Wayne Rawley
Just about everything so far, I think. Not only was M&R my first successful playwriting endeavor, but I used the series as kind of a playwriting lab. I studied acting in college, I didn’t know anything about playwriting except that I wanted to do it. I got out of college and immediately wrote a 3 ½ hour rock and roll musical, which was not only long but also unfocused and tried to do much to much. And despite everyone’s better judgment I rallied some troops and produced it. And it failed with a boom that still rings in my ears. M&R was going to be the opposite of that. I wanted to use M&R to learn how to write plays. Nothing forced. All it had to be was a little bit funny. And cheap. And fast.
There’s often a flip side to success: typecasting. Has Money & Run pigeon-holed you at all?
I don’t think so. I was kind of worried about that after the first year. I was excited about M&R’s future (A future that will continue next season at Theater Schmeater), but I knew I had other plays I wanted to write and I didn’t just want to be known as the Money & Run guy. But I think, even though M&R definitely makes up the bulk of my produced work, I’ve stuck my face into enough places where people are at least aware that I’m quite capable of other things, thank you very much. I’ve never got the sense that M&R has held me back from anything. It has opened far many more doors than it has closed, at any rate.
Does acting help you, as a writer? If so, how?
Yeah, having trained as an actor definitely helps me as a writer and a director. One of the reason I like writing plays is because I get to play all the parts. Even if only in my head. When I’m working on a play I am often up out of my chair pacing around my room acting it out. And let me tell you, it’s brilliant. When I’m in my room, alone, every line is utter freaking poetry. Theater writers and directors have to have some concept of what it is like to be an actor. The actor’s job is so crazy- Using your own body and voice and memory and emotions as a medium for your art? How much more on the line can you get?
What were some of the biggest challenges in doing Rhinoceros? Did you realize you’d be on stage for the entire show, and how many lines you’d have?
Yeah, I knew about it. But it doesn’t really dawn on you until you start to put it all together. It was overwhelming. John (Farrage, the director) would asking me “Are you feeling overwhelmed?” and I would say “uh-huh” and he would smile and say “Good.” The biggest challenge of the show for me is also the best thing about it for me. One of the things that always bugs me about myself as an actor is that I’m always in my head. Always thinking three lines ahead or wondering if I’d remembered to zip up my fly before I entered, or thinking “Is that guy in the third row asleep?” Terrible, terrible things for an actor to do. Bad, nasty awful things. I shouldn’t even admit them. But that just isn’t possible with this character and this play. It is such an odyssey. I just dive in and start swimming. I know that in 30 pages I have some more lines, but I can’t tell you what they are right now. I’m pretty sure I will know them when I get there. I really have to let go, leave the actor behind. I like it
What are some of your overall goals, as an actor and writer? Do you think you can achieve them by staying in Seattle?
Hm. Hmmmm. Well, my immediate goal as a writer is pretty simple. I would like to be able to make a living at the only thing I think I am really good at. Front Desk Reception. No, I’m kidding. Don’t get me wrong- I AM good at front desk reception, I’m one of the best, but I would like to make a living as a dramatic writer. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to write plays as a hobby, in the middle of the night and on weekends. And I’ve been finding that I’ve had to turn down things simply because I can’t afford to do them. That sucks. It hurts my heart. As far as achieving them by staying in Seattle? The honest answer is no, I don’t think I can. At least not right now. Which is why, actually, I’m moving to California in a few months. I love Seattle and it’s been a wonderful place to live and work, I’ve lived here all my life, but I think it is time to try another city.
Please name a work of fiction (play, novel, movie, TV) that you feel comes closest to describing your life.
Say Anything- written and Directed by Cameron Crowe. I have always tried to live my life as if it were a romantic comedy.
If you could be anyone else (actor, director, etc.) in Seattle theater, who would it be?
Sarah Rudinoff. Because a) she is awesome, b) she is a smart and powerful performer and writer AND c) she can sing the bark off of trees. Plus, d) I could really use that 5 grand she was just awarded by The Stranger. Sarah, you rule!
What have been the high and low points of your theater career?
. . . As a writer-director every first read-through is a point lower than the last. All the actors are terrible, I am even worse. Every opening night is a point sky high. Everyone is brilliant and I was right the whole time. Doing theater is a high point in my life. I love being in rehearsal, I love pacing around the space trying to figure out a particular problem. I love tech. I love being in a pitch black theater when it is blazingly sunny outside. I love it when it is all over and we do a head count and everyone is still alive.