5 QUESTIONS WITH NEW HARMONY FRIENDS

Meet Docey Lewis, New Harmony Friend

I am a weaver, textile designer, and international development consultant whose career has been shaped by creativity, resilience, and a deep commitment to cultural preservation. I grew up in a historic Connecticut home, where a loom in the attic first sparked my fascination with textiles and set me on a lifelong path of craftsmanship and design. Family stories and the places my ancestors lived and worked have always inspired me. My passions are grounded in hands-on learning, self-education, and a belief in cooperation and fairness—values passed down from my ancestors, including the visionary Robert Owen.

My connection to New Harmony began in 1960, when my mother, cousin to Jane Owen by marriage, brought me to the dedication of the Roofless Church. Periodic visits introduced me to my Robert Owen heritage. After my mother’s death in 1983, I completed her decades-long book project on the annotated letters of seven generations of Owen women, many of whom are buried in New Harmony’s Maple Hill Cemetery. This deepened my ties to the town and its history.

In 2003, amidst the chaos of 9/11 and a hectic life commuting to New York City and traveling overseas, I heeded Jane Owen’s invitation to visit New Harmony. During a three-week stay, I decided to upend my East Coast life and move here. Over the past 22 years, I’ve made New Harmony my home. While I continued to work abroad for much of that time, Covid changed my focus. I now have a design studio above Sara’s Wine Bar, my house and garden just blocks away, and family nearby. I’m deeply involved in the community through the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation, Historic New Harmony, and other organizations. My one-year-old grandson now begins his chapter in this extraordinary town that has shaped so many generations of our family.

Docey Answers our 5 Questions:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To live in a small, historic, walkable town filled with creative people and rich in cultural charm. A place where I can call an old house with a cottage garden my home, within walking distance of my studio.

A community close to universities, hospitals, museums, symphonies, diverse restaurants, and an airport—yet far enough away to maintain its tranquility. A place where family can gather, surrounded by a supportive circle of close friends.

To have a home library brimming with favorite books and handmade, story-filled objects collected through my work and travels. A place to relish old memories and create new ones.

A town I can share with those who have never experienced its unique magic. A space to create and find peace, to walk in nature, safely ride a bike, and marvel at a star-filled night sky.

Somewhere quiet, free of traffic—a “thin place” where the ordinary feels closer to the divine.

Which living person(s) do you most admire?

At the top of my list is David Attenborough, whose unmatched passion for the natural world has educated and inspired generations. His work explaining Earth’s living environment, as well as its archaeological and geological past, is unparalleled. Another David I admire is David Korten, my guru during my years in international development. As co-founder of the Positive Futures Network and its quarterly YES! Magazine, he has been a transformative force for positive change worldwide.

I also deeply admire Sam Harris, one of today’s most articulate public intellectuals, probing the mysteries of consciousness and morality. He dismantles dogmas, wields science with precision, and champions mindfulness as a path to ethical living. His calm, non-judgmental voice even guides me on my meditation app—when I remember to use it.

Who are your favorite writers?

Poetry: Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, David Whyte

Humor: Stephen Fry, Bill Bryson, E.B. White, S.J. Perelman, Dorothy Parker

Mystery: Dorothy Sayers

History: William Dalrymple, John Meacham, Doris Kearns Goodwin


Memoir: Christopher Hitchens, John Mortimer, Diana Athill, Khushwant Singh, Jim Harrison, Emily Hahn, May Sarton, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


Travel: Bruce Chatwin


Nature: Robert Macfarlane, Jacquetta Hawkes


Spirituality: Joseph Campbell, Joan Chittister, C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Pema Chödrön


Other: Elizabeth Gilbert, Annie Dillard, Eleanor Cooney, Eleanor Perenyi

Who are your heroes in real life?

Two dear friends from my boarding school days who inspire me are Sigourney Weaver, whose groundbreaking work in acting continues to resonate, and Frances Beinecke, a tireless environmental activist and former President of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

I also deeply admire the countless brave young women activists in far-flung places fighting for equality, peace, freedom, and justice. They are artists, writers, educators, students, mothers, actors, filmmakers, scientists and so much more—too numerous to name but endlessly inspiring.

What does the New Harmony Project mean to you?

Since moving to New Harmony, I’ve been an enthusiastic participant in the public readings during the New Harmony Project’s spring workshops. My connection to the NHP deepened through my nearly decade-long service on the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation board, where I’ve proudly chaired the Grants Committee, which continues to support this invaluable Program.

Meeting young playwrights from diverse backgrounds has been transformative, introducing me to fresh voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard. The NHP is not only a vital part of our community but also a beacon for creative storytelling that resonates far beyond New Harmony.

Last summer, I welcomed writers into my home, offering them a quiet space to work. Their presence infused the house with a vibrant and inspiring energy, and I look forward to continuing this tradition in 2025.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

A CONVERSATION WITH PLAYWRIGHT JONATHAN SPECTOR

What year(s) were you at the New Harmony Project?

