THE “DETECTIVE”

THE BOYFRIEND

THE SISTER

THE BESTIE

THE EX-BOYFRIEND

THE MATRIARCH

THE PATRIARCH

THE PODCAST HOST

THE POLICE OFFICER

THE PODCAST PRODUCER

It all started at a dinner with some fellow writers who came together to celebrate a birthday. Stuck in my head and overthinking, as per usual, I wasn’t sure what to write when I was originally notified that I was accepted into the Minnesota Fringe Festival in early 2024. The consensus among the writers present at that dinner was that PEOPLE WANT TO ESCAPE— and so, on a whim, I said, “Ok, like a one-man whodunnit.” And there was a pregnant silence followed by a chorus of, “YESSSS!” So from that dinner onward, I set out to create an original whodunnit that would entertain!

I decided to write a play, not a one-man play. I threw caution to the wind and wrote monologues, dialogue, overlapping dialogue— you name it, I added it. I didn’t want to be held back by the idea of having to perform the words I was spewing in the writing process. And so, from draft one, I allowed myself the freedom to simply write, dream without limitation. The original version of the script had different villains, different cadences, and didn’t include Jennifer Coolidge. But after sharing the script with some trusted confidants and writers, I received valuable feedback that only enhanced what I had already created.

Once I locked the script (is it ever really locked?), I started to imagine it on its feet… And let me tell you, I was paralyzed with fear initially. I didn’t know how I was going to perform two characters at once, much less 7 characters sharing the stage in the penultimate scene! Then I remembered… I’ve done this before! But on film. During the pandemic, I taught myself how to edit video on green screen, and I could utilize those skills by creating another character… a video track. And so a new idea was born, a multimedia performance with underscore and sound effects. The music and soundscape of Francis Grey is really another character in the show, and I leaned into this heavily. That said, the scene with 7 characters didn’t get solved until a brilliant friend of mine sat down to watch a run through of the show two days before opening in Minneapolis in its inaugural run… I completely stopped, threw my hands up in the air and said, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” She looked at me calmly and said, “Well. You’ve written yourself into a corner. So let’s get back to basics. What do you have onstage that you can use to help you tell the story?” To that question, the only answer I could come up with was… blow up dolls.

Before that first production of Francis Grey, I was ordering anything that fit the world of the play I imagined. From puppets, to mannequins, to blow up dolls, to wigs… you know, serial killer workshop vibes, which also happens to be my aesthetic. What are the things that fit the world of the play? And so, I also had to think about locations. Where is everyone and how do I establish that with no set? The answer? Video again. I could place the video where I wanted to be and the projection would help tell the story.