a conversation with Steven Carl McCasland, the author of LITTLE WARS

Steven Carl McCasland with Pablo Picasso's painting of Gertrude Stein
photo courtesy Steven Carl McCasland

by Gil Benbrook

Steven Carl McCasland is a man of many talents. He's an actor, director and classically trained pianist and he's also the founder and Artistic Director of New York's The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective.

But McCasland is also the author of numerous plays, many of which have received not only New York but also regional and international productions, and critics have lavished his works with words such as "riveting," "mesmerizing," and "extraordinary."

One of his latest plays, Little Wars, which centers on an imaginary meeting between such well-known, historical  figures as Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein and Agatha Christie, is receiving its Arizona premiere from Arizona Women's Theatre Company, running from June 28th to July 8th.

The play takes place in 1939 France at one of Gertrude Stein‘s infamous salons with all of these famous women in attendance. As the alcohol flows, barbs are flung, intimate details are revealed and confessions are made all while Hitler's Nazi regime is knocking at France's door.

Of Little Wars, NY critic Myra Chanin was "totally enthralled by the depth of McCasland’s skill, craft, flair, research and world-class imagination," while Mike Jones stated, on the play's Bermuda premiere, that the piece is "unusual, dense, and in these troubled times, intensely relevant."

Not only does Arizona Women's Theatre Company's production features a cast comprised of well-known Valley actresses, including KatiBelle Collins, Aimee Bennett, Kathi Osborne, Donna Georgette, Janis Ash Webb, Donna Savransky Kaufman and Anna Katen, but McCasland will be in attendance at the performances on Friday July 6 and Saturday July 7 for a talk back after the show as well as to meet and talk to audience members in the lobby.

In between his many responsibilities, and as he gets ready to make his way west for the Phoenix premiere of his play, McCasland sat down to answer some questions about Little Wars.

For those who don't know your play Little Wars, what would you tell them it's about? 

"Little Wars is inspired by famous literary feud between authors Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman. McCarthy accused Hellman of being a liar, with one very specific grievance: that Hellman had fabricated the rescuer "Julia" and stolen another's story to do so. A defamation trial ensued, but all parties died before a resolution could be reached, leaving the mystery up to readers for generations to come. In Little Wars, Lillian Hellman meets the woman who would later tell Mary McCarthy that Hellman had stolen her life story. I leave it up to the audience to decide the truth."

What made you decide to write a piece that features such historical figures as Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein, Agatha Christie, Alice B. Toklas, and Muriel Gardiner?

"I wanted to observe the interactions between some of the literary world's fiercest women."

Why did you decide to focus on these specific women?

"All of them were connected in a variety of ways except for Gardiner: Stein and Christie were penpals, Parker and Hellman were lifelong friends, Stein and Toklas were lovers... Placing Gardiner in their midst would be a catalyst for high stakes debate."

What kind of research did you do for this play?

"I read works by all of the authors featured in the play so that I could find each of their very specific voices. In addition, I studied the Dada movement, the Holocaust and the political views of the Allied Forces during World War II."

Were there any specific books about these women that sparked your imagination and helped you in writing the play? 

"Alice B. Toklas' 'What Is Remembered' gave me great insight into her relationship with Gertrude Stein, but it was Hellman's 'Pentimento,' which features a chapter about a rescuer named 'Julia', that inspired the entire play and helped shape Hellman's fractured and hypocritical views of the world around her."

You've written other plays that feature historical characters, is that your preference, or just something you like doing?

"Most of my plays feature characters from history, but not all. I greatly enjoy learning about other people and other cultures, and researching figures through history has given me great insight into many different places around the world. While I do not strictly write historical fiction, I certainly prefer it."

Little Wars is set in France, but some of the guests travel a long way for the dinner party/salon that you've set in the French Alps instead of at their Paris apartment. Why did you decide to set the play there? 

"I wanted the audience - and the characters - to feel safe. Had they stayed at their Paris apartment instead of Stein's beautiful home in the Alps, they'd have been closer to the raging war, and it would be a very different play. Here, the women are lulled into a safer environment than what is really true."

The play includes a lot of excellent banter and famous quotes, is there one that's your favorite? 

"It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard." - Dorothy Parker

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which plays at Mesa Encore Theatre's Black Box Theatre from June 28th to July 8th