I was at New Harmony in the summer of 2021. I was originally supposed to attend the conference in the summer of 2020, but we all know how that went. When I finally had the chance to go in 2021, I was so appreciative that they held spots for the artists who had been accepted the previous year. It was one of the first in-person theater things I did coming out of the pandemic, and because of that was extra meaningful.

Can you talk about a favorite memory or two? If you were asked to describe NHP to someone, how would you do it?

I remember spending a lot of time walking around the strange and lovely little town, the wonderful community of artists, and an overall sense of calm and quietude. 

Where do you find inspiration for your writing? What other writers (in any genre) do you find inspiring?

Plays for me usually begin as an encounter with something I don't fully understand and get curious about. There's a Peter Brook phrase, "the formless hunch.” And that's very much what it is. Just this vague but persistent sense of "there might be a play here." And then it's usually a long and circuitous process of following that hunch wherever it leads. 

For non-fiction writers or fiction-adjacent writers, I will read anything from Eula Biss, Jon Ronson, Peter Orner, Patrick Raden Keefe. For books on writing specifically it's hard to beat Annie Dillard's The Writing Life. Sherry Kramer just wrote what is probably the best ever book on playwriting. Highly recommend it. 

What's your writing process/ritual?

Unfortunately my process feels mostly like initial excitement and research, followed by a seemingly endless period of avoidance, procrastination and self-loathing, which somehow results in a play. Something I have been talking a lot about with my therapist is trying to accept that my process is what it is, it's not going to change, and so the goal is to just have less anxiety and misery around it. Rather than feeling like I'm doing something wrong, I've been trying to reframe it as doing something right, and the problem is not the process itself, but the amount of time and energy I spend beating myself up about it. 

I also find it very useful to hear work out loud with actors (or just other writers) pretty early on. I am quite certain everything I'm doing is total garbage early on, so hearing other people respond to it sometimes provides the necessary energy to keep going.

What advice would you give to a playwright approaching their first major production?

Be as clear as you can as early as you can about what's important to you about the play, so that you and the director and the whole team can all be rowing boats in the same direction. If it's the first production of the play, there may be some of this you don't know, that's fine. If something feels like it's heading in the wrong direction, it's better to speak up earlier rather than later. At the same time, you've been living with this play so much longer than everyone else, and they will need time and a process to be able to find their way there. So you have to be patient while letting them get there organically (actors especially). It's a tricky balance. 

Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you that you need to stay in your lane. It's your play, there's no area of the production which you don't get to have an opinion about. You just need to do it respectfully, and through the proper channels (which usually means it's better to voice this to the director so there's no confusion or contradiction for anyone else).

Do you have a dream project that you're dying to work on?

There's a couple of films I'd love to adapt into a musical or giant stage spectacle, but thus far have not been able to get the rights... 

Can you tell us a little bit about Eureka Day?

Eureka Day is about a small, progressive school in Berkeley, California. The characters are the head of school and board of directors, who make all their decisions by consensus, in an effort to live their values. When their school has a mumps outbreak, they struggle to find consensus over the school's vaccination policy.  It's set in 2018, and despite the description, is very funny.

It was commissioned by and premiered at Aurora Theater in Berkeley in 2018, and is now running on Broadway with a total if-I'm-dreaming-don't-wake-me cast which includes Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin and Amber Gray. Plus the inimitable Anna Shapiro directing. Conversations about the play moving to Broadway actually began just before Covid, way back in fall of 2019, so it's been a long and bumpy road to get there, but I'm incredibly grateful that when it finally happened, it came together in this way, with a production I'm so happy with and proud of. 

NHP Artist Spotlight

A Conversation with Playwright James Still

James Still’s plays have been widely produced throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa, China and Japan. He is a four-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, an elected member of both the National Theatre Conference in New York and the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center, and a five-time Emmy nominee for his work in television. He received the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award from the William Inge Festival, the Todd McNerney New Play Prize from Piccolo Spoleto, and the Indiana Authors Award for Drama.  He recently completed an unprecedented 26-season tenure as Playwright in Residence at Indiana Repertory Theatre.  He is an Artistic Affiliate at American Blues Theater in Chicago, and has directed plays at many theaters.

You've participated in the New Harmony Project many times over the years - I count 6 times! Is that right?
I think I've been with the summer conference 7 times:  once as a director, once in "full development", and 5 times as a writer in residence.  I also did the first winter residence in 2016 spending 3 weeks in the Poet’s House writing a new play.  And also did the first Indianapolis NHP First Look -- workshop/reading of a new play in 2019.  So yeah... I've been around... each and every time has been a gift for different reasons.

So you've seen NHP change quite a lot - can you talk about a favorite memory or two? If you were asked to describe NHP to someone, how would you do it?
One way that things have changed — from my vantage point (and this is a nuanced thing) I think NHP (and the American theater in general) has slowly evolved in terms of how it views “work”… In my early days at NHP (and many other places) there was a competition vibe, a sense of whoever has the most colored pages “wins”.  But I think writers have pushed back against the idea that “one size fits all” in new play development.  While I never take the gift of a workshop and/or time spent with collaborators for granted, I also try to be honest about the ways that a new play might benefit from different ways of attention.  And that’s what I’m getting at:  attention.  There’s something about New Harmony (both the place and the Conference) that has always allowed me to quickly and deeply drop inside whatever project I’m dreaming about.  The town is unusual — it’s like the “Brigadoon” of new play development.

