Iris Rhian (all pronouns) is a playwright and actor from Canada and the United States and brings a varied geographic perspective to their work. Iris’ writing spans a cross-section of genres from investigative theatre, to weirdo comedy, to nontraditional musical theatre.
Originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, Iris trained at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where they had their work developed and performed. After graduation, Iris held a two-year playwriting fellowship at Central Square Theater in Boston, where they developed two interview-based plays with local adolescents. Iris’ work intersects with themes of identity politics, eco-crises, and populism-related anxieties.
Since relocating to Toronto/Tkaronto a year ago, Iris has been developing a new play: Baby. This darkly comic piece, which centres on early adolescent procreation, and is set against the backdrop of a fundamentalist cult, most recently received a staged reading as part of Talk Is Free Theatre’s “I Do, I Don’t, I Dare!” Festival in September, 2024.
We made some questions for our members to know Iris Rhian better.
What are some Canadian plays every aspiring playwright or theatre enthusiast should read?
I adore María Irena Fornés’ writing! Mud and Fefu and her Friends are iconic pieces to start with. Additionally, I gravitate to Naomi Iizuka’s body work. I find her lucid adaptations of Greek myths particularly poignant, as evinced in Anon(ymous) and Polaroid Stories.
TELL US ABOUT THE PLAYS AND/OR PLAYWRIGHTS THAT HAVE SHAPED YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY. FEEL FREE TO RECOMMEND A FEW MUST-READS THAT HAVE BEEN TOUCHSTONES FOR YOUR CREATIVE EXPLORATION!
Oh my goodness so many. So. So many. Thematically, a strong place for me to start is Paula Vogel. A queer playwright with a self-identified interest in sociopolitical concerns, How I Learned to Drive, The Baltimore Waltz, and Indecent have been so influential to me. Lynn Nottage is similarly a playwright I really admire. Intimate Apparel, Ruined, and Sweat are playscripts I tend to revisit again and again — about once a year or so.
DO YOU HAVE ANY UNIQUE RITUALS OR ROUTINES THAT FUEL YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? WHETHER IT’S A SPECIFIC WRITING SPACE, A FAVOURITE WRITING SNACK, OR A PARTICULAR TIME OF DAY WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES, WE’D LOVE TO KNOW THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DETAILS OF YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY. SHARE YOUR TIPS FOR STAYING IN THE ZONE!
Every play process is so different, and requires such distinct parts of me, that the rituals I develop organically tailor to each process! That said, I tend do a few things every time: I make a playlist of sounds connected to the world that I like to put on as I write. Additionally, I will make a lexicon of words, phrases, and references that feel as though they want to live inside the play. When I reach a creative impasse, I will reach out to somebody who I feel could speak from personal experience about the time or context or themes of the piece, just to give me a different perspective to consider.
TELL US ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PARC FOR YOUr DEVELOPMENT as a writer. WHAT WAS THE IMPORTANCE/ IMPACT OF OUR SERVICES FOR YOUR work?
Okay, so, way, wayy back in 2017 (after my first year of university), I was the Crake Student Intern at PARC’s Playwrights’ Retreat in Sackville, NB. My first experience with PARC was administrative: I printed scripts, brewed coffee, and did my best to facilitate a positive experience for the Retreat playwrights and actors. Then, in 2021, freshly graduated from theatre school, I WAS a playwright at the Retreat. I received dramaturgical support from the shrewd and savvy stalwart of Atlantic Canadian theatre, Don Hannah, who helped me to make enormous strides on my play, as well as my craft. In the most formative years of my career, PARC provided the tools, discipline, and belief that I, too, could be a playwright. I am endlessly grateful to Santiago Guzmán, Lara Lewis, and the countless other intrepid writers and theatre artists in community with this unbelievably supportive organization.
Learn more about Iris Rhian:
