 But I am kind of in seeing this conversation, which I like to say is the conversation with the future of American theater, the present and future American theater. So what this is is we are here because of an organization called Enough. And it is a fabulous idea that was dreamt up by Michael Cody, who gathered some great theater minds. I'm quite honored to be among them to read plays that writers all over the country, who I believe are 18 and younger, have submitted based on the idea of the braiding of arts and activism around anti-gun violence and gun violence prevention. And who you see gathered are some of the folks who have been chosen. They are award-winning playwrights who have written brilliant, just wildly poetic, deeply naturalistic, just genres all over the place, brilliant heartbreaking short plays that show the range, the absolute range of the human lived experience of living in an era where gun violence in this country is so sadly predictable and prevalent. So we are here to talk to these incredible folks about who they are, why they write, why arts activism and get a sense of what this incredibly brilliant and brave generation is offering us on the stage. So I would love everybody to kind of, let's popcorn around. Once you share your name and pronouns, you can pop it over to somebody else and we will meet everybody and then start chatting. So once again, Lauren Gunderson, my pronouns are she, her, hers. Sarah Schecter, would you go next, please? Absolutely, thank you. Hello, my name is Sarah Schecter and I use she, her pronouns. So excited to be here. Aja, would you like to go next? Oh no, I think we might have lost Aja. She's finished. Hopefully she'll return soon. In the meantime, would you like to go next? Sure, hi there, my name is Olivia Ridley. My pronouns are she, her, and I wrote Ghost Gun and I am so grateful and excited to be here. Thank you. Adelaide? I'm Adelaide Fisher. My pronouns are she, her, and I wrote Miss Martins-Malays and I'm also very excited to be here. Can you share out who else should we go? Oh, I will send it over to Elizabeth. Hi, my name is Elizabeth Shannon. She, her pronouns, I wrote Loaded Language and I also am very excited and honored to be here. Deb Kanya? Hi, my name is Deb Kanya Mitra. I use she, her pronouns. My play is called Malcolm and like everyone else, I'm very excited to be here. Can I give it off to Aja? Hey, my name is Aja. My pronouns are she, her, hers, and just to echo everybody else, I am very excited to be here. Sarah? I actually already went, but I didn't say the name. I didn't get to go. I'm sorry. I'm Aislem Grayson, pronouns are she, her, it's a total honor to be here. I wrote Guns N' Dragonland. Awesome, well, I can tell you, so the way that this basically worked was there were several finalist plays and my fellow judges and board members of enough got to read them all and I can tell you the really energetic discussion that went into all of these. And we were all just so thrilled to choose all of you because so much of what your work represents is the diversity of theater, the absolute range of aesthetic and style and everything that you can imagine, some like startlingly theatrical and some just deeply brooding naturalism character studies. So I look to you all for what's happening in the theater, what's exciting, what's next, what's now. So why don't I start by asking you, when I started with this organization, it made me think of who I was at your age. And I remember thinking not just that I wanted to write, but that I had to write, I just, I couldn't not. I just, you couldn't stop me. And that drive and that passion and that kind of voraciousness has really defined my entire career. And so I wonder at this point early in your career, what is it that makes you write, but specifically theater? Why theater as your form and your medium? How did you find this thing? Olivia, would you start? Sure thing, yeah. I think art is such a perfect and wonderful means of starting conversations and initiating change and kind of pursuing something greater. And specifically theater, you're given the advantage of having a live audience. And so you're able to have these discussions like directly with the people in front of you. And that sort of intimacy is something that you don't find in other mediums. And so I think theater is really just one of the most perfect ways of kind of trying to seek in film and change because in order to do that, you start conversations. And yeah, that's kind of what kind of like propels me forward when it comes to art. Iceland, what is it about theater for you? Well, the theater is the closest you can get by taking a story and applying it to real life. It's the closest you can get to actually embodying that story and like legitimately living through it. Of course, disregarding like cosplay and stuff like that, but that's cool too. But yeah, I chose theater because it's just, it's just so interesting. And there's so much you can do. And most people will argue like, oh, like I would rather watch a movie any day. It's like, well, yeah, like in movies you can do a lot, but there's just such an awesome challenge in writing theater. And it's just, it's so interesting and seeing it in front of you is just, it's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Asha, did you ever consider writing any other kind of form or do you write poetry or short story? Was it always theater for you? I've written like, I've always considered writing like poetry and short stories and just other different things, but I think dramatic scripts, be it playwriting or screenwriting or whatever. I don't know, I just, I think that they, they're a lot more rooted in naturalism and kind of what Olivia said, the intimacy between the audience and the actors. Like, I don't know. Something about that just has my heart. Yeah. I mean, it's thrilling because I think we are so inundated now with great TV, amazing TV, all streamed movies that you can eat and to have such fierce minds as yours in a young generation to turn to theater, it to me further confirms there is something magical about the live performance. There's something necessary. It's urgent. It's primal. We're around a campfire, you know? And I applaud you all for having this be part of your journey. Now, I assume all of you will, if you've choose to write movies and TV if you like, but the idea of always having a home in theater is inspiring to me. Sarah, what about you? Tell us about why theater, why writing for you? