Meet Playwright Christopher Washington

Sponsored by Rick Schell & Scott Joseph

MEET THE PLAYFEST PLAYWRIGHT CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON

“The Facts are as Follows:“

By Christopher Washington
Directed by Shonn McCloud

Performance: October 27, 2023
Time: 8pm

An interview with Caroline M. Hull

Without revealing any major story spoilers, what is ‘The Facts are as Follows’ about?

It’s about James Ezekiel Williams, who has just started law school at an Ivy League institution. The play is about microaggressions, critical race theory, and love, and explores the consumption of whiteness, sort of the folly of exceptionalism, and the creation of one’s own personal apocalypse.

 

What kind of research did you have to do to prepare to write about this?

I am actually attending law school right now. I wrote this play during my first year of law school, so it was kind of like my research was my life at that time. But it was also inspired by the works of Ralph Ellison, and a lot of the people in Afro-surrealist genres.

 

With law school being such a huge time commitment, how do you balance being a writer and studying law? Is it a difficult work-life balance?

It’s definitely hard at times, but what I love about plays is that so much of it happens inside my head. I’m always thinking about my scripts as I’m walking to class, in the elevator, commuting, all of those things. I’ll be exploring a story whenever I’m daydreaming. Then as soon as I get home, or at lunch, or sometimes even in-between classes, I’ll open my laptop. I have a whole separate folder for all my writing.

 

How did playwriting first come into your life?

I wrote my first short play, super-duper short, in elementary school, I think for an assignment. I had such fun. And then, in middle school, I just got more and more into theater and also reading plays. Then, when I was at the University of Michigan, I took a playwriting class with Professor Jose Casas. He really just showed me how all of the things I loved about theater existed in playwriting, how flexible the art form is, and how I am able to express myself in a way that I wasn’t even able to do on stage as a performer. When I found the freedom of playwriting, it really made me so excited to dive in and make it work.

 

Who would you say would be your major artistic influences? Either throughout your career in general or for this specific piece?

I’d say the biggest inspirations for “The Facts are as Follows:” are “The Invisible Man,” and then also Claudia Rankine’s work. Sarah Ruhl, as well, and Jeremy O. Harris. But, I would say generally, I’m very eclectic with my inspiration. I try whenever I’m working on something to be consuming the work of an artist that I really admire. Some of those artists are Haruki Murakami and Toni Morrison.

 

If you had to recommend a script to someone as your favorite play, or one of your favorite plays, what would it be?

Oh, that’s hard. I’ll do my most favorite recent thing. Recently, the story that I’ve loved most is “Kimberly Akimbo” which I saw this summer. But what I loved about it was I love stories that kind of show how important everyday life is. That was one of those stories that really just made the characters’ lives so valuable, but also the audience now has a new appreciation for their own life. Yeah. I’d say, other than that, if I had to pick a favorite play, I would probably say “How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel.

 

If you could guarantee that audiences could walk away after seeing your play thinking one thing or possessing one major take away, what would you wish it to be?

I think the most universal message of the play is it’s kind of a cliche, but it’s okay to be okay. You don’t have to be excellent. You don’t have to be amazing. You can just be okay. And there’s nothing morally wrong with that. It’s okay to just relax and take it easy. And it’s also okay to want to be super vicious and grind. But I think grinding for grinding sake, you know, isn’t worth it.

 

If you had any suggestions for people who were just starting out with a playwriting career or looking to have their work produced, what would you want to tell them?

I’d say read and go see anything you can. One of my favorite things to do is to go see a play by myself. Seeing theater brings you into a community with other artists and makes you sit and reflect on what you enjoy and what inspires you. If you aren’t exposed to theater as often, it can be really easy to disconnect and lose inspiration for your writing. But I think just being in a community with other theater artists is important. And then the second thing I’d say is to find friends who are also interested in playwriting. Some of my very best advice has come from people who are at the exact same stage of their careers as I am.

 

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