Coming of age at a time of political foment in U.S. history, and raised by an activist father, I chose to study medicine, veering away from my intended life in the theater. I saw the practice of medicine as an opportunity to be of use to people whose life circumstances were harder than my own. With time, I came to see medicine as a way to intercede in broader social problems and my work turned to policymaking and research (CV here). And my life as a doctor has been largely satisfying in the ways that I had imagined.

Theater has always had my heart though; it has brought pleasure as well as reflection to my life. Plays have made ideas visceral for me and provided windows into unfamiliar lives and events. I see them as a way to change perceptions of people who are otherwise foreign, and in that way as a means to change societal norms. I began to write plays 20 years ago, trying to create text and characters that could have the impact on others that plays have had on me. As a late starter in the craft, my (ongoing) education has involved workshops, writing groups, and a variety of teachers. Leslie Lee and Keith Bunin have been particularly valuable mentors.

I write realist dramas – though not devoid of humor – and absurdist dark comedies. I admire playwrights whose characters wrestle with decisions of conscience and consequence, both personal and political, and those characters are present in my writing. Frequently, they are people whose work life figures prominently in the conflicts they face. Music is often within the plays, sometimes as backdrop, other times as integral to its characters as they find joy or seek solace from the circumstances they face.

Synopses, character descriptions, script excerpts and additional background are included on the website. Please take a look and be in touch if my work interests you.