Favorite memories… every project I’ve worked on has been enriched in very particular ways by my time with the NHP.  And I’m lucky because I’ve celebrated a bunch of my birthdays there and I usually mark it with a labyrinth walk under moonlight (often with lots of other NHP artists).  And that’s the other memory:  the walks and conversations I’ve had with beautiful artists, and being a witness to the birth of new plays, listening to readings and cheering on fellow writers and their plays.  And delighting in actors stepping up and helping plays levitate.  O!  And the lightning bugs in 2012.  That was something otherworldly.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing? What other writers (in any genre) do you find inspiring?
Inspiration: for me it can happen anytime anywhere.  Something scribbled in chalk on a sidewalk, a snippet of overheard conversation, dreams in the night, during shavasana in yoga, on a long run, a memory of a memory, a footnote in a history book, something that makes me weep or do a spit take, something that makes me sweat or my heart race… But/and for me there is big (and necessary) space between “inspiration” and “writing”.  I think of it as a crush vs a love story.  Crushes are easy (and fun) but don’t last.  Love stories are hard (and fun) and often have sustainability.  I tend to spend TIME in process with anything I’m writing (2, 3, 5 years…) so I’m looking for stories that can take that kind of rigorous love over time.

Other writers?  So many and not one in particular.  I tend to turn to poetry and short stories because I admire their economy and making the impossible, beautiful.  Billy Shakespeare has made my life miserable.  The novelist Louise Erdrich always reminds me of point of view and community.  Caryl Churchill is the reason I became a writer in the theater — she inspired me to think about time and structure in otherwise unimagined ways.  Alice Munro’s short stories can be fully satisfying in 30 pages.  Tennessee Williams was a radical experimenter (language, structure, content) and that’s something that gives me courage.  Translations of Rumi’s poetry.  I’ve also been inspired by other kinds of storytellers:  political speech writers, teachers, quilters…

What's your writing process/ritual?
Show up.  Write.  Remind myself that I’m always writing even when it seems like I’m not writing.  Take walks.  Watch dancers.  Research forever.  And at some point put the research away.  Listen to the story.  Imagine structure.  I consistently keep two things in view when I’m writing.  One is a quote from Walt Whitman that reads “Don’t be stung by the respectability bee.”  And the other is a photo of myself when I was 4 years old because that boy was so funny and sly and playful and brave and inventive and engaged and always making up stories.  His art wasn’t ambitious — it was joyful.

You've had work produced at all different kinds of theatres, all across the country. What advice would you give to a playwright approaching their first major production?
I never give advice!  But if I can share a few things I know — here’s something I believe in:  production is hard.  Seeing a new play through a design process and casting and rehearsals and previews and opening:  it’s hard.  Even in the best of circumstances it’s always hard.  So the thing I always ask myself is “Who do I want to that hard thing with???”  It’s the people.  It’s always the people.  Surround you and your play with gorgeous human beings who will advocate for your process while challenging you at the same time.  Don’t hate your audience — and don’t expect everyone to love your play.  And finally:  you are not your play.  Your play is your play.  Make it personal but don’t take it personally.

Do you have a dream project that you're dying to work on?
The next one!  Honestly I only do dream projects.  Life is short.  I have a filing cabinet that is literally filled with folders filled with scrap paper and airplane napkins and ticket stubs and notebooks filled with scribbles that I believed would one day become a story.  My struggle is not coming up with dream projects — my struggle is having a long enough life to work on all of those projects.  I’ve written solo plays and plays with 56 actors and everything in between.  My dream project is something that I haven’t imagined yet but will change my life.  Again.

5 Questions with New Harmony Friends

Meet Karen and Paul Moser, New Harmony Friends

Advertisement for Karen's performance about Bella Golden

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Karen Answers our 5 Questions:

What is your idea of perfect happiness? 
I think perfect happiness is understanding there is no one state of happiness that is attained and maintained. Happiness is built out of living in the moment-and a few of the ways I experience those moments are with my grandchildren, in nature, in connecting with other people, in the theatre...

Which living person(s) do you most admire? 
I most admire my daughter Madeleine and son-in-law Lukáš. They have worked hard to achieve their goals and are balancing their careers and family life with grace and thoughtfulness. They love life and touch everyone around them with their positivity and love.

Who are your favorite writers? 
I have wildly different reasons for including these writers as a few of my favorites: Shakespeare, Chekhov, Schnitzler, David Mamet, William Inge, Lorraine Hansberry, Lynn Nottage, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Sam Shepard, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Toni Morrison, Edith Wharton, Edna Ferber, Dorothy Parker, Lauren Groff.

Who are your heroes in real life? 
The first of my living heroes to come to mind would be my husband, Paul, who forged his own path, founded a free theatre in rotating rep and changed the summer life of a midwestern college town. Grandparents raising their grandchildren are on my list, people who have the courage to keep going when things are nearly unbearable and seem hopeless, Liz Cheney and all those who speak up against wrongdoing with civility and respect.

