Q&A with Buffalo Heights' playwright Adam Harrell

Buffalo Heights is TIC's first world premiere production, a comedy about a new teacher who moves to Buffalo to teach French, only to find herself embroiled in scandal when she crosses the wrong student.  The production was devised, or company-created, over the course of six months, and the resulting script, crafted by playwright Adam Harrell, is as goofy as it is heartfelt.

The show runs for 8 performances, May 7-10 and 14-17 at 8 PM at The Bridge Theatre.  Purchase $18 tickets online or by phone at 212-868-4444.

Playwright Adam Harrell

We sat down with our playwright, Adam Harrell, to get his thoughts on creating the new comedy, hometown pride, and other sources of inspiration.

1. What has been your favorite part of creating Buffalo Heights?
The development process--there was always an air of excitement and collaboration, like we were kids playing house.  Everyone took full ownership of their roles, they were generous and listened intently to their scene partners, and made excellent choices.  Having the resources and talent for a production like this is quite an honor, and I was humbled on a daily basis by everyone's commitment.

2. Buffalo Heights embraces Buffalo, NY's hometown pride.  Where are you from and how to you show your local spirit?
I'm originally from Louisiana, which makes me a fan of the New Orleans Saints and soul food.  However, Buffalo Heights High is loosely based on my old high school in Centralia, WA, where I spent most of my teenage years.  Centralia had a little league baseball field, Wheeler Field, that sold these amazing things called "Wheeler Burgers" in the spring, and they were absolutely a hometown point of pride.  To this day, I can't pass one up!

3. We took inspiration from two existing plays, The Children's Hour and Rhinoceros, in the creating of our new piece, Buffalo Heights.  What are your favorite aspects of the two inspiration plays?
In Rhinoceros, I most enjoyed the absurd back-and-forth between the two leads, Jean and Berenger, which ended up being the inspiration for Jean and Fran's relationship in the play.

In The Children's Hour, I was impressed by how the play's themes of sexuality, politics and societal norms were still fresh and relevant for a play written in the 1930s.