Fusion Theatre's Interview with Brian Walker

The following interview was posted by Fusion Theatre on it's web site. It has been posted here because Brian Walker is a member of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc.

How did you hear about “The Seven”?

I heard about The Seven through my Dramatist Guild Resource Directory and it was also listed on The Playwrights' Center's website.

What was the impetus/basis/inspiration for writing the piece?

The inspiration for the piece is pretty straightforward: it came when I realized that I had not received my girl scout cookies from the little girl I had ordered them from three houses down and started seeing them being sold at the entrances of local grocery stores. I was convinced that someone in my neighborhood must have stolen mine as I told her she could just leave them in my door if I wasn't home. Days past but instead of going door to door to interrogate my neighbors, I wrote the play and my cookies arrived the next week; the little girl had the flu and was late getting them out, which, by that time, was fine by me because I had gotten a play out of it.

Is this play representational of your writing style? Is it similar to or different from your other plays?

This play is very representational of my writing style. I like writing plays where the audience doesn't know exactly where they should be laughing; or if what they're watching is even supposed to be funny, or maybe half the audience thinks it's funny and the other half of the audience is mortified. I like writing characters that are flawed in some way?and that really need something (whatever it?is...cookies even...) in order to get out of bed in the morning to face the world.

What is the role of the short work in your playwriting career?

The short play has been so instrumental to my writing career as it has given me the opportunity to really hone my craft while getting my work out there into the world. I love that short play festivals are so popular because for me there are so many moments, so many instances or people or situations that I think, 'that would make a good play' but there would never be enough time to write them all down into full length scripts. So I'm always writing short plays and I'm always sending them out. The ten minute play allows me the opportunity to get those impulses out there; even when simultaneously working on a larger project I may be blocked with or just need a break from.

What is your favorite play? Who is your favorite playwright?

My favorite play is A Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner because it makes me weep every time I read it and my favorite playwright would have to be Christopher Durang who just inspires me and his plays makes me laugh and think and want to have fun with my own truths.

What is your next playwriting venture?

In the last week I have just completed a full length play, CAGE (or the other side of tomorrow) which is about a society which eats its criminals instead of incarcerating them. Plus it's a love story. And there are dancing cows. I'm hoping to begin submitting it this summer.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you so much to FUSION Theatre Company for producing my play and sharing my voice with this community; it is such an honor to be included with the other six playwrights and have my work brought to life by this group of artists.

Fusion Theatre's Bio of Brian Walker

Our own Brian Walker is one of seven playwrights to win Fusion Theatre's The Seven 10-minute Play Contest for his play Neighborly Do's and Don'ts. Below is the biography currently running on the New Mexico' theatre's web site. Congratulation's Brian!

Brian Walker (Neighborly Do's and Don'ts) is the artistic director of Louisville, Kentucky based Finnigan Productions. He has written and produced several full length plays in the Louisville area, including: Smoke this Play, Great American Sex Play, dirty sexy derby play and ZOMBIE!. He is the creator and co-producer of Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun, an annual 10-minute play festival celebrating independent theatre artists in the Louisville area. His short play, Paradiso Airlines, was part of 2009’s Actors Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program’s 24-Hour 10-Minute Play Festival. His short play, Purple Cool-Aide Cult from Purpletown, was an official Play-Lab selection at 2009’s Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, NE. His full length play, The Kings, was part of the Juneteenth Legacy Theatre’s 2009 Juneteenth Jamboree at Actors Theatre of Louisville and part of the 18th Annual R. Joyce Whitley ARENAfest Festival of new plays in Cleveland, OH in May 2010. His short play, Jupiter’s Moons won the jury prize and the audience favorite award in March 2010 at Bellarmine University’s Anything Galileo 10-Minute Play Festival. His short play Linda & Kirk & the Mouse Incident was selected for Theatre Southwest’s 5th Annual Reader’s Theatre Festival in Houston, TX in March 2010, Appetite Theatre’s Bruschetta Festival of short plays in Chicago, IL, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s The Late Seating; both in October 2010, The Kentucky Playwrights Workshop New Play Festival in Lexington, KY in November 2010 and Louisiana State University’s Out-fest 2011 in Baton Rouge, LA in March 2011. His short play Latch/Gem was a semi-finalist in KNOCK magazine’s 2010 International Play Contest. His short play I had to meet you like this (here) (one more time) was selected for Stage-Q’s Queer Shorts 6 in Madison, WI and The Ringwald Theatre’s Gay Play Series both in June 2011. Brian was awarded the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Emerging Artist Award for playwrights by the Kentucky Arts Council in July 2010. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild, The Playwrights’ Center, The Kentucky Theatre Association, The Kentucky Playwrights Workshop and the Theatre Alliance of Louisville