I’m very proud of some of large ensemble work I’ve done.  I’m really into community building in theatre and some of my work has really large casts, which bring lots of different people together, creating a community with the common goal of putting something together and showing it to the world.

JB: Thetheatre community in Seattle is incredibly supportive from the large houses on down.  It’s big enough that there is a wide variety of stuff going on but small enough to be a world where you know a lot of the people working in it.  I learned the joys of being a playwright there and realized that theater’s want to support playwrights and understand the importance of it.  Many of the smaller fringe theatres and the larger houses are trying in some way to make sure new works stay a priority  I’ve seen programs come and go in Seattle, more recently it seems to be returning, the moment the money comes back, so does the programming for new works.

Graduate school was not on my radar until I had been in New York for a bit.  I decided this was the last time in my life that I would think about going back to school and if I was going to do it would be in NYC.  I had reached an age where I felt compelled to take that step, and if nothing came of it then I would continue on the path I was on.  Which was or is a great one working in various capacities at some great theatres while still being a writer, that being said the training I’ve received has made me a stronger writer and made me understand the process like I never would have had I not gone back to school. I guess what I’m trying to say is I never would have known what I was missing but I am sure glad I know what I know now.

OOB: You’ve worked at some of the premiere regional theatres in the country—A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle Rep, BAM.  How did your experience in these spaces inform the way you craft your plays?  What are some of the more important lessons you’ve learned during your time with these producers?

JB: I’ve received different kinds of experience from all of them places I’ve worked; at ACT it was teaching, at Seattle Rep it was process, at BAM it was seeing art on a global scale.  At Seattle Rep I worked a lot with now Artistic Director Jerry Manning as an assistant director, and casting assistant, and he was gracious enough to work with me as a dramaturge and director on some of my scripts.  He taught me, what I understand now, as a way of asking questions to help inform what it is your writing.  He, and Braden Abraham, the literary manager there were two of the first people that ever challenged me about qualities in my plays that might be confusing or not practical.  BAM gave me an education in history as they produce a lot of classic or little seen work.   I also saw first hand what it meant to bring something like Endgame or  Happy Days to the stage, what kind of work it took to produce a Beckett play, which in turn made me consider how and what I was writing.

OOB: Talk about your entry to this year’s festival. How did you come to write this play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? What do you hope festival audience will take from your play?

JB: I’m a second year playwriting student at the New School for Drama and I wrote this for one of our classes.  It came from an exploration of fidelity in relationships — something I’ve always been fascinated by, and the choices people make that change their lives, and yet will never be discussed.  If we do our job the audience will walk away thinking that change in relationships needs to be discussed not ignored.

OOB: What is the history of your festival entry? Do you plan to hone and further develop the play in upcoming rehearsals? Has it already been produced?

JB: This is the first festival the play has been a part of.  There might be some further development as we begin rehearsals again, but my guess is not much will change.  It has been produced once for a studio series at The New School.

OOB: Tell us a little about your producer? Talk a little about the process of self-producing—have you ever mounted your own work before?

JB: I’ll be the producer of the piece.  It’s something I have done before but not with my own work.  I’ve been a director/producer, but being a writer/producer will be new for me.

OOB: Looking back over your personal history in the theatre, what emerges as your favorite memory? Is there a particular story you’d like to share?

JB: Anytime I have been working with amazing artists as a group, that produces something, and does it with cooperation, I’ve been in heaven.  Working at Seattle Repertory Theatre, and BAM, I was lucky to be part of wonderful creative teams, teams that supported each other and made sure the art was always produced at top notch levels.  I learned many of my skills as a collaborator working in these places and now at The New School for Drama.