Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mark Sbani. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mark, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
When I start a painting, I have an idea of what it should look like. But I’m an amateur and can’t paint, so it turns out messy. Nothing like my original idea. So I look at my big ugly mistake and decide to either continue or give up. I’m stubborn, so I keep painting, I look for its personality. Not what I had in mind, exactly, but maybe something better. I apply this same technique to playwriting.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Craziest thing. My rat monologue, “Mark Sbani Junior,” premiered in two cities, Denver and New York City, on 08/02/25. Same play, same day. I was double-booked! Then it was presented at Lincoln Center in Manhattan on 08/23/25 and — extra cheese! — won “Best Performance.” “Mark Sbani Junior” first opened his beady eyes at 7:30PM, on 06/07/25, at the 2025 Denver Fringe Festival. A hairy little monodrama, “Mark Sbani Junior” startled the audience at first. A cry filled the theatre. “EEK! What’s behind the curtain? A rat. I’ve never seen one that big!” That’s ma boy. My rat baby, squeaking by. I’m bundling him off to the Jefferson Market Theatre next, in Greenwich Village on 01/25/26. The rat is back!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
RESEARCH
I’m naturally hyper. I talk too much. My words get me in trouble and I write my way out. But you’re only as good as your dictionary. So if you’re stuck on a word, look it up. Don’t look for a similar word in the thesaurus. Understand what the word means before you use it in a sentence. I steal from the dictionary and Shakespeare, but who doesn’t? Right?
STAGECRAFT
A writer will hit ceilings as they grow. Intellectual ceilings, emotional ceilings, creative ceilings. Don’t stoop your head. No! Stand up tall and break through to the next level. Be an artist of great stature.
RHINO SKIN
A writer needs to develop thick skin for survival. Tissue-paper skin is no defense against rip-off artists, thuggish promoters and unfriendly critics. The pain of the rejection slip lessens with each receipt. Just because a producer rejects your latest play, doesn’t mean it’s non-art, invalid or low quality. It means you don’t fit their house style. They care about grosses. Money, money, money, money. You care about character and theme, how they interplay. Human behavior. Speechifying. Bigger ideas than what the box office made on a Sunday matinee.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Shh… It’s a Surprise Birthday Party For:
Colorado
Where:
Three Leaches Theatre
Date:
08/01/26
RSVP:
[email protected]
Friends of Colorado!
You’re invited to a SURPRISE birthday party. It’s a SECRET show at the Three Leaches Theatre on August 1st, 2026. Again: 08/01/26. That date marks the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state.
COLORADO MONOLOGUES
Any native, transplant or immigrant is invited to share in the celebration. One small request. Please bring a monologue instead of a present. Talk about your experience living in Colorado. What was a special year for you? Look into the state’s past. Spotlight a dark corner of the box we call home. Tell us something personal or borrow someone’s fame. Real-life or historical stories. Either will do. Your highest peak. Your lowest valley. Your boom-and-bust. Say a few words at the party. But don’t give it away. I want Colorado to be really surprised. You know nothing.
Please RSVP By
March 1st, 2026
Contact Info:
- Instagram: plemmons_the_cat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@marksbani9286?si=jqnLxC3ctxUl3TI-
Image Credits
Mark Sbani
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