What does The New Harmony Project mean to you?
A new beginning. These were the first words that popped into my mind when I read this question. We are new residents of New Harmony, and last year was our first experience interacting with the people of the project. As a result, I am pinning great hopes upon the New Harmony Project. I think it can be a wellspring for work that will save the American theatre from no less than dissolution and extinction. I am eager to learn about new writers and support them however I can in this unique and spiritually nurturing place.

Karen Nelson Moser and Paul Moser met while working at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and moved to New Harmony in 2022 after spending over 30 years in Ohio, where Paul was chair of the theater program at Oberlin College and Producing Artistic Director of the Oberlin Summer Theater Festival. Karen is an actor and created a solo piece about New Harmony’s famous Golden Troupe. They currently rent the New Harmony Depot, where Paul is working on various projects, including a theatrical puppet version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

The New Harmony Depot

Paul Answers our 5 Questions:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My idea of perfect happiness is being surrounded by family and friends, while being actively engaged in creative work that comes from my true center.

Which living person (s) do you admire most?
My parents.

My dad (now 97). He has had an incredible life journey: grew up in a tiny German immigrant community in rural Texas (not unlike the Harmonist settlement here), survived the Dust Bowl, left home at 16 to attend Theological Seminary on the East coast, rebelled against his conservative upbringing to become a Social Gospel activist: officer in state chapter of NAACP, advocate of ecumenicalism, anti-Vietnam War and pro-abortion/Feminist activist, early outspoken supporter of Gay Rights, and leader in National Alliance for Mentally Ill. As a pastor he also dealt with the daily needs of both his parishioners and other community members.

My mom (recently deceased) grew up in a mill town on the Mohawk River, attended Eastman School of Music (for cello) before marrying my dad and becoming an equal partner in their shared ministry. She also had a long career in public education (special ed). Upon retirement she became President of NAMI Western Massachusetts and a tireless national spokesperson advocating for the homeless mentally ill.

They both carved-out unique lives, despite obstacles, raised four sons (all artists) and were successful agents for positive change.

Who are your favorite writers?
Anton Chekhov, William Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Carl Jung, Peter Brook, and Paul Tillich. My favorite Chekhov quote: “Concision is the sister of talent.”

Who are your heroes in real life?
My teachers. Along the way, I’ve had many teachers. Most notably, when growing up in Providence RI, I was fortunate enough to study with members of Trinity Rep’s acting company, including William Damkoehler. Also in HS - Elizabeth Holt (devotee of Viola Spolin); at Brown - James Barnhill (member of Actors’ Studio); at Yale Drama - Earle Gister, David Hammond, Stanley Kaufman, Lloyd Richards, Ming Cho Lee, and Dennis Scott; and at Indiana Rep - Artistic Director, Tom Haas.  Very few of these folks were “stars” but they were important role models. Their most “heroic” common attributes were their high artistic standards, breadth of interdisciplinary knowledge, generosity, and belief in Theater as an important calling. As a teacher, I tried to emulate these attributes.

What does The New Harmony Project mean to you?
New Harmony is a sanctuary. This means different things to different people. To some, New Harmony is an escape from the real world - a bucolic get-away where they can recover, refocus and be refreshed. But to others, coming to New Harmony is a return to the real world - a place that helps them find their true center, inspiration, and - hopefully - their voice.

The New Harmony Project offers both of these possibilities, as well as the wonderful opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm, work hard and make friends with a wide range of talented artists gathered from around the country. All with the common goal of making positive change in our world.

Members of New Harmony’s small-but-vibrant Arts community are very happy to welcome and interact with the Project each year!

5 Questions with New Harmony Friends

Meet Audra Lambert, New Harmony Friend

Audra Lambert is the Curator of the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art in New Harmony, Indiana.

Looking outward from within the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art featuring works in the Residence VII show that 2024 NHP writers encountered.
Image courtesy of NHGCA

The artists, Janine Polak (left) and Sara Christensen Blair (right), whose works are featured in the gallery’s current show, Making Memory, with Audra Lambert (center).
Image courtesy of NHGCA

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Definitely sunshine, a good book or loved ones, laying on the grass, catching the sun just as it comes from behind the clouds—sun, seems to be a theme here! Being out in nature and feeling warm and happy. What's more to love? If music, theater, reading and/or public art is involved, and people I care for are there, that's not just happiness—that's heaven!

2. Which living person(s) do you most admire? 

This is such a tough question to narrow down and there are lot of folks no longer with us that I definitely admire greatly. In terms of people I know, my grandmom is a resilient woman that I look up to immensely. In terms of folks I'd like to meet who are "famous" the #1 person I admire most is RuPaul Charles. Talk about a human who knows how to entertain yet still brings empathy to the table! I admire resilient, talented and down to earth folks, so these are my top 2 choices for living folks. 

3. Who are your favorite writers? 

Where do I begin! Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Noel Coward, Douglas Adams, Maya Angelou, Neil Gaiman, Yu Miri. They offer the perfect balance of drama, humor, and weirdness. If I had to pick one, it would be Adams, whose Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy series is my guide to irreverent living on this planet Earth that we inhabit (and if I go to space one day I'll be sure to take it with me!).

