“As a director you’re the king, much like a playwright is in theatre. So many times in film the screenwriter is considered the village idiot, but a writer/director is considered a double threat.”—David Scott Hay, Writer & Director

Human nature, betrayal, devotion, survival and trust are just few of the themes you’ll find in the work of Chicago writer and literary director of Visions & Voices Theatre Company, David Scott Hay. Influenced by Charlie Kaufman, Chuck Palahnuik and comic book geniuses Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, Hay’s biggest literary inspiration seems to be that of David Mamet. “My style comes from the Mamet school. I like how he deals with language,” says Hay. “I don’t have the vast knowledge of the history of the theatre, nor do I care to, plays are just another form for me to tell a story.”

Although Hay may not be keen on theatre’s vast history, praise for his current pieces, as well as experiences with the production of his first play, Killing Lucifer (written and performed in 1997 for New Playwrights Theatre of San Antonio), reveal that the magic of theatre certainly hasn’t skipped over him.

His newest play, [the] Violent Sex—presented by Visions & Voices and directed by Stage Left’s artistic director Jessi D. Hill—makes its world premiere at the Chicago Dramatists April 25. “The dramatic crux of [the] Violent Sex is: What do you do with a secret where disclosure or silence means betrayal?” says Hay.

With five novels and six other scripts completed—including the play Celeste, winner of the 2002 Illinois Arts Council Finalists Award—Hay admits [the] Violent Sex is his most personal work to date.

However, the anticipated opening of such a private piece is not the only reason for Hay to feel elated, if not a tad bit nervous. Hay is fresh back from LA, where he recently wrapped production of his first screenplay Hard Scrambled, starring Kurtwood Smith (“That '70s Show”), Richard Edson (Stranger Than Paradise) and Eyal Podell (The Insider). Hard Scrambled, originally one of Hay’s first plays, also marks his directorial debut. What makes Hay’s success so sweet is that it’s a little indie film fairytale come true.

Hay was the first-ever recipient of Creative Screenwriting magazine’s New Visions Fellowship (NVF) script contest. Formed by Erik Bauer (managing editor of Creative Screenwriting), producer Jim Mercurio (columnist for Creative Screenwriting) and writer/producer Dean Morini, NVF’s mission is that of finding and promoting screenwriting talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The collected experience Hay has gained in script writing, theatre production and now in screenwriting and film direction, is almost ironic considering Hay’s desire to write was initially something to be pursued more as a sideline career.

Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hay received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma’s Professional Writing Program. “My ultimate goal was to be a writer,” says Hay. “Learn as much about writing, get a degree in writing and then get a job in some other field while I wrote on the side.”

Pursuit of this goal kick-started when six months out of college, and working on his second novel, he signed on with Ray Bradbury’s agent. Unfortunately, that agent soon left the business. However, Hay plodded on. During this time he moved to Texas, where he met Brian Alan Hill, now artistic director of Visions & Voices. Soon it was suggested that Hay write a play. “I thought, 'Well that’s about 90 pages of dialogue as opposed to a 500 page novel, that sounds like fun’ so I did it.”

His first play, Killing Lucifer, was produced by Brian Hill, then the founder of the New Playwrights Theatre of San Antonio. After Killing Lucifer, the New Playwrights Theatre of San Antonio produced Hard Scrambled. Throughout the process, Hay began to develop a style and love of theatre. “I’m a big proponent of black on white, ass on chair and the imagination as muscle,” says Hay.

In 1998, Hay and Hill moved to Chicago and—with John Beckman—officially launched Visions & Voices Theatre Company. Hay and Hill then chose to remount Hard Scrambled in Chicago, where it went on to win the 1998 Globe Award for Best Play.

The inspiration for Hard Scrambled came from a quirky conversation that took place in 1997, says Hay. “My roommate was watching an episode of 'Xena’ that he had already seen, so he started telling me a story of when he worked in a diner with this waitress who would only play Bon Jovi music. He starts imitating the waitress yelling out an order—'HARD SCRAMBLED.’” Hay continues, “I had never heard that term before, and I announced to him 'that’s going to be the title of my next play.’”

Hay began writing the story but stopped after nine pages when, as he says, “I had nothing to say.” Then that summer, spurred by an unjustified job loss, Hay finished writing the play while out in Northern California.

The idea of making Hard Scrambled into a film came when he saw In the Company of Men. “[That movie is] very inspiring because it’s essentially a bunch of two-shots, a three character piece and made for 30-40 thousand,” said Hay. “I thought I could do that with Hard Scrambled. I started putting some ideas together and then I saw the contest in Creative Screenwriting. They were requesting low budget, one location scripts and the entry fee was free. I thought 'great that fits the budget!’ It was also cool because the writer would get the chance to direct.”

By 2001, Hay received word that NVF had chosen his script and pre-production was to begin immediately. This first meant the producers had to raise money and finalize casting. When Kurtwood Smith signed on as the lead, just days after reading the script, the rest of the cast fell into place. And the budget ended up around half a million, according to Hay.

Now with shooting over, Hay can best reflect on an experience he was initially a bit reluctant about. “In pre-production I thought, 'I never want to direct again,’” says Hay. “My producers were more the challenging type than the hand-holding type. And there was this moment that I was sitting across from them and I remembered all my production experiences through theatre and I thought I’m going to have to rely on myself and my DP [director of photography], Matt Heckerling, to shepherd the initial stages of this project.”

Once Hay got on the set with the DP and the actors, his attitude changed. It was at this point he knew he could never go back to just being a scriptwriter.

“As a director you’re the king, much like a playwright is in theatre,” said Hay. “So many times in film the screenwriter is considered the village idiot, but a writer/director is considered a double threat. Plus, it cuts down on agreements between the director and writer.”

However, Hay does recall the differences involved in the writing process: “In theatre the playwright can change something and everyone says okay and that’s it. But in film with every decision, whether it’s changing one word in one line of dialogue, everyone feels the need to have input, and the producers will have a say. I found myself writing many essays of why I changed something in the script. Ultimately this was good because it clarifies the reasoning and, also, when an actor asks why you’ll have an answer.”

Currently, Hard Scrambled is in final editing stages and the producers are working on getting a distribution deal, as well as a slot in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. While Hay waits to hear word on his film, he’s busy writing future screenplays—including one Smith has already expressed interested in—and, of course, getting ready for the premiere of his play.

[the] Violent Sex centers on Daniel who’s celebrating the publication of his book and his planned wedding proposal. His future seems bright until an ex-lover arrives and discloses an unsavory secret. The play is cited as a piece that explores the vocabulary between the sexes, and Hay admits is a “therapy play” he wrote nearly three years ago. “The play was sparked by an argument with an ex,” says Hay. “Of course, over a few years I worked on it in terms of dramatic structure and character development. It couldn’t be just about what happened to me—just because it happens to you doesn’t mean it’s interesting.”

Casting for [the] Violent Sex happened months before rehearsals; this was a '“saving grace” for Hay. “When we did the first read-through I was really apprehensive,” says Hay. “I found the piece to be…joyless and cynical. I realized it really didn’t represent where I was as a writer or as a person. Jessie [Hill] encouraged me to sit down and do some rewrites from where I am now.”

With rewrites completed and the world premiere weeks away, Hay is happy. “[The rewrites have] energized my excitement and enthusiasm to see this play staged.”

While Hay is well on his way as a full-time writer—and quite possibly director—he still maintains a day job working in what seems like a whole other realm from writing, master carpentry for one of Chicago’s leading furniture designers. Maybe it’s there that Hay reflects on his journey and the tidbits of knowledge he has picked up along the way. “My first play was almost overwritten, and my latest has a ton less dialogue,” said Hay. “That comes from experience of working with actors and doing readings. I know that actors will fill in those gaps.”

While balancing writing, the day job and a budding film career, Hay also upholds his role as literary director of Visions & Voices ,believing very much in the theatre’s philosophy: “Many of us involved in theatre did not choose theatre…it chose us.” It is the mission of Visions & Voices to promote new works and adaptations in American theatre, which first attracted Hay to the company. (Thus far, Visions & Voices has produced critically-acclaimed new works such as Accidental Rapture by Eric Pfeffinger and the winner of the 2003 Jeff Citation for “Best New Work,” Vintage Red and the Dust of the Rose by Robert Koon.)

With the ongoing praise of Hay’s work, it is evident that in some vehicle or another his stories will continue to be told, and Hay will always be provoked to keep writing them. “Every piece has its own motivation; some pieces you’re inspired by it just being a cool idea, a 'what if,’ and others you’re trying to work some things out. I vacillate between stories that appeal to my inner child and stories that appeal to my inner criminal.”

Hay reflects for a moment and then adds, “My recent pieces are much more hopeful as there’s no salvation in cynicism.”

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