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I guess I'd echo everybody else that it's like a fundamentally just human thing, that it's representation at its core, that it's pure storytelling. And I mean, not to go poo poo any other like art forms. Those are all beautiful, you know, different ways of representation and expression, but I think that theater is like so fundamentally human and grounded in character that everyone should be a player, right? And everyone should be a theater artist because I think it helps you to appreciate humanity and narrative, you know, in a way that other art forms don't allow for. And I feel really lucky that I've been able to go to art school and open for the past four years in high school, which has really kind of grounded me as a theater artist and shown me that, you know, it's a conduit for so many other things, which eventually led to enough, you know, that you can explore any social issue that, you know, we're people, we can explore whatever's in our life, you know, no theme is too big. That's what I really like, like the Jose Rivera wrote like the 36 assumptions about theater and one of the big ones that's on there is that, you know, you can tackle anything in it. And I don't know, it's pretty cool. I love that. Well, yeah, anything, we can do it. Devkanya, what about you? What is your journey to theater? So when I was in fifth grade, a playwright resident came to our class and we had to write plays as an assignment for that, like writing class back in fifth grade and since then I've just been doing it. Wow, what was it about that assignment that inspired you? Well, I feel like I always liked theater like I enjoyed watching theater, but that assignment kind of taught me that maybe I could, like I myself could have a role in theater other than just an audience member. Love that, yeah, awesome. Elizabeth, what about you? Well, like Sarah and Olivia and many other people said, I think the basis of theater is human connection. And I think everyone could use more human connection. I think there's something special, really special about live theater when you can see the audience's reaction and how you can get such a different audience reaction every time you do a show and the audience can take something away, a different thing away from the show. And I think that that's really powerful how you can impact so many people and in so many different ways. And then also, you know, get to see that impact in a way that you wouldn't really with like film or TV. And I also just, I've always really liked writing but was for a long time kind of too scared to try it. And then I tried it. And I have been an actor for a lot longer. So it was a great way to be like, even if I'm not in a show right now or I didn't get cast in a show, I can always write. And this is another way I can like connect to art and connect to people no matter where or when it is. Can I just ask before we have Adelaide answer the question, how many of you are actors or yeah, we've got actors among us, some directors or choreographers. Yeah, great. All right, good. I find that there's a lot of actor entry points because you get the script, you do your lines, you get addicted to this form, this medium, this feeling. And then you're like, oh wait, there's other things. I can write the stories too. Oh, this is great. So Adelaide tells us about your journey to theater. Why theater, why writing? So I've been doing theater like a very long time. Both of my parents also love theater. So I've kind of always done theater and I've kind of done every side of it, like acting, tech, and then now also writing. So I just, I love to create pieces that like as an actor and also as a technical person, I know that like I would like to do, I like to like create characters that I think actors would enjoy playing or would have a challenge playing. And I enjoy like creating technical moments that like costume designers or directors or makeup people would like enjoy working on and would find interest in working on. I think it's fun to like take what I know I like to see and like the sort of characters I want to see and I like and kind of create my own version of them. That's so great. Love that so much. Awesome, thank you all for sharing. All right, so let's see, you know what the heart of this organization and why it means so much to me is that it is taking a social ill, the prevalence of gun violence, this specialized at manifests and schools and younger populations and doing something about it and applying the artistic story, this powerful empathy, this powerful intimate human connection that you're all talking about that drove you to this form and using that to get us as close as possible to this cause, this problem that is so hilariously horribly uniquely American. So what is it about arts and activism in this form? When you started your play, what was the first step? How did you find the story to tackle gun violence? How did you approach it? How did, what in you as a theater artist was kind of the first step to building your story? Adelaide, since you finished us off, why don't you jump in at the beginning of this one? Okay, so the first step for me really like was that. It was finding a story I wanted to tell because like thankfully in my own life I haven't had a firsthand experience with gun violence. So I didn't have my own story to tell and I didn't have, when I started, I didn't have any like particular, this is what I wanna say, this is the kind of story I wanted to tell. So I eventually ended up talking to like a couple of principals like my middle school principal and then my current