
KLC: What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
GS: I make what my wife tells me is a really sublime licorice ice cream... but if I'm eating rather than making, I'd be hard-pressed to choose between pistachio and hazelnut gelato.
KLC: Where’s the coolest place you’ve ever traveled to and what was so cool about it?
GS: Iceland. It's like being on the moon. It's the closest you can get to space travel and still sleep in a nice hotel every night. The strangeness quotient of the whole country is very high.
KLC: Name one movie you can quote and then quote it.
GS: THE BLUES BROTHERS: "We're so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight. And we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of Illinois's law enforcement community that have chosen to join us here in the Palace Hotel Ballroom at this time. We certainly hope you all enjoy the show. And remember, people, that no matter who you are and what you do to live, thrive and survive, there're still some things that makes us all the same. You. Me. Them. Everybody. Everybody."
KLC: Pick one: Eleanor Roosevelt, Angela Davis, or Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
GS: Angela Davis!
KLC: The United States electoral process is _______________________.
GS: In dire need of being brought fully into the 21st century, by which I mean: made accessible to more people and wrenched away from monetary and corporate influence.
KLC: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done to get someone’s attention?
GS: Sat alone in a room for unnumbered hours, staring at a laptop screen inventing imaginary worlds, then beating my head against a wall (metaphorically) for years in the hope that someone would take one of those worlds and make it live out in public somewhere. In short: writing.
KLC: If you had the opportunity to patent a brand new product, what might that be?
GS: I really want to say something profound, like some sort of doo-hickey that would be really good for the environment... but at the moment, with my super-long legs curled awkwardly under my chair as I sit at my desk, I just want to invent an airplane in which everyone gets to sit in a chair that's perfectly proportioned for their size.
KLC: Which of the following is least likely to ever exist: bigfoot, elves, or government regulation on Wall Street?
GS: I'm probably more optimistic about humanity than I ought to admit, so I'm still not willing to give up on better Wall Street regulation. Of the other two, I'd have to say elves. After all, I watched THE NEWSROOM, and Dev Patel's argument for the existence of Bigfoot was just charming enough to be fractionally convincing. (Okay, not really: but I just love him.)
KLC: WIld card question! Have you ever won a medal, trophy, ribbon, etc. for something that had absolutely nothing to do with writing? What was it??
GS: I was the Maryland State Math Champion (twice) back when I was in high school. I used to love numbers with a fierce passion. But my math skills were all instinct and intuition; I could never do the hard work a real mathematician does. I'm sue the other kids I competed against all went on to do really impressive things in the sciences: things I could only ever dream of doing.
KLC: Can you share something about yourself that no one has ever asked you about in an interview before?
GS: I've never been asked ANY of these things before! But here are a few other random facts. My minor in college? African American History and Culture. My favorite winter vacation pastime? Jigsaw puzzles with jazz on the radio. My death row meal, should I ever need one? A nice hot bowl of kimchi jjigae. How's that?
Gwydion Suilebhan is the author of THE BUTCHER, REALS, ABSTRACT NUDE, THE CONSTELLATION, LET X, THE FAITHKILLER, CRACKED, and ANTHEM. His work has been commissioned, produced, and developed by Centerstage, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the National New Play Network, Gulfshore Playhouse, Forum Theatre, Theater J, Theater Alliance, and the Source Theater Festival. A founding member of The Welders, Gwydion currently serves as DC’s representative to the Dramatists Guild.
In addition to his work as a playwright, Gwydion speaks on the intersection between theater, the arts, and technology. Recent engagements include South by Southwest, TCG, LMDA, the Dramatists Guild, CityWrights, APASO, TEDxMichiganAve, and TEDxWDC. His commentary appears on HowlRound,2am Theatre, and at www.suilebhan.com. He has consulted for Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Ford’s Theatre, the Playwrights Center, and the Dramatists Guild, among others. He is currently serving as Project Director of the New Play Exchange for the National New Play Network.
www.suilebhan.com
GS: I make what my wife tells me is a really sublime licorice ice cream... but if I'm eating rather than making, I'd be hard-pressed to choose between pistachio and hazelnut gelato.
