About PlayFest 2020

Immerse yourself in the world of new plays as The Basel-Kiene Family joins City Beverages in presenting PlayFest 2020! This year’s new play festival features six groundbreaking new works that will each be presented as a livestreamed virtual reading.

In our final Playwright Spotlight of PlayFest 2020, Deneen Reynolds-Knott discusses her new script about balancing life’s competing responsibilities and coming through for one another.

Orlando Shakes: What questions are preoccupying your mind as a writer at the moment?

Deneen Reynolds-Knott: Right now, I’m preoccupied with reading. I’m reading Luster, a debut novel by Raven Leilani. The narrator is one of the more fascinating characters I’ve encountered in awhile. I’m intrigued by the questions Leilani alludes to in her narrative.

Orlando Shakes: How did you get into playwriting?

Deneen: My path: high school theatre geek, college theatre geek, post-college film geek, film school graduate, emerging screenwriter, emerging playwright. Basically, a circle.

Orlando Shakes: When you’re writing, what does an ideal day look like to you?

Deneen: I write in the morning. I prefer sunny mornings, so there is plenty of natural light in my apartment. When cafes were open, I would head out to one when I felt like being around other people without actually talking to them.

Orlando Shakes: How do you define your creative process as a playwright?

Deneen: Character-driven. Every play has its own notebook and in it I build characters first. I create their histories, relationships and goals. I want to know the formative events of their lives, so I understand them enough to know how they would react to whatever challenges I create for them.

Orlando Shakes: What was your initial inspiration for writing this play, and what fueled you throughout the writing process for Flashers & Floaters?

Deneen: A few years ago, I joined the ranks of “sandwich moms,” women with caregiving responsibilities for an aging parent while taking care of small children. So I wanted to explore that challenging time that so many families have faced. I had become familiar with cooperative spaces and was interested in the pursuit of alternative work models that place workers in ownership positions. I am fascinated by the potential benefits of these models as well as the fierce challenge of establishing them.

I wrote Flashes & Floaters while in residence with the Liberation Theatre Company, so having an opportunity to meet monthly and share pages with a group of talented black writers was wonderful fuel.

Orlando Shakes: List the first four words that spring to mind to describe your play.

Deneen: Puzzles, Love, Ambition, Solidarity.

Orlando Shakes: What playwrights have inspired your body of work?

Deneen: Tons, but here I will name Pearl Cleage, Paula Vogel, Lynn Nottage & Samuel D. Hunter.

Orlando Shakes: Who are some current playwrights you would recommend to those interested in new plays/ playwrights?

Deneen: I’ll give a loving shout-out to my Liberation Theatre Company cohort: Maia Matsushita, Marcus Scott & TyLie Shider.

Learn More About the Reading

Be a part of Deneen’s creative process and book tickets to Flashes & Floaters where you’ll be able to provide live feedback after the reading.

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