Writing

Artistic Statement – Colette Marie Murphy, Playwright

I am a Southern California-based playwright who writes relatable, understandable, and familiar characters in often unexpected or unbelievable situations.

I first fell in love with the theatre when I was five years old and my family took me to a local high school’s production of Our Town by Thorton Wilder. Decades later, I still remember hearing the character Emily ask “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” I’ve strived to answer this question through my writing ever since.

What do I write?

I write big concepts in small moments and vice versa.
I write the mundane in the fantastical and vice versa.
I write action influencing emotion and vice versa.

My plays focus on communication – how we (sometimes) get it right, how we (often) get it wrong, and how we (try to) learn from one another along the way. Even when I write characters that aren’t human, I explore the complexities and contradictions of humanity through how my characters communicate with one another.

In partnership with communication, my plays dive into relationships. Familial, romantic, friendly, soulmate-y, antagonistic… The way we connect with and build lives with/against/around one another and the highs and lows we navigate together are central to my work.

My plays exist in multiple genres and span the spectrums from comedy to tragedy and realist to absurd, but regardless of where they land in terms of these classifications, they all – at their core – offer insight into how we can interpret and experience our shared reality and the impact we can (and do) have on the lives of others.