27 Jul OOB Final 30 Countdown – Andrew Leeds and Lindsey Kraft

For day nineteen of our Final 30 countdown we have two special guests today. Please say hello to Andrew Leeds and Lindsey Kraft!

Lindsey Kraft is a writer/actor from Long Island, NY. She recently finished a 3-season run on the HBO series Getting On. She has also appeared on Veep, Grace & Frankie, Two Broke Girls, NCIS, Children’s Hospital, Bones, Wayward Pines, Suits, The Newsroom and many others. She will next be seen in the film A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Her work as a playwright has been produced in Los Angeles where she resides.

Andrew Leeds has appeared on stage in Falsettos (Broadway) and Les Miserables (National Tour.) On television, he was a regular on the ABC sitcom Cristela, and he did a 3-season arc as the villain on Bones. Other television includes: Veep, Modern Family, American Horror Story, Grey’s Anatomy, and Workaholics. He will next be seen in the Dreamworks movie, Office Christmas Party. He has written and produced television pilots for ABC, NBC, FOX, USA, and Showtime. Andrew is also a member of the GROUNDLINGS Main Company.

1. When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?

LINDSEY: Five years ago. I always wanted to write. The moment I realized I SHOULD write was when Andrew and my friend, Gloria, told me I could.

ANDREW: The first “play” I ever wrote was in the seventh grade. I’ve always enjoyed making things – whether it be writing a play or baking cookies.

2. How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?

So… we’re a couple. One summer we went to eight weddings. And they made us really angry.

3. What are 5 words that describe who you are as a playwright?

We. Love. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies.

4. What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?

Bruce Norris, Arthur Miller, Ben Folds, William Finn, James Lapine, Kenneth Lonergan.

5. What are some of your favorite plays?

Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park, Death of a Salesman, August: Osage County, The Crucible, Broadway Bound, This is Our Youth.

6. Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?

We’re currently writing a television pilot together. Lindsey is writing and directing a short film.

Their play Wedding Bash will be performed on August 12th at 8:30pm. It’s set when a newly married couple invites their two friends over for a post wedding rehash, and things get tense when it becomes clear that maybe people didn’t love the wedding as much as they said they did.