In their first episode of 2023, Tori and Mabelle talk with Franky D. Gonzalez about his writing rituals, the importance of community, and how a chance bus ride and kindness led to his writing stint on “13 Reasons Why.” He also shares his shift from writing plays to please others to writing plays for his son and introduces us to the people and stories that shaped his award-winning play, “Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes.”
Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/franky-d-gonzalez-moves-forward-with-hope/id1531537246?i=1000594507657
Writing prompt (courtesy of Franky D. Gonzalez)
Argument Perspectives. Imagine an argument that you got into with a friend over something petty. This should not be a traumatic incident. Write the monologue, point by point, explaining why they are wrong. Why they are stupid–Embrace the petty! Once you’ve written the monologue, point by point, find a reason why you’re wrong. That becomes their monologue that they say to you. Now you’ve created conflict and higher stakes. Look at everything that you would say and think of what you could say in response to that, that debunks every single point that you make. (“I wanted to go out with that person because I saw them first.” Response: “Why are you taking agency away from them? Why don’t you let them choose who they want to go out with.”) Say whatever you need to say and go to the other side and completely pull the rug out of the argument. It will help you see each character’s point of view and build empathy. (Think Manager/Employee relationship)
Connect with Franky:
- IG: phattheddproductions
- Twitter: phatthedd
- New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/6600/franky-d-gonzalez
Franky’s bio:
Franky D. Gonzalez is a playwright and TV writer of Colombian descent splitting time between Dallas and Los Angeles. He holds a BA in Theatre from the University of North Texas and has had his work featured throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex where he served proudly as the Dramatists Guild Regional Representative in 2018. Nationally, his work has appeared with The Lark, the Sundance Institute, the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Ground Floor, the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, the Latinx Playwrights Circle, The Sol Project (SolFest 2022), the Great Plains Theatre Conference, the Goodman Theatre (Live @ Five Series), Launch Pad at UC Santa Barbara, The New Harmony Project, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Repertorio Español, LAByrinth Theater Company, Ars Nova (ANT Fest 2021), Dallas Theater Center, the William Inge Theatre Festival, Austin Latinx New Play Festival, Stages Repertory Theatre’s Sin Muros Latinx Theatre Festival, the Latino Theatre Company’s RE:Encuentro 2021: National Virtual Latina/o/x Theatre Festival, the Latinx Theatre Commons 2022 Comedy Carnaval, Seven Devils New Play Foundry, the HBMG Foundation National Winter Playwrights Retreat, Tofte Lake Center, Ignition Arts, Play4Keeps Podcast, the Antaeus Playwrights Lab, Clamour Theatre Company, Ammunition Theater Company, Greenway Court Theatre, the Cloud Factory, The Mid-America Theatre Conference, The Midwest Dramatists Conference, and the One-Minute Play Festival. Franky was a recipient of the Charles Rowan Beye New Play Commission, an MTC/Sloan Commission, the Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Prize, co-recipient of the MetLife Nuestras Voces Latino Playwriting Award, won the Crossroads Project Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative Award, the Judith Royer Award for Excellence in Playwriting, the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival Manila Best Overall Production Prize, and was a staff writer for the fourth season of 13 Reasons Why. He has also been a finalist for the New Dramatists residency, the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, San Diego REP Latinx New Play Festival, the Civilians R&D Group, The DVRF Playwriting Program, the Ashland New Play Festival, the Playwrights Realm Scratchpad Series, the Orchard Project Adaptation Lab, BETC Generations, the American Blues Theater Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition, and a semi-finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Headwaters New Play Festival, the Dubai Short+Sweet Theatre Festival, and runner-up for the Alpine Fellowship. Most recently Franky was named the 4 Seasons Resident Playwright, a Sony Pictures Television Diverse Writers Program Fellow, the Bishop Arts Theatre Center Playwright-in-Residence, and a Core Writer with the Playwrights Center.
Join us as we follow the steps in the “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron!
Hey Playwright presents The Artist’s Way
SUNDAYS, January 29 – April 16 (online via ZOOM) (12 weeks)
To sign up, register here.
Buy The Artist’s Way at your favorite bookstore.
Curious about the movie Sex, Lies and Videotape?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex,_Lies,_and_Videotap