4. Who are your heroes in real life? 

The women who raised me  - my mom, aunt and grandmothers - who mean the world to me.

5. What does The New Harmony Project mean to you? 

What I really appreciate about The New Harmony Project is the depth and sensitivity that the writers and artists in residence bring, as well as their curiosity - and flair! We love your flair, y'all, come back in 2025 and bring the flair!

Artist Spotlight

A Conversation with Jordan Ramirez Puckett

Jordan is a Chicanx writer from the Bay Area, currently living in New York City. Their plays include Untitled Dad Play, Transitional Love Stories, Huelga, En Las Sombras, To Saints and Stars, A Driving Beat, Las Pajaritas, Restore, and Inevitable. These works have been produced and/or developed by Abingdon Theatre Company, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Goodman Theatre, Harold Clurman Laboratory Theatre Company, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Playwrights Realm, San Diego Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, among others. A Driving Beat was short-listed for the prestigious 2022 Yale Drama Series Prize. Jordan recently graduated from the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard.

What was your experience like at the 2024 NHP writer’s conference in New Harmony, Indiana?

Being at New Harmony was such an extraordinary experience. I’m still having trouble articulating exactly what it meant to me. Firstly, I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a space with so many trans artists before. I don’t think before going to this conference I had ever called myself a trans artist, so it felt very meaningful on a personal level. On a professional level, I was able to get dramaturgical feedback from the incomparable Amrita Ramanan. We had never met before, but from our first conversation, I felt an instant connection with her. The notes she gave me on my play were so incisive, that I’m sure that she saved me hours of writing in circles to find the story that I’m trying to tell. 

Who are your favorite playwrights and authors?

In no particular order: Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Lauren Yee, Dipika Guha, Tanya Barfield, David Lindsay-Abaire. It’s hard to say exactly why these playwrights are my favorite, but they all have a very distinctive voice. I feel like if I heard a line of dialogue from one of these writers that I had never heard before, I could tell you which one of them had written it because they all are such unique and gifted craftspeople.

Do you have a daily writing ritual or any specific writing process? 

I often find the blank page really daunting, so it helps if I can trick myself into writing. This means that I end up doing a lot of word crawls, which are basically games that break up writing into mini-tasks. So, for example, it might say to roll a six-sided die and write for that many minutes or roll five twenty-sided die and write that many words. And I find that by doing that over and over and over again, eventually, I’ve written a play.

Can you share a pivotal moment or interaction that profoundly influenced your approach to storytelling and playwriting?

I remember distinctly being an undergrad in college and reading Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel for the first time. I was sitting in the student center overlooking an icy Lake Michigan and I started sobbing. I had no idea that theatre could do that before, that it could tell a fantastical story grounded in reality, that it could draw you in with humor before delivering an emotional gut punch. It’s been almost 20 years since I first read this play and it’s still influencing my writing to this day. 

How do you like to spend your Saturday mornings?

I love all forms of rock climbing but I don’t like to do it when a lot of other people are watching. I’ve discovered that Saturday mornings are the best time of the week to go to my local bouldering gym in Harlem, so that’s usually where you can find me.

Do you have a dream project for the future?

I’ve written the first draft of an immersive play called Transitional Love Stories. The script weaves together six separate stories, and other than the first, middle, and penultimate scenes, audience members have to decide which storylines and characters they most want to follow. Because it requires thirteen actors and you can’t just do a reading of the script in the traditional sense, the play has been sitting in my drawer for about a year. I’d really love for someone to take a chance and develop that script for production.

Artist Spotlight

A conversation with Lina Patel

Lina, a writer at The New Harmony Project conference in 2011 and 2021, is a co-moderator and member of Rogue Machine Theater's inaugural Playwright's Roundtable, a member of the 2024 Lark Playwrights Workshop at 2nd Stage, and a member of Ammunition Theatre Company's 2023 Playwrights Lab. Currently working on her original series about the razor’s edge where law enforcement meets mental health, Lina is also developing an hybrid-animation YA fantasy series with Trioscope Studios and her first graphic novel anthology series.

When you think about your time in New Harmony, what memories come to mind?

My first time at NHP was wonderful! Mid-way through my family came out. I remember my four-year old was roaming about, as kids tend to do in New Harmony. I was tucked away writing. My husband was nearby but apparently not hovering because I heard from Theresa Rebeck (2011, 2007, 2005, 2002) later that my kiddo stumbled into rehearsal, saw several people looking very seriously at their scripts, and asked, "Why so quiet?" It cracked everyone up. My child grinned and ran off to disrupt something else, no doubt. At that conference I met playwright, TV writer, and current WGA President, Meredith Stiehm (2016, 2011, 2009). In Los Angeles, she encouraged and helped me to begin to write for television.

