Over a ten year period, people I knew—some close friends, some casual acquaintances— died by suicide.
In 2007, Curt Dempster, founder and artistic director of Ensemble Studio Theatre in NYC, also died by suicide. Along with hundreds of other playwrights, he was my mentor and friend. The desire to express my grief through writing was overwhelming, but no idea how to approach the subject was forthcoming.
Finally, after many years of failed stops and starts and wrestling with concepts on how to bring grace and compassion to a subject that feels unapproachable, gave rise to my play A Holding Tank, which uses humor, song and dance to honor our fallen friends.
