New Jersey Stage 2015 - Issue 11 | Page 28

Did you ever imagine having the success you’ve had? No. I mean, I dreamed about it I suppose. I just always loved theatre. I grew up watching it and reading it. I read a lot of plays when I was growing up and I still do. I always thought of theatre as literature. And so, I think it was my dream to be a playwright, but it seemed very unattainable. I remember thinking early on that I was sure I’d have to go to Los Angeles at some point and write sitcoms or tv shows. But I loved theatre and focused on that. I was fortunate in the sense that people liked my work early on and encouraged me. I was never the person who was celebrated as the flavor of the month, so I just kept working. I know people who have been celebrated and it freezes them up, but I always viewed theatre as what I did. I did different NewJerseyStage.com kinds of shows and always liked to challenge myself. So, did I dream of this? Yeah, I dreamt of it. Did I ever imagine it? Who knows? But I do appreciate it and I think one of the reasons I’m still so prolific and fortunate to have a lot of plays and musicals done recently is because I appreciate it and I don’t want to throw it away, so I continue to work as hard as I can and try to get as good as I can. Do people in your theatre circle in the City ever give you a hard time for growing up in the suburbs? No, everyone in New York is from somewhere else! I think when I see people make fun of Jersey, it’s generally when I’m with relatives in Jersey. They make fun of Jersey themselves. Between me and David Bryan, we probably know every Jersey joke there is! 2015 - ISSUE 11 ARTICLES 28