Adam Gwon talks about his new show ‘All the World’s a Stage’

Adam Gwon. Photo Courtesy of Adam Gwon.

Drama Desk-nominated musical theater playwright Adam Gwon spoke about his new show “All the World’s a Stage.”

What inspired you to write “All the World’s a Stage”?

A few years ago, conversations were starting in the news about gay teachers, what they were and were not allowed to talk about and teach. It made me think about my own high school teachers.

I realized that certainly some of them were gay, even though in the mid-‘90s it was not something that anyone talked about.

I started wondering what it would’ve been like to have had a teacher I knew was gay when I was a teenager.

Would my life as a kid discovering his own identity have been easier, or more complicated? The show is really an ode to the teachers who inspired me, and changed my life.

What inspires you each day as a playwright and composer?

With every project I take on, I’m trying to answer a very personal question that I don’t know the answer to.

By turning that question into a story, I hope I can make it personal for the audience as well.

I love writing songs that illuminate an everyday human experience, maybe something that I haven’t heard a song about before.

Songs are magical because they can elevate something commonplace into something transcendent!

What do your plans for the future include?

Part of the theater’s mission in commissioning this piece was to create an intimate musical that theaters across the country and across the world could perform.

There aren’t a ton of meaty musicals for communities that don’t have the budget for big spectacles or large casts. I hope this show will reach those places after its life in New York City.

Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?

Early in my career, an actor I’d worked with developing a show was replaced by another actor that the producer wanted instead.

I reached out to let the original actor know what had happened and how much I valued her work on the piece.

She was shocked – not that she was replaced, but that I had taken the time to let her know and thank her.

Apparently that was not typical show biz – actors never knew why they were let go from certain projects and were always just moving on to the next thing.

Since then I’ve made a point to be honest and kind with people in the face of difficult moments like this. “Show biz” is a roller coaster, and we’re all just human beings who are on the ride.

What is your advice for people that wish to pursue a career in theatre?

If you want to be a writer, write a lot. And see a lot of theater! Even shows you don’t like will teach you something. And go see lots of different kinds of theater.

Uptown, downtown, Broadway, off-off-off Broadway. Plays, musicals, experimental works. The more varied your influences, the more unique your voice will become.

How does it feel to be a part of the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent)

Digital technology has made music-making and collaborating more accessible to so many people. It’s great.

The tools we have at our disposal as composers are pretty mind-blowing. And I love being able to connect with fans across the world through social media.

At the same time, it’s made me value the in-person connection of theater even more. Theater is all about finding new ways to bring people together into the same room to experience something together.

Now, technology lets people carry that experience into the digital space. The connection continues there, which is exciting.

What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)

Success for me is all about the people I get to surround myself with. I’m a people-first kind of collaborator: I find the people I want to work with, then figure out what we want to make together.

Theater is such a collaborative artform, so I value those relationships above all else. I’m grateful and amazed I get to work with some of my idols on “All the World’s a Stage.”

What would you like to tell our readers about “All the World’s a Stage”? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)

We are in such a polarized moment, but I really feel that most people, in their hearts, just want to connect with one another.

That is what the characters in this show are feeling, and what I think audiences will relate to as well.

It can be hard to show up and engage authentically with people who might see the world differently than you do. But it’s the only way to counter the forces that seek to divide us.

To learn more about playwright and composer Adam Gwon, follow him on Instagram.