Where are you from and where do you reside now?
Born in San Diego and grew up outside of New York City. I think this West Coast/East Coast origin story is why I’m part chill/dreamer and part cheerfully neurotic!
What is your artistic discipline?
Dramatic storytelling in theater and graphic novels.
When did you become a Member?
I became a member of Youngblood right out of the New School (Parsons/Lang) in the early aughts. Through this, my first play was produced and I had my first experiences as a produced, reviewed, and published playwright. After my first EST/Sloan commission for my play “Flow” (Never produced, but radically moved my career forward), I was selected for Membership, so that’s probably around 2005 or so…
What is one of your favorite EST Memories?
My time in Youngblood was the first time that we were producing our own productions. Up until that point, Youngblood was a writing group and we shared our work though very small designated slots for us or in readings. Though the group had been in operation, we had never been on the MainStage.
I was proud that we were a part of this push for new voices. One of those new voices was my best friend, and ground-breaking storyteller, John Belluso. My favorite memory is all the work put into putting on his work, and seeing the play of one of his masterpieces Gretty Good Time come together.
My other good friend in that group was Christopher Shinn, who wrote about John for American Theatre here: https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/10/20/what-john-belluso-taught-me-about-disability-christopher-shinn/
The work we did, also thrust forward the work of Amy Fox, J.Holtham, and eventually for future writers in the group leading to Rob Askins whose play Hand to God, which started there, moved to Broadway, and to all the terrific writers working there today.
I’m super proud of my time in Youngblood and I love recommending new writers for the group. Working with my friends day in and out on pivotal important plays, and learning from them made me the writer I am today. Because of Youngblood, I was also never afraid to have robust conversations with producers, because I wasn’t scared of understanding what producing entails.
What is influencing or inspiring your artistry right now?
A sense of theatricality in our culture which was hitting pre-pandemic, is now coming back. My work is fueled by unique storytelling which are strong plays but also theatrical experiences (like Open or Rain and Zoe Save the World.) Recent experiences like Primary Trust, Water for Elephants, and Russian Troll Farm float my boat.
About Open: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/theater/open-review-the-tank.html
About Rain and Zoe: https://www.rainandzoe.com/
Who are your artistic influences?
They rotate based on new artists I discover, but staples for me (in addition to the names/pieces above) are: Paula Vogel, Lynn Nottage, Hansol Jung, Qui Nguyen, Anne Washburn, Susan Lori-Parks, Gina Femia, Andrea Stolowitz, Doug Lyons, Erika Dickerson-Despensa, Deborah Yarchun, Dominique Morisseau, Karem Fahmy, Chisa Hutchinson, and Kimberly Belflower. My best friend, and frequent collaborator, Bobby Cronin is always cooking up some musical theater magic as well.
What was the best play/film/TV you watched recently?
Fallout for TV; Strange Darling for film; Theater-wise, the work of the Kuperman Brothers in storytelling (Outsiders) and Chris Gatelli (Death Becomes Her) is calling to me! I keep thinking of the play Mary Jane by Amy Herzog after seeing it. It haunts. As for what’s running now - Table 17 at MCC (Doug Lyons) is sooo good! I’m also excited to see The Ask by Matthew Freeman at the Wild Project which just opened.
What advice do you have for emerging theatermakers that you wish you knew?
The road is long; and here’s the thing…. it’s WAY LONGER than you think. But by being uniquely you, digging into that, deeper and deeper… finding the truth of your voice, yet honing your craft is the way to go. I work from a place of “yes”, but the world often operates from fear or a place of “no”. You don’t have to lose your optimism in the face of those who are operating from that limited place. Keep going. I knew I was onto something because I have a strong audience base. What I found is that my work is artistic and commercial, which is more in fashion now. So in an odd way, you can control what you write, but there will be a time when your work will be more understandable and find the right folks. Don’t stop communicating. Keep showing your work, keep in conversation. In a way you’re teaching others the language of your artistry.
What are you working on now?
Currently I’m in conversations with New York and Regional American Theaters about my piece Rain and Zoe Save the World after its UK premiere, and my new play Rocket Men which has an NNPN Rolling World Premiere starting in Fall 2025.
More about Rocket Men: https://linktr.ee/TheRocketMenPlay
How can people connect with you?
You can read/see more about me at my website:
I’m @CrystalSkillman on all social media. Insta is my main social. My direct public email is: crystallouiseskillman@gmail.com or you can write to me through my website.