Meet the Playwright - Lying with Badgers - Jason Grasl

When did you become interested in theatre and in writing plays?

I was a frog in a 2nd grade production. That was my first live theatre and I loved it. Then I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and pointed to Indiana Jones and said to my dad "I want to do that!" He asked if I meant archaeology, and i said "no, I just like that Han Solo is swinging on vines and saving the day. That's what I want to do."

As far as writing plays, I had been acting for some time and just felt I had some ideas to tell a story I think I related to and others might relate to as well. Also, I was writing for a role I could play myself. Didn't know if I could or not. But I gave it a shot. That ended up being the first play I wrote, The Blame of Love, that ended up getting produced.

What's the best way to come up with cool ideas for plays?

Personally, if I get curious about a certain obstacle or challenge from my own life or if I see others who have gone through something it starts my gears moving. Could this be the nugget of a story idea for me? Then I think about it for awhile to see if it's really appealing.

What's your advice for someone who wants to write plays, but doesn't know how to start?

Start writing, or if you're going to procrastinate that part, at least put yourself out in the middle of all the life that's going on around you. You'll see something.