Douglas Carter Beane talks about his show 'Finding Dorothy Parker'\” />

Five-time Emmy-nominated playwright and screenwriter Douglas Carter Beane chatted about his new show “Finding Dorothy Parker.”

It stars such acclaimed thespians as Julie Halston, Ann Harada, Jackie Hoffman and Anita Larsen with music composed by Alistair Wroe.

These three shows will take place from September 2nd to 4th at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (at West Bank Café) in New York City.

How did “Finding Dorothy Parker” come about? 

It started as a COVID project actually.I was sitting alone re-reading from my vast collection of Dorothy and I was reminded that I always wanted to hear the funniest woman I knew read these things.

Out came the Zoom calls and then the very wide circles with folks in masks.

We did a couple readings last summer at The Players Club (a private club in Manhattan) and now here we are sticking out our little toe into the cabaret world.

What was it like working with your 4 leading Broadway ladies?

Oh I wish they were mine but they are everybody’s and consequently very tough to schedule!

I go back decades with these gals so finding material to match their talents is a breeze.

And I know so many notes and flavors  they have that I can access. The real delight is when they surprise me!

What did this show teach you about yourself?

Fantastic question. I think to listen -truly listen – to what other people are saying,  I am not the writer here so I am learning from the words being spoken.

Not being a woman I am grasping the female experience. And as far as comedy, forget it. I just shut up and learn.

What do your plans for the future include?

I would love to see this in a sit down production. I would love to film this for Netflix or record it for audible.

I want to see high schools, women’s groups, colleges, and community theaters do this. Let’s go. Dorothy is a great American, let’s celebrate the heck out of her.

How does it feel to be a playwright and creative in the digital age?(Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)

I feel that all the other “legacy forms” (TV and Film) are failing so everyone is rushing into the theater.

Kinda pushes us Carny Trash out, but it’s nice to have my art form noticed. 

What is your advice for young and emerging playwrights and writers in general?

Write every day, even for five minutes. Keep journals going with projects you might not get to for a year or two, just have a place to write notions down. 

Don’t let negative feedback even touch you. They all want to be you. Trust me, I know.

What does the word success mean to you?

It means not having to have a day job. It hasn’t happened since 1994. But it still feels a not-so-distant memory. No, truly, getting a project where I want it is success.

Everything else good or bad is just the breaks. And you don’t get as much as a say in that as you think.

What would you like to tell our readers about “Finding Dorothy Parker”? What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it?

I want to remind us all that there were writers, popular writers, who resisted fascism when they saw it. 

For all her light comedy, Dorothy left her estate to Martin Luther King, Jr., and on his death, to the NAACP. We can all be more than what people think we are!