Inside the Writer’s Corner…. We sat down with longtime PRT actor and writer Brian Letcher to ask him some questions about his process and his play SMART LOVE, which is currently running in its West Coast Premiere.
| What’s Smart Love About? | Smart Love is a dark comedy about the endlessness of human ambition and the tug-of-war it inevitably creates in our relationships. It’s about the fabric of family and forgiveness. How far would you go to keep love alive? |
| What do you want people to take away from the play? | To say what I want people to take away leads the witness. It asks questions and presents crossroads that we are already at as a species and which will only increase in magnitude in the coming decades. I hope it will spark thought and conversation. |
| Who’s your favorite character? | I love all my children equally. Just differently. |
| Pen or keyboard? | More and more, pen. At least when outlining and taking notes. Keyboard when writing the actual pages. |
| Coffee or whiskey? | Both. Sometimes together. |
| When do you write? | With two kids and a day job, whenever I can. Typically 9am-1pm although I do love writing late at night when my brain isn’t functioning properly. Allows for more space and possibility. |
| Why do you write? | Oh, there’s no non-pretentious answer here, is there? Same reason I act. I like the exploration. Human psychology. Human illogicality. We’re strange beasts and I like to dig in and see what’s unearthed. |
| Who’s your favorite playwright? | Right now, Jez Butterworth. Others include Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lynn Nottage, Yasmina Reza |
| What inspires you? | Not knowing. A blank page. Terrifies and inspires at the same time. Humans capacity for kindness, for humor, for love – and the absolute contradictions we frequently follow. |
| What’s next? | Another play. I’m in the middle of working it out now. It’s fucking excruciating. And, on the best days, like life, inspiring. |
All My Sons