Bradley Hayward grew up in the small Canadian town of Oxbow, Saskatchewan, where the overall lack of things to do left him plenty of time to write his first play. Since that time, he has written more than 30 plays, and has been produced in over 20 countries around the world (Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Norway, China, and Japan to name a few). Two of his short plays, The Yogurt Connection and The Sexual Conspiracy, have been produced Off-Broadway. His one-acts geared toward high school students have been presented at Thespian festivals across the United States and Canada. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada.

Check out Bradley's plays,
available from Bakers Plays:

High School for Dummies

Q & A with Bradley Hayward

Q: Although it is by no means the only market for which you write, many of your published plays (HIGH SCHOOL FOR DUMMIES with Baker's Plays being one of many) are geared towards the high school market. Is there something that draws you to write for this particular group?

A: I love writing for teens because they have so much to say and I feel their voices are rarely heard. In this rapidly changing world, teens are the target of much (if not all) advertising and are always on the cutting edge of pop culture. To ignore their point of view is a big mistake when writing, whether it is for adults or adolescents. I enjoy listening to young adults and their perspective on the world, which I find both amusing and enlightening.

Q: In HIGH SCHOOL FOR DUMMIES, a group of graduating high school seniors come together to create a sort of "user's manual" for the incoming Freshman class. In the play, the Seniors give scenarios that could be found in any high school across the world, and offer helpful (not to mention hilarious) suggestions for the new students. Let's mirror the world of HIGH SCHOOL FOR DUMMIES for a moment: as an experienced author, what sort of advice do you have for someone who is just starting to create plays? Do you think there is a "user's manual" for playwrights?

A: The old adage is to write what you know, and I have always used that as a guideline to my work. As I workshop my plays, I ask the students if they would say or do what I have written and I always listen to their concerns about the material. My dialogue is quite often taken from discussions I have had with these young creative minds. Some students look to me as the "expert," but I have always believed that they are the experts. As I get older, I have to work extra hard to keep up with changing trends, and I am grateful that in doing so my work has been able to remain relevant and entertaining.

Q: When and/or how did you know that you wanted to be a playwright?

A: I come from a very small Canadian town with very little funding for the arts. Because we were not always able to pay for material written by others, I wrote my first play at the age of 14 and have never looked back. To this day it tickles me right down to my socks to see actors saying lines that came from somewhere in the recesses of my mind.

Q: What inspires you to take on a new project?

A: I write predominately comedic material because I feel there is far too much stress in the world, particularly for teens. I try to pay attention to these stressors, such as cell phone bills and social networking online (that did not exist when I was a teenager), and turn them into stories that give students the opportunity to laugh and reflect on what are arguably the most important years of their lives. For instance, "High School for Dummies" was inspired by a student I witnessed at a book store. Balancing a huge stack of "For Dummies" books in her arms, she threw them down onto the counter and in a frazzled state of mind she whimpered, "There should be a book called High School for Dummies!" It was a huge "ah-ha" moment for me and I knew I had a play. I went home that night and wrote it in a few hours.

Q: Have you ever come across a production that made you see one of your plays in a new or unexpected way?

A: No two productions are the same, so I have come to always expect the unexpected when I see one of my plays produced. Many times they are presented far better than I had ever imagined in my wildest dreams. I consider "High School for Dummies" to be a goofy play and have always pictured it in my head as a wacky showcase for silly students; however, I saw a production recently that carried far more weight that I ever thought possible. It was funny, to be sure, but they also incorporated moments of drama that choked me up on more than one occasion. Good theatre requires contrast between comedy and tragedy, so I was proud to have written something that was interpreted in a much deeper way, which only made the comedy stronger. No matter how good or bad a production is, I strongly believe that the most important aspect to high school drama is the process. The final product rarely suggests the amount of care and effort that went into it. So no matter what the outcome, it brings me great joy to receive letters from hundreds of students around the world thanking me for writing plays that speak to them. What they don't realize is that I am thankful to them for bringing them to life.

(Photo courtesy of the author)