nice being inspired by, communicating with, reacting to… you know… real, live humans.
Tell us about ValueVille: Eddie shows up for his first night shift at a big discount warehouse-type store called ValueVille. After a series of hilarious, terrifying, and altogether unusual events, he faces the truth about his life, and love. At its core, the show is about reality and perspective.
What inspired you to write ValueVille?: Musicals used to be generators of new ideas, instigators of pop culture. There was a time when people looked to the theater for the next big thing, but now it seems to go in reverse… movie musicals, jukebox musicals, revivals, stale ideas, same old, same old. Why can’t we have a new idea? A new story told with fresh, relevant music that speaks to us in such a way that we might actually want to listen to it outside the context of the show itself? That’s the musical theater I want to be a part of... so writing ValueVille was my contribution toward that.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Good, passionate storytelling. Anybody doing their best to make something new, and take a risk. That’s exciting, and inspiring.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: If Melissa McCarthy ever wants to do a musical, I will write her whatever she wants, whenever she wants, about anything she wants.
What show have you recommended to your friends?: I have recently sent people on a mission to see Once and Book of Mormon, although they seem to be doing just fine without my endorsement.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Mark Wahlberg. And the movie would be called “I Finally Look Like Mark Wahlberg!”.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I am obsessed with the channel “Lifetime”. Any movie of the week on that channel is the best thing that ever happened to me.
What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: My playlists and favorites of the moment are always a bit all over the place, but for now? “We Are Fine” by Sharon Van Etten. That’s one of my favorite songs of all time—you just listen to it and say, “Man I wish I wrote that!”. But a close second would be “Alone” by Heart… or “The Lark Ascending” by Christopher Warren-Green.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be ______: Dead. Does that sound too dramatic?
What’s up next?: I’ve got a few ideas cooking on simmer. I’m excited to have some time to bring one or two of those to a boil… after a much needed vacation!