Theater Interview: The Write Stuff With Playwright Will Cooper

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CHICAGO – Chicago Dramatists’ playwright Will Cooper isn’t interested in the simple answers. Rather, his new production, “Jade Heart”, has every intention to ask the hard-hitting questions of racial identity in a post-melting pot America, a topic as potentially layered as it is controversial. Having previously penned Book of Leaves, Cooper caught up with Hollywood Chicago to discuss the process of curating new stories, the importance of the fresh literary voice, and how he hopes Jade Heart will start to tackle the uglier- but ultimately more fulfilling- truths of identity.

Ginger Lee McDermott (Brenda) and Christine Bunuan (Jade) star in Chicago Dramatists’ world premiere production of “Jade Heart” at Chicago Dramatists.
Photo credit: Jeff Pines

HollywoodChicago: How did the concept of “Jade Heart” initially come to you? Why did you want to explore these questions?

Will Cooper (WC): My sister adopted a girl from China in the 1990s. I had thought about the issue since then and felt it might make a good story, not specifically about my sister and her daughter but about transnational and transracial adoption. The plight of these girls in China is just horrible, really. We are talking about millions of female babies who have been abandoned or in some cases killed. An authority predicted that there would be a disparity of about 30 million more boys than girls in China by about 2030. It’s a huge problem. I thought the story resonated far beyond issues of adoption. It really is about identity, race, parents and children. The story goes into a lot of areas of human interest.

HollywoodChicago: You specifically focus on China’s one-child rule of 1979 to explore issues of transnationalism. How do you feel cultural policies and perceptions like this affect identity?

WC: Good question. First let me make clear that I don’t view myself as an expert on any of these issues. I researched the play for over a year before I started scripting. In my research I found that many of these people who are brought here do encounter racism and in some cases isolation because their parents are often not the same color. They wonder about their countries of origins and what sort of life they could have had without adoption. I think that it adds another dimension of difficulty in one’s quest for identity, a journey that all of us have to go through. I think that is why the play is universal in many ways, because it simply magnifies the many of the same problems that all of us face.

HollywoodChicago: What was the process of developing “Jade Heart” with the cast, crew and director?

WC: I went through their standard development process. The play went through a script lab initially and received critiques, then we went to the table reading with professional actors. After that, we moved onto a staged reading as part of their Saturday Series. For a while it was just a work in progress. But after each of these steps I did a re-write, and finally Russ Tutterow told me that he was interested in directing it. I think Chicago Dramatists is one of the most important cultural institutions not only in Chicago, but in the country in terms of developing new voices for theatre. The interesting thing about the Chicago Dramatists is that they not only are interested in developing new work, they’re interested in producing new work as well. It is unique.

HollywoodChicago: This is your first professional production. What was the significance of working with the Chicago Dramatists on the endeavor?

WC: I couldn’t be more thrilled with the production. Russ Tutterow, the director, is a master. My play has been given a wonderful treatment by the entire cast and crew there. The Chicago Dramatists has gained a lot of notoriety as of late after premiering Keith Huff’s play, “A Steady Rain”, which went to Broadway last fall. Russ now has a major profile so it’s been a wild ride. A lot of people had been looking at the theatre, so my play being produced is quite an honor. I’m a Network playwright there, not one of the residents, so it’s unusual for someone in my division to be given production. What it means to me, I can’t tell you. It’s just great for me.

Hollywood Chicago: I’ve spoken to several artists this year on whether or not they feel theatre, and Chicago theatre in particular, really pays enough service to stories of identity, especially those experienced by minority cultures. What is your take on it?

WC: I absolutely agree. The Chicago Dramatists have been at the forefront of trying to develop playwrights of color and other minority groups. I don’t think I know enough though about the state of theatre and minority portrayals. I know that Victory Gardens has taken quite a few works from people of color and differing abilities, which is great. These communities have been underserved by our theatre community.

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HollywoodChicago: In the age of President Obama, many people are trying to disregard the importance of racial identity, and rather assume a Colorblind Racial Ideology. How does “Jade Heart” address these notions? Why do you think it’s important that we, as artists, do?

WC: That’s a great question, but I’m not sure how to answer it [laughs]. The character Brenda in “Jade Heart” was abandoned by her ex-husband when it became known that she was infertile. So she adopts Jade and becomes fearful that Jade will leave her as well, abandon her. I don’t think she sees Jade as a Chinese girl, but just as her daughter. So in that sense, she is colorblind but Jade herself is not. Often times, people who adopt children form foreign countries don’t fully appreciate that their children will encounter racism, will encounter problems that they are not familiar with. These kids have to learn to live in a society that is filled with prejudice in some ways, so sometimes there is a disconnect between the parents and the children when race is involved. The play brings it up, but it does not try to answer that question. Jade herself tries to answer it by going back to her country of origin, since she feels that gap in her understanding of herself.

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By ALISSA NORBY Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com alissa@hollywoodchicago.com