Why did you decide to pursue this play?
“Because it’s about identity, because the language is so specific in terms of the way that it’s written. My background is really rooted in language-rich plays. No matter how much work I did in commercials, or voiceover, or TV, I was always longing for Shakespeare, and well written contemporary plays. The ones that were significant for me were playwrights like Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams and Romulus Linney, and Sam Shepard. So to have a female-identified playwright that wrote with such a specific style that really reminded me of Mamet, and Shakespeare, and John Barton was compelling and kept me going back to it."
Professor Shively on The Importance of this play right now:
"As one of our dramaturgs Blaine Bentsen said, “A [young] girl’s life is lived through her phone.” As a parent, and an educator, and a theatre artist, I spend a lot of time really concerned about how technology is changing the way we interact, and how it’s changing the way we communicate with one another. I don’t think it’s always for the better, and I think in a lot of ways it’s stripping our humanity away. So that’s a big part of why I think it’s an important play to do. Because on the soccer field, in the theatre, when it’s being done really well, in those heightened moments in life we really are connecting with our humanity and connecting with one another in significant ways. So being able to tell that story, I think, is important.”