By Rob Faubion

 

     Steven Dietz is one of the more prolific - and respected - playwrights of this generation.  He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his play Last of the Boys, and he has won practically every writing honor available (some more than once).

     Not one to sit on his laurels, Dietz averages two complete new plays each year, and he constantly on the road for world premieres of his plays.  In fact, he tries to visit as many productions of his works as possible - all the while teaching playwriting at the University of Texas.  

   One of the most produced living playwrights, Dietz’s works are

	Steven Dietz (photo courtesy University of Texas Department of Theatre)

performed across the globe - including England, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, Russia, Slovenia, Argentina, Peru, Singapore and South Africa.  Domestic productions have been produced Off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company and at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

    The latest production - the world premiere of his Austin-themed love story Shooting Star - is now playing at Zachary Scott Theatre.   Dietz took time out of his ridiculously hectic schedule to talk with AustinOnStage.com about his sources of inspiration, the craft of being a writer, and the most important aspect of the playwriting profession.

AustinOnStage.com:  You'’e a very prolific writer - regularly creating a couple of plays a year.  Where do you find inspiration for your scripts?

Steven Dietz: First of all, this is my job - this is what I do.  So, whether I’m inspired or not, I get up and go to my desk and plug away.  Also, I try to stay curious.  It’s my hope, I guess, to push my craft to accommodate things I never thought I could (or would) write a play about.

AOS.com: You have covered a wide range of topics and genres so far in your career - comedy, docudrama, adaptations, etc..  Is that versatility important for a modern playwright, say versus someone who simply writes comedies?

SD:  In my case, what you call versatility has been the thing that has allowed me to make my living as a writer.  Since I’ve never had a New York City “hit play,” my livelihood has been made by casting a wide net: writing adaptations, theatre for youth, etc.   I don’t think versatility makes you a better writer - many terrific playwrights spent their career in basically one genre - but I do encourage my students to try a variety of roads of theatrical inquiry to see where they most readily find their voice, their passion.

AOS.com:  You have said that playwrights should approach the discipline like a regular job, and not wait for “inspiration.”  How does that work in practical application?

DS:  This is something I can’t teach.  I can give clues and hints, I can give examples and strategies - but it is like any other discipline:  it is wholly inner-driven, self-dependent.  You have to work at it, because it is not just an art - it is a craft, an ever-evolving skill.  Like a musician playing scales, or a ballerina at the barre - you are beholden to its ongoing demands, and you must meet them daily, head-on.  

    This is not easy to do.  This is why writers say they don’t like to write; they like to have written.

AOS.com:  Several regional playwrights have referred to you as their role model - who do you consider role models that helped shaped your craft?

SD:  Who are these misguided playwrights?!  Well, I’m honored - that’s very kind of them.  I was shaped by writers I met in the earliest days of my career (John Olive, August Wilson, Lee Blessing), and others I’ve been fortunate to meet more recently (John Guare, Naomi Wallace, Lanford Wilson).  What all these writers have in common, in my opinion, is a powerful theatrical imagination married to an avid respect for craft.

AOS.com:  As a professor of playwrighting at the University of Texas, what is the most important aspect of the profession that you hope your students come to understand?

SD:  Diligence.  Do your work.  Find your collaborators.  Push on.  However many things may currently stand between you and the dreams you have for your career, there is nothing standing between you and the language.  You have twenty-six letters and thousands of days.

Steven Dietz’s play Shooting Star runs through April 5th at Zachary Scott Theatre.  Performances are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.  For tickets, and information, call (512) 476-0541, ext.1, or visit online at www.ZachTheatre.org.