UpClose: Shirley Samaniego, Women’s Voices Theater Festival

Shirley Greller Samaniego’s play, Familiar Stranger, won first place in MDC’s 10 minute play contest for 2015. Her play. will be read at Mead Theatre Lab September 11 and 12, 2015.

Why are you a playwright?

I love the act of creating, of being able to take a blank piece of paper and creating a play for others to read and react to with feeling. I choose playwriting because I feel like it allows the characters the best expression.

What type of theatre most excites you?

I love theater that concentrates on character interaction. I don’t like musicals and spectacle.

What starts a play moving in your imagination?

I get my ideas for plays from watching and listening to people, people who I know and people who I don’t. Sometimes a friend will say something and I tell them that I am going to use it for a play. I’ve always thought that playwriting reflects society and that human behavior is fascinating.

Do you have a favorite writing place?

I don’t have a set schedule or location for writing, I work on plays on the weekend. Sometimes I go to the public library.

Which female playwrights have influenced your writing and how?

I was inspired by Susan Glaspell, who wrote Trifles. Eugene O’neill owes his discovery to her.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on another short play, a children’s book, and semi-biographical novel that may turn into a screenplay.

Answer this: “If I weren’t a playwright, I would be … “

A writer.

Read on

DCTS’ Guide to Women’s Voices Theater Festival
and
More interviews with WVTF playwrights