What is your writing process?  Do you take notes and then write a play?  Do you outline?  Do you just start writing and see where it takes you?  What was the process of getting this play finished?

The characters come first. Once I know who I am writing about and how they speak, then the play usually just sort of comes out. In this case I knew I wanted the main characters to be a bunch of guys who played baseball in the park together (I did this a lot with my friends growing up) so I had the added bonus of knowing where the first scene took place and more or less what needed to happen- i.e. a baseball game. The show just kind of took off from there. 

What principles of playwriting do you try to follow, or help you the most? 

I have no idea what the principals of playwriting are. I'm sure they exist, I probably follow some, but I don't do it consciously. I follow characters and voices and that's pretty much what determines everything. 

Is there a writer or other artist that most influenced you as an artist?

I don't know that I can pick one individual because I think of myself as having many influences. I will say I am really heavily influenced by other art forms. Music is super important to me, particularly the music of Tanya Donelly, Kristin Hersh, Melora Creager, the James... and that is often reflected in my work. Film is very important to me too, particularly the films of Hal Hartley and Sally Potter, and is, for instance, why many of my plays are a series of short scenes or vignettes, rather than more traditionally structured (though for the record, most Shakespeare is also short scenes and vignettes, so by traditional I really mean the 20th century American kitchen sink drama most people think of when they think of theater in this country). E.M. Forster sort of gave me a philosophy of life and art that permeates a lot of my work, and Peter S. Beagle wrote my favorite book ever, The Last Unicorn. John Guare has been my favorite playwright since I was 16. His play SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION has probably informed my playwrighting more than any other single dramatic work.  

What are your two favorite characters in all theatre and why?

Cinderella in Sondheim and Lapine's INTO THE WOODS. I love the idea of this woman who is actually a pretty intelligent and kind person but also a social pretender desperately seeking validation from a class she actually, in reality, feels entirely unsuited for. I also love how her intense desire to change her life is continuously at battle with both her sense of responsiblity and her own fear of that change, so while she has a lot of volition she also constantly defers to chance and other people to make stuff happen for her. The complexity of the character is just fascinating to me, plus I just relate to her, cause I'm also a guy with a strong value system but all kinds of social pretensions. I also really love Ned Poins in Shakespeare's HENRY IV part 1 and 2 because he's this fuck up noble who doesn't give a crap about anything in the world except getting laid, getting drunk, getting into trouble, and hanging out with his best friend- who he is smart enough to realize isn't really his best friend. There's something profoundly sad about the character that I've always found fascinating, especially as that depth and sadness is conveyed in only a handful of lines, but those lines cut to the quick so deeply its all the more poignant. He's my favorite kind of supporting character: fun, clearly etched, and totally surprising. 

You go to see quite a lot of theatre in the Bay Area - how does critical thinking help or hinder your writing?

I don't know that it plays a huge part in it, to be honest. I don't think much about the other theatre I see in the Bay Area when I'm writing something. I do know I try to always write something I haven't seen, because if I have seen someone else write about something in a way where I think they totally nailed it, I rarely feel a need to say something myself about it. Sometimes I do think my work is an answer or comment on someone else's. I think all writers talk to and about other writers through their work, actually. 

Any personal aspects of this play that you are willing to share?   I notice in a lot of your plays the main character is bi-sexual - what about that topic seems to draw you in as a writer?   

I've never actually written a play where the main character is bisexual, though in EDENITES Hugo does have sex with a woman- but that doesn't make him bisexual. He's a gay guy who has been having sex with a woman, which is different. The main character in this play, Bryon, is totally gay- almost painfully, anxiously so. There are a lot of supporting bisexual characters in my plays though, that is true, and sure, it comes from having been bisexual myself, having known many people who are bisexual, but really it's just that attraction fascinates me and I find attraction most fascinating when it's unexpected or unrestricted by conventional ideas of sexuality. I would say that all my plays contain some element of unexpected affinity between people, and frequently that manifests in bisexuality. However, in TROUBLESOME HISTORIE OF JOHANN AND KRANE, for instance, there is a moment when the two main male characters kiss one another, but it's not because they are sexually attracted to one another. It's because they love one another, and sometimes that happens between people who love one another. That's probably a good example of unexpected affinity over bisexuality being a major theme in a lot of my plays.

When you finish a play do you feel it is complete?

"Finish" is such a strong word. I am inclined to say "no". I don't think a play is complete until it is performed. And often after the first performance, you realize it still needs more work. Not every time, but often. 

If you look at your body of work as a whole (so far) what do you think are the themes or genres or stories you write the most toward?  What subject/s excites you the most to write about?

Claire Rice once told me she thinks all of my plays are coming of age stories and I think this is 95% true. I definitely like to write about the discovery of things, ideas, people. My characters tend to be highly intelligent, high self-monitors, very articulate, and actively engaged learners throwing themselves headlong into life or learning how to do that. There is a lot of tension in my plays around identity, social interaction, intellectual and personal evolution, sex, social class, self-awareness and self-actualization, fear, and death. So I guess I write about all those things but I don't consider myself an issue based writer, though I can get very conceptual, like in BRAINKILL for instance, which is more about exploring an idea, in that case the tensions between morality and materialism. I'm kind of willfully a-political, so it's rare that my work is about like... economics or feminism or something... though I suppose you could argue that is a political statement in and of itself. Mostly I write as an act of compassion actually, it's me trying to understand some aspect of the human condition that I'm personally struggling with, which goes back to every play being a coming of age story. 

What most excites you about seeing this play on stage?  What do you hope audiences will take from the play?

I've technically been writing this play for 15 years so honestly, just seeing it alive will be exciting. I hope it is very very fast paced and sincere. I hope audiences like the characters, identify with them, run with the structural conceit, which is a touch experimental, and laugh a lot. 

I was thinking July is "independence month" and how we should celebrate independent theatre in July.  As the big corporate theaters offer less and less opportunities to local artists - independent thetre is blossoming all over the country.  Where do you personally think that is going to go?  How do you feel about independent theatre in San Francisco?  

I think the future of the theater world is the farmer's market mentality, personally. Like, that's what we should look to as our business model- not the Walmart/corporatized model that frankly is what regional theater has turned into and probably always really was. And is clearly, obviously, in trouble. When I talk to people these days about what kind of theater I do, I often say, "Niche." I see myself as a guy growing vegetables in my back yard, and now and then I take them into the big city in a truck and sell them to you in the plaza. And sure, I might never get famous or whatever, but the people who are into what I do know where to find me and think nobody does what I do better than me, and that's not a bad place to be as an artist. 

There's a lot of discussion about the Theatre Bay Area Awards and their rating system - do you think plays should have scores (like sports) to tell audiences which ones are "good?"

No. I think plays should have posting boards where people talk about them and audiences should go see plays that sound like they create interesting conversations, or have conversations around them that would be interesting to participate in, and then the audiences should contribute to those conversations themselves. I think as soon as we start grading art numerically or whatever we're missing the point of art in favor of lazy-ass thinking. I do think there is value in recognizing the art that we think works best, because there is value in knowing what we like and what our standards are, and there is value in recognizing hard work and craftsmanship, but the only awards that really matter are ones given between individuals, just as even the best-written review still only reflects the opinion of that one critic. Which is why I support critics and artists (and audience members) who have top ten lists and such, and why I started my own awards, the Stuey's, a few years ago. If you get one you know I think you're the fucking bomb. Which means very little except exactly that, but to me, knowing I got through to someone or they understood and valued what I'm doing matters far more than getting an A or whatever from some panel of people who don't have to defend that opinion and really have no better credentials to pass judgement on what's good than anybody else. In the end, we all basically like what we like, some of us are just better at explaining why or recognizing how something works. The best of us can look past personal taste and appreciate craft and again, there is value to that- but only so much and I think it's exceedingly rare when THAT is what's being awarded an award. Actually, if an award panel had a "We hated this show but god it's well done" award, I would respect the hell out of that.

M. Butterfly, and will next be directing the musical Grey Gardens. Other Bay Area directing credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Frogs for Atmostheatre/Theater in the Woods, Hamlet, Love's Labors Lost, Phaedra and Edward II for No Nude Men Productions, and Taming of the Shrew and Measure For Measure at SF Theater Pub, of which he is a founding artistic director. His plays have been performed around the world, and locally he's been three times featured in the Bay One Acts Festival (Housebroken, Speak Roughly, Brainkill), and his play Rat Girl, based on Kristin Hersh's memoir, just headlined this year's DIVAfest. His acting credits include the title role in Macbeth, Carl in The Baltimore Waltz, and three separate productions of The Fantasticks. He was awarded "Best Ringmaster of The San Francisco Theatre Scene" by the SF Weekly last year, and his new works festival, the San Francisco Olympians Festival, was named "Playwrighting Series Most Likely To Win A Gold Medal" by the San Francisco Guardian. You can find out more about his work at www.horrorunspeakable.com, or follow along the blog he edits at www.sftheaterpub.com.  