KLC: Where’s the coolest place you’ve ever traveled to and what was so cool about it?
GS: Iceland. It's like being on the moon. It's the closest you can get to space travel and still sleep in a nice hotel every night. The strangeness quotient of the whole country is very high.
KLC: Name one movie you can quote and then quote it.
GS: THE BLUES BROTHERS: "We're so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight. And we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of Illinois's law enforcement community that have chosen to join us here in the Palace Hotel Ballroom at this time. We certainly hope you all enjoy the show. And remember, people, that no matter who you are and what you do to live, thrive and survive, there're still some things that makes us all the same. You. Me. Them. Everybody. Everybody."
KLC: Pick one: Eleanor Roosevelt, Angela Davis, or Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
GS: Angela Davis!
KLC: The United States electoral process is _______________________.
GS: In dire need of being brought fully into the 21st century, by which I mean: made accessible to more people and wrenched away from monetary and corporate influence.
KLC: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done to get someone’s attention?
GS: Sat alone in a room for unnumbered hours, staring at a laptop screen inventing imaginary worlds, then beating my head against a wall (metaphorically) for years in the hope that someone would take one of those worlds and make it live out in public somewhere. In short: writing.
KLC: If you had the opportunity to patent a brand new product, what might that be?
GS: I really want to say something profound, like some sort of doo-hickey that would be really good for the environment... but at the moment, with my super-long legs curled awkwardly under my chair as I sit at my desk, I just want to invent an airplane in which everyone gets to sit in a chair that's perfectly proportioned for their size.
KLC: Which of the following is least likely to ever exist: bigfoot, elves, or government regulation on Wall Street?
GS: I'm probably more optimistic about humanity than I ought to admit, so I'm still not willing to give up on better Wall Street regulation. Of the other two, I'd have to say elves. After all, I watched THE NEWSROOM, and Dev Patel's argument for the existence of Bigfoot was just charming enough to be fractionally convincing. (Okay, not really: but I just love him.)
KLC: WIld card question! Have you ever won a medal, trophy, ribbon, etc. for something that had absolutely nothing to do with writing? What was it??
GS: I was the Maryland State Math Champion (twice) back when I was in high school. I used to love numbers with a fierce passion. But my math skills were all instinct and intuition; I could never do the hard work a real mathematician does. I'm sue the other kids I competed against all went on to do really impressive things in the sciences: things I could only ever dream of doing.
KLC: Can you share something about yourself that no one has ever asked you about in an interview before?
GS: I've never been asked ANY of these things before! But here are a few other random facts. My minor in college? African American History and Culture. My favorite winter vacation pastime? Jigsaw puzzles with jazz on the radio. My death row meal, should I ever need one? A nice hot bowl of kimchi jjigae. How's that?
Gwydion Suilebhan is the author of THE BUTCHER, REALS, ABSTRACT NUDE, THE CONSTELLATION, LET X, THE FAITHKILLER, CRACKED, and ANTHEM. His work has been commissioned, produced, and developed by Centerstage, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the National New Play Network, Gulfshore Playhouse, Forum Theatre, Theater J, Theater Alliance, and the Source Theater Festival. A founding member of The Welders, Gwydion currently serves as DC’s representative to the Dramatists Guild.
In addition to his work as a playwright, Gwydion speaks on the intersection between theater, the arts, and technology. Recent engagements include South by Southwest, TCG, LMDA, the Dramatists Guild, CityWrights, APASO, TEDxMichiganAve, and TEDxWDC. His commentary appears on HowlRound,2am Theatre, and at www.suilebhan.com. He has consulted for Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Ford’s Theatre, the Playwrights Center, and the Dramatists Guild, among others. He is currently serving as Project Director of the New Play Exchange for the National New Play Network.
www.suilebhan.com