Author's Biography
Karon Sue Semones was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia. After 10 years with the The Elizabeth Playhouse (11 miles from NYC) she returns to the Roanoke Valley with a new venture. Karon Sue will be the Playwright in Residence at the new Star City Playhouse in Roanoke, opening in 2006.
Education
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Hollins University '91 with B. A. degrees in both English and Theatre, in the Hollins Horizon program.
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New York University Tisch School of Dramatic Writing with Shirley Lauro '90
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Graduate M.F.A. in Playwriting Columbia University. Finished credits at Brooklyn College with Jack Gelber '95
Karon Sue at 2
"As a child, I spent a lot of time in the corner in my little rocking chair for telling 'tales' that I swore were true. My mother walked out of my first play and said 'I think I finally understand you' (at age 36).
"Even though I'm in the theater I really hate center stage. I'd rather hide behind my actors and even taking bows for my own work makes me freak out. When I was four I would lip sync to Elvis but before I would 'perform' I would make my family leave the room so all my grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. would have to peek around the corner to 'see' my performance. I haven't changed a bit.
"My husband directed my first play at Hollins for a showcase and we wrote back and forth for almost a year (not unlike Browning and Barrett) and got married the next year. He had a small apartment building down on Spring Street in NYC so I moved there and then bought an 1851 church 11 miles out of Manhattan for a theater.
"I've always said that playwriting is collective insanity as everyone can see your imaginary friends. It's the most fun in the world. "
"Fifteen years later I read Rick Bragg's ' All Over But the Shoutin' and got so homesick for my mountains I had to come home. Thankfully my husband didn't divorce me as it meant selling our theater and packing up ten tractor-trailers full of costumes, sets and props. It helped too that the city where we were living had raised our taxes to over $30,000 a year. Homeless or moving... hmm. Not a hard decision to make overall.
"The Elizabeth Playhouse was born in an 1851 church in Elizabeth, NJ. I say born because there was nothing there but walls. We created thirteen apartments to support the chapel theater and our mission was two-fold. To save an historic structure and create a theater where everyone could afford to come. We did both for ten years before packing up and coming back to Virginia. No major regrets.
1890's writing desk in my studio
"I took a theatre history class with a professor from the Moscow Art Theater and he insisted that I take one of my short stories and make a one-act. When my first character walked across stage I was totally hooked and theater became my total focus and life.
"When I was at Columbia University we had to perform a certain amount of backstage work as part of our M.F.A. program. So I volunteered to do props and I had to make a bird cage to house an 'auk.' The actor kept breaking it to be 'dramatic' (which wasn't necessary to the script) without regard that I had to stay to fix it causing me to come home late from Harlem so I came up with the idea that I'd make it from steel rods... funny he never broke it again. Never disrespect your backstage help.
"I loved having a theater in my living room. My favorite show of all times was O'Neill's Great God Brown. Our company did a stunning job with the masks and I don't know if I'll ever have the privilege of seeing it performed again.
"Favorite line from a play? From Sylvia (the dog) 'chase me.'
"Daughter Barb has been the highlight of my life. A little Cyndi Lauper, who loved playing music, reading books and has a wicked sense of humor. She now does research and library work in DC, and has her own webcomic FragileGravity.com. She's also given me my one and only grand baby 'Da Sugarbear' Alex.
"Barb's always put up with her mother's creative side. Always a ready editor and tries to show up at her mom's productions. Even sends flowers on occasion."
Special Thanks...
To Cindy Lahiff who will always be my partner in crime and cloth and whatever meanness we can get into.
To The Elizabeth Playhouse Ensemble (the best acting company) I ever worked with who were brave enough to play new characters and jump off a few creative cliffs with me.
Extra Special Thanks...
To Gurney Norman, who started it all.
To Adriana Trigiani, who believed when there wasn't much there!
Rick Bragg has been a generational shaman for those of us who couldn't write our momma's stories. He keeps our Appalachian Hearts strong with his truths and reflections of Southern life.
To Cathryn Hankla, who still believes.
To Anatoly Antohin, who conjured the playwright in me.
To Shirley Lauro for her "extra mile" care and belief in me.