Basking in the love-glow,  we selected plays for Sheherezade and finalized our directors for the show in December.  In January we had a table reading and finalized the cast.  SHEHEREZADE 14 will run in June and features short works from Jennifer Roberts, Terry Anderson, Madeline Puccioni, Madeleine Butler, Steve Koppman,Vonn Scott Bair, and Jim Norrena.  I am really excited about the selections this year with some interesting and captivating material that will be funny and devastating, sweet and poignant.  (I'll blog about that in April). Wes Cayabyab  who has been in the last five Sheherezade's is switching to a Director's role with Amy Crumpacker who joins us for the first time. While Jason Jeremy, who used to be a regular player in Sheherezade back in the day, is returning to acting in the show.   The cast also includes Philip Goleman coming off a string of roles with Ross Valley Players - including ARMS AND THE MAN playing now, Catherine Ludtke - who is busy being amazing in Custom Made's TOP GIRLS, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong who has been garnering audience and critical raves in African American Shakespeare Co's MEDEA, which closes this weekend.  Also joining the cast are Rick Homan who composed and played music in our production of Patricia Milton's BELIEVERS in 2012,Cameron Galloway who you can see at DivaFest's DIVAS TELL ALL, and Gareth Tidball who will be here for her summer break from New York University's theatre program.

We also kicked off our collaborative writing project for what became SUPERHEROES where 8 playwrights - The Playmaker's League - wrote as many short plays as they could in 6 weeks around a facilitated central theme.   Jennifer Lynne Roberts served as Head Writer and provided weekly inspiration and sub-topics for the writers. This creative storm resulted in 114 scripts, which were narrowed down to just 29 for a hilarious marathon reading back in February.  In February we also did private readings of all of the plays for the season, finalized the Superheroes line-up (11 plays between 1 and 10 minutes each), and casting for the show.  We have Alicia Coombes and Chelsey Little directing plays by Bridgette Dutta Portman, Jennifer Lynne Roberts, Karl Shackne, Laylah Muran de Assereto (moi),  Morgan Ludlow, Patricia Milton, Rod McFadden, and Susan Jackson and live music written and performed by Kat Downs from local band Sit Kitty Sit (whose band was at SXSW this March).  We are thrilled to have performers Barrett Courtney (with his SF debut), Brian Flegel (most recently in PCSFs 24 Hour Fest, and a frequent player with Pear Avenue's reading series), Dan Wilson (of Radio Star Improv), Jenna May (recently returning to the Bay Area from Seattle), and Karen Offereins (most recently of Custom Made's THE PAIN AND THE ITCH and returning to us from last year's SHEHEREZADE 13) and actor Shelley Lynn Johnson completes the cast. I can't wait to see them take on our superheroes; their woes, predicaments, and foes.  Look for the trading cards!

We are *this* close to finishing up the casting for Stuart Bousel's EVERYBODY HERE SAYS HELLO! which will be directed by Rik Lopes and will run in rep with SUPERHEROES in July/August.  The short list is pretty impressive and exciting for this multilayered character piece.  

We recently finished casting our fall shows running in October, and also in rep, with Krista Knight's UN-HINGED and Morgan Ludlow's DROWNING KATE and will both be directed by Wesley Cayabyab.  These two shows will share some cast members and like the whole season, includes a fantastic group of actors.   UN-HINGED will feature Rick Homan, Cameron Galloway, Genevieve Purdue Smith, and Scott Cox.  

DROWNING KATE will feature Colleen Egan, Scott Cox, and Genevieve Purdue Smith.

Quinn Cayabyab and Ellen Chesnut along with our directors have been conjuring magical and amazing design concepts for all of the shows, which will feature some pretty cool things that will be dynamic and interesting to see up on stage.

We've also been taking the opportunity before we are ensconced in rehearsals to go to shows!  Associate artist Kat Kneisel is performing with the multi-talentedDiana Brown in COLLECTED STORIES for Expressions Productions.  This play about mentorship, storytelling, trust, betrayal, literary success, and loss is well worth seeing.  We are especially proud of Kat's terrific portrayal of the mentee who outgrows her mentor with heartbreaking emotional fall out.  Quinn Cayabyab, myself and friends caught the show on Sunday March 23rd and Jennifer Roberts along with Jim Norrena, Patricia Milton, and Bridgette Dutta Portman caught the show Friday March 28th.

Jason and I went to see Cutting Ball's RISK IS THIS series closer EX MACHINA on Saturday the 29th.   And various company members have theatre dates to see TOP GIRLS, MEDEA, RAT GIRL,  ARMS AND THE MAN, THE CRUCIBLE, DIVAS TELL ALL and more!  

The company is also looking forward to going to the gala in May to support Morgan Ludlow and Ryan Hayes for their Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nominations for last summer's GORGEOUS HUSSY!

Say hi when you see us around and have a great spring!

