From a formative encounter with a 9th-grade teacher who recognized his writing talent, Michael Wright has traversed a landscape of theatre, playwriting, poetry, and performance art. His path has taken him from Baltimore’s blue-collar neighborhoods to the vibrant arts scenes of New York City, New Orleans, and beyond, each locale leaving an indelible mark on his work. This interview delves into Wright’s multifaceted career, exploring the pivotal moments that shaped his artistic development, the influence of his multicultural experiences, and his unique approach to creative process. From co-founding The New York Writers’ Bloc to his current work with Tulsa’s Heller Theatre Co. and the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Wright’s story is one of continuous evolution, experimentation, and a deep commitment to uncovering the hidden depths of the human experience. He shares insights into his techniques, inspirations, and advice for aspiring writers, offering a compelling glimpse into the mind of a dedicated writer.
What inspired you to become an artist/writer? Describe the journey that led you to where you are today.
My 9th grade teacher was the first to tell me I had writing talent, and I've pursued that ever since. That journey led me to write my first play and see it produced in a home theatre space in Baltimore city, which fed an appetite that was furthered by acting in plays at Essex Community College. While in the Air Force, I studied theatre at Rollins College, in their Continuing Ed program, and acted in plays with Orlando Players Little Theatre. I then went on to Tulane University where I got an MFA in Directing for Theatre and worked with (acting and directing) an incredibly fine off-campus theatre group, The People Playhouse, where I learned about experimental theatre and non-traditional approaches to making theatre from the artistic leaders of the group. I then moved to New York City where I had an even more intensive education on the professional side of things (meaning I did some good work and also got my ass kicked for less successful endeavors). The most important thing in my NYC days was co-founding The New York Writers’ Bloc, a play development workshop where I got to watch top writers — Donald Margulies and Jane Anderson among them — create new works from the ground up, learn their techniques and come to a deeper understanding of how plays can be created. I could write a book about those experiences and my first playwriting book, Playwriting in Process, is based on those observations. In that book, writers are invited to use theatre games as a way of investigating their existing plays or as stimuli to jumpstart new works. I have since created a variety of play development programs and been invited to work as a director and/or dramaturg at professional sites. The current play development program is called PLOT, which stands for Playwrights’ Lab of Tulsa, and is an adjunct program of Heller Theatre Co. No matter what I create, it’s my mentors who deserve all the credit.
Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
Born and raised in Baltimore, then Orlando for four years in the Air Force, New Orleans for three years for grad school, NYC for twenty years, El Paso for eight years, then I moved to Tulsa in 2000. Each of these places has left an indelible mark on me and the work I do. Multicultural environments like NYC, New Orleans and El Paso have had a tremendous impact on my awareness of how other lives are being lived, the uncountable distinctions of artistic work in each locale, music, food — all the things that inform an artist’s efforts.
How does your culture affect your work?
I struggled for a long while in the pursuit of playwriting because I kept wanting to write like the people I knew and admired, who all came from different backgrounds than mine. When I saw the film Apocalypse Now, I went home with my mind in such violent turmoil that I wrote a play set in a blue-collar neighborhood pool hall in Baltimore — my roots — where I witnessed a terrible fight. When that play was finished, I recognized that I’d found my true voice, “Balto-moron” we call it, and that I could craft credible characters from my own background/culture.
Walk me through your creative process. What role does experimentation play?
I’m extremely intuitive. I never know where a given work is going until I reach a finishing point and then begin the crucial editing process. When I write a poem, it’s because a stream of words has appeared in my brain, and I like them enough to write them down and follow the path they suggest. The works I have created at TAC have all been experiments involving making theatre in a non-theatrical environment, inviting the audiences to participate in unique ways such as moving from one seating arrangement to another or going outside with painted-over sunglasses to do a trust walk — all intended to give people a new way of looking at theatre as something more than sitting safely in the dark of an auditorium and being spoon fed a pleasant story. The pieces have investigated such topics as the nature of identity, aspects of our senses, meditation, awareness of the impact of weather on consciousness. I incorporate research on the given subject plus poetry and songs I’ve co-written; I’m not a musician and love to work with instrumentalists.
What techniques do you most enjoy?
Producing and directing my own theatre pieces at TAC has been the most satisfying. I love plunging into research (which has not only included on-line and books/articles, but interviews as well) and seeing what I can discover. I always start with a title for the project, but I never know what it’s going to be until I start the writing process and then modify/enlarge the piece once I have performers on hand. My pieces often include non-actors in order to make the collaboration reflect their world views. The most recent acting company included a doctor, a costume designer, a performance poet and a musician, each of whom contributed their own poem to the piece, as well as bringing their life experiences into rehearsals.
Describe your artistic/writing style and how it has developed over the course of your career.
A great question!