high school principal right now and like hearing kind of their like, as an educator standpoint on gun violence and like some of the things they have experienced in their teaching and principal careers and then kind of like finding that story and being like, this is the angle I wanna tell, this is the story I wanna tell and like the experiences I wanna use. Amazing. Asha, what about your story? Your play is so interesting and so intimate. How did you find your way of tackling this? Okay, so whenever I found the prompt for enough, well, when I read it, I had like, I just knew in my mind that people were going to write about school shootings and I was like, well, there's like other types of gun violence other than school shootings. And I went back to, I just thought about my life and where I am. And I'm from Mississippi and like there's a lot of gun violence where I live. And so there I just drew from that and I delved into that a little bit more, a little bit deeper and together just came together. Would you mind telling us a tiny bit about your story, Adelaide? I'll jump back to you as well after this so you can tell us a little bit about your play as well. Well, you know what? One second. I have been remiss in telling people how they can experience your plays. So before we tease everybody with the telling a little about the show is, so what you're gonna see is 50 communities across the nation are going to be digitally premiering these amazing plays and readings from theaters all over the U.S. They'll all be streamed on Broadway on demand. So you can go to Broadway on demand, find enough and you'll be able to support this incredible thrilling production but also see theaters and artists all over the country and see these great plays. You can find out more on enoughplays.com. I'll probably say that about 10 more times during this stream but yes, enoughplays.com. Okay, yes, and they're not just in the U.S. they're all around. I think they're in Europe and in Africa as well. So we are truly a global four-continent force for good. It's amazing. Okay, so Ajit, tell us a little bit about your play. So people kind of know what you're talking about. My play is about four friends, Cheyenne, Amani, Aaliyah and Ayanna and they're at this graduation party because they just graduated their seniors. They're thinking about the past, the future, everything that lies in between and out of nowhere, someone comes up and they start shooting and Cheyenne gets caught in a crossfire and she dies and it kind of just towards the end, it just displays that type of the type of anguish and the pain that the friends are going through. So I mean, what I thought was so brilliant about it is it really does have capture that moment where you've learned so much in your 18 years and you are so ready for the future and to have so many lives because short of that moment of possibility, it just, I found it really, it's a really beautiful play. Adelaide, tell everybody about your play as well. Okay, so my play follows this English teacher named Miss Martin and sort of like the thoughts in her head and the influence in her life personified as other characters, like as other people that she can hear and just sort of her conflicting thoughts and the things acting on her as she deals with what could possibly be a gun violence situation as she deals with someone on her campus who she knows having a gun and then just sort of like an exploration of the deeper story there. Yeah, that was so impactful partly because it was one of the few plays that was written about an adult, a teacher from the teacher's perspective, but the idea that of course this doesn't just stop at kids and an entire community is affected, your everyday way of life, even if there is no actual active shooter situation, you are still on edge and that stress is just seeped in across communities. So I thought it was a really interesting thing. All right, Elizabeth, tell us a little bit about your play and kind of how it came to be. How did you, how did you start writing your story? Yeah, so my play is called Loaded Language. It's about five high schoolers who are in their, it's at the end of their third block and one overhears two of them talking and she thinks that she hears them say that there's going to be a shooting in the next block. So she starts freaking out and she tells her friends and then they have to decide, do they tell their teacher? Did she hear them correctly and kind of weighing all of the possibilities of what could happen? I had this idea right away when I read the prompt because a kind of similar thing happened in my sophomore year biology class. And so I knew exactly that I wanted to write about, I knew right away immediately, that's the word, that I wanted to write about friends who, how there wasn't a gun, there wasn't a shooting and they were still so paralyzed with fear. And then I read in the description that they didn't want to see a gun, if possible. That was one of the suggestions. And then I was like, oh, my play doesn't even have one. I got, I was like, yes. And then, so that's how my play came to be. And I almost like what you just said, Lauren, about Adelaide's play. I just wanted like how it's so ingrained in our culture and in the back of everyone's mind. Like, I remember there was a video of, it was like a car backfiring in Times Square, I don't know, a few years ago and how everyone started running. And that was that similar kind of fear. And then I also wrote a bunch of two of the three scenes in my play are like kind of Greek chorusy. And I took things I had said, I had thought or people had said to me or that I'd heard all about gun violence and guns in everyday lives. And there were like so many, I had to cut some because they were just, it just kept going. I kept thinking of more things I'd heard, which was like really terrifying, but. Yeah. Yes, another profound example of how guns are everywhere, even if they're not there. So I certainly remember thinking that. I said, what about you? Tell us about your play. Yours is a very