My second time at NHP was more recent. It was my first emerging-from-the-pandemic trip!
I was nervous on the flight. I met company manager Blake Elliott at the airport and confessed my nerves, deadlines, goals, and fatigue. Blake said that sometimes "rest is work." It reminded me that I was in southern Indiana. It was going to be okay. The 2021 conference made it possible for writers to bring a collaborator and I invited Jennifer Chang (2021). It was with Jen at NHP that I began working on a commission from Playwright's Arena and UCLA to adapt Lope De Vega's WIDOW OF VALENCIA. I had no idea what I was going to do. I was concurrently working on a television pitch. At the barn, I pitched my series to the group and got incredible encouragement and feedback (I have since written the pilot). Meanwhile, my commissioned play is done and being published this year by Bloomsbury, U.K. I met a lot of wonderful artists in 2021 who I stay in touch with, including the lovely Vichet Chum (2021, 2018, 2008)—in fact, we recently sat down in real life in New York City to have coffee. 

Who are your influences and what inspires you?

Maria Irene Fornes, Tennessee Williams, Virginia Woolf, and Chekhov - writers whose work is intimate, heartbreaking, funny stories with timeless themes. But my love of story initially grew out of comics rooted in the ancient epic, "The Mahabharata." The comics took various stories from this 18 volume epic and delivered them in easily digestible, action-packed and colorful form. They had me spellbound; here were darkly complex protagonists, male, female, and non-binary; stories full of nuance and ambiguity, asking the biggest questions all set in a multi-colored, mult-faceted, multiverse - way before Marvel. I have since read and reread translations of the actual epic, right alongside the Greeks and other mythologies.

Do you have a daily writing ritual?

I try to write each morning after my daughter goes to school. This is when I am not staffed in a television writer's room. When I am staffed or on deadline for something I am developing with a studio, there is no ritual - I write where and when I can. If I am not on deadline I give myself deadlines by asking a friend to read something and telling them when I will send it. These asks are precious, so I'm very mindful about reaching out to writers whose feedback I value. And I can sometimes get myopically mired in research and my field of vision narrows, which is useful up to a point. But after that point, I make myself step away from my notes and computer. I walk. I read actual books - unrelated to my current script. I make a date to see theater, films, and go to museums. It is replenishing and allows my subconscious to work on the script even while I shift my environment. Very helpful! 

Do you have any insights to offer Other writers and artists?

Theater is still challenging for me to break into! And currently, the industry is undergoing a lot of change. I don't think I have any special advice except try to focus less on the end result and more on your process. Just write and rewrite and focus on craft. In that journey, you will find your supporters. I've faced all sorts of obstacles - not limited to race. Socio-economic, being a woman, etc. But I try not to fixate on that. I try constantly to find artists I admire, who are good people, and who I can talk about the work with. It's about the work, ultimately. The Dramatists Guild, the Playwrights’ Center - great places to keep in the loop about competitions and other development opportunities. I actively seek writer's groups. I've recently said, Yes, to teaching and that has opened up other opportunities that serve me professionally.
 

What’s your dream project?

My dream project for the future is learning to grow something in my garden, preferably with my daughter so I can step away from my desk and get my hands dirty.

More about Lina at linapatelwriter.com

5 Questions with New Harmony Friends

Meet Kent Schuette, New Harmony Friend

Kent Schuette may be a familiar face to you if you’ve enjoyed one his informative tours of New Harmony, but you may not know that Kent designed the well-loved granite labyrinth that recalls the famous Chartres Cathedral in France. 

Kent is a professor emeritus of Purdue University, having served 45 years on the faculty in Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. In 2020, Kent was asked to become the David Lenz House Garden manager, a position he continues to hold with the Colonial Dames in the State of Indiana.

#1 What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness? Difficult question. I guess it is having life flow with energy and

excitement, work is play, you appear to be exactly where you are supposed to be, and

surrounded by exactly the right people. Recognize it and enjoy it when it happens.

#2 Which living person(s) do you admire?

The president of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.

#3 Who are your favorite writers?

As an architect, I read mostly writers in the profession of architecture and design. First,

would be acclaimed architect Christopher Alexander, author of A Pattern Language: Towns,

Buildings, Construction, and a four-volume master work on alternative ways of viewing the built

environment, nature, and the planet. Next would be Australian architect John James, the great

scholar of Chartres Cathedral. Third would be British economist E.F. Schumacher, author of

Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered and A Guide For the Perplexed. Last would be

John Philip Newell, Celtic spiritualist, author and poet.

#4 Who are your heroes in real life?

My wife, Suzy, who has put up with me for almost 50 years, and all my friends and

associates who have continued to be with me when they know my true self. God bless them all.

#5 What does the New Harmony Project mean to you?

I was first introduced to the New Harmony Project by Jane Owen who asked Suzy and me

to join her for a "performance/reading" at the New Harmony Inn Conference Center many

years ago. There I experienced my definition of pure happiness. The presenters were having

life flow with energy and excitement, work was play, and they were exactly where they were

supposed to be and surrounded by exactly the right people.

New Harmony is such a surprise to our many visitors. It seems to unlock writer's block and

they are participating in a personal, unique & authentic experience in a very unique and

authentic place. Having The New Harmony Project here is an amazing time. We, here in New

Harmony, look forward to every year.

5 Questions with New Harmony Friends

Meet Sara Brown, New Harmony Friend

Sara Brown is owner of Sara’s Wine & Bier Bar in New Harmony, Indiana. She took a few minutes from her busy holiday schedule to participate in our segment, 5 Questions With New Harmony Friends.

1. WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?

Wow, what a loaded question!

I feel perfect happiness occurs in the moments you embrace all of the world with an Ah!!

I am perfectly happy walking terrier dogs early in the morning.

Seeing an amazing sun rise or set.

Watching my 12-year old granddaughter slowly becoming a young woman.

Listening to Christmas carolers during the winter season.

Perfect happiness is everywhere—you just have to breathe and be still in this magnificent world!

2. WHo DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

I admire a local woman who carried twin boys for her sister who was unable to sustain a live birth. WOW—I was in awe, delighted, and amazed to watch the entire pregnancy from afar!
What a true gift!

3. WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE WRITERS?

My favorite writers are usually southern—not sure why. Perhaps I’m more southern than I am northern.

I remember being terrified, while reading Truman Capote IN COLD BLOOD during the summertime when I was in 8th grade. I would read on my parents’ front porch each day from 5:00 to 6:00 pm while the sun was still shining, waiting for supper. We lived on Main Street and 18-wheeler trucks were constantly changing gears at the 3-way stop, just a few feet from where I was reading. I was terrified! I have always held IN COLD BLOOD as the pinnacle of true terror.

4. WHO ARE YOUR HEROES IN REAL LIFE?

TEACHERS

5. WHAT DOES THE NEW HARMONY PROJECT MEAN TO YOU?

It is wonderful to have the conference here in New Harmony. The New Harmony Project is always special and fun because of all the different participants. New Harmony is like Forrest Gump’s bowl of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get!

Happy New Year to all of you and your families!

NHP Artist Spotlight: A Conversation with Keiko Green

Keiko Green was a writer at the 2021 New Harmony Project Conference.

Currently, she’s finishing out the 2023-2024 season with a workshop and reading of her “brand-spanking new play” EMPTY RIDE at the Powers New Voices at the Old Globe Theatre (San Diego) in mid-January.

Keiko has two world premieres coming up: HELLS CANYON at Theater Mu (Minneapolis) in February 2024, and THE BED TRICK at Seattle Shakespeare Company in March 2024.

Describe your 2021 NHP conference experience

The 2021 New Harmony Project conference was a lot of folks' first big development experience back from COVID-19 isolation. People seemed to be buzzing from the excitement of just being in close contact with other artists. Personally, Covid hit during my first year of grad school. One of the reasons I chose UCSD was the proximity to my husband's parents, who were having health issues. In March 2020, my mother-in-law passed away due to heart failure. We spent the next few months living in her home in Santa Ana, mourning, sorting through boxes — then six months later, my father-in-law passed due to complications with dementia, and it was the same thing all over again. I know a lot of people had a hard time writing during isolation, but for me... I was in school, so I had the accountability of my professors and classmates, but also — I really needed to write. Our home was filled with so much death and grieving, and I needed an escape. I wrote A LOT. And in 2021, it felt like I was let out of this tiny writing hole, and I was able to once again see how my art and my voice and, just my whole SELF fit into the world.

I have this vivid memory of sitting in the hot tub in New Harmony and befriending a random interracial couple from town. I took them up on their offer to give me an hours-long unofficial golf cart tour of the town — taking my (new, at the time) friend Caity-Shea Violette with me as we recklessly rode alongside the Wabash River, tailed it through the cemetery, checked out all the most bizarre items in the Working Men's Institute. I wrote too, but the golf cart tour really brought out my thirst for adventure again, reminded me to be bold, to embrace the strange, to listen to people unlike me — and all of that seeped into my work to make it feel alive and fresh again.

WHERE DO YOU Find Inspiration?

I listen to a lot of music when I'm plotting/thinking, every piece has a playlist that is extremely distinct, so I can't really put my finger on one musician/band. This year, as I've worked on SHARON and THE BED TRICK (among others), my top bands were the Zombies and Wet Leg.

I still love The White Stripes a lot. They inspire me NOT to aspire to perfection, that the flaws are what make art relatable.

I watch a lot of plays, I read a lot of plays, I watch a lot of TV/film. I wish I read cool books, but I mostly read old Agatha Christie's or YA fantasy novels. Not everyone agrees, but working in film/TV has made me a better playwright. It's taught me that theme and messaging don't have to come at the expense of entertainment and storytelling.

Recently I've been inspired by some cool plays: RADICAL by Isaac Gomez (who was also at New Harmony in 2021!) and CRABS IN A BUCKET by Bernardo Cubria. I'm also watching the FARGO series for the first time, and I cannot believe it took me this long. Also, season 2 of the podcast IN THE DARK was recommended to me by writer/director Kareem Fahmy (NHP Alum) and Theater Mu's Lily Tung Crystal, and it was insanely inspiring.

WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING routines OR habits?

