I got into theatre as a writer. I was a Fine Arts major in undergrad at the University of Missouri–Columbia. I wanted to break up the tedium of four hour studio classes, with a class where I got to sit at a desk and read and write. But I had an aversion to facts at the time. So I took a creative writing class. I took it so many times that they eventually wouldn’t allow me to take it anymore.

Why did you decide to get into theatre? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
Norman Allen: It’s entirely my parents’ fault. They began taking my sister and me to shows when I was 7, but they were very thoughtful about how they did it. My mom would sit us down by the old record player and play an original cast album.