It makes the suit easier, but we still have to prove that people at the school were aware that they (De Barraicua and the student) were too close for comfort.

I think it's a great advantage. It allows you to get a gauge of where you're at, get some people healthy, either those who were injured in camp or in the game, and it allows you to settle into an academic routine.

We're already not looked at as being the most frugal people.

[Some playwrights are obvious influences on younger writers. Arthur Miller (realistic, politically engaged dramas) and Christopher Durang (satirical dark comedies) are examples.] But August stands apart, ... He has his special way of seeing things. I remember he and I were at one of those fancy benefits the Rep has. The gay men's chorus was singing, and I was very proud to have brought them into a Rep event. And August says, 'You know, I don't see any black people up there.' That was his focus: the lives of black people.

We have a stove in there. It's exactly like the school she describes in her book. We twist hay to put in the stove like Laura did.

It really welcomes us. We feel like we're part of the school now.