Hey y’all! So we are super excited to have exclusive interviews with the incoming class of MFA Playwrights who all happen to be chicks! Second in our series is Natasha Smith (no relation to Charles Smith!), a friendly writer currently based in Arizona who went to the high class liberal art school also known as Amherst. Read the interview below to learn more about her!
1. Who are some of your artistic influences/artists that do it for you?
First of all, I’ve had some amazing teachers. Connie Congdon, Addae Moon, and Michael Winn are all fantastic writers who have been incredibly supportive of my work. Working in Atlanta’s theater scene introduced me to a number of inspiring writers, like Gabrielle Fulton, Pearl Cleage, Suehyla El-Attar, Neeley Gossett, Jiréh Breon Holder, Mike Lew, and Katori Hall. Other writers who have been influential are Lynn Nottage, Marcus Gardley, Julie Hébert, David Lindsay-Abaire, Jon Robin Baitz, and Sam Shepard. I’ve also had the chance to assist some directors who work deeply and incisively, like Tom Jones, Stephen Wrentmore, and James Still. There’s so much incredible work out there and I love being exposed to new genres and artists. Sometimes I come away with a sense of “damn, I’ll never be able to write like that,” but I always try to turn that attention in a positive direction. How do they do what they do? How do they use collaboration to their advantage? There’s always something I can learn from the experience.
2. What got you excited/interested in OU’s program?
A year out of school I interned at the Alliance Theatre, which is one of my favorite places in the world. Celise Kalke, their Director of New Projects, has been a wonderful mentor. She’d been encouraging me to apply to Ohio as long as I’ve been talking to her about grad school, but I didn’t apply until my second round of applications this year. Once I really started looking into it, I was intrigued, and I really got excited about the program after talking to Charles and an alumni Celise put me in touch with. The focus on structure, the system of constant production, and the ubiquitous support of writers within the department all stood out to me.
3. If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
One of those terrifying creatures that dwells near the bottom of the ocean. Maybe a giant spider crab? But probably a shark. They’re among the less-scary animals in that part of the ocean, but still very badass.
4. Whats your fave kind of dessert?? 😮
Fudge makes the world a better place. Especially dark chocolate fudge that’s not too sweet.
5. At this point in your writing, what types of stories/images are you drawn to?
The stories that resonate with me right now are about power and loss: how loss makes us feel powerless, how people use power to regain what they’ve lost, the intangibility of each and their lasting impact. We enter the world with a limited amount of power that usually increases as we get older and become more independent, and we start life with a lot to lose. I’m fascinated by how they play into each other and how our perceptions can change or mask our experiences.
6.Can you talk about your play “Catapult”, that you sent me as your writing sample and what got you interested in writing that?
Catapult was birthed in the summer of 2013, when I was taking a class at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. On the orientation day, I still hadn’t decided what play I wanted to work on, and I got caught up talking to another participant who was a parent of a student who had gone to a college like mine. We were talking about how Amherst had been in the news recently – Angie Epifano’s story had gone viral, the New York Times was writing about sexual assault at Amherst and schools like it, and I was really passionate about the conversation we were having. I realized that the play I needed to write was right in front of me, and I finished the first draft of the first act that week. On a deeper level, I wanted to write a play about friendship and the clash of “diversity” – what happens when students from different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds are thrown together on a tiny college campus? What do they bring to the situation, and what do they learn from each other? How do they listen or not listen to each other?
The title came very early in the process. The biggest challenge was making Anders, the character who rapes another character, understandable and human and not just some caricature of evilness. I also struggled to help Leslie, the main character, find her own voice. It’s still a work in progress!
Now that you know that Natasha is a cool chick WITH depth, read a writing sample from her play Catapult and like her more!:
MARISA
Just–let’s enjoy the time we’ve got. Why don’t you come out tonight?
LESLIE
Probably not gonna happen.
MARISA
One night. This frat party is gonna be crazy.
LESLIE
That’s an endorsement?
MARISA
Crazy good.
LESLIE
Yeah. Beer pong and plastered idiots dancing like hyperactive toddlers: my greatest fantasy.
MARISA
Toddlers are nothing like sex-crazed frat boys.
LESLIE
Equally likely to take their pants off in public.
MARISA
Point taken. Okay, I have a deal. I’ll come to your weird museum field trip/ and look at dead bodies with their skin peeled off–
LESLIE
Really? I thought you were too grossed out/ to even–
MARISA
If you’ll get dressed up, have a few drinks, and at least pretend you’re having fun.
LESLIE
Ew, you make it sound so creepy.
MARISA
Which one?
LESLIE
Are you just gonna complain the faces are giving you funny looks?
MARISA
Not once. Swear to God.
LESLIE
But you’re going to make me stay out all night.
MARISA
Only half of it.
LESLIE
What would I even wear?
MARISA
(digging through the pile)
Let me see, I have something that should…
(pulling up a short, lacy dress)
This’ll work.
LESLIE
I only even have sports bras.
MARISA
It’s a tight dress, you don’t need to–
LESLIE
So, basically, I’d freeze off my ass and tits.
MARISA
It’s not like you have much to lose.
LESLIE
Hey!
MARISA
Don’t you ever want boys to look at you like they’re–
LESLIE
Pervs?
MARISA
Like they’re insatiable and you’re–
LESLIE
A juicy steak?
More about Natasha
Natasha is a Tucson-based playwright, currently affiliated with Arizona Theatre Company as the Artistic & Playwriting Intern.
Over the summer of 2014, Natasha taught playwriting to high school students through ATC’s Summer On Stage program. Prior to joining ATC in 2013, she completed a Literary Internship at the Alliance Theatre and a Playwriting Apprenticeship at Horizon Theatre, where her one-act play No Salt was produced. She graduated with honors from Amherst College in 2011, with a BA in Theater/Dance and English.
Natasha’s thesis production, In Her Place, won the Denis Johnston Playwriting Award from Smith College. She spent the summer of 2010 co-teaching a creative writing course to young adults in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a three-time recipient of the Roland Wood Fellowship from Amherst College.
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