We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Quinn Xavier Hernandez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Quinn Xavier, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
It is incredibly difficult to pick just one project as a most meaningful and I think that’s a true blessing. I also believe that it’s hard to say any one project was more meaningful than the others because I’ve been discovering that each one has led to the next. For example, I’m currently the Playwright-in-Residence at Actor’s Express. I’ve been writing a full-length play for AE since November 2021 and it’s probably the highest level project I’ve gotten to work on so far in terms of budget, scope, and reputation. It didn’t fall into my lap out of thin air though. I’m very acutely aware that being selected to be the first Playwright-in-Residence for Actor’s Express’s New Play Commissioning Program is directly tied to the previous work I’ve done with them and around the city. There was the first commission I did with them back in 2020 (my play YOU ARE GOING TO DO AMAZING THINGS), my episode of the New Play Podcast Crossroads that same year, and my work on the reading committee for the 2019 Courtroom Drama series between Actor’s Express, Working Title Playwrights, and Georgia Lawyers for the Arts. Before that I was up for consideration for the Actor’s Express Directing apprenticeship and Freddie Ashley (the Artistic Director at AE) had read my work while serving on the panel for the 2019 Ethel Woolson Lab through Working Title Playwrights. Individually those projects might just look like different points on the timeline that is my career, but looking back it all paints a very clear picture of how I’ve gotten to this project. It’s a domino effect at the end of the day and I’m thrilled to see how this will lead to the next opportunity!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I started in theatre as an actor (which is probably not surprising given that’s how many young theatre artists start.) I played Lumiere in my fourth grade production of Beauty and the Beast Jr at Crowder’s Creek Elementary in Lake Wylie, SC. Immediately I was bitten by the theatre bug and did a slew of community theatre productions in the various larger cities that surrounded my small town. I eventually was accepted into a gifted and talented program for the arts and went on to list Drama as my high school major. But as I grew up, I started to realize that while I liked acting I didn’t think it was quite what I wanted to do with my life. I started looking at schools as an English or Creative Writing major since I enjoyed those subjects the most, but then my drama teacher and my AP literature teacher sat me down and were like “you know you can write plays as a career right?” I hadn’t even thought about how plays get written or any of that but I was immediately intrigued because it felt like marrying my academic and personal interests. I applied to several schools out of state, including my top choice NYU, but ultimately ended up going to Clemson University. I thought I would only be there for a year or so, but Clemson’s Performing Arts department is truly that school’s best kept secret. My education from Clemson focused on being a well-rounded artist that embraced how each area of theatre builds on each other. I was able to write plays, sure, but I also developed a love for directing, still did some acting, and discovered the joys of scenic painting. I firmly believe my getting to try all of these different areas led to my career here in Atlanta. I’ve had the great fortune of working at many different theaters in the city because of those varied skillsets and I can see those experiences and the hard work paying off now that people know me a little better. I may have only worked in any one place very briefly as a scenic painter or read on a committee for a festival, but those people know my work ethic and my adaptability now. They’re willing to take a chance on me and give me something new to try for the first time.
I’m really proud of that progress and I want everyone who interacts with my art to know that everything any artist does builds on itself. I’ll admit, I’ve been spending a lot of time the past year just playwriting, but the skills and techniques I’ve learned as a painter and designer and director still come into the play while I’m writing. They help me envision the worlds I’m putting onto the page. I haven’t acted in almost two years, but you can bet I’m still using what I learned almost 8 years ago now in my acting classes to help make the characters I write more dynamic. And as I look forward to December, next Spring, and the Summer of 2023 where I’ll be mostly directing, I know that what I’m learning right now as a writer will no doubt play a part in how those projects shape up.
I don’t know how pervasive the old idea of “you can only be one thing” is anymore as far as the industry is concerned, but I can assure you it is tired and needs to be put to bed. I’m meeting more and more people that identify as a multi-hyphenate artist nowadays. For anyone reading that still subscribes to that belief: I encourage you to embrace the intersections of your artistic identity. You don’t have necessarily do all of those things well, but doing them–the actual act itself–is what will help you be a better artist overall. So go do them. And enjoy!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The answer here is very simple for me and can be broken down into two points:
1) Support LOCAL artists.
2) Support new works.
It really is that simple. Atlanta has so many people and artists living here that have so much incredible talent. Why are organizations flying people in from New York or Chicago still? The talent is here and it needs space to flourish. We could easily be the greatest theatre scene in the country if we just took the time to give our local artists the same opportunities, pay, and accolades we throw at outsiders so readily. The producers I’m talking about know all to well who they are and if they truly want to create a thriving creative ecosystem, they need to start investing here and not just in the talent they already know and love.
The second point is mostly selfish. I’m tired of seeing the 37th production of South Pacific or Oklahoma or David Mamet or Neil LaBute play. Those pieces had their time. I’m much more interested in seeing what will become the big thing and the only way to see that is to invest in new works. Preferably by local writers such as myself!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For a long time my answer to this question was getting to hear that people are able to see themselves in my work or that my work feels incredibly true to life. I think now that I’m taking charge a little more and have a little bit of pull as far as what projects I work on, the most rewarding aspect is being able to lift up my fellow artists. If I’m not able to do something, I always recommend at least two other people that I think would be a great fit. And it’s always wonderful to hear back from them or the person I threw the recommendation at that they ended up being a great fit. I really love getting to see people I love have opportunities whether it’s because of my work or because I chose to not take on that work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://newplayexchange.org/users/12995/quinn-xavier-hernandez
- Instagram: @quinnxaviertheatremaker
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quinnxaviertheatremaker/
Image Credits
Working Title Playwrights