Laylah Muran
Executive Producer
Wily West Productions

What most excites you about this production? 
Not that the show is technically a Halloween piece, but Halloween has always been my favorite holiday - and not just because I grew up in the Castro with the biggest celebration every year just outside my door. I really enjoy the juxtaposition of horror and comedy, because humor is such an intrinsic survival necessity and scaring ourselves is a very basic human mechanism for escape as well as processing "bad-stuff" in our lives and minds. I think that with Hope we really have something that dances the borders of both gracefully. I like Rod's work and am really happy that we have a full length of his to play with; having only done short pieces in Sheherezade previously. I've been gushing so much about Brady's directing talents lately I feel like I should start an official fan club.  The chemistry with everyone during the show is exciting and I think the audience will experiences that magic that happens when the cast is so well matched all around. Seeing all of those elements plus Quinn and Wes' designs come together has made me very happy these past few weeks.

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself? 
Well, family legend has it that I saw dead people so-to-speak when I was a kid. I don't know that I believe in any of it, but I do know there are things I experienced that I can't explain by anything rational. I was, unfortunately around a lot of death and dying in my youth and that had to have had an effect on my perceptions. Or maybe it meant I was exposed to more opportunities to be touched by the otherworld than most people. Who knows?

A close friend swears he saw me floating above the bed in my sleep about a dozen years ago. I do know I can't sleep on my back or I wake up feeling like I've been crashed into by something or smashed into the bed. (The theme from Rod Serling's Twilight Zone is now stuck in my head, thank you ear-worm.)

What is the scariest movie or play you have seen? Why? 
I haven't seen any scary plays that I can think of. Silence of the Lambs gave me nightmares for years, but I think that falls into the psychological suspense category, not horror. A friend in high school dragged me to a Friday the 13th double feature and I remember getting so freaked out I went into the lobby and played Poll Position (the car-racing arcade game) until I had one of the highest scores. I just couldn't stand the tension of knowing what the characters didn't and being helpless to stop what was going to unfold. The violence, blood etc. didn't freak me out so much as the powerlessness against the monster. I hate being in the woods at night (25 years later). Aliens (the second one in the series) can still make me squeal with alarm for similar reasons, but I love every minute of it.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?
I hope there will be a sense of fun for the season. But I also hope they will find the humanity of these characters and the awful circumstances that lead them to the fateful events of the play within the comedy. Familial loyalty, the horrors of what people are capable of, how little we really know about people around us, the nature of hopes and fears, are all things that add depth to Hope's Last Chance and I think will provide something more than just a light Halloween-season treat.

Laylah has been involved in theatre and writing creative fiction since childhood. Laylah served on the Board of Directors for the Playwrights Center of San Francisco and has been the Producer for their annual benefit production of Sheherezade for the past three years. In addition to her theatrical endeavors, Laylah has worked for the last two decades in process improvement, project management, and program leadership in a number of different industries. She particularly enjoys bringing her creative and professional background together to help create an environment for dynamic theatre. She is currently working on the full-length, not-quite-one-woman showDa-Da Baby about her upbringing in absurdist theatre and the gay community.

What most excites you about this production?
The opportunity to showcase a bunch of different styles of comedy and juxtaposing the hilarity with real human moments. 

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself? 
My mom has told me that when we first moved into her recently passed sister's house in Sacramento, she came into my room and I was talking to my Aunt Mara. I don't remember this happening, because I was about 3 years old, but I do believe that children especially can sense a presence of the supernatural, and that I did encounter my Aunt that night. 

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?
The balance of comedy to drama to straight up high stakes fear is really challenging to pull off, I think. Aside from having to memorize 3/4 of the play, I find that discovering the truth in the dramatic moments and balancing that with the comedic arguments written in has been especially fun to figure out. 

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?
I had a great opportunity to play Stevie in Albee's The Goat or Who is Sylvia at SFSU when I was in brown bag theater, which is a performance class meant to replicate theater in repertory. I also really enjoyed originating the role of Hebe in Juno en Victoria with Wily West a few summers ago. You can't really go wrong when you're playing a goddess. 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?
I hope the audience will walk out of the theater with a smile, the play is really a comedy and I think we as a cast shine best when we are being ridiculous. 

KAT BUSHNELL (ANGELA) is excited to perform in another original play with Wily West Productions.  Since the tender age of seven, Kat has been performing with community and workshop theaters in her hometown of Sacramento.  Pursuing a Drama degree from SFSU brought her to San Francisco, where she worked with Tony Award nominee Barbara Dameshek performing leading roles in Chess and City of Angels, and got a taste of the repertory theater experience in Brown Bag Theater (You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Goat or Who is Silvia). Since earning her Cum Laude degree in 2009, she has performed with SF TheaterPub (Jesus Christ Superstar, RENT, Devil of a Time, Pint Sized Plays) SF Olympians Festival (Juno En Victoria, Heracles & the Things He Killed, Die,OH!Nice!Us vs. Hestia), Cutting Ball Theater (Epicoene), Altarena Playhouse (RENT), No Nude Men Productions (Giant Bones), Thunderbird Theater Co. (The Scotland Company), SF Sketchfest (EMO! The Musical) and was last seen on the Wily West Stage in Juno en Victoria (Hebe) and The Cocktail Plays.  

What excites you most about this show?

What excites me most is the discovery and presentation of a new character, i.e. finding his "voice" and carrying the audience into his "truth" or, in this case, his "secrets and delusions."

What is your greatest challenge with this show?

The greatest challenge is to find some nobility in the character and not get wrapped up only in his dark side.

What kind of research have you been doing to prepare yourself for the role?

Research has been in watching some old "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" television episodes and the current Showtime series "Ray Donovan".

What have been some of your favorite previous roles or productions?

Favorite previous roles include the Marryin' Man in "Lawfully Wedded" and a long time ago as Bo Decker, the cowboy in "Bus Stop".

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself? 

I sometimes feel guided by the spirits of some loved ones who have passed and had a dramatic impact on my life.  I have even conjured them into my consciousness from time to time.  I wish I could do that at will.

What is the scariest movie or play you have seen? Why? 

Well, I was in the remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", but would have to say the original scared the bejesus out of me as a kid.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production? 

Of course I hope the audience suspends preconceived notions of the supernatural and just goes with the absurdities, the comedy and the horror mined by the playwright and this wonderful cast.

JEFFREY ORTH (MACKIE)  Jeffrey just finished working with Wily West this past summer as an ensemble cast member in the critically acclaimed world premiere of LAWFULLY WEDDED. Jeffrey has worked in Marin the past several years creating roles at Ross Valley Players, (RAW) and at the Fringe of Marin.  He was featured as Freddy the bartender in PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE and as William in HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES, both at Novato Theater Company.  Jeffrey is very excited to be in HOPE'S LAST CHANCE by Rod McFadden at the Exit Theatre this October.  His excitement at creating the role of Mackie, the Lighthouse Keeper with a deep secret, is palpable.     

What most excites you about BOA this year?

The increased scope of the festival, which has been a steady and inspiring progression. I was a festival participant in 2008 with my middle-east thriller 22 MINUTES REMAINING, and I served as dramaturg in 2010. I’ve gotten to see three artistic directors helm the festival, from Richard Bernier (RIP) to Jessica Holt (MFA) to Sara Staley (Woot), but this is both a return to playwriting for the festival for me, as well as a chance to work with a theatre company whose work I understood from the very beginning. More specifics on that in the next question:  

How did 3 SISTERS WATCHING THREE SISTERS come to be?

I owe a direct debt to Wily West’s Cowboys vs. Outlaws season 2013 kickoff in Febraury. We had two weeks (I imposed a three day deadline) - to create a seven page play from a prompt: “He found it in a dark hole in the woods.” I found this to be a tad on the specific side, so instead of treating it as a plot synopsis or key point, I used it as a bit of found dialogue instead. Sharp-eared audience members can hear the distinctive line in the play itself.

What did you learn by participating in BOA this year?

I learned how important partnerships are between theaters and playwrights. From presenting the piece at the season opener in February, to advocating for the script as an interested producer during the BOA selection process, director (and former actor) Kat Kniesel supported my script at the right junctions, challenged me when it was needed to improve the work, and trusted me to get the rewrites done on time or at rehearsal as needed. 

What is your favorite Chekov character and why?  

She’s not a favorite per se, but at the present I’m identifying with young Irina, and not just because I’m the baby of my family. In her yearning for distant, cosmopolitan Moscow there’s a parallel to the lure exerted on me by New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago.  

What will audiences get for their money by attending BOA this year? 

A chance to look at themselves in a mirror as life watches art imitate life watching art imitate life watching art...  Plus, uppity pigeon puppets, chilling sociopaths, snappy patter, morose hayseeds, cat ladies, wack ladies, baby ladies, funny ladies, and my three sisters - And that’s not even including program 1!            

IGNACIO ZULUETA (Playwright) Ignacio writes, lives, and laughs in Oakland. His plays have been published locally, performed throughout the country, and broadcast on KUSF 90.3FM and KPFA 94.1FM. He’s a member of Playground-SF, the Playwright’s Incubator at Asian American Theatre Company, and an Associate Artist at AlterTheater. His recent awards include an Emerging Playwright Award and 2012-13 Fellowship from SF PlayGround, and a Horizon Foundation Grant for the advancement of LGBT issues. Follow him on www.facebook.com/ignacio.onstage

What most excites you about this production?

