Each play I write has its own unique origin story.

Each play I write has its own unique origin story.

Plays are getting smaller and smaller, not because playwrights minds are shrinking but because of the economics.

I can't quite remember the exact moment when I became obsessed with writing a play about the seemingly endless war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but I knew that I wanted to somehow tell the stories of the Congolese women caught in the cross-fire.

I see the audience as the final collaborator. I think it's kind of bullshit when people say, "I'm not interested in the audience reaction." I'm like, "Then why do you do theater? You can write a book, then you don't have to see how the audience reacts." It's a living, breathing thing.

It's much easier to conjure characters strictly from your imagination than to have to think about whether you're representing people in a truthful way.

African American women in particular have incredible buying power. Statistically, we go to the movies more than anyone. We have made Tyler Perrys career. His films open with $25 million almost consistently.