12 Jul F30 Countdown – Shara Feit
We have twenty five days left until the OOB Festival begins, which means we still have 25 playwrights left to meet! For today’s countdown say hello to Shara Feit.
Shara Feit is a playwright, actor, and dramaturg originally from New York. Shara is pursuing a BA in Theatre, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Creative Writing at Northwestern University, where her full-length play TIES won the 2017 Agnes Nixon award. Shara’s work has been developed by Northwestern, Stagedoor Manor, Young Playwrights Inc., and G45 Productions.
When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?
As a very small child, I wrote a poem about a fictional pizza-themed amusement park. I think I’ve been hooked on writing ever since and hooked on writing plays since 2011.
How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?
I took on the 31 Plays in 31 Days challenge summer of 2015. The bones of this play came from one of the short plays I wrote that summer. I developed it at Northwestern. As for inspiration, I spent five summers at various Jewish sleepaway camps. I think I am still trying to figure out exactly what allowed time to move differently at camp; it’s sleepy and slow but so charged with potential. I’m also always striving to put as much funny and complex material for girls and women into the world as I possibly can.
What are 5 words that describe who you are as a playwright?
Playful, feminist, intentional, tragicomic journeying.
What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?
Sarah Ruhl, Etgar Keret, Jordan Harrison, Noah Haidle, Sheila Callaghan, Lydia Davis, Taylor Mac, Lynda Barry, Young Jean Lee, Anne Washburn, Jaclyn Backhaus, lots of music, lots of Jewish education, the Yiddish language, Laura Schellhardt.
What’s one fact someone would never guess about you?
I dream of, one day, becoming a passable circus performer.
What are some of your favorite plays?
Passion Play, Doris to Darlene: A Cautionary Valentine, The Wolves, Horse Girls, Smokefall, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, You On the Moors Now, Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake), Church, Mr. Burns, Hir.
Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?
I’m currently working on two full-lengths: a lyrical play about breaking a multi-generational curse and a comedy about five women sitting Shiva.
Her play The Young Women of Valor will be performed on August 9th at 8:30pm. Set on the last shabbos of second month 2010, summer camp power bffs Chani and Leah are waiting in a gazebo for their shabbos walks. Young Women of Valor is a short, bittersweet comedy about girlhood, Jewish summer camp, scooped bagels, and that strange place where things can change completely.