Interview with Spanish Playwright Antonio Rojano

Antonio Rojano is a self-taught playwright, and he is well-taught! He has won almost every main Spanish theatre award there is, and he has even been nominated for a BAFTA for the script of “Deadlight”, a video game for Xbox Live Arcade & Steam. Antonio represents a new generation of writers able to depict the times we live in with a strong dramatic voice.

What is your first childhood memory of theatre?

I remember, playing a role in a theatre workshop at school. I also have memories listening to radio plays when I was a child.

When did you know you wanted to pursue this path?

It was late. When I was about 21 years old I received my first writing residency. I had the opportunity to live with other writers in the same place. We shared experiences, books, ideas… We did public readings during that time. A great experience. I feel that was the start of my career as a playwright.

If you weren’t in this profession, what would you be doing?

I studied journalism. Probably I would also be writing, but for a newspaper.

Who is the person who has most influenced your work?

I have many influences in my plays. Lots of writers. I cannot choose just one of the “classic” playwrights (O’Neill, Ibsen, Chekhov, David Mamet), but I can admit that Rafael Spregelburd, an Argentine playwright, is a deep influence on my latest plays.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in the business?

Read, read, read… Playwrights are writers, so we must read everything we can. Also, I would say: ‘Go to the theatre, and listen in the streets’. We have to train our “ear for dialogue”. Our material is the musicality of words.

In three words, describe the theatre scene in your city.

Alternative. Renewal. Fighter.

If money were no object, what would your dream project be?

Probably I would like to write/make a movie.

What is your greatest challenge as an artist?

I want to write someday a theatre play divided into episodes as a TV show. It would be a big challenge for my writing. Also, I can add that it’s always a challenge to connect with the audience and tell them a story. As an artist, It’s enough of a challenge to do that.

How do your parents describe what you do to their friends?

“The boy spends the day talking out loud to himself.”

If you were to write your own epitaph, what would you say?

“Road ends here.”

Antonio Rojano was born in Córdoba, Spain in 1982. As a playwright, he has writen Sueños de arena, La decadencia en Varsovia, El cementerio de neón, Katiuskas and Fair Play. He has received some of the most prestigious awards for young playwrights in Spain as the National Prize “Calderón de la Barca” (2005) or the “Marqués de Bradomín” Prize for Young Writers (2006). His play Nací en el Norte para morir en el Sur was translated and read at the Royal Court Theatre during the summer of 2010, when he was part of the 23rd International Summer Residency.