The next best thing to gambling and winning is gambling and losing.
[Using humor to explore serious issues] disarms people. It's a way in. It's gentle, but at the same time it's subversive, and I like that duality.
When do I say No? I say No when I feel that the intention of the play, or the spirit, or tone - or text! - is being knowingly changed. Fortunately, this has happened only once. Next time I would say No earlier, and definitively. Otherwise, ultimately, the only No you have is No, you can't open the play. And that No is very very hard to say.
I do choose to write for a living - in addition to writing plays. I no longer write sitcoms, and I no longer feel shame.
I definitely write from a need to try, in my own two hours, to right a wrong. My little play is inconsequential in terms of whether or not we have health care, but it may affect the way people who see the play think about the issue.
I couldn't care less about walking down the red carpet in a pair of heels and a posh frock. I'd rather be in my pyjamas at home.
It's a powerful thing to know that you are empowering someone to lift themselves out of poverty.
One of the things that always comes up in my writing is the search for freedom, especially in women. I always write about women who are marginalized, who have no means or resources and somehow manage to get out of those situations with incredible strength - and that is more important than anything.
The Bible makes clear a basic truth that we self-centered humans find difficult to accept, namely, that the natural universe was not created primarily for us. There is no doubt that God wants us to enjoy it and even use its resources to optimize a good life for ourselves. But the ultimate purpose of creation is worship. Nature and all living things were created to glorify God.