Spring Break
Award-winning playwright speaks to theater students
Peter Hironaka
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
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About 100 students were in attendance for the afternoon session and about 300 for the evening. McNally reflected on his decorated career and the people who influenced him along the way. He said one of his major influences over the years has been Shakespeare.
"He knew that language creates characters," McNally said. "He learned that everybody has a different vocabulary and rhythm when they speak. It's the kind of things a good playwright should be able to do."
He also said every good writer has someone to mentor them, and that it is important as a writer to work with a smarter person.
Danny Martinez, a graduate student theatre major, said he was impressed with the Tony award-winning playwright's knowledge of Shakespeare and his thoughts on writing.
"He came with a lot of different educational viewpoints," he said. "I'm new to theater. I'm new to playwriting, so hearing what he told me about inspiration and writing about what you know was valuable."
Nikki Walters, a senior theatre arts major, said she was surprised at how down to earth he appeared to be.
"I depicted him to be this grand celebrity, that he carried all his accomplishments on his shoulders," she said. "He seemed like a real humble man."
She also said she had been a fan of his before the lecture.
"I've really respected the amount of effort he puts forth into his characters and his stories," Walters said. "He really is quite the accomplished individual."
Center for Literary Arts co-director Kelly Harrison said McNally came as the Martha Heasley Cox Lecturer. Cox, a former professor at SJSU, donates money to the center and other projects such as the Steinbeck Center in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. library.
"Cox had said she liked McNally's work," Harrison said. "This is not something that he normally does, so we worked with his agent to come to an arrangement for him to come out."
Cox, who was in attendance for the evening show, said she was impressed with his lecture.
"He used his vast experience as a playwright and gave advice to new writers," Cox said. "I thought he was one of our best."
She also said she has been an admirer of his for quite some time. When McNally was a graduate student at Columbia, he worked as the tutor for John Steinbeck's two sons, John Jr. and Tom.
"Steinbeck decided before he died to show his sons the world," she said. "McNally went as a tutor for nine months. As they traveled, he had them repeat sonnets. I was delighted that he came, not only because of his great drama reputation, but because of his connection to Steinbeck."
Harrison said the center has been trying new techniques to host better events.
"We have tried to cross-pollinate theatre arts and the English department and get the two departments to work together on events," she said.
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