It’s my last year and I’m really trying to take advantage of Brown’s resources to the fullest by reading and watching as many plays as possible from the Brown Library, as well as writing, writing, writing. I feel like this is the last time for a while I’m going to get to be just a writer, so I’m trying to savor it. I wanted three years to really hone my playwriting craft and artistic values without complying to the pressure of the business aspects of the profession. Brown’s Playwriting program allows me the time and space to do that.

The start of this semester has also been extremely exciting as we (myself and the other MFA playwrights) teamed up with Brown/Trinity MFA actors and directors, as well as undergraduates for the annual Writing is Live Festival. A piece of mine about Akira Kurosawa and yogurt was included.

I will definitely emerge from this program with a stronger sense of my artistic values, style, ethics, and identity. I hope to not only apply those to the work I make moving forward, but also use them as a base to fight the institutional problems that plague the field of theatre. I have also gained a much richer understanding of theatre and performance that I hope to use teaching playwriting in the future.