Playwright Profile - Barry Smith

From Searching for Jesus to Squatting in London

Mar 24, 2009 Andrea Beca

An interview with playwright Barry Smith, author of Jesus in Montana, American Squatter, and more.

Barry Smith was born in Mississippi and now lives in Aspen, Colorado, but he's been to many, many a place in between. His autobiographical plays chronicle such things as dropping his entire life to join a religious cult in Montana and living as a squatter in London, England. Barry has toured extensively, bringing his stories to others - after living through experiences like that, how could you not talk about them? Suite101 recently interviewed Barry on his process as a playwright.

What is the starting point of a play for you?

It's usually a story, a part of my life. Specifically one that is well represented visually -- pictures, video, audio, scraps, etc. For my show, American Squatter, it was one specific photograph - me in a squat in London in my early 20s, sitting at the kitchen table eating beans, surrounded by filth - that inspired me to create the entire show.

What is your writing process? Do you start writing right away? Outline? Research?

It's been different for each show. For Jesus in Montana, my first show, I started by telling the story to a friend and making an audio recording of it. He'd ask questions, I'd answer them. I transcribed the recording and used it as a rough draft. Then I wrote and wrote and wrote...

For my second show, I did a rough outline in one sleepless week, complete with visuals, and then used the outline notes to "perform" the show live on stage. Again, I taped that performance, transcribed it, and using that as a rough draft just went from there. For my third show I basically dove into a pile of photos for a few solitary and intense months and when I surfaced I had a play. Also my very talented friend Katherine Sand has worked with me to shape my last two shows.

Do you work on one play until it's done, or do you work on multiple plays at once?

I have to get myself a deadline to finish a play. Luckily that's pretty easy - I'm deadline driven. I generally have several other things that I'm working on at the same time, though. I'll be in the middle of one and have ideas for another and spend some time getting that out of my system. I also write a weekly humor column for a newspaper, so in some way I'm always writing something. I have about 5 other plays that I'm dabbling in at the moment, and at some point I'll decide which one will be next, then dive into it.

Do you have a special writing place?

Any place that's quiet and private. Sometimes I need to stand up, pace around, talk to myself, shuffle papers around on the floor - things you can't do so easily in a café or library. If there's no Internet where I'm working, even better. I wrote a lot of my first show in hotels - I had a day job that sent me on the road to various conferences, so I'd get up before work each morning at some insane hour, like 3:30 am, and get a lot of writing done each day before work. I was pretty obsessed.

What do you struggle with when you write a play?

My plays are multi-media - kind of like a PowerPoint lecture meets theatre meets stand-up comedy. When writing a play, I can really geek out on the visuals, so I have to constantly remind myself that less is more when it comes to pictures.

When do you consider a play done?

Opening night. Hopefully.

What do you need to have with you when you write?

I write on my computer mostly, but I need to have my journal/sketch book with me. Sometimes I need to draw things out on paper - it feels good to me. If I don't have my journal and have to draw on other paper, I always end up gluing that paper in my journal anyway, so having the journal with me is easiest.

What was the first play you ever wrote?

I was writing little plays when I was in the third grade. I'd write them and my cousins and I would put them on. I'd direct everyone. I was probably pretty annoying, but I seem to recall us having fun. We'd make all the adults come and watch our performance. I remember having this brilliant idea for a guitar playing sketch - I came out on stage with the family guitar, set up like I was about to play, then at the last second flipped it over in my lap and began playing drums on the back of it. I remember how brilliant I thought this was at the time, not considering the fact that I was 8, and that everyone in the "audience" knew that I didn't actually know how to play guitar. Ignorance of basic comic premises allows you to have so much fun.

What is the most recent play you've written?

I debuted Barry Smith's Baby Book: A Grownup Comedy About My Stuff in June '08 in Montreal.

Who is your favourite playwright?

Spalding Gray - if you can call him a playwright.

What one play do you think everyone should read or see?

Swimming to Cambodia, by Spalding Gray. If you can call it a play.

What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring playwright?

Always have a notebook with you, and always write things down when they come to you, no matter the situation. Yes, people will think you're weird, or pretentious, or cliché, but you have to get that stuff out of your head so you can have other ideas come through, then write them down, and on and on you go. It's a curse, really. Get used to it.

To keep updated on Barry's work, sign up for his weekly column, and more, check out his website.