Q: Could the father have had any other 'star' career, could he have been a movie actor, a famous musician, or did it have to be football?
No. I wrote this play because I was fascinated by the life of a professional athlete - particularly, the shelf life of a professional athlete. These are people who spend twenty-five or thirty years of their life absolutely devoted and driven towards a single goal, and then it's over. I wanted to explore what happens after. I was particularly interested in football because it seemed like every day there was another article in the paper about the brain injuries that retired football players suffer from getting hit so hard, from getting multiple concussions. Movie actors and musicians don't retire in the same way that athletes do, and their careers don't take such a toll on their bodies, either.
Also, sports are a big part of my life and always have been, so I loved researching this play. I always hated doing research but I found the key - write a play about something that fascinates you! And it helps if you can do research on the weekend, sitting on the couch, with a six-pack and bag of chips.
Q: And, are you a football fan?
I'm a big football fan! I grew up with two brothers and a dad who loved all sports. Interestingly, none of us ever played football - although we played pretty much everything else - but I have always loved the Sunday ritual of watching football. We grew up in New Jersey but are New England Patriots (and Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics) fans, which was a bit of a trial, but ultimately I think it built character.
After grad school, when I moved to LA and started working in film and television, I found that having that outlet was even more important. It's so easy to get sucked into that world and be living and breathing the entertainment business that I found it really important to have other interests. Football on Sundays was a great escape, a bit of a relief. One of my biggest victories is that I've made a football fan of my husband. He's a theater guy, and wasn't really interested in sports, but now he's just as into it as I am.
