Richard Etchison, a founding member of InViolet, gives us the inside scoop on rehearsals for Pride and Sensibility, talks about the early days of the company, and why our co-Artistic director Michael Henry Harris is a dream bunkmate.

InViolet: How do you identify in the theater world?

Rich: A playwright. I didn’t use to be a theater-type. I didn’t go to school for theater, and I don’t act. Initially, I was into film mostly, obsessed with screenwriting and filmmaking (a long time ago, I wrote and directed a 16mm feature film – and financed (went bankrupt) it on credit cards.) Then I discovered theater’s immediacy and power and magic.

InViolet: Tell us about your journey as an InViolet.

Rich: What a ride! One of my very best friends whom I met in Atlanta in 2000, (co-artistic director) Michael Henry Harris, told me about his new undertaking back in 2007, and asked me to submit a play that could be read at the first InViolet retreat. They loved the script, and it became the first play we ever world premiered. I immediately fell in love with my fellow InViolets: we just all seemed to fit together, with our similar sensibilities – all so genuinely nice and talented and dedicated.

I think the creation of InViolet was “lightning in a bottle.” The company has workshopped several of my plays – and these experiences have been some of the best of my life. Being part of the company has changed me as a person, made me a better person. Though my wife and I moved away from NYC for a while (D.C., LA, Chicago), I remained a die hard “InViolator.” There’s nothing like having an artistic home – and family.

InViolet: What’s your favorite InViolet memory?

Rich: This is tough. 9 years of memories. Four years ago, while at our annual retreat, we received word of the first ever InViolet birth, member Annie Carlson’s daughter Caroline was born, and we all recorded a video of us singing “Sweet Caroline” for Annie. It was late at night after a long day of play readings and I found it so moving to celebrate such an event. It felt like being part of a loving family.

InViolet: We’re presenting your play Pride and Sensibility this week for our latest InProgress. Tell us all about it! What’s the process been like?

Rich: So much fun! There’s such total joy in workshopping a farce – because our cast is so gifted in comedic acting, and we laugh so much at rehearsals. It’s so different from producing a serious drama. Also, I have a lot of confidence in the script, because I have been working on it for a long time. I originally wrote it as a screenplay over 10 years ago, then adapted it last year for the stage. We read it at the 2015 retreat, and it was a scream. I think it’s especially difficult to create a quality stage comedy, especially farce – there are few truly funny plays in this genre. I have observed our cultural obsession with Jane Austen over the last 15 years, with all the adaptations and some attempts at parody, which I think all missed the mark. I’d like to think our play is the Austen comedy we’ve been waiting for. I love what director Mark Cirnigliaro has done with this workshop! Now let’s see if the audience likes it as much as we do!

InViolet: A few years ago you made the move from Chicago to NYC. Do you find the cities and theater communities to be very different?

Rich: Yes, verily. I lived in D.C., LA, and Chicago as well, over the past 10 years. Chicago has an excellent theater community, as does D.C. So many talented, enthusiastic theater people. LA – not surprisingly – has a small theatre community, but it just feels different. LA is an industry town and the industry is not theater.

InViolet: Your play Force Majeure was the very first play InViolet produced 8 years ago. What was that experience like? How has the company changed since then?

Rich: Wow, let’s get in the way-back machine. We were so scrappy and young, so naïve about facets of producing theater. For example, I needed to rewrite and workshop the script much, much more! We did not do any workshops or much script development. And I didn’t know enough to keep revising. That being said, I had a great time getting my first production. We made a million mistakes, but we DID it! And then we did it again (produced another world premiere) and knew more, and again, and so on. We have changed so much since then. We have learned a ton, and applied the knowledge. We ask questions. We try things. The company feels much more professional now, though we’re still learning.

InViolet: What’s up next for you?

Rich: After “Pride & Sensibility” this weekend, I intend to revise my newest play, a social issue drama inspired by a gripping “This American Life” podcast. I also am revising my first novel called “The Haven” based on my play of the same title that InViolet workshopped a couple of years ago.

InViolet: Of all the InViolet members you’ve been blessed to bunk with on our annual retreat, who has been your favorite roommate and why?

Rich: Michael Henry Harris’s thunderous snores provide a nice soothing white noise to fall asleep to. Plus we often cut-up and giggle and talk about girls deep into the night before we fall asleep.

The worst bunkmate was Bernardo, and he knows exactly why.

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www.richardetchison.com