EBE Ensemble

Today we feature Rebekah Lopata, playwright of “What if I Don’t.” Her plays have appeared in theaters throughout the United States and Canada, including productions at the New Jersey Repertory Theater Company, Stageworks Hudson, Bloody Unicorn Theater Company, ReGroup Theatre in Los Angeles, Brown Couch Theatre in Chicago, New Studio Rep, Louisiana State University, and the Walking Fish and Brave New Play Rites festivals in Vancouver. She is the winner of the 2009 University Graduate Fellowship at the University of British Columbia for her play, For All These Sins. She will be receiving her MFA from the University of British Columbia in May of 2010.

Coming up on Friday, our final interview of the series with Erin Austin (“Buddha Nosh”).

So far, what has been your most exciting experience as a playwright?
The most rewarding experience I’ve had would be when I worked with students at the Monteverde Friends School in Costa Rica to write, direct, and produce their own short plays. That six-week project was one of the highlights of my life as a writer and teacher. Seeing their scripts on stage and watching them work as directors and creative artists was quite an experience. I’ve sat through productions of my work and felt a thrill (and terror), but the joy of watching a new generation of playwrights hone their craft can’t be topped.

Let’s talk about “What if I Don’t.” Was there any particular inspiration for it? What has the writing process been like on this play compared to the rest of your work?
“What if I Don’t” grew from an image—I was thinking about a bride with a gun in her mouth for some time before I wrote the script. I wanted to begin a play with an arresting image that was both dark and comic, and build from there. The play is a meditation on barriers, both real and metaphorical, that we put in the way of directly addressing our own emotions. Plus, I suppose, this script is also an exploration of my own misgivings about the institution of marriage. I was also interested in writing something that leaned a bit more towards comedy; much of my writing is quite serious. This was a fun script to write.

As a playwright, what do you find interesting, helpful, or difficult about rehearsals? What do you feel is the playwright’s position in the rehearsal process?
I like to attend rehearsals when I can, but I prefer to take a back seat. I want the director and actors to have the freedom to present their own vision of my work.

How important are actors in your writing process? Do you have paticular voices in mind as you write? How important are readings and workshops in the development of your work?
Readings are vital. I feel that my work never grows when it simply sits on the page- I have to hear it to really see where the problems are. Actors are very important in that they bring their own interpretations and ideas to the process. The beauty of theater is that it is such a collaborative art. Playwriting doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

What kind of theater excites you? To you have any particular productions or moments as an audience member that stick out in your mind?
I don’t have any hard and fast rules for what I like in theater. I tend to be impressed with a good story and dialogue that has a certain realism and rhythm. I also love when you see an unknown work in a tiny space and it turns out to be something really special and brilliant. I saw some great work at the Fringe Festival and the Brave New Play Rites Festival in Vancouver this past year. Everything I saw there was more interesting, more creative, and more engaging than most of the main stage shows I’ve seen lately.

Do you have any advice people writing their first plays?
Write! Submit your work to festivals and contests! Don’t be afraid of rejections, they’re part of the process. Go to the theater. Learn what you like and what works. Always have your ears open for snippets of great dialogue on the subway, the bus, where you work. The best inspiration for any playwright is the real language, drama, and chaos of everyday life.

Check out Rebekah Lopata’s “What if I Don’t” in Elephants on Parade 2010, running March 10-20, 2010 at Teatro IATI, 64 east 4th st., part of the FAB arts block. For more information on the show, visit www.ebeensemble.com, or to buy tickets visit us on SmartTix.