Tell us a bit about your play, 32 Short Plays About Fredericton? What inspired it and what’s it about?

My play 32 Short Plays About Fredericton was inspired by all of the stories that we tell about Fredericton, specifically the lore that may or may not be true. Having lived here since 2007, I have heard many and I’m still not 100% on what’s true, but I liked the idea that they all stemmed from things happening around one person, so that’s basically what the play’s about. Paired with some existential crises.

What’s your elevator pitch for curious audience members to come see the play, or our twin-bill Acting Out as a whole?

If you like 30 minutes of a chaotic fever dream, comedy, and some semi-accurate history, come on out to see 32 Short Plays About Fredericton. Learn the real reason behind the bylaw pertaining to allowing reptiles and snakes in public spaces, and whether you are real or a vessel through which stories are told. This play’s got everything: Frogs, snakes, ducks, a Gondolier, a spaceship, hot turkey sandwiches, Steven Spielberg, a Mexican Drug Cartel, and much, much more somehow. You’ll laugh and you’ll learn.

You are actually in the play yourself, playing the Narrator. What’s it like being in the play as this character who is semi-detached from the action, but still very much a part of it?

I am! It’s kind of surreal, since I did not write myself into it, and it refers to the playwright by name at one point. It’s been fun! Actually being in the play has given the piece more depth for me. I always wanted to write a play with a narrator and it feels good to BE that also. Plus, I haven’t been in a play in 25 years so this has been a really fun experience for me.

How has it changed what’s been your usual experience of the rehearsal process, where for past shows you were just the playwright in the room? Do you find acting in your show has given you new insight into the script as writer? What’s your collaboration process been like with director Naomi McGowan and the rest of the company?

It’s hugely changed my usual experience with rehearsals. In previous years after meeting with the festival’s dramaturg, I would usually attend one rehearsal and really kind of let the director take the wheel. I feel like Naomi as well as the rest of the cast (and crew) have been instrumental in making this piece shine as bright as it is shining right now. It’s been great to see what in the script is not actually working and can be axed, which is not something I would have gotten to do if I wasn’t in it.

Do you have a favorite tale about Fredericton among the ones in your play? Have you learned about some others since writing the play? Can we expect a sequel?

I’m a huge fan of the Coleman frog, which is kind of how this started. I love everything about it and all of the information that exists about it in the Fredericton Museum. I feel like he’s our very own cryptid. I have some ideas for a sequel, and would even like to explore the lore of different cities to see if I can tie stuff together elsewhere, or an NB one. We have a lot of tales here!

You’ve acted in the festival many times before, but this is the first time you’ve written a play for it. What made you decide to take up the pen? Have you written other plays or creative works?

Honestly? Probably a mix of divine timing and delusion. I’ve always been good at coming up with big ideas, but I’m not so great at the whole “actually finishing them” part. Aside from some songwriting (and a brief stint as a fanfiction writer in high school, which I refuse to discuss on the record), this is the first full story I’ve written from beginning to end that wasn’t for a grade.

Anyway, I’d been threatening to write something for a while, and this year I finally did (mostly as a bit). But if there’s one thing I will commit to, it’s a bit. And, well… here we are..

Tell us a bit about your play, Folie a Deux?

The idea for Folie à Deux originally came from an art installation (of the same name) that my friend and I created together. While we were building it, we would come up with silly sketch ideas, which I’d jot down in my phone. A few weeks before the festival deadline, I was scrolling through my notes and stumbled across the one that would later become this play.

At its core, Folie à Deux is a love letter to a very special (and probably a little codependent) friendship. It’s riddled with inside jokes that luckily seem to land even without context. The premise is simple: take a deep, maybe slightly unhinged friendship and ask, “What would happen if we put them in a situation?” In this case, the situation is prison. I mean, if you were separated from your best friend, wouldn’t you dig a tunnel to be reunited?

What’s it been like being on the other side, watching rehearsals and now the performances? Has anything really surprised you? How do you like director Emily Bosse’s take on the show?

I was surprised by how easy this whole process felt, but I suspect that has everything to do with the people I got to work with along the way.

Beth, our brilliant festival dramaturg, was such a dream to work with. Any time I felt stuck or uninspired, riffing with her pulled me right back in. I don’t know if she knows this, but her insight definitely  kept me from throwing my laptop into the river and swearing off writing forever.

Having Emily direct the show just felt right. She knows me, she understands my sense of humour, and she even came to the original art installation that inspired the play. Her take on the show is thoughtful and filled with care. I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience as a playwright.

And the cast, Jordan, Rachel, and Karlie, are so incredibly talented and so funny. Watching them bring these characters to life has been surreal in the best way. It’s been such a joy to witness the show take shape through their work.

As a NotaBle Acts veteran, can you make a pitch for your show or the festival as a whole to someone who’s never experienced it before?

Huge bias aside, Folie à Deux, has been brought to life by an incredible team who have poured so much thought, care, and talent into shaping it. It’s funny, weird, full of heart, and probably at least a little bit relatable.

But beyond my show, NotaBle Acts is something truly special. When I first moved to Fredericton, I had zero theatre experience and a deep longing to be a part of the community. I know firsthand how intimidating it can be to step into that world. NotaBle Acts is the perfect place to dip your toes in. It brings together people with wildly different levels of experience who are all there for the same reason: they love theatre. I’ve met so many of my (hopefully) lifelong friends doing NotaBle.

It’s fast-paced, a little chaotic, and always over in a blur, but it’s hands-down my favourite part of summer. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the festival as a crew member, actor, audience member, and now a playwright. Where else do you have the opportunity to try on so many hats? (other than a hat store, I guess…)