creative, surprising take. Well, I remember having lots of great discussion about your play with the judges being like, this is amazing, what is that? Tell us all about it. That means a lot, thank you so much. So I usually write satire, like that's my niche, like that's what I go to. And the thing about satire is that if you want it to be effective, things have to be super emphasized and super theatrical. Like that's just my take on it. Like of course there's a million ways to do satire, but that's how I like to do it. And so of course I didn't want this show to be another satirical piece because like satire usually relies in like comedy and stuff and like, I was like, no, I don't, like of course I want like elements of humor, but it's not funny. It took me a little bit to think of an idea. It took me like a week or so because I knew I wanted to do something kind of outrageous, just to highlight how outrageous this problem is in our country. And I just, I don't remember if I had this conversation in that following week or previously, but it just, it somehow came to me. I had this conversation with my little brother who's eight years old. And I was like, I was in the car with him and my mom after we picked him up from school one day. And he was like, oh yeah, we had a, we had a drill today. And I'm like, okay. So I had to like, I was like asking him about it. And I was like, oh, so like, why, why did you have a drill? And he was like, oh, well, just in case there's a bad man who comes in and we all have to hide. And it was just like, oh my God, like this is like a game. That's so, it's just, it's just, it's so unbelievable that it really affected me. And it's like, that's my brother. That is the love, that is everything I love right there. I adore my brother. And just to like, imagine if it wasn't a drill and to see like how he would think just inspired me and just to write this show. And of course I wanted to, I wanted to use more personal elements of like my childhood because I don't really know how it is being a third grader in 2020, but I know how it was in, oh God, don't make me do math. I don't remember when I was in third grade. But whenever that was 2000, what, 11, 12, 13 in that area. So yeah, I just, I used like children's programming and I used that conversation with my brother and it just kind of came together. So guns and dragon land. Guns and dragon land. Olivia, what about, what about yours? Kind of a very different approach from my son's play. Tell us a little bit about your show and kind of how you put it together and what were some of the creative decisions that made it? Yeah, absolutely. So kind of similarly to Aja, I felt as if after I found out about the project and everything it stood for, I very quickly realized that gun violence is such like just a far reaching issue where like it is especially prominent in schools and that should not be dismissed and should be discussed. But there are like so many other aspects and components that just aren't discussed enough, I feel. One of like, you know, in addition to school shootings, I think race and class also have a significant presence in the conversation and should and like in this entire issue. And I wanted to find a way to introduce this prospect, to introduce it into the conversation and to justify why we need to be talking about this component too. So that's kind of how Ghost's Gun came to be. You know, it is a monologue. It is a monologue coming from a young black boy who appears to be armed and is speaking to his audience sort of like held at gunpoint, not physically held at gunpoint, but they know that he is armed. And so it's just about, you know, his incessant just wants to be heard, to finally be looked at and listened to because like we hear a lot of people talking about black men and like their depictions of, you know, their depiction of black men, which is either like some inherently aggressive or violent, you know, person or they like completely victimize the black man. And there's no in between and they're not allowed to be complex or multifaceted people. And I wanted to introduce that. And, you know, in addition to that, of course, something like gun violence involving death and violence, like it traumatizes people. It is scary and like, you know, the notion of a black man being scared of being insecure and, you know, on the verge of tears, like, you know, it's just never really thought of, you know, I feel like in general, it's like conversations of people choose to speak about black men, they are always deprived of like any sort of sensitivity. And that's not accurate. That's not accurate at all. If it's when brother and, you know, a father who shares fear, who are scared and who cry and like, you know, I think that was really important to represent, especially, you know, in the gun violence conversation that's so involves, you know, all of these very scary things, you know, yeah. So that's kind of what kind of like ghost gun, how it was shaped, just kind of the insecurity of, you know, some, a lot of young black boys and, you know, their sense of their place in the world and really them not feeling like they have a place in the world. Yeah. It was a particularly bracing and beautiful, beautifully written play that, yes, we all agreed instantly about how much we responded to it. So, yes, that's, and, you know, I will say a one person play is really hard. It's hard to build that engine and to have the plot have any sort of churn to it being a solo. So it's an extra accommodation to you for taking on that challenge. Deb Khan, what about you? Tell us a little bit about your brilliant play. So, so I wrote my play in June when there was a lot of media attention and the public was very concerned about police brutality deaths across America and even like around the world. So I feel like my play came out of like a place of grief. Like we were all kind of collectively mourning the death of like police brutality victims. So my play focuses on the journey of this black man named Malcolm, who's a folk musician. And he kind of goes