To Waco We Go

By Playwright, Jen Huszcza

Lately, I’ve been down on theatre. It’s thankless. It’s no money. It’s dying. Do I even want to do it anymore? Then, Tiffany sends me a call for plays with a theme that gets my playwriting brain working, so I write some plays and send them off.

This time, the theme was Planting the Seed. When I thought of planting, I immediately thought of flowers, so naturally, I had to write a play called Flowers for three male actors about social immobility and top soil.

Then a few days ago, I received a happy email from Tiffany. My play was a semi-finalist, and it was getting a reading in Waco, Texas. I howled and laughed in delight.

First, Little Black Dress INK produced my work in Arizona. Now, the reading is happening in Texas. I’m playing the Red States. Yes!

I will admit that the first thing that pops into my head when I hear Waco is that the Branch Davidians had a standoff with the FBI in 1993. I remember that sad business. February through April, twenty one years ago, it was happening.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is also a good Theatre Arts program at Baylor University in Waco.

Wanting to learn more about Waco, I googled.

According to the official City of Waco website, Waco also is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper and has a Dr. Pepper museum. Oh yes, I’m a pepper. You’re a pepper. She’s a pepper. He’s a pepper.

Another random fact about Waco: they found mammoth bones along the Bosque River, and there’s a Waco Mammoth Site (closed on Sunday and Monday, $7 admission for adults).

So Waco has tragic history, theatre people, Dr. Pepper, and old bones. Yep, I think my play will fit right in.