Meet David Laws

Today we’re excited to be connecting with David Laws again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

David, we are so thrilled to be connecting again and can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you have been up to. Before we jump into all of that, some of our readers might have missed our prior interview, so can you take a moment to reintroduce yourself?
The best way I’ve found to describe myself these days is as a bard — I write, I perform, I create, I indulge. Whether it’s music or poetry or plays or podcasts, games or experiences, moments or memories, I am all about artistry that is audience-driven, connective, and fun. Some of my career highlights are co-creating, writing, and serving as Dungeon Master at The Twenty-Sided Tavern, which has been all over the world from NYC to Edinburgh to Australia and beyond. My first play, a sci-fi b-movie comedy called Attack! of the Killer Man from the Sun! has been produced in fifteen US states. And my cat, who just had ten teeth removed, is now a more perfect gentleman than ever.

I’m enjoying working with comedy shows in Brooklyn, international Shakespearean artists, students, D&D players, anyone who’s happy to create. It’s also, unfortunately for my sleep schedule, an amazing time in video games I like right now: Baldur’s Gate 3 is about to be overtaken by Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and whatever other hyperfixation the games industry throws my way.

Awesome, so we reached out because we wanted to hear all about what you have been up to since we last connected.
What an interesting time to be asking these questions. It is always challenging to be an artist; if it were easy, it would be a dull profession. But now, it seems, more than ever, there is a need for creating ethical, sustainable, uplifting art. Art that chases away the noise and the fear of the outside world. Art that changes. Art that creates not only temporary but long-lasting communal connections. At every piece of theatre I go to now, whether I’m onstage or in attendance, at every gaming event I attend, I walk away with a new connection, oftentimes even a friend. I’m meeting more people because there’s this looming sensation of “Oh, you’re here? You’re experiencing this art intentionally and openly. You must be a friend.” That’s a silver lining, I suppose.

I did an educational tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and that was amazingly gratifying. I’ve been playing D&D in bars with Dungeons & Drafts, making new friends and experimenting with new game mechanics. I’m helping hone Shakespeare curriculum for preschoolers and TTRPG learning for elementary students. I’m looking for a new apartment.

In the past year, in a lot of ways, I’ve had to set my ego aside. And by set it aside, I sometimes mean set it on fire and shove it into a ravine. But in doing so, I’ve let go of something that was so entirely important to me for so long: legacy. For so much of my life, I was obsessed with what I would leave behind, how people would talk about me, how I would be remembered. And now…I’ve kind of put that to rest. I’ve been really able to focus on the feeling of doing, rather than anticipate the sensation of achieving. I’ve been doing most of my writing by typewriter, which has slowed me down and given my new work a unique energy, an intentionality that I really enjoy.

I really want to eat a peach under a tree. I really want to help my friends succeed. I really want to want to work hard. I really want to make people laugh. And I really, really, really want to be happy where I am instead of miserable and promising myself that I’ll be happy later.

We also want to give folks a chance to get to know you a bit better so we’ve prepared a fun lightning round of questions. Ready?

Favorite Movie: Dead Poets Society

Favorite Book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Favorite TV Show: The Blacklist

Favorite Band or Artist: They Might Be Giants

Sweet or Savory: Sweet

Mountains or Beach: Mountains

Favorite Sport (to watch): American Football (Let’s go, Buffalo!)

Favorite Sport (to play): Chess

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): No, but I could run a five-minute mile barefoot.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: First a basketball player, then a scientist (very specific), then an actor.

French Fries or Onion Rings: Curly fries

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: I had to Google these names. Billions is on my watchlist, I apologize.

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Ed, Edd, & Eddy

Favorite Childhood movie: The Lion King

Favorite Breakfast Food: Sausage Egg & Cheese, salt pepper ketchup.

What would the perfect day look like for you? Please give us as many details as possible.
There are some explicit details I’m leaving out of what my truly perfect day looks like, but I’ll leave those up to your collective imaginations.

On a perfect day, I wake up with the sunrise and I feel good. The window is slightly cracked, and I am chilly and warm at the same time. I do my daily ritual of a tarot pull, meditation, and journalling before a quick breakfast and a trip to the gym. After that, I have the motivation to write and so I do, maybe for a few hours. I get hungry, I eat lunch, I take a nap — I’m really on a baby’s schedule, following the impulses of my natural body. When I wake up, I write some more, then eventually I take a break play some video games. I write some more, now starting to drink some wine. The wine is a pre-game for an event: going out to a bar to play Magic: the Gathering or seeing a clown show where you throw banana peels at the audience. After the event, I’m meeting new people, being known, being anonymous, creating stories in people’s night. Back at home, I take a bath, I watch something silly, I go to sleep.

I’ve never known this day, mainly because the process of waking up is always inevitably a challenging one, but the exercise of writing it out like this makes perfection seem so uniquely attainable.

Website: https://www.davidandