Maeve Z, a Village Home Alum who spent more than 10 years in the community, headed off to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City this fall with an impressive list of accomplishments already under her belt. Maeve recently checked in to let us know, “NYC has been wonderful so far and AADA is everything I hoped it would be and nothing I expected. The fast-paced, demanding environment evokes collaboration and ingenuity. I’m finding new inspiration and new co-collaborators around every corner.”
Just in time for Halloween, Keizer’s Homegrown Theater staged a spooky tale called Let the Right One Burn, written by Maeve Z, inspired by Julius Long’s 1934 short story The Pale Man. Her debut show was Leaving Manzanita, which she finished writing when she was 16. Leaving Manzanita had its debut as part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, where Maeve was the youngest participating playwright. Since then, two of her other plays have been produced: The Icarus Paradox, a Village Home Zoom production, and Reckoning, which premiered as a part of Portland Center Stage’s Visions & Voices. Her adaptation of The Great Gatsby was slated to premiere this winter, but COVID-19 has put that project on ice for the moment.
When asked, what inspires her, Maeve’s answer was quick and clear, “People are my biggest inspiration, hands down. People I know, people I barely know, people I’ve never met in my life — they all end up in my plays.”
She misses the forests and the food in Portland, but is happy to be where she is in New York honing her craft, and following her passions. Stay tuned — we will be reading and watching more of this talented writer’s work!