On the back page of the February issue of Writing magazine, we asked you to come here today! Congrats! You made it!  I'm glad that you did. Because we have a special treat in store for you...

Allan Knee is a famous playwright who has written a musical theater adaption of Little Women, a PBS miniseries adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, and a children's theater adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days. What Mr. Knee is most known for, however, is his brilliant play based on the life of J.M. Barrie. Barrie was the author of the classic children's book Peter Pan. Mr. Knee's play is called Finding Neverland. In 2004, it was turned into a movie of the same name, starring Johnny Depp.

WORD recently asked Mr. Knee a few questions about Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, and his professional writing career. Enjoy.

WORD: Can you talk about the similarities between J. M. Barrie and Peter Pan that inspired you want to write your play?

Allan Knee: The purity and playfulness of both Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie caught my interest immediately. Both Peter and Barrie love life, and they love it in a very special way. They love life in its state of innocence and awe. They love play and adventure. And they're both eternally young, eternally hopeful  and eternally naive. Yet there is also a sadness in them and about them. For the world and other people continually grow beyond them. And in the end, though they always cling to hope, they are both very much alone.

WORD: Why do you think the story of Peter Pan is so loved?

Knee: Peter Pan appeals to the child in all of us--the child who likes adventure, who wants no part of the adult world, who takes refuge  in the magnificence of a place called Neverland, a faraway land filled with fairies and mermaids and pirates and crocodiles and timelessness. It is this innocence of the heart that captures us.
     What could be more magical than the moment in which Peter wills the audience to clap its hands to declare its belief in fairies in order to bring Tinkerbell back to life? In an instant we are in a world of blind faith and imagination.

WORD: Why write plays? Is the allure still there for theatergoers?

Knee: I remember seeing a movie a few years ago about a tormented playwright. At a moment of extreme crisis the writer cried out, "I should have been a dentist, so I could have inflicted pain on others." How often I've repeated that line! But the truth is, I love playwriting, pain or no pain. I see life in terms of drama, conflict and resolution. I love creating characters. For me, playwriting is the most emotionally rewarding of all the literary disciplines. It gets to the heart of me.

     I enjoy the collaborative aspect of theater a lot, even though there have been instances of great emotional turmoil. And audiences are sometimes terrifying to me. I want to reach every person. I want to please everyone. And I can't. I can't please an entire room, an entire theater. I can't please the entire world. Nevertheless, I want to. And that never stops.    

     Sometimes an amazing moment occurs when a stranger actually comes up to you and tells you how profoundly moved they were by your work and suddenly it all becomes worthwhile--instant healing. Of course, as a writer, I've experienced bad reviews--terrible reviews. And that never stops hurting. I never stop obsessing over how I could have made my work better. But when it comes down to it, writing plays is what I want to do. This is what I'm here for. Writing is my passion--it's my life.   And nothing short of annihilation will turn me from it. That sounds a bit dramatic, but you know what I mean. 

 

WORD: What advice do you have for our young potential playwrights? 

 

Knee: My advice to young playwrights is to prepare yourself for a lot of rejection. Playwriting is an uphill battle. But many goods things in life are. And it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. And if I had it to do over again, I would do exactly what I am doing. But the truth is, the world isn't reaching out for original plays today. But if this is what you want to do, if this is what brings you satisfaction and joy, then go for it. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  

     You have one life, you have to go where your passion is. And if you fall on your face, pick yourself up, wait a few hours, and start again. And if you smash into a wall, wipe off the blood, change the mood, play some music, do a crossword, and start again. And if you can, if it's possible, write every day, write something every day, keep a journal, free associate, write anything. And it doesn’t have to be good, don’t judge it. Hold back your critical facility, for awhile anyway. Keep the writing muscle alive and working. It's your gift.