It seems your work pushes the boundaries.  Is that one of your goals as an artist – to push the envelope a little bit?

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I used to run a Shakespeare company for five years in Philadelphia and I've always been interested in work that talks directly to the audience and is in your face and fun. Hence there's always music and drinking and, you know, hopefully joy! So I think that has always been a part of me. 

 

My director/co-collaborator on “Free Space” (Griffin’s one-man show) and I took about two and a half years to make that piece. The reason I approached him was because I saw that he had worked on stuff like what I was trying to do with Shakespeare but on a much smaller, more intimate scale. Like in an apartment room, where I was doing that in a park, so it was marrying the two worlds in a way. I thought he was the perfect person to work with because that was the kind of stuff I wanted to do. 

 

So it seems collaboration is a huge aspect of your life. What are some prerequisites you have for collaborators that you work with?

 

Mostly being cool. I love being okay with not knowing the answer, being able to develop a vibe and, at the same time, being able to challenge and push each other. Knowing that being the kind of artist that doesn't want to know the answer is always key to seeking something else.