I don’t write plays much these days. My focus has been on novels and poetry, with performing my poems becoming a larger element. I’m not sure about “artistic style,” so my answer might not be useful. What I’m always after is to express what’s usually hidden in the human experience: our vulnerabilities, our struggles with the political realities, our pursuit of some form of faith, and all of that wrapped up in the question of “what makes me who I am?’ So, I suppose my style has been to do what I can to open up these questions while opening up my way of thinking about them, staying loose to how the answers change as I get older and as I continue my study of Tibetan Buddhism. I guess I think of it as continually shedding my skin to let the next iteration of myself emerge. In other words, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time, but I trust my process implicitly. If I had to summarize it, the simplest way would be what I say about a new work I’m interested in when I tell people, “Oh, I’m just letting it think about me for the time being.” What I mean is, for example, I have a desire to write a novel about my theatre days in NYC. Which stories to include and which to not bother telling? What voice — 1st person, 3rd? Will it be funny or dark, or darkly funny? This is what’s going on currently. I’m just letting thoughts about the book surface when they will, and at some point, I’ll have a decent clue as to the whole thing and I’ll start writing. In my second playwriting book, Playwriting Master Class, I asked seven playwrights to write a short play based on the prompt “there is a key in an envelope in a drawer”, and share their rewrites, notes, and commentaries on process. This gives the reader of the book the sense of looking over a writer’s shoulder while they work. Those playwrights taught me a ton about how broad the notion of process truly is, and how free.
How do you stay motivated and find inspiration?
I retired from my professor position at The University of Tulsa in 2018. I was talking with a friend about what I would be doing in the days that followed and was feeling a bit at sea. He said, “But now you’re a full-time professional writer.”
That was all the motivation I needed.
Inspiration comes from the groups I interact with (Heller’s PLOT program plus the Second Sunday Serials it sponsors, and the Sandbox project at Circle Cinema, created by PJ Sosko), poetry events hosted by Claire Campo and Zhenya Yevtushenko, among others, plus my work as a member of the Board of Directors for Circle Cinema. I also teach frequently and have always found inspiration from working with students of all ages. I’m a film buff and art lover, so Circle is critical to me, as are the sundry galleries in the Arts District and the Philbrook and Crystal Bridges museums. I go to Fayetteville frequently to see theatre productions at Theatre Squared, which is a fully professional theatre. I try to see as much local community theatre as I can as well, and Tulsa is absolutely blooming with exciting new theatre companies.
What advice do you give aspiring writers?
I always tell script writers I work with, regardless of age, “see a million plays/films and read a million scripts.” And stop worrying about fame and fortune. If you love your art and you’re willing to continually learn by taking new chances, that’ll be the reward. If your work gets produced, that’s a bonus. Spend as much time as you can around other writers, talk to them about their process and learning curve, attend talks at galleries, museums, Circle Cinema and local theatres. Travel as much as you can, the U.S., the world. Expand your craft awareness by studying work by people from vastly different cultures from your own. ALWAYS be willing to fail by taking risks (Samuel Beckett’s quote serves us well: “Fail? Try again. Fail better.”) Study other forms: how do composers think and work, painters, chefs? And take yourself seriously as an artist. Commit to that and live it, breathe it.
What role does the arts community play in your practice? How do you engage and learn from others?
Seeing new visual work in galleries and experiencing plays at all levels is my ongoing education. I never want to think I’m finished with learning. I sit every month at the TAC gallery and often get to interact with the featured artist. I love to ask them a million questions about their work. Every conversation is rewarding. I go to poetry readings and music performances as often as I can. I may not love the given work or presenter, but I know I’ve just experienced something that’s now part of my artistic DNA. Even very bad work inspires me, if only as a precautionary tale.
How has your teaching helped shape your perspective and artistic approach or style.
I started teaching in 1979, as an adjunct at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. From my first day it became evident that I was there to interact with the personalities in the room, not to just act profound about a subject. I loved the classroom for the nearly 40 years of college and university teaching and continue now with private classes and workshops. Every event reminds me of what I don’t know, of how to make sure that I remember my job is to continue to learn. I also do dharma talks once a month at St. John’s Center for Spiritual Formation for a class in Tibetan Buddhism founded by Sr. Ellie Finlay, which is a unique and very precious environment.
Do you have any upcoming projects or performances that you are excited about?
TAC has accepted my proposal for a new performance piece called Language Is a Virus, so I’m working on that in bits and pieces. I’ve submitted two theatre pieces — a one-act and a ten-minute play — for production consideration. I’m working on a second poetry collection under the title Caldera, which will be in three parts: “People & Places,” “Songs of Love and Destruction,” and “Mythography.” And although these aren’t about my artwork, I am developing some guest speaker projects which I hope will bring several major artists to Tulsa in the coming year.
How did you become aware of / involved with the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition?
A girlfriend took me there during a First Friday and subsequently talked me into entering a 5x5 piece, which I did for a few years. I’m not a visual artist, though I have been a photographer since I learned how to process film and make prints at my Air Force base in 1968. I have occasionally incorporated my photographs into the performance pieces at TAC. I loved the 5x5 shows and found them to be analogous to my theatre and poetry work in the sense of departing from “traditional” art-making. I joined as a member after that and have been active ever since.
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