Signature: It seems like in the 2000s your plays shifted to
be more political — I’m thinking about Mrs. Farnsworth,
O Jerusalem. What caused that?
AG: By then I was connected with The Flea Theater, and
they are very political. I connected with them because
they were doing a play called The Guys, about 9/11.
I liked the whole atmosphere of the play, so I started
writing plays which had a very political thrust at the
Flea. That kept me going. The Flea is very much like
Signature — a lot of young people, eager to work.
So that was a pleasure, as is this.
The Small
Moments
Director Lila Neugebauer on
THE WAYSIDE MOTOR INN
Signature: What leads you to forge intergenerational
connections in your work?
AG: I think it’s foolish not to. If you have a craft, something
you like to do, something you think you’ve learned how to
do, it’s nice to pass it on. I love, for instance, in rehearsal,
when they say, “I don’t understand this line. Why do I say
this line?” I say, “You say this because such-and-such has
happened in the past.” And they learn, and I learn. Maybe
the line’s wrong. Maybe the line’s right. But I love working
with young people. And it’s kept me younger.
Signature: You’ve said in some of your inte