EBE Ensemble

Today we feature Erin Austin, playwright of “Buddha Nosh.” Her previous work, co-written with Ross Evans, includes Hindsight, Keep It Short, MayDay, Apocalyptic Revelations, and Finger Paint (a Backstage.com Critic’s Pick at FringeNYC 2009.) Erin is an Equity actor who has toured nationally and performed in NYC. She earned her B.F.A. at University of Miami and co-founded the Plastic Flamingo Theatre Company. Find out more at www.erinLaustin.com

This is the last of the interviews with this year’s playwrights — we hope you enjoyed them and that you’ll support their work by joining us at the show March 10-20, 2010 (buy tickets on SmartTix) or, if you’re out of town, with a donation through Kickstarter.

Where are you from originally? Does “home” influence your work in conscious ways? Unconscious ways?
I lived in Florida for 23 years before moving to New York, but home is more than a location. It was a weird combination of Scottish heritage, a touch of New Mexico and rural Southern mysticism. That fascination with diversity is front and center in Buddha Nosh.

So far, what has been your most exciting experience as a playwright?
I started co-writing my play, Finger Paint, two and a half years ago with the idea that the characters would use real paint onstage- almost taking on the role of a fifth character. Everyone who read the initial drafts of the play told us the paint would never work in a theatre – just wasn’t practical and not worth the mess or fuss. But we stuck to our vision. Thank goodness HERE Arts Center took a chance on us – with gobs of paint and a Dexter-style tarp on the stage floor. The first paint rehearsal, when the paint was smeared on the actors’ bodies and I saw the physical enactment of my imagination — was exhilarating.

Let’s talk about “Buddha Nosh.” Was there any particular inspiration for it? What has the writing process been like on this play compared to the rest of your work?
It wasn’t inspired by one particular event or conversation, but Buddha Nosh was conceived after years of restaurant work, a meddling brother peddling Siddhartha, meditation classes on Canal Street, reluctant one-on-one therapy sessions with a love struck houseguest. You know…..the usual. This is my first solo writing experience, so it’s been rewarding and scary. I like to think I had a bit of a revelation while writing Buddha Nosh. It began as a satire, poking fun at ignorant Western reverence of an Eastern religion. But as I researched and became more invested in the material I was satirizing, I developed an inverted but sincere respect for the characters, message, and ideas I initially set out to roast.

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?
To risk sounding completely Looney tunes, yes, I always hear voices in my head when I write. Sometimes it’s the voices of actors I frequently work with; in this play I was hearing some Robert Goulet, but I’m not saying for which character. A play isn’t finished until it’s read out loud. Even if it’s just me reading six parts by myself in my apartment. That’s why readings and workshops are crucial. Feedback feeds me. Good actors bring so many ideas, nuances and flourishes to a play. They escalate a play from draft to draft.

What kind of theater excites you? To you have any particular productions or moments as an audience member that stick out in your mind?
Live theatre by its very nature is invigorating. It’s so unpredictable. Any kind of theatre that makes my heart pound in my head, I’m a fan of. I saw this production of The Tempest with Mandy Patinkin, and this woman’s cell phone went off and, first of all that guy is amazing, but secondly, he manages to use Prospero’s Shakespearean dialogue to sever that woman for negligent theatre etiquette; completely staying in character and staring her down in a really intimate theatre space. It was terrifying. Speaking of terrifying, the first time (yeah, I’ve seen it way more than once) I saw Phantom of the Opera, and Christine rips the Phantom’s mask off and we see his face, I was eight, and I had nightmares for years. It stuck with me. That’s good theatre. The list could go on forever. I’m a huge drama geek and I’m always at some show. I won’t spend more than twenty bucks on jeans, but my theatre habit remains untreated.

Do you have any advice people writing their first plays?
No, this is hard stuff. Best of luck, keep writing, and pass any good advice my way!

Check out Erin Austin’s “Buddha Nosh” 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.