on this journey for self-discovery but his ultimate success is cut short by the fact that he becomes a victim of police brutality. And I kind of, I knew that was the particular story I wanted to tell because like I've heard pieces of it from different places. Like I met people who have had life experiences similar to that. But because I've never had that life experience I was a little bit hesitant about trying to tell that character with my kind of language. So then I settled on the idea of having four adjacent characters who are in Malcolm's life try to reconnect like reconstruct his story after his death. And something that I think is particularly important. And I hope people that watch my play see this is how because Malcolm suffered death at the hands of police brutality incident his perspective on the story is lost. We aren't directly able to see his emotions we can only construct with what we have left. And I think that says something important about like the people we lose because of police brutality. Like friends and loved ones can talk about who they were but we never really get it from the person we can't. Such a savvy way to create a character out of nothing add to your point. It's one of those kind of form and function the content and form conversation that the point you're trying to make socially and as an activist is made in the way that you wrote and how you tell the story of somebody who's not there. Quite lovely, quite lovely. Let's see, Sarah, tell us about your play and how you wrote it. How did you decide to put together this great thing? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, actually I'm really glad that the point just went because it made me remember kind of this initial like thought that I had once after I saw the enough prompt and that was like, how do I write about gun violence? And I was like, this isn't, you know, a story to tell this cuts people's stories, you know, people's lives short. So what do we do from that? And I was like stumped for a good few months and I kind of was a last minute writer too. But like Aja, I think that I kind of had this thought whereas like where I come from gun violence exists outside of school shootings, more so than other places. Like, I mean, I don't know. It's not my place to write about the history of gun violence in Oakland particularly. And I didn't know how to write about my own. It's scary, you know, kind of run-ins with gun violence, you know, from like being smaller to growing up, including a few like, yeah, scary like little moments where I was, where a live shooter was. And yeah, this was kind of in June, I guess. So there's a lot happening, kind of a lot of public reckonings with white supremacy, I guess. People were starting to have that conversation. And then I was like, I have no idea how to write about school shootings, how to write about all of this. And I had this one line come to me, which is like red, white and blue. I don't know, some graphic. And I was like, I'm American, like white crosses, red blood and blue lives. And these were kind of these like three things that I was like seeing. And then from that, I built this monologue that was kind of about the just bizarre, kind of less like tangible parts of gun violence throughout American history. And that turned into a monologue that is like unhinged ringleader who it leads this show with different acts of American history, kind of using little sections of gun violence. So yeah, I was trying to show that gun violence exists outside of school shootings and also existed outside of this century that even though, you know, our generation has kind of had like gun violence just seared into like our consciousness that we were born right after Columbine. We were in elementary school with Sandy Hook and we, you know, I was in my freshman year of high school when the Stoneman Douglas shooting happened in Florida. And I mean, I keep on repeating myself. We've been in a few interviews together. So sorry, you have to listen to me and say like the same things, but it's still in my head. Still truthful. So I was kind of like, yeah, what did we go back further than that? And then afterwards I read it and I was like, oh my God, this is like a little crazy. But I was like, okay, you know, might as well lean into it. So that was what I tried to do with Hullabaloo. Well, yours is a great example of kind of taking what is inherently serious and mortal and heavy and like doing the opposite, like having the opposite feel of this circus delight atmosphere kind of crashing into this very serious dangerous topic, which I thought was really successful because it's whiplash, you know? The aesthetic you're going for is just like a, just an explosion. And I think in many ways there again, the form that you chose has the impact of being a moment, a kind of attack, aesthetic attack. So it's a really great example in how striking and different kind of all of the judges like I would have never thought to have read this. It's just amazing. So all of you, I covered all the plays, right? There's, yeah, okay. I do think it was quite a privilege for all of us as the judges to really dive in to your work and to get a sense of the breath of what we got to read and to see and then to actually get to see it in a production. Can we chat a little bit about production in a pandemic, reading on Zoom on, I'd love to know how y'all are handling that? How are there any discoveries that you're having as this point in the process? I'm sure y'all have been in rehearsal at least some by this point. And starting to see the work on its feet, on its Zoom, Zoom feet. But I'd love to know what that's like for y'all. I think every theater professional and almost certainly in this country is having the same experience in terms of how does the work change, grow, suffer in this strange medium that is so disassociated. But also we have the great benefit of sharing these stories so widely. So I'm thrilled for you and for us that we get all of these stories. Enoughplays.com, enoughplays.com, enoughplays.com. But I'd also