I have ADHD and do not take medication for it! I will not sit down at my laptop unless I feel like it. I never want my laptop time to feel like a punishment. I listen to music and run, do the dishes, walk my dog, do laundry, just thinking and thinking and thinking about my project and all the different ways it could go — until it feels like my brain is going to burst open, then I run to my laptop and let it flow. I don't obsess about punctuation, I don't agonize over the perfect word. I just trust my first instincts. Not being too exact in the first draft actually makes me more open to cut and revise and make giant changes later, nothing ever feels too precious. Same thing with hearing it out loud: I try to get people to read it out loud before I start getting too attached to any moments.

Another ADHD trick! I work on multiple projects at all times. That way, if my mind wants to procrastinate on Project A by working on Project B, that's still a super productive day!

CAN YOU SHARE ANY tips about the business?

I started as a regional theatre actor, which is good and bad. It means I had spent many years unknowingly building relationships with theatre orgs and arts leaders, but it also meant a lot of having to prove myself in order to be taken seriously in my new career path. 

A couple things I've learned:

"Networking" doesn't have to be a dirty word. General meetings don't need to be stressful. In fact, most arts leaders are overworked and stuck in boring meetings, and they are excited to get to chat with artists. Don't try to pitch them your project. Truly, only bring up a project if they ask, or if it naturally comes up in conversation. We're not here to get programmed into their next season (though that would be nice). We're here to build a long-term relationship.

Sure, a lot of people have had great success writing adaptations of super famous books, focusing on solo shows, keeping in mind all the things we think theaters want. But for me, it was actually stepping away from what I thought theaters "wanted," that I started getting produced more. The last few years have gotten me back to — "What do I want to see onstage?" And it turns out other people want to see that thing too!

Matchmaking: Organizations will try to match you up with directors and dramaturgs they like! Just because someone is famous or well-respected doesn't mean they're right for you or for this specific project! I don't really consider myself to be an "intellectual," and I often can't stand working with directors or dramaturgs that are overly intellectual — sometimes I just have no idea what those people are talking about. And that's ok! I instead collaborate with artists who understand what I'm doing, and who speak my language.

ANY Dream Projects?

I'm really excited to dive into my MTC/Sloan commission — I've written multiple plays now exploring AAPI identity, AAPI Southerner identity — the play EXOTIC DEADLY: OR THE MSG PLAY really dove into my mom's side of the family (my Japanese side). For MTC, I'm writing a play about nuclear power, taking inspiration from my dad's side of the family. My dad is a white, retired nuclear engineer who spent most of his career working in international offices. He grew up super poor, says the wrong thing almost constantly, but is someone I greatly admire. I'm interested in writing a story about nuclear energy that doesn't just veer into sensationalism, and I'm excited to write an empathetic play focusing on a man very unlike me, as he considers his "legacy".

Follow Keiko on Instagram:  @keikothegreen

NHP Artist Spotlight

Artist Spotlight - Eliana Pipes

Eliana Pipes attended the 2021 NHP conference, and is the playwright of BITE ME, a new play running now through October 22 at WP Theater in New York. She took a few minutes from her busy schedule to comment on a handful of topics. Learn more about BITE ME >>

The 2021 Pandemic Conference

“I am still so grateful for my experience at New Harmony in 2021, it was the first in-person theater convening I had since the COVID-19 pandemic landed, and it was incredibly meaningful for me to be able to share space with the NHP community. The pandemic clipped the end of my graduate experience, and like so many I felt really isolated from the theater. Coming to New Harmony was a real breath of fresh air – playing volleyball with the other writers, enjoying shared meals again, and hearing new work again. I’ll never forget my time there.”

Inspirations and Influences Behind BITE ME

“I typically write large cast nonrealist plays, but BITE ME is a naturalistic two-hander in a single location – which was a big switch up for me.  When I was working on it, I re-read Amiri Baraka’s The Dutchman, Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries, and revisited Scott Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell’s Underground Railroad Game.”

Writing Rituals

“I’ve been keeping a journal since I was 13 years old and it’s been such a valuable tool for me as a writer and a person. I type my journal, so I basically have a word searchable record of the process of growing up – which came in really handy for this play that takes place mostly in high school. But even beyond that, journaling has been a huge part of helping me develop my voice as a writer and a daily way to get me started with a writing session.”

The Journey into Theater 

“My path into the theater industry is really unusual because I got involved at a really young age. I grew up in LA and came into theater through the education department and nonprofit arts programs that came to my public schools. That, combined with my nerdy parents who are both English majors and met in a book club, set me up to appreciate the arts and see my place in the field. The competition circuit has been a big part of my growth as a writer, I started entering Young Playwright’s Competitions in high school and then moved into full length play competitions and built a network from there. Awards are so subjective, but even when I didn’t win the prize, I became connected with people in the network of readers who responded to my writing. I wish I had profound golden wisdoms to offer, but really my only advice is to keep writing and keep sharing what you write.” 

Future Dream Projects

“I’m excited for all my future projects! I’m looking forward to getting more plays out into the world and seeing new iterations of each of them. “

christina michelle

Christina Michelle Watkins (she/her), is a Black, queer writer, performer, Tarot reader, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Stories and relationships— listening to them, creating them, reconstructing them, performing them, connecting them— are the consistent threads in her work. She helps communities create cultures that provide reciprocal support, engage in authentic communication, and remember the ways interconnectedness can be the greatest strength.

More here >>