a-very-candid-interview-with-kill-me-writer-scott-t-barsotti - SHU-IZMZ
Having just seen and reviewed Scott T. Barsotti?s KILL ME, a play that explores suicide and immortality put together by the boys and girls at WildClaw Theater, I thought it would be interesting to ask the writer of the play a handful of questions and get the perspective of a writer for playwrights. I have never interviewed someone from the theater community, so I thought it would be a unique perspective on things in the horror genre for readers. I threw in some questions about movies and the genre to keep my horror movie fanatics interested. Enjoy!
Are all of your plays generally horror-themed?
Not all of them, but a lot of them are. Horror in general is the genre that I?m most excited about, but I do also write comedies. Though even in my comedies there?s usually some influence of horror, either in the subject matter or in the way I approach the story.
What movies, authors, or particular stories have been inspiring to you as a writer and fan of horror?
Going back to childhood, Alvin Schwartz?s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series got me hooked on horror, or more accurately, Stephen Gammell?s illustrations did. I just recently rediscovered these books and remembered instantly how excited I was as a kid by Gammell?s artwork. And I?d watch stuff like the GOONIES and keep rewinding it to look at the bone piano again and again. I was a morbid kid. I?ve always loved zombies, and I?m from Pittsburgh, so Romero is big for me too, but not just the DEAD series, I love a lot of his work, particularly CREEPSHOW. As a kid I was perversely drawn to stuff like PHANTASM, HELLRAISER, POLTERGEIST?when I was really little I had no idea why these movies were so enticing, or why they scared the shit out of me. They got in my brain. I love the simplicity of the classics, stories that fill you with this sense of dread using atmosphere and sound, stuff like the original THE HAUNTING, or NOSFERATU, those kind of movies inspire my playwriting because a lot of times I?m going to rely on similar storytelling onstage. As a viewer, I get really into films that give you a slow burn, and have these really well-placed moments of gore, like LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, or [REC].
What part of theater appealed to you most? Why did you choose to go into theater instead of writing scripts for movies?
I love the process of making a play, the rehearsals and the discovery involved. But also there?s that live aspect. You get to sit in an audience and watch not only these people up on stage embodying your story night after night, but you get to watch and hear the audience react to it right then and there. As a writer there?s nothing cooler than that. I?ve written some screenplays, I just prefer writing plays, thinking theatrically instead of cinematically. It?s a totally different beast, different expectations, different structure. You have to solve problems in a completely different way onstage, and something about that has always come more naturally to me.
What inspired you to write the play? Where did you come up with the idea for it?
It just occurred to me one day that while most people fear death, immortality probably wouldn?t be all that great either. I started thinking about how cosmically terrifying that might be, and just ran with it. So instead of being the heroine in most horror stories who flees death, Cam goes searching for it. And then of course, there?s the mental illness element, it made sense to me that the people around Cam in the play assume she?s delusional, and maybe she?s had a history of that, which adds a layer of ambiguity.
Are you opposed to doing plays with nudity (male or female)?
Not at all. Nudity onstage is often a lot more distracting than nudity on film though, that?s my personal feeling as an audience member. It?s really different for an actor too; on film, they disrobe on a closed set; in theatre, they gotta take it off 4-8 times a week in front of live strangers. I personally have done some partial nudity onstage, and one of my plays calls for a bare butt, so I?m not at all opposed to it but not all performers are up for that. Again, to do it multiple times a week for a live audience, it better be really important to the story.
How did you ?hook-up? with WildClaw Theatre?
My wife was the lead in WildClaw?s 2008 production of H.P. Lovecraft?s THE DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE. I knew Charley Sherman (our founder) a little bit before then, but that?s when I really got to know the company. And then they did my zombie play THE REVENANTS in 2009, which was a great project, a lot of fun and a big hit for the company. I joined up shortly thereafter.
Were you, as the writer of the play, involved in choosing actors/actresses for particular parts? How much is the writer of most plays involved in decisions involving choosing cast, set designs, sound, etc??