like to maybe sprinkle that in with your reactions, some advice for other writers who are your age or younger, who are thinking, well, I've never written a play. How do I even do that? Should I do it? What is the, what is any advice about writing, about arts activism, about writing that first play, about writing your 10th play? Anything that you've discovered or learned during all of this would be fabulous. Elizabeth, would you start us off? Yeah, of course. So for the first half of the question, I mean, obviously I miss live theater. I think the main thing I've gotten from this experience and I've actually had a few other plays that have been like streamed and worked on over Zoom is that I've gone to meet so many people I never would have met. My, the theater company that is doing my show for Broadway on Demand is in Southern California and I'm in Maryland. So I would have never met those people and it's just so amazing. And earlier today we did an, I did an interview with a theater company in Arizona. That's part of enough. And like I never would have met those people and just getting to meet so many people who care about this issue as much as I do and all of my playwrights. Oh my gosh, all of you too, who I never would have met. Getting to meet them and talk with them and learn from them. It's kind of hard for me to compare like my show over Zoom because I've never seen it live. But I think at least for mine it's worked well over Zoom and I'm happy and my actors were incredible and my director and assistant director were incredible. So it was still a great experience even though it was digital. My advice for people who are trying to write plays is just to write something you're just, you're really passionate about. I think that's how I started. There were other social issues that I really wanted to write about and that really stuck out to me. And I think that will give you, if you have that passion, it will give you the motivation to keep writing. And you'll also just, you can come from such a more real and human place if you have those real feelings and those things you really want to tell people and you want the world to hear. It's amazing advice. Olivia, what about you? Zoom, reality and device? Yeah, actually like after, so after we finished producing my piece, which because it was a monologue, like we were able to film it, like instead of it being over like Zoom, it was filled into front of a green screen and has all of these effects. And it's really interesting because right after we, I was speaking with the director and he was like, yeah, it's, I mean, like he had a completely different vision beforehand where he wanted to like film outside and like all of this other stuff. And so at the last second, he had to shift gears like right away. And so because it just wasn't working and with like regulations and lockdown, like he was just like, yeah, I don't think this is gonna work. So we ended up something like completely different than what we were planning. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. And that has been such an interesting process incorporating like kind of like digital editing into something that was written for live theater. Definitely very interesting and has been really, really interesting to see. And I'm also extremely grateful that I was a part of the process, involved in navigating the whole editing and process. And that has just been really, really cool. And you're currently in Chicago, is that right? Yes, in Chicago. And Jason is your actor, is that right? Yes. He was in one of my plays, he's so good. Oh, he's wonderful, perfect. Yeah, I was absolutely thrilled. And like he, first of all, as a side note, I am a female writing for a male character. And so I'd like read the play alone in my room and a female voice. And so it was like shocking to hear like the base of a male voice. It was very exciting. Yeah, and regarding advice, just for writing, I think just, I always ask myself, what is a conversation you want to be had? And like even if your work isn't explicitly like for like the sake of activism, kind of just like, what world are you trying to reflect? What is the purpose kind of of your piece? And also just like, I think we're so, I mean, I'll say this and it's hard to really like take into consideration, but like you are always like your own harshest critic. And it's always hard for me to write, without like deadlines or whatever. Like it's hard for me to write because I'll start and then I'll hate it and I'll stop. And that's, you won't produce anything. You won't produce anything. And so, if you set timers for yourself, if you set like arbitrary like deadlines, have a friend keep you accountable, just but like practice your writing and don't be afraid to sound stupid and to mess up because that is the, like I cannot stress that enough. That is the only way you learn. That is the only way you learn and get better. And you're going to remain stagnant if you don't try it all. Yeah, I think, yes. That's what gets you to the end, to the end. And once you get to the end, once you have the first draft, however shaky it is, there are many holes there are, that's the draft that'll get you to the better draft, the better draft, the better draft for the better draft. And you can't finish the thing if you don't finish it. So yes, I think that is perfect advice. Don't be afraid of looking stupid. Don't be afraid of writing something that's a little weak at first. That's the way it gets better. So brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. All right, let's see, Sarah. Tell us your Zoom experience, what it's like at this point for you and advice. Definitely. I think that, I don't know, I would just kind of approach it all with, being honest, whatever that means for you. For me, that was kind of like, oh, like damn, Zoom Theater is very challenging. Like, I had a play produced in June or July, virtually, and I was like, oh wow, like this is crazy stuff. And then I actually, like I guess it didn't, the lessons from that didn't really sink in until I