For Chance Whitmire '94, writing plays is a way to express the dynamics of relationships and choices facing people of our generation.
He jokingly describes his plays as "after school specials gone horribly wrong."
"I like writing about young people trapped between being young and growing older because that's where I am in my life," Whitmire said.
A drama and English major, Whitmire began writing plays his Sophomore Fall when he landed a place in an advanced playwriting class.
He is currently working on the one-act "The Beautiful People Die Twice," which is under revision and will be produced Winter term, with a staging in Center Theater possible.
One of the highlights of Whitmire's Dartmouth career was his '93 win of the best play award in the annual Eleanor Frost competition for the one-act piece "Stay."
Working with the New York Theater Company during the summer of his sophomore year was a turning point for Whitmire. "It was a great help to me as a writer," he said. "That's really what inspired me to go along with playwriting."
In addition to writing, Whitmire has dabbled in acting, stage design and directing. "I am fortunate to have done a bit of everything," he said about his experience with drama at Dartmouth.
Summing up the motives behind his work, the playwright said: "My plays aren't going to change the world. I write about what's important to me with the hope it will be important to others."
