We recently sat down with the playwright of Her Beautiful Sound and 2024 Laurie Award Winner, Cris Eli Blak! Cris shares his inspiration for this piece and why audiences should come see it.
Hi Cris! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us. Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was raised in Houston, Texas. I don’t really have a “theatre background.” It honestly wasn’t something I was interested in growing up. The only time I saw theatre was on the off-chance that my school went on a field trip to one, which only happened like twice. I didn’t even go to see school plays. It seemed so distant from anything I was interested in. I felt a divide between myself and what the theatre had to offer, even as a child. My entry point to theatre was writing and performing poetry, which I started towards the end of high school. I didn’t write my first play until a few years later.
What was your inspiration for Her Beautiful Sound?
My inspiration for Her Beautiful Sound was wanting to tell a story about art’s ability to help us through hard times, its ability to save us and act as a form of release, an exhale. That’s what I got when I started doing spoken word poetry in high school, so I transferred those feelings to the character of Nina. I was also inspired by the fact that I was raised by a really strong mother and grew up surrounded by strong female influences, which made me want to put a lot of focus on different generations and create a celebration of culture and self-expression, pride in not only who you are, but what you are and where you come from.
Tell us more about your writing style.
My writing style is very much dialogue and character-driven, as you’ll see when you watch Her Beautiful Sound. I love the rhythm and musicality of dialogue, and the way that every character is kind of their own instrument with their own voice and way of expressing themselves. This is why I call myself a “wordaholic.” I love how much can be conveyed by putting the right series of words together in a way that makes people feel seen and heard, and I love writing characters and dialogue that actors can really have fun with and make their own. I see actors as athletes. What they do is a sport. It’s magical. So I try to give them good stuff to work with.
Why do you think audiences should see HBS?
Because it truly has something for everyone. Do you like stories about coming-of-age? Here you go. Family? We got that too. What about music? Yup. Friendship? Right this way. No matter how old you are or what kind of life you’ve lived, I think this is a story we can all connect to and see ourselves in. But I also think this helps show that we are more alike than different, more together than separate. We all know how it feels to grieve, but this play shows us that there are also ways to heal and have hope, no matter how things might look in the moment.
Fill in the blank: Her Beautiful Sound is …
Opening on March 28, so buy your tickets now!
What other projects are you working on?
I’m always working on something. My play Whirlwind opens in Virginia in June and the first public reading of my play, Dominant Animals, is going up in New York City in May. I have some other shows that are part of festivals in Los Angeles and Houston in May and June. I’m part of the creative team of a couple of exciting musical projects and am writing a new play about a musical legend that is looking to open Off-Broadway next year, as well as a social satire that is also aiming for an Off-Broadway run next year. I’m working with a director I know on developing a television project and am writing a couple different personal projects that will hopefully see the light of day when they’re ready.
How can folks stay connected with your work? (Website, Social)
I’m trying to use it less, but I am on Instagram @criseliblak and my website is https://criseliblak.wixsite.com/my-site
Thank you Cris for joining us! Don’t forget to check out the world premiere of HER BEAUTIFUL SOUND, right here at The Growing Stage, running March 28th through April 6th.