I'm incredibly excited to see how the special effects and intense physical action of the play come together -- there's so much visual theatricality in the play, and that can never fully be realized in a staged reading.  Also, it's exciting to be working with such a creative and talented cast -- right from the initial read-thru, I could see how much depth they were bringing to the characters.   

How did Hope's Last Chance start?  What was the inspiration?  And what was the process you went through to get this play finished?

I set out to write a scary 10-minute play for a Halloween showcase.  It began with a married couple hearing screams at a bed-and-breakfast in the night.   But 7 or 8 pages into it, I knew there was a lot more story opportunity than would fit in a short play, so I began to explore the history and the mystery of what happened in this haunted B&B.   Since fright and laughter are both cathartic, I wanted to have a play that was funny and scary at the same time.   The play had two staged readings during its one-year development, and the audiences responded well to the simultaneous sensations of fear and fun, sort of like on a roller coaster.   

What guidelines or principles of playwriting help you the most to finish a play?

Hope's Last Chance has two clear questions that propel the play forward:  "will Stan and Angela survive?" and "what the heck happened to cause the haunting"?   Because the answers to these questions are related, they almost act as one.  I felt my main job as playwright was keeping the characters focused on pursuit of the answer, and this helped me keep the plot tight throughout.  But I also wanted the characters to have some strong inner (sometimes secret) needs, so that they could make additional discoveries about themselves as they unravelled the larger supernatural  mystery.
 
What influenced you most as a writer?  Was it another playwright?  A teacher?  A work of art?  

For Hope's Last Chance, there was definitely some influence from Japanese horror movies, because they often have creepy little ghost children in them.  But also plays like Blithe Spirit, or  Arsenic and Old Lace, where a character like Mortimer can still make funny quips in the middle of a murderous situation.  I like that 1940's romantic comedy feel, but then layering on a more sinister element of danger, so the audience is always a little off-balance as they take it all in.
 

If you look at your body of work as a whole (so far) what do you think are themes or genres or stories you most try to write toward?  What subjects excite you the most to write about?

I guess I'm drawn strongly to the theme of personal risk and trust -- that is, characters overcoming the innate tendency to self-protect at the cost of experiencing life.  I don't consciously set out to explore this theme, but it shows up in alot of my plays.  The other theme I often explore is Secrets and Honesty  -- how characters hide and/or reveal themselves from others.   Sometimes this leads back to the other theme of trust, so maybe its all one.  In Hope's Last Chance, both these themes are key elements of the characters and the story. 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I want audiences to leave feeling entertained and a little exhilarated.  Do I care if they're discussing any deep themes or truths that the play inspired?   There are a few philosophical messages in the play, so it's a bonus if the audience thinks they're worth discussing.  But it's essential that they leave thinking they had a great time.  

ROD MCFADDEN (PLAYWRIGHT) Rod has received awards in national playwriting competitions for his plays, Love Birds, Counting on Love, and Getting the Message, and was chosen as the People’s Choice award at the 2012 inspiraTO Festival in Toronto.  After receiving his BA in English literature and Playwrighting from UCLA in 1982, Rod McFadden embarked on a tragically successful career as a retail executive which lasted 26 years.   But in 2009, Rod McFadden returned to writing plays full-time.  In addition to successful productions at theatres around the country,  Rod’s plays have been well-received by Bay Area audiences of Broadway West, The Playwrights Center of SF, Wily West Productions, The Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Fringe of Marin, the Masquers, and PlayGround SF. Hope’s Last Chance is Rod’s second full-length play, and he is thrilled to be working with the talented people of Wily West Productions. 

What most excites you about this production? 

It is exciting to be creating a new character. It’s the reason I love working on new plays. There’s nothing better for an actor than having the creative opportunity to be the original actor in a role. 

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show? 

Treading the balance between the light humorous aspects of the character and the serious, scary threat and high stakes that underlie the action of the play. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare? 

Our director suggested that for style – we watch the movie “HIGH SPIRITS.”  It’s an English film with a wonderful combination of humor and a real ghost story. Our story is very different but it is a good reference for how to combine humor with the ghostly. If it’s done right, an audience will go with crazy stuff like touching a ghost or even marrying one!

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)? 

I’ve been doing theatre a long time and have so many favorites. The best are always where the entire production just clicks: amazing material, a great cast and production team. Good theatre is a complete team effort. 

