Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily McClain.
Hi Emily, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I really love the term “theatre maker” to describe what I do because it encompasses the wide-ranging skill set that creating theatre truly requires. I have been teaching high school theatre since 2005 and writing plays professionally since 2017. Teaching high school theatre is a great arena to grow as a theatre artist because, as teachers, we are so often a “one-person theatre department,” so if something is going to happen on stage, we have to figure out how to make that happen.
Over the course of my career in educational theatre, I’ve directed over 50 productions, and with each experience, I grew and gained a deeper understanding of my craft. That scrappy, can-do attitude shaped me as an educator because it gave me the opportunity to say to my students, “I’m not sure how this is going to work, but we’ll figure it out together.” I love that aspect of theatre and it infuses everything that I do in the classroom and in my professional work as well.
My career as a professional playwright kicked off in 2018 when I participated in the Ethel Woolson Lab for new play development through Working Title Playwrights. My play that was developed through that workshop, Slaying Holofernes, was then picked up by Essential Theatre and received a world premiere in 2019. I am extremely fortunate to have had numerous other opportunities to showcase my work over the years, but it definitely traces back to that experience where I finally felt justified in calling myself a playwright.
I’m also incredibly fortunate to be working at the School of the Arts @ Central Gwinnett High School, where I’m no longer the only theatre teacher but a member of a team of theatre professionals. We balance, support, and learn from each other, and it’s really gratifying to create art with our students in this collaborative environment.
Recently, I have moved into self-producing my work in collaboration with development groups like some bodies theatre collective or SheATL. This is a beautiful blending of my two major areas of artistic focus, and I feel like I am finally coming into my own as a theatre professional. Last summer, I produced my one-act comedy America’s Most Haunted, and it sold out 2 of the 3 performances. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and pride for getting this show-up and sharing the story with audiences. It was particularly special because my son Graham was able to portray a role in the show that I wrote for him- and that was such a rewarding experience to share with him.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every artistic journey is sprinkled with obstacles, both external and internal. Lack of financial resources or lack of administrative support in my various school departments over the years, the dreaded experience of “rejection season” that happens as a playwright and performer, and the feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome that continually raise their ugly heads while I’m trying to find the energy to create and promote my work. Sometimes, it’s not about “overcoming” these challenges but rather working in such a way that I can reframe what success looks like for me. If I don’t get selected for a particular festival or script competition, can I focus my creative energy somewhere else or on another project? Can I find someone in my artistic circle that is working on something that excites me and help them? I’m a big believer in the act of investing in other artists whose work sparks something in me, which is fulfilling a creative need while bolstering the larger creative community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a playwright that focuses on stories that highlight women and social issues. My first full-length play was called Slaying Holofernes, which had two interweaving plot lines that centered on Renaissance artist Artemisia Gentileschi, who was raped by her painting instructor and took him to court in Italy, and a modern-day woman experiencing sexual harassment in her workplace. Telling these two women’s stories side by side allowed for us to explore how much society’s expectations about “believing women” have or haven’t changed in the 400 years between the two timelines. When this play was performed back in 2019, I had so many conversations with women in the lobby after the performance saying how powerful it was to see this story being told and how it mirrored many of their lived experiences.
Another play I’m extremely proud of is The Poet, The Spy, and the Dark Lady. This play is a historical drama centering around a polyamorous bisexual triad between William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Emilia Bassano. While it’s loosely based on historical accounts of a possible relationship between them (but as two separate couples at different points in their lives), I reimagined a scenario where the three of them are creative and romantic partners trying to exist in a world that doesn’t understand them. It received a reading at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, and was a finalist in the Del Shores New Play Competition. I was thrilled to attend the reading of the play at Out Front Theatre in February, and I’m hopeful that it receives a world premiere soon.
Finally, my play The Rock and the Hard Place focuses on a young woman named Elsie, who is working to exonerate her father, who is wrongfully imprisoned and on death row. The play explores the challenges that face anyone in the penal system trying to maintain their sense of humanity as well as the cruelty and racism that are the undercurrent to how capital punishment is applied in the country. It’s not an easy play, but I am excited that the Essential Theatre will be bringing the story to audiences as part of their 2024 New Play Festival in August at 7 Stages in Atlanta, GA.
I think something that sets me apart from other writers is my blending of genres- even within my serious plays that take on some extremely weighty topics; the characters have moments of levity and laughter because that reflects how we are as human beings. Even in the most trying and stressful experiences, we can find our joy.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I want to recognize Amber Bradshaw, Rebekah Suellau, and Peter Hardy for their support of my work over the years.
Amber is the managing director of Working Title Playwrights and is a tireless advocate for playwrights at all levels. WTP was incredibly important to my development as a playwright, and the organization is such a vital part of the Atlanta theatre ecosystem.
Rebekah Suellau is an amazing playwright, director, and a fantastic dramaturg. I have been so fortunate in my career to work with her multiple times, and each time, I am blown away by her thorough and thoughtful approach to my writing. She asks just the right questions to help me unravel the tangles in early drafts and she is crucial in the refining and rewriting process as she helps me come to a deeper understanding of the story and characters I’m creating. I feel safe and cared for in partnership with her, and the work is so much stronger as a result of her guidance.
Peter Hardy is the Artistic Director for Essential Theatre. For 25 years, Essential Theatre has produced new work by Georgia playwrights in their New Play Festival. The mission of the theatre is to promote this work and Peter absolutely lives this mission. He is a champion for playwrights at all levels of their careers, and he is committed to bringing new stories to audiences each year. I’ve been fortunate enough to have two plays produced by Essential, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Peter works so hard to keep this sacred space for new work alive and thriving, and his contribution to the theatre community cannot be overlooked.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://newplayexchange.org/users/27781/emily-mcclain
- Instagram: @emilymcclain234
Image Credits
Casey Gardner Ford
