Playwright John Guare on finding subjects, trusting the unconscious and teaching in Missoula talk

Playwright John Guare spoke in Missoula (date not specified) about how he finds ideas, his career milestones and his approach to teaching playwriting, telling the audience that much of his work comes from travel, memory and “waiting for your unconscious to deliver.”

Guare said the seeds of major plays often arrive by chance. "I started writing The House of Blue Leaves that day in Cairo," he said, describing a 1965 trip during which newspaper clippings about the pope’s visit to New York prompted the play’s subject. He later described writing Six Degrees of Separation in one intense burst in 1989 after hearing friends’ troubling anecdote and then researching a public figure he referenced in the script.

Why it matters: Guare’s talk gave local students and theatergoers direct insight into the creative process behind American plays staged on major stages. He linked practical instruction about craft to concrete examples from his own work, offering context for current productions and for students studying playwriting.

Guare outlined three recurring lessons from his career: go looking for material, keep working daily, and learn…