actually just watched the version of Paula Blue virtually that I actually like, I wish that I had changed my plays a little bit because writing for Zoom is different. It simply is that's the fact about it. For some people, I mean, for some of these plays, I think they, you know, could be transposed perfectly online. And that's fantastic for my play. I wish I had revised a little bit for Zoom because what we were talking about earlier is that it's fantastic that plays can exist in so many different mediums. They're live, they're like static, they're dynamic, you can read them, they can be brought to life. And yeah, for me being honest means that, you know, we have to embrace that, you know, maybe we have to acknowledge that this is different. And it like requires you to be introspective and honest about your work. Is this, you know, what are the main things that you're trying to, you know, show the audience and give the audience that are gonna be different, I think specifically around like gun bounce. I was thinking back to the plays that like, I mean, Office Hour by like Julia Cho were like natural shocks like about, you know, what are the, is the tension of like having the audience, it all being in one space, like with, you know, guns is that like every important part of the show for me, I think it was. So like be honest, lean into the challenges. This is exciting. I don't think it's super temporary. If we're gonna be doing this now, I don't think it's gonna stop. So start, you know, I, you know, I was like, you know, virtual play is an actual play, but now it is like, we got to deal with it. That's cool. Fun things will come out of it. So yeah, let's, let's lean into it. That's fabulous advice. Yeah, I think, I think you're right. And I think some version of virtual theater will be with us and it'll just get better and better and we'll know more about what the heck we're doing. Yeah, I thought what about you? Ironically, I just got out of like my first live theater performance I've had in so long. But yeah, Guns N' Dragonland is also live, but of course it's recorded, but it's live. And that's something I noticed that was like, whoa, I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting the boxes because I also had a few plays that were performed via Zoom. And it, I don't know, it's just, it's so interesting. Like I wouldn't discount it as any less of an art than if it were in person. I think they're about the same level. I mean, of course it's a bit disappointing not to be able to see people, but I feel like there is art in it, in its own special way. As for advice, I believe that anyone can write, just like Ratatouille, anyone can cook, but anyone can write, but it takes a true storyteller to be able to commit and finish a work that is the most difficult part of writing is sitting down and doing it. But also write what you know, but if you don't wanna write what you know, I recommend writing something that you know absolutely nothing about that is just out there, that you can make up for yourself and make people, make your own rules and make people believe in this world that you've created yourself. So yeah, that's my advice. I love that, right? But you know, or don't. And if you don't, go big. That's fabulous. Adelaide, what about you? All right, so very similar to Eslin, I was also just finally able to start doing live theater again myself and my pieces being produced live, ours is being done by the same place, they're both being done by the Orlando Rep. So both of our pieces were able to be done live, just like socially distanced wearing masks, which for my piece actually worked fine, like it wasn't exactly weird in any way or anything. But in, during this period of time, I have also done a little Zoom theater, I have also like watched a little Zoom theater. And I do agree that it's a little different and it's a little bit different of kind of an art form. I think there's like almost a different skill set. I think definitely being able to like keep that level of energy with like no audience that you can see there to kind of give you the energy. Cause I think sometimes actors definitely get like energy from people watching you and you like feed off of the crowd. And so there's like something to be said for being able to still have that commitment and have that energy doing it for no one, like pretty much just doing it for yourself and doing it for the other people that are with you. So it's been, it's been fun to see my piece produced live and I went to like a rehearsal for it. It was fun to meet everyone being in it. And I think there's definitely a couple of theaters out of like all the 50 that are doing it that are doing it on Zoom. So I definitely want to try and catch one of those and like see how it's different and kind of see what they did. That's right. These plays should be available at Scripps as well. So once this pandemic subsides, which thank you vaccine, I think we'll be sooner than later. I look forward to live productions of all these plays as well. And then for advice, I think I would just say to like not be afraid to write, like not be intimidated to write. I was actually just kind of talking about this with one of my theater directors. And he was saying like, I want to write, like I have ideas, I have ideas for scenes, I have ideas for stories, but like I'm scared that I don't have like a message. I don't have like a full story to tell. And I think just like my advice is don't be scared by that. Like if you have an idea, if you have even just a scene, like write it and then keep writing it and like just see what it turns into because you don't have to have like right off the bat, a very deep message and a deep story you want to tell, like work on it. And I think you'll kind of find it along the way or you'll like hear it from other people even after they read it or even see it performed. Like don't be intimidated by the idea that you automatically have to have like some big commentary or some big message, just like tell the story that you have and like it will have an