Recently I was in A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY.  It was a fantastic production, wonderful cast – and I loved my role “Die Alte”. Other highlights have been Mom in SISTER CITIES, Mom in ZOMBIE VIXENS FROM HELL (another new character I got to originate in a great production & fantastic cast) Mammy O’Dougall in CRIPPLE OF INISHMAN, Desiree in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, any of the roles I’ve done in Shakespeare (especially Paulina) and getting a kiss from Terrence McNalley after a performance of MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE.  

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself? 

Not personally, although I grew up in PA – and many places in and around Lancaster County are reported to be haunted by ghosts from as far back as the revolutionary war. I was in Gettysburg a couple of years ago, right before the July 4th weekend when the battle originally took place. The town and battlefield are said to be one of the most haunted places on earth and I could absolutely feel it. 

What is the scariest movie or play you have seen? Why? 

THE SHINING. (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is right up there) I think it’s because the threats are so real but can’t be dealt with by “normal means.” The psychological pressure is unbelievable, but there is comparatively little actual blood & violence onscreen. 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production? 

I hope audiences love our show. It’s great fun, and has really scary moments. Who could ask for anything more - especially in October!

SHELLEY JOHNSON (MRS. CUTTER) Last seen with Wily West as a crazy lady in “Love in the Time of Zombies” – she is excited to be originating a new role. A busy singing actor, she has performed numerous leading musical and non- musical roles with many Bay Area companies.  This past Spring she was narrator for “The Play of Daniel”  – a liturgical play sung in Latin with the San Francisco Renaissance Voices.   Last year she was “Mom” in Zombie Vixens from Hell with Virago Theatre and the mysterious  “Die Alte” in A Bright Room Called Day with Custom Made Theatre.  Favorite productions include leading roles in Sister Cities, A Delicate Balance, Cripple of Inishmaan, Winter’s Tale  - & musical favorites A Little Night Music, Man of No Importance, Fiddler on the Roof, and A New Brain.  Other acting work includes standardized patient simulation in medical schools and recording poetry on Voetica.com. Shelley is also a stage director and acting coach specializing in coaching singers on stage presence and role & audition preparation.  Visit her website: www.actingforsingers.com

What most excites you about this production? 

I had the opportunity, honor and absolute pleasure of doing the staged reading of HOPE'S LAST CHANCE for the Spooky Cabaret and could not believe how funny, touching and overall fun the whole process was. We began the reading with the audience not entirely sure what to do: laugh, snicker, scream, squeal, ponder, etc. Then somewhere in the second act the audience and the cast as a whole discovered that it was a comedy, it was magical. 

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show? 

Not laughing at myself or at the comedic moments that occur during this show for one, second is allowing this character to really speak and to resist the urge to edit him. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare? 

I'd like to say that I've been watching a lot of horror movies and rereading my copy of THE SHINING, but in all honesty I've been picking apart my character to better understand him. He has his quirks and foibles that make him say and do funny things, but I was more interested in the reasons why he has said quirks. Stan, approaches things from a skeptic's perspective. He also has a very 2 dimensional way of dealing with life which lends to a lot of comedic moments! I've had to change my mental gearshift to accommodate that point of view and step outside of myself to honor this character and allow him speak. 

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)? 

LAWFULLY WEDDED has to be one of my utmost favorite productions. That show challenged and stretched me in ways that I hadn't felt since my college theatre days. It's always the shows where you put in the most work and commitment that really touch you and transform you. LAWFULLY WEDDED was a show that truly moved me with it's trials and tribulations. Speaking of college theatre I have to say that playing Belize and Mr. Lies in ANGELS IN AMERICA has to be one of my favorite roles, little shout out to the Lewis and Clark Theatre Departement! 

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself?   

I honestly don't know. I've had a number of people pass away on me while I was working in EMS and haven't encountered or experienced anything of the sort. 
My immediate family believes in certain supernatural things but only when they've lost someone that they've had a deep and personal connection to. I will have to admit that I felt and heard some of the same things when a number of my close relatives had passed, but I haven't really experienced anything since then. 

What is the scariest movie or play you have seen?   Why? 

THE RING has to be one of the scarier movies that I've seen. I love good story telling and enjoy being taken on a good journey, gore and violence don't scare me, it's the twist in the road when you least expect it or the unexpected turn in the story that you couldn't possibly forsee that gets my heart rate up. I like it when mythology, science and reality coalesce and you don't know what is real and what is fictitious, that's when my mind starts to take the story further and I continue to scare myself. 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production? 

I hope that the audiences leave with big grins on their faces with their cheeks sore from the smiles and laughter. I hope they get off this little roller coaster and run back into line because of how much fun they had.