The director assembles his or her production team, so all of the designers are brought on board by the director (for KILL ME that?s Jeff Christian) and the Artistic Director (who for WildClaw is Aly Renee Amidei). The cast, also, is ultimately chosen by the director, although I was present at auditions and at production meetings, so if I had a strong opinion about something I could speak up. Usually I like to just let the creative team play, though, and not be intrusive. In my experience, the playwright is more a part of the creative process in theatre than screenwriters typically get to be in film (unless they?re directing the film themselves of course). I don?t know if that?s always the case but it?s been that way for me.
Are there any bad experiences you have had with directors not understanding or seeing ?eye-to-eye? on one of your plays?
Definitely. It?s bound to happen when your work is out there and you invite people to interpret it. Luckily for me that?s been the minority of my experiences.
Do you write your plays listening to music or any background stimulation?
I never got out of the 90s, so I?ll often listen to grunge, or in the case of KILL ME, I was listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails and Tool.
What are some of your favorite directors and films?
Big fan of Tarantino, like him or hate him, the guy?s got a bold vision. KILL BILL was a game-changer for me. Looking back, I?m a fan of Hitchcock (especially REAR WINDOW and PSYCHO) and Billy Wilder. More contemporary, I love Chan-wook Park, his revenge trilogy is fucking amazing (Ed. Note: Totally agree on that. Readers need to see these!). I?ll see anything by Lars Von Trier too, that guy?s work creeps me out whether it?s horror or not.
When a play is making its run, how many hours a week or day do you generally have to devote to the play? What is your schedule like?
It all depends. I might be making rewrites on the fly if it?s the play?s first production, if it?s being done in Chicago I might be at every rehearsal (plays usually rehearse 16-20 hours a week, or sometimes more, leading up to opening, anywhere from 4-6 weeks in most cases). The schedule is erratic and changes with each show, but always intense.
When did you decide that you wanted to write plays and how old were you when your first play was translated to the stage?
I?ve been a writer since I was a kid, but I discovered playwriting in college. I had some friends in theatre so I had seen a lot of plays, and liked a lot of them, and in my creative writing classes I always got a lot of positive feedback about my dialogue. So I connected the dots. I was 20 when I first saw my work performed, my friends and I did a couple of my plays at school; I was 22 when I had my first professional production, which happened to be in Chicago but that was before I moved here.
What has been the most constructive criticism ANYONE at any point in your life has given you that has really stuck with you or really inspired you?
Don?t be boring. Also, write what you wanna write. I try not to think too hard about ?who?s gonna produce this?? or ?is this too weird?? or whatever. I write what I want to write, then I spend a lot of time carefully and thoughtfully revising and revisiting my work. To me, a play is never really ?done.? I have a play that?s 7 years old and has been produced 4 times but I just rewrote it last month.
Do you have any ?just paying the bills? type jobs in addition to writing plays?
Yep. I work for a research organization during the day.
How many plays have you written total (including plays that have not seen the light of day yet)?
KILL ME is my 8th full-length play, and I have a couple dozen shorter plays.
What is your favorite Argento film and what is your favorite Fulci film? and Why?
I?m boring and predictable. From Argento it?s SUSPIRIA, and from Fulci it?s ZOMBI 2. SUSPIRIA because it?s fuckin? trippy, I love the way he frames shots, love his use of color, and the sound/music is killer. And ZOMBI 2 is just plain fun. Love the eye impalement. (Ed. Note: I love Fulci and Argento so I had to ask! SUSPIRIA is my favorite, as well!)
When writing and Writer?s Block occurs, what do you do to help overcome it and get ideas flowing once again?
Read. And I don?t just read other people?s writing, but I read my own. That?s an important step for me that I think a lot of writers skip, I read my own stuff a lot. It gets me in that mindset again.
Source: http://www.shuizmz.com/a-very-candid-interview-with-kill-me-writer-scott-t-barsotti/
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