Many author interviews have appeared here, but until now I’ve never interviewed a playwright. Today’s interviewee writes both stories and plays. One of his stories appears in Extraordinary Visions: Stories Inspired by Jules Verne.
David A. Natale has written since he was a kid in Cleveland.
He received his BA in Theatre Studies from Yale and an MFA in acting from the University of San Diego and the Old Globe Theatre. David then spent eight years in New York before moving west.
Most of Natale’s career has been as a performer and playwright. His one man show, “The Westerbork Serenade,” tells the true story of Jewish actors in a Nazi transit camp in Holland during WWII. It won a Seattle Times Footlight Award in 2007 and toured the Netherlands in 2010.
His latest play, “Around The World in Less than 80 Days,” which follows reporter Nellie Bly’s 1889 global race, was produced at Key City Public Theatre in 2022.
After years of struggle in performing arts, Natale makes the transition to the literary milieu. He has been published in Italian Americana, Cultural and Historical Review. And his short story, “Nellie and Jules Go Boating,” appeared this year in the North American Jules Verne Society’s latest anthology, Extraordinary Visions: Stories Inspired by Jules Verne.
He also seeks a publisher for his supernatural mystery thriller about a pizza driver: Pizza Stories: Deliveries from Beyond.
David lives in Seattle with his wife, step-son and dog. He works as an actor, stage-hand and pizza man.
Now, on with the show…er, interview.
Poseidon’s Scribe: How did you get started writing? What prompted you?
David A. Natale: There were a number of writers in my family: My dad was a newspaper reporter for more than 50 years. My mom also started out as a reporter before becoming a public defender. I had a great aunt who was an author and reporter with her husband in England. I remember looking at the row of their novels on a shelf.
But mostly, growing up I remember my dad telling us stories about his childhood in the Old Neighborhood, a working-class Italian enclave on the West Side of Cleveland. He had a whole colorful cast of characters.
My mom would read us things like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Once, when I was scared of thunder, she said it was just the elves bowling in the clouds. I believed her. Telling stories was always a thing in my family.
P.S.: Who are some of your influences? What are a few of your favorite books and plays?
D.A.N.: The first books I read included, Wind in the Willows and Huckleberry Finn. I was also really into Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and that wave of fantasy writers along with classic Sci-fi masters like Asimov and Bradbury. I also read my mom’s old Fantasy and Science Fiction magazines from the 50’s and comics I found in my grandparent’s basement, like The Witching Hour and Dr. Graves. More contemporary influences include Carlos Ruiz Zafòn, Leigh Bardugo, Helene Wecker and Emily St. John Mandel. I also like Michael Connelly and John Le Carré. And Dashiell Hammett is so great, though I fear for everyone’s liver. As for plays and playwrights, Anton Chekhov gets my thumbs up. His short stories are even better. Right now I’m reading Salman Rushdie’s, Victory City. Three books that have had big influences on me are: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
P.S.: Your bio mentions living in Ohio, California, New York, Washington State, and travel to the Netherlands. Have the experiences of living in all these various places influenced your writing?
D.A.N.: Even if it’s in the future or some magical reality, I usually end up placing my stories in a place that is much like where I’ve been. The settings are a lot like Seattle or Cleveland, NYC or some lonely highway out West.
P.S.: You’ve written and performed a one-man show. What was that experience like? In writing the script and performing the play, how do you sustain audience interest with just one character?
D.A.N.: Well actually, in my one-man show, there are something like fifteen characters. That definitely keeps the audience engaged. In college, I saw the Italian playwright and performer, Dario Fo. He was a master at performing solo multi-character scenes. His lazzi, “The Raising of Lazarus,” includes half the city of Jerusalem! My director and mentor, Gin Hammond, is also amazing at this. Through simple shift of focus, body and voice, it is possible to create the impression of any size crowd and any situation as well as dialogue between two or more characters. Something about, “less is more,” allows the audience to fill in the gaps with their own imaginations which can be most effective and moving. If one person is playing the Jew and the Nazi, we are forced to see the full spectrum human behavior that is within us all.
P.S.: Your crime story, “How Marco Got the Business” got published in the journal Italian Americana, Cultural and Historical Review. Tell us about that story.
D.A.N.: It’s a story about a guy from a poor immigrant family trying to bust into bootlegging during the 20’s. I wanted to attempt a noir homage to the Old Neighborhood stories I heard from my dad and uncle.
P.S.: Congratulations on the performance of the play you wrote, “Around the World in Less Than Eighty Days.” You acted in the play as well. Please tell us about the play and what it felt like to have your script accepted and staged.
