Get to Know the Playwright
What inspired you to write this play?
The title came first. From there, a number of plots and drafts came before I landed on the story of an aging man’s final moments on earth. I wanted a piece that foiled old age with the start of life, and reflecting on the mental capacity of a body in a vegetative state.
Can you walk us through your writing and editing process for this play?
Like before, this went through many different drafts before landing on a 10 minute scene, which I think captures the image I wanted to portray the most. It took a lot of reflecting on my own experiences with death, what I would want my last words to be, and how I would feel if I couldn’t communicate that—all the light and fluffy stuff.
Where do you generally find ideas or inspiration for writing your plays?
I love using plays to evoke emotion, even at the expense of cohesion. This play landed on a more linear structure, but the whole goal was to evoke the feeling of anxiety in death, reacting to that with laughter, and just the inherent comedy in dying.
Can you share a bit about your background in playwriting?
I wrote my first script, Lifeboat, in 2018 for my High School theatre competition. The production ended up being the first time our department ever placed, and it received several awards and accolades, including an original work award for myself. I’d had many questions about my path in theatre, but when I presented my second script to my drama teacher and proclaimed that I was “a playwright,” something about the title felt right in my heart, and I stuck with it ever since.
What experiences have shaped you as a playwright?
I use every memory and emotion I’ve experienced to inform my writing. I once equated my writing process to a kind of translation, harnessing memories and emotion from the collective unconscious and using my own experiences to inform the words I use. That’s been the best way to describe writing for me. And every time I write is another experience that informs future writing.
What is one tip you would give to a beginner playwright?
Watch plays. Do plays. Write plays.
Learn more about Nathan Holley and his plays here!
