Like a Bullet

So this is why we haven't seen Molly around TCG for a while. Actually, it's no surprise to us here in the offices of American Theatre; we've known for some time that Molly Smith Metzler is about to debut at Humana in Louisville, and we're all excited for her--not least because her play, Elemeno Pea, is awesome (and because her possibly even better next play, Close Up Space, is likewise headed for an auspicious future, which is all that can be said at this juncture).

Among the things I learned from the Courier Journal story was this biographical gem:

A native of New York's Hudson Valley and the daughter of schoolteachers, Metzler attended the State Univeristy of New York-Geneseo and had every intention of starting a doctoral program in comparative literature after graduation — until a playwriting course she took on a whim during her senior year derailed her plans. Determined to become a playwright, Metzler loaded up her car after graduation and moved to Martha's Vineyard, that storied playground of American old money, to work at a yacht club and observe.

“I think I was on an unofficial research mission. I wanted to see that world up close and personal, because I didn't get to experience that in college,” she said. “I ended up working at Red Lobster all through college while all my friends from high school were at Yale putting ascots on. The idea of class in America is fascinating to me. It's something you can change, and it's something that can be taken from you.”

Red Lobster on Martha's Vineyard--there's got to be play in that, too. This quote seems like a good takeway, as well: "You have to be patient as a playwright. You have to hold your own hand.”

For now, though, Molly will have her hand outstretched for congratulatory shakes. Mine, for instance--I'll be at Humana Apr. 1-3.