The Interview Project

For the 2019/20 season, Playwrights Horizons had the singular pleasure of welcoming Will Arbery into the fold as our Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence. Our yearlong collaboration with Will yielded Heroes of the Fourth Turning in the fall and, in the spring, The Interview Project, a collection of writings by some of our commissioned playwrights. We are proud to share these pieces with you — each one offers a glimpse into the lives and livings of artists at an unprecedented moment in history. 

Here's a note from Will himself, describing the ethos of the project:

In my capacity as the Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence during the 2019-2020 season, I had the opportunity to come up with an initiative, something to give back to Playwrights Horizons and the community of playwrights nationwide. Before Covid-19 hit, I’d been dreaming up an interview series with the Playwrights Horizons commissioned artists. I wanted the interviews to be geared towards other writers and artists, especially those without connections or commissions, who might be looking for inspiration or strategies or heroes. Then the lockdown came, and the project became even more urgent. Being an artist is a fragile and risky vocation always. Being an artist in a crisis is another thing altogether. Personally, if this pandemic had hit even a year ago, I would have panicked about how to continue in this field — financially, creatively, emotionally. I still feel the sting of my younger self; in fact I know that he’s still out there, struggling with hopelessness. My hope for these interviews is that they serve as intimate windows into the strange hours of this lockdown, showcasing artists who have been through it, who might indeed be going through it still. This is meant to be a resource for other writers, a quick boost of inspiration, a space to feel less alone. Notes towards a collective assumption of a future.

The Interviews

Thursday April 2, 2020: T. Adamson

Monday April 6, 2020: Brittany K. Allen

Tuesday April 7, 2020: Aleshea Harris

Tuesday April 7, 2020: Tori Sampson

Wednesday April 8, 2020: Milo Cramer

Monday April 13, 2020: Erin Courtney

Sunday April 19, 2020: Mona Mansour

Tuesday April 21, 2020: Kate Cortesi

Monday April 27, 2020: Emily Feldman

Tuesday April 28, 2020: Ike Holter

Saturday May 2, 2020: Samuel D. Hunter