An interview with Tyler Creech, writer of From the Many debuting Thursday, November 12 during the MU Theatre Digital Fringe Festival. Written by Theatre 200 practicum student Anna Czeh.

Was there anything in the playwright process that you needed to revisit?

The original script was a hybrid play, wherein half of the scenes occurred as a projection in a theatre space, and the other half took place on stage as a play. Therefore, I had to make quite a few changes to any of the staged scenes, including some of my personal favorites, such as the staged murder of a planted audience member. I also cut somewhere around twenty pages from the draft that we ended up using for the film, so as to account for the wild time crunch and Fringe premiere schedule.

What is your favorite part and where did you get the inspiration from?

My favorite part of the script would probably have to be Theodore’s monologues about art history, and how those famous artists parallel what is going on in his head. I got the inspiration from a solo series monologue that I had written for a class my freshman year, which birthed the character of Theodore Rose, and focused on Leonardo DaVinci, and his exhumation of corpses for anatomical study. I always found so much intrigue in the historical facts behind the bizarre nature of so many famous artists.

What was challenging while working on the film?

Filming a show of this size required quite the dedication to a strict schedule, which is easier said than done in the unpredictable era of coronavirus, but nevertheless, we prevailed. We also learned the many possible misfortunes that lurk in outdoor shoots, whether it be rain, temperature, light, or audio; there was always something to dance around.

What is something you would tell a future Miamian?

I’d advise anyone and everyone to share their creative works because you never know when it will end up in the right hands. From The Many was written under a Hiestand staircase over a number of weeks, just to pass the time before class. If I hadn’t shared it with others, it would not be taking full artistic form as it is now. I have an unmatched team of brilliant artists to thank for bringing this show to life in ways that I never could have imagined.

Watch all 18 MU Theatre Fringe shows at miamioh.edu/mutfringe