We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claire Carson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Claire, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I studied playwriting in undergrad and had some incredible experiences and mentors that shaped how I write and the kinds of stories I want to tell. I received a grant to travel to Ethiopia, work with double-orphaned children, and write a play about the experience. I set a goal to write every day during the summer I spent there, and through that experience, learned that I work best, creatively, within structure and writing from the middle of an experience; if I had waited to write that play when I returned it would have been something different, something less authentic. I also loved my playwrighting professor in University, Dr. Gretchen Smith.

One of the most influential resources for me has been ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. It’s like my writing bible and completely reframed how I thought I “had to” write. It gave me permission to abandon traditional story structure, when starting something new, and just lead with intuition. I spent a long time trying to be an “outline girlie,” when I’m just not. Now I say, “my first draft is my outline,” and I think if I’d embraced the unknown of telling a story a little earlier, I might have learned to trust my own voice sooner.

I think the single most essential step when it comes to editing a play is hearing it out loud – often! Hear your plays as soon as you can and as many times as you can, as you edit. Get friends together and read each other’s work. Hearing is so different than reading your own words over and over – you can gain so much insight from just integrating how people interpret your work, bring cadence to it, pacing, assumptions, etc – it clarifies so much .

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi, I’m Claire! I’m a multidisciplinary storyteller: an actor, sound designer, and playwright. I grew up in a theater family and have been acting professionally since I was 10 years old. I studied playwriting at Southern Methodist University and was mentored by Writers Guild of America playwright Gina Femia throughout my fourth year. Post-grad, I continued my studies under award-winning playwright Will Power during a yearlong fellowship at the Dallas Theater Center.

My produced plays include MICHELLE WITH WET EYEBALLS, HYPOCHONDRIA, SHADOW WOMAN, and most recently KISSING IN THE GROCERY STORE which premiered with Whim Productions in Kansas City this February. My work leans toward the surreal, darkly comic, and psychological, often exploring themes like trauma, memory, and the contradictions of being human.

I’ve also been sound designing professionally for the past 10 years, which is something I just sort of fell into. I took an independent study on sound design in college, but never imagined it would become such a big part of my career until a director friend asked me to design a show they were working on. It snowballed from there, and soon I was designing at many of the major theaters in Dallas, where I was based at the time. One particularly exciting collaboration was with the legendary Regina Taylor and The Old Vic in London, providing sound for a development workshop of her play JUBILEE. I love sound as a medium; it can completely shape the emotional perspective of a moment. Sound and music also heavily influence my writing; my creative process often starts with asking myself what the play sounds like – creating a thematic playlist, finding the tones and frequencies of the world I’m building, etc.

Right now, I’m writing a horror film that explores executive dysfunction and dissociation in corporate America. It blends magical realism, absurdism, and psychological horror to unpack the pressure of productivity culture and toxic work environments. The project is personal, surreal, and (I think) pretty spooky, and I see it as the first step in a longer-term transition into film and television.

What I hope sets my work, particularly my writing, apart is its willingness to sit in contradiction: grief and humor, fear and desire, dissociation and clarity. I’m drawn to the strange, the layered, the psychologically thorny. I care about stories that ignite the senses, hold space for complexity, and offer both catharsis and a little chaos. My queerness also deeply informs my writing, both in terms of whose stories I center and how I approach power, identity, and intimacy. I’m interested in narratives that challenge binaries and reject easy resolutions.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me, it’s that I bring heart, curiosity, and a deep commitment to truth-telling into everything I create. I believe in making work that reflects our weird, aching, beautiful minds and world and in building collaborative spaces where art can thrive.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2023, I briefly stepped outside the art world to work in digital marketing. I did this for benefits and financial stability. And while I gained invaluable experience in SEO, website optimization, and project management, what I learned most was this: I don’t want to spend my days doing work that doesn’t contribute to something bigger. And I don’t want to hide who I am to fit into a corporate mold. I was making more money than I had before and I thought that would make me feel secure, but it was actually very destabilizing. Still, I think I needed that time away… after five months without theater, I’d never felt more grateful to be making art when I returned and I came back not only with renewed appreciation, but with a new skillset in digital marketing that now supports and enhances my creative pursuits

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is the community and connection it fosters. After opening night of my play KISSING IN THE GROCERY STORE, I was in the restroom when I saw a woman crying. I asked if she was okay, and she responded, “Yeah, that just healed something in me.” And then I started crying too! The community we build art with, and the community that receives it, is what makes it all worth it. It reminds me that it matters. People sometimes say, “The world needs art now more than ever,” but I’m not sure I agree. I don’t think the world, as a whole, needs art. I think people need art. Individual people. And when it reaches them, really reaches them, that’s the reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clairecarson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncleclarb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairejamesoncarson/

Image Credits

Jordan Fraker