WESLEY CAYABYAB (STAN)  is a Paramedic, Golf Professional and Dance Instructor, but is first and foremost an actor. He began studying theatre at the French American International School learning various theatre forms and in different languages. He attended Lewis and Clark College where he earned the Leon Pike Scholarship for Technical Theatre in his first year. He was cast in numerous roles in shows such as: Mother Courage and Angels in America while working as the assistant technical director for the on campus theatre. He was also the director of performance services working with dignitaries, musical groups and personalities such as: Ralph Nader, The Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, and Michael Moore. Wes continued his technical theatre career in the San Francisco bay area working with many of the major companies in the area such as A.C.T., Berkeley Reparatory Theatre, NCTC, World Arts West, Attic Light Productions, Axis Dance Company, and ODC. Wes was recently cast in the PCSF annual production of Sheherezade and directed the San Francisco premiere of Lawfully Wedded in which he played one of the principal roles. Wes is the technical director for Wily West Productions and a full company member.

What most excites you about this production?

I think I’ve been excited about this pretty much since Morgan first told me about it.  I love the idea of old Hollywood and getting to see the under belly of it, so to speak.  I’m also big fan of documentaries and biographies so that really sparked that part of my interest.  And then in February when we had our final reading and Susan and Ryan read, I think all of us in the room were just blown away.  With no rehearsal, they were able to capture the heart of both of these characters.  All of us left that reading with a sense that this was going to be something really special and that is honestly a director’s dream.  On top of that, this is my first production where I really get to delve into mixed media, so that is exciting.  I really enjoy a challenge and being able to learn new skills.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

I think on a technical level, it will be the introduction and implementation of the slides and video footage of Joan’s movies.  It really is a third character in the play, so figuring out at what times it distracts and the times when it engages I think will be the biggest challenge.

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

All of us started off reading the book that inspired the play and then from there, we have been focusing more on watching footage of Joan in her later years.  Susan and I have been making observations about the toll being a heavy smoker and drinker has on one’s body.  Also, playing with the idea of where she feels weighted, where her voice resonates from and the little behavioral gestures that seem to be her hallmark.  We want to stay true to the script and the Joan that Morgan has written, but at the same time make her recognizable to an audience.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)? 

I moved to San Francisco about three years ago and just love this community.  Everyone has been really welcoming and there is so much new work here to be a part of in a myriad of ways.  I’ve been lucky to be a producer and director with some wonderful theater companies in the area.  And I feel particularly lucky to be working with Wily West as a director for Sheherezade 13, Gorgeous Hussy and Hope’s Last Chance.  Quinn and I actually looked at each other during Sheherezade and got so excited that we get to spend the year together making plays and having fun!  In between shows with Wily West, I’ll be assisting in editing and directing a documentary film, which is a brand new venture for me.

Since this play is about our public and private selves or personas - what parts of you as an artist are very public and what are some more private or personal interests that you would be willing to share? 

We’ve been talking a lot about the “mask” of Joan Crawford.  The idea that there was this external thing that demanded absolutely everything of the farm girl Lucille LeSeur to the point where she had nothing left of herself or for herself.  It defined everything that she did in her life and when it started to fade, she didn’t have any idea who the woman behind it was.

I think that every artist, on some level, struggles with the personal vs. the private self. We inherently need our personal lives to inform our art, but where do you draw the line?  How much of yourself do you give to your art in time, energy and definition of who you are? And for each person, it’s different.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I think that most people are going to come into the show expecting Joan to scream, “No more wire hangers!!” and make Roy scrub every inch of the bathroom with a toothbrush or something.  That is really the Joan that lives in our imaginations when we think of her.  We think of Faye Dunaway and this woman with these big eyes, huge voice and hellish personality.  I even have a picture of Joan Crawford that says at the bottom, “Don’t Make Me Go All Joan Crawford on Your Ass!” But that is the mask and I think that Morgan does a beautiful job at showing us our own stereotypes and letting us, through this chance interaction, challenge them and ourselves to dig a little deeper. 

BRADY BROPHY-HILTON is a freelance theater director and producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her directing career in Seattle, directing a number of shows with Book-It Repertory Theatre, Cornish College of the Arts, and Groundwork Theatre. In the Bay Area, she has directed It's All in the Mix for All Terrain Theater, Sheherezade 2011 for PCSF, Boys Clinging Together for the SF Fringe Festival, readings of The Cocktail Plays, Ashtad and Dardanos, and Love in the Time of Zombies for Wily West Productions and "TGIF" Monday Night Foreplays for PianoFight. She has served as a producer for Sleepwalkers Theatre and is the Staged Readings Producer for the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco (PCSF). She was the Education Director for Teatro ZinZanni for a year and a half where she developed and ran their circus educational program Camp ZinZanni and she worked as the Education Associate for Book-It Repertory Theatre for three years. Brady graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Original Works, cum laude and trained with the Young Conservatory at ACT.