effect on people. Dipani, what do you think about that? How's your experience and what have you learned? About Zoom theater? Yes, sorry, my son has just crept in so we may have some commentary. So around the same time that I wrote this play for enough I also wrote like a Zoom play, like a play that literally was supposed to take place in a Zoom call. So when writing that, it was really amazing because it was just a new set of constraints and it was sort of nice to be thinking differently. And honestly, I was just so excited that any theater was happening at all. So it was great, I enjoyed it. I have had opportunities to watch Zoom theater. Like for example, I go to the University of Maryland and they had their playwriting showcase on Zoom. And I feel like they did a really good job and I think nothing was lost. Instead there was just something different. The directors really were able to like leverage Zoom as a platform to give us something different and to kind of focus on every single character. So I think I benefited by being able to see like their emotions even more clearly. For my play with the Arizona Theater Company, I was involved in some, not involved, I attended some of the production meetings. And it was super exciting to watch like a lot of people taking interest in my work and adding their own creative ideas to it. When I wrote Malcolm, I sort of imagined like four people sitting in chairs reading off of scripts. So like the director, costume designer and like we had sound, we even had an animator. And I feel like just so many people added so much that I just had not been expecting. And I have not seen it yet. I'm going to see it tomorrow with everyone else, I guess. But I'm super excited to see what they do with it and it's just so much more than I imagined. That's tremendous. And I resonate with that every time I'm in a production meeting and see what designers or graphic designers do with poster design, it always just, that's why I write plays, I realize. I just want to see what the costumers do. Yes, that's really awesome. Asha, what about you? Why don't you close this out with some of your wisdom? Okay, for Zoom, my play was completely, I'm a very, very, I guess Easter egg type of writer. I like being able to hide little things in the background and over Zoom, not much of a background. It's just four boxes talking to each other. And I think that is what really taught me how to, or that taught me how to, I guess, hide the Easter eggs in the language and how they say what they say and how they do what they do, not necessarily in the house or the trees or whatever is around them, but in them by themselves. And my piece of advice would be, be creative, not profound. My teacher, smartest woman I know, she told me that last year when I was like struggling writing something, I don't remember what it was, but she looked at me and she was like, be creative, not profound. It doesn't have to be, quote unquote, good. Just make sure that what you're writing, you can stand behind it. And something else that I would like to say is whenever you're writing, if you're writing a play or whatever it may be, don't think of it as a work of art. Think of it as a conversation between you and a piece of paper. That's gonna make it go so much smoother, so much easier. It's gonna make it so much more beautiful too, just to see the raw emotion and the raw power behind the words you say. So that's all I've got. Oh my God, I love that. You create it in a profound, because to me what that means is, if you're trying to push a message, if you're trying to say something, it's gonna feel like you're saying something, not that you're writing theater, that you're writing characters that are iconic and human and all of this. So the idea of being creative, you're gonna find it will be profound. You don't maybe know, may not be profound to everybody or to all the people you want it to be, but it will be to somebody. And if it's true, if it's you, if it's theatrical, that's such great advice. Oh, that's wonderful. And it's like kind of like relaxing advice to you. You're like, all right, I don't have to like write Hamlet Draft One. Like we're okay, just write something that's meaningful. And I think all of you watching, combining all of the advice you've heard will make quite a great play out of somebody. We are at the end of our hour. Oh, man. But thank you all so much for sharing your time today, your advice, your thoughts, and a bit of a kind of a window into your brilliant minds and your creativity. And I think all of us who have gotten to know your work and some about you through your work, the only thing we wanna say is more and more, don't never stop writing, keep going, please. We want more, the theater needs you. So thank you for your bravery with the pen and your brilliance and your empathy. It really is such a pleasure to be a small part of your creative journeys. And for all of you, enoughplays.com, you can see these amazing streamed works from all over the world. Ah, so cool. On Broadway on Demand, thank you, Broadway on Demand. Thank you, Michael Cody. Thank you enough. Thank you all the people who've supported enough. So many of you donated during Giving Tuesday and we're so grateful. This is really such a unique program and something that means so much to me. So I'll open the floor at the end if anybody wants to do any last minute shout outs or hi's or whatever, but I encourage everybody, just go see these plays, support these writers. You will not be disappointed. Thank you. I'm sorry, my bad, I cut over it, but it means the world to hear that from you. Thank you to Lauren, to everybody here and to everybody watching, to Michael Cody, because anyone who's watching is part of the project now too. So thank you for being part of this. I literally feel so lucky. We are lucky. The world is lucky to have all of your work. So keep up with these writers too, everybody. Thanks. Go buy your tickets and stream and watch and tell everybody about it. I know I will be. All right, thanks everybody. Have a great night.