Kristopher Karcher

I used to want to be a roller coaster designer. When I was about 9, I went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. I got the brochure ahead of time, and the whole ride there I was looking at all the different rides and attractions I was about to experience. There were all of these wild rides. Some with big drops, some that went upside down, others that hung from a track. To say I was excited would be  a huge understatement. Unfortunately, once I got there, I learned I  only made one of the roller coaster’s height requirement: The Big Bad Wolf. So I rode it seven times in one day. From the uphill, to the drop, to the dip over the water, I couldn’t get enough. I spent the next eight or so years designing rollercoasters on paper and online that defied all laws of physics, just trying to give my passengers the best ride of their life.

 

Come high school, I learned I was really bad at math. Actually, I learned really I hated math. And I dropped the designer idea. But then I found a love for writing stories. And I honestly found that rollercoasters and stories were pretty similar. You are taking someone for a ride. And there is nothing more beautiful than that escape. And with playwriting, that experience is even more beautiful; sometimes hundreds of people are going for the same ride, experiencing the same thing with you. Whether on stage, or in the audience, everyone in that theatre or warehouse or small black box is going through the same exact twists and turns.

Being a dramaturg is an incredibly rewarding experience. There is nothing more raw than a script in development. No matter where you are in the process, at the very center is a vulnerable playwright sharing his or her soul with a large group of artists, hoping that maybe, just maybe their piece can touch someone. I am here for you, playwright. My passion is to collaborate with other artists while protecting and developing new pieces of theatre. I want to help you tell your story in the best way possible, and in a way that it can reach your desired audience. I am here for those who feel their voice is not profitable. I am here for those who have a script in the sock drawer. I’m here for people of every race, color, and creed to help tell their story. I am an advocate for you, playwright, who is brave enough to share a piece of your soul with a room full of artists. I am here to help you create provocative, new, and conversation-starting theatrical pieces. I am here to challenge audiences. I am here to challenge theatre companies. I am here to raise light on issues the media won’t touch. I am here for honesty. I am here for creation. I am here for the ride.​

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