atre in Philadelphia where Kelly
received important feedback. She
let their advice sink in and took
a break from the play for a while.
When she returned to it, she heard
the voice of a daughter for the first
time. The third character helped
her round out the story.
As part of her father’s grant, Kelly
was able to study playwriting in
Ireland at the Fishamble Theatre
Company as well with Bruce Graham and Michael Hollinger, a pair
of Philadelphia area playwrights.
She also took advantage of the
National Playwrights Symposium
at Cape May Stage, attending for
three years where she met some
of the biggest names in the business. The experience helped her
as she worked on her first play.
“I’ve learned so much in Cape
May,” said Kelly McCarthy. “That,
to me, is like graduate school.
They bring in brilliant writers and
you’re immersed for a week. You
are with your peers and have a
true safety net there. You don’t
feel intimated; you feel like you
have the love and support of everyone. Everybody wants everyone to do well. Just to get the ad-
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NJ STAGE 2016 - ISSUE 8
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