A feeling overwhelms me while driving at night here in Nebraska, when I can see from the interstate the distant lights of houses out on the farms and become aware of the people living there under those lights. It’s a feeling of distance and mystery, but also a kinship, as if seeing those lights and pondering them brings us closer together and allows me to know them, even to love them in a way. I remember years ago, pulling off the interstate late at night and seeing a trucker waiting in a long line to drive his big rig into a truck wash. Seeing him there in the window of the cab, patient and resigned, broke my heart. I still tear up when I think of him, and I still can’t explain why. What compels me to write plays is this need to know and connect with others, to understand the things that are important to them and allow them to go on living. I crave a shared and meaningful experience in the theatre that sends us home spiritually charged and determined to be better people. Even if it's a fleeting transformation, it's always worth it.