D.A.N.: Denise Winter, the artistic director at Key City Public Theatre, was going to do a production of Around the World in 80 Days. I told her I wasn’t thrilled with the script which seemed old-fashioned and not very PC. Me and my big mouth! She challenged me to make a better script. Because of COVID, we had almost two years to develop it.
Around the World in Less than 80 Days ended up being a mash-up of Verne’s story and the true historical 1889 global race between reporters Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland. In addition to Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, there were the characters of Bly, Bisland, Joseph Pulitzer, Jules Verne himself and more than 30 others; all portrayed by 5 actors.
It was a real thrill to have my play performed. I will say, though, that even though I know what a good play looks like, I find it really hard to make one good. But having the chance to hear, and say the lines one writes is a great way to find out if they work.
P.S.: Your story, “Nellie and Jules Go Boating,” appears in Extraordinary Visions: Stories Inspired by Jules Verne. How would you compare and contrast that short story and your previously-written “Less Than Eighty Days” play?
D.A.N.: The story expands on one scene in the play where Nellie Bly meets Jules Verne. It has a shared dream sequence where Bly and Verne fight a giant cephalopod.
P.S.: What are the easiest, and the most difficult, aspects of writing for you?
D.A.N.: Often, the hardest thing for me is just starting. I get the most chores and errands done whenever I have writing to start. I guess the easiest is when I have a general idea where a story is heading and I can just step aside and let the characters do their thing. It is a real thrill when a character does something you didn’t expect them to do and the story goes a whole new direction.
P.S.: Much of your career consisted of playwriting and acting. Only recently have you turned to short stories and novels (though you’re still writing plays). What was the transition like for you?
D.A.N.: A play is a collaboration. It engages artistry from many fields. So, a playwright can, and should, leave a lot open for interpretation. All you have to do is set the scene and let the designer and director figure out how to make it happen. Say who the characters are and let the costumers dress them. Write a line of dialogue and let the actor figure out how to say it. In a short story or novel, the author has to do it all! And they are expected to do it with some style. I guess I’m more familiar with the theatrical medium, but like I said, it can still be a challenge. To bring up Chekhov again; it’s interesting to compare his short stories and plays. In his play, a character says, “I am the Seagull,” and it’s up to the poor actor to figure out what the heck they are talking about. While in his stories, Chekhov will use great care and detail to explain what a character thinks.
P.S.: Your plays and stories span a wide range of genres, character types, and settings. Is there a common attribute that ties your fiction together in some way, or would you describe yourself as eclectic?
D.A.N.: As a reader and audience member, I enjoy a wide range of genres. So, I try to write the things I might like to read or see. I even considered taking a crack at a romance. I’m romantic but I’m not really a fan of the genre—unless there are ghosts or something. I’m for the underdog, so, in my stories, usually the protagonist is one.
P.S.: I understand you’ve been commissioned to write another play script, but it involves two subjects that seem completely disconnected. Tell us about this play and (if possible) explain how the topics are related.
D.A.N.: Key City Public Theatre is in Port Townsend Washington, a quaint Victorian sea town. They want a new holiday show that speaks to that audience’s interests. Hence, why not a story that combines a sailboat race with a gingerbread-house building contest? Well, it’s a commission, so I say—why not?
P.S.: Is it true you’re working on some fiction in the solar punk vein? Would you mind telling us a little about it?
D.A.N.: The story is for a contest that asks writers to imagine our world up to 180 years from now. It is supposed to explore a just and positive climate future. With all the climate doom and gloom, I wanted to face the challenge. It was a real mind opening experience. Once I started to think about what the world could be like if we just stopped being f#@k*ng stupid, I was amazed at how the ideas started to flow. That is the whole point of Solar Punk, as far as I understand it. If we can imagine a just future, we can make it happen. I mean, we are already living in a dystopian future. Or are we?
In my tale it’s 180 years from now. Earth is one World Commonwealth. Technological discoveries of fusion as well as advancements in robotics and, of course, A.I. have allowed humanity to prosper. But in order to qualify for funds, one has to take The Treatment: a psychoactive trip that forces one to grapple with one’s personal and historic climate crimes. Heck, I even put romance in the story. Check my website for updates…
Poseidon’s Scribe: What advice can you offer aspiring writers of plays, short stories, and novels?
David A. Natale: I would just say: Do it for yourself. If someone sees your work and is moved, that’s terrific. But if you enjoy writing, that is all that matters. Writing can be a real remedy for boredom, depression or despair and a real path to inspiration, happiness and hope—I mean for you personally.
Poseidon’s Scribe: Thanks, David. That’s great guidance for writers of both stories and plays.
Readers seeking more information about David A. Natale can visit his website. Information about his play “The Westerbork Serenade” appears here. An article about his play “Around the World in Less than 80 Days” appears here.
