Director / Macguffin Theatre

Klae is Director of Macguffin Theatre.

<The Macguffin Interrogative >

This is a getting to know you feature. How knowable are you?

I think I’m pretty knowable! I’ve been told I have a grumpy face, but it’s all for show. Once you get me going, I’m rather loquacious.

You’re the new Director of Macguffin Theatre. What's the plan?

To get to work bringing people together to read scripts and make magic! I’m looking forward to getting scripts in the hands of actors. As a writer myself I can tell you that almost everything sounds good in your head, but that moment an actor gets ahold of the script and starts playing out the parts of a story everything can change. You start leaning in where you didn’t before, and asking new questions, and then you get moments where an actor finds something you as a writer now want to expand upon – It’s a whole new arena where learning and creation take place.

Do you have a favorite play? Or a favorite playwright? A favorite performance?

There’s so much good work in the world it’s hard to choose a favorite! Right now I think my favorite playwright is Suzan Lori Parks– she’s probably our greatest living playwright.

My favorite performance– I got to see Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn in Chicago a few years ago and it’s always stuck with me. The form of the play is genius, but the spectacle was unforgettable.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy theatre, of course– but I’m also an outstanding cook, if I do say so myself. I’ve really gotten into vinyl this past year. I hang out with friends, work out, read, play games, and bike.

Pet peeves? Or things you’ll go out of your way to avoid?

Litter! I can’t stand it! If I see something blowing across a parking lot when I’m going into a store, I’ll chase it down to throw it out. If I see people litter I’ll call them out and offer their trash back to them. I’ve clocked every spot on my daily commute that I think needs a clean-up. I cannot stand it.

Favorite meal?

Pizza. Always pizza.

When did you start writing? Who or what are influences on your creative work?

I was in my early teens when I decided I wanted to be a writer in some capacity. Thanks to Dead Poet Society, Nirvana, and Jim Carrol I started journaling and writing awful poetry and it all kind of grew from there.

Who is your favorite villain?

Without overthinking: David from the game The Last of Us. Nothing could prepare me for the visceral reaction I had to David revealing himself as such a monster. Something about playing alongside him in that world– helping him survive, thanking him, trusting him, only to find out later who he really was…ugh! It was a masterclass in how to indict an audience. That’s good theatre!

Dogs or cats?

Cats! Especially Cormac, my 13-year-old orange shorthair.

What kind of music are you into?

Right now I’m going back to Underground Hip Hop– I just traveled to Pittsburgh to see Sage Francis & Atmosphere, and it was amazing. I hadn’t seen either of them live in a decade.

Do you have a motto? Or can you cram your worldview into one sentence?

I do, actually! We’re all out here just doing the best we can.

It’s come along as I’ve gotten older– after putting in the work myself, teaching students, watching folks at open mics, sitting through long, challenging performances, or being in a writers’ room with my peers, I think it’s important to remember this is art, and we’re all out here just doing the best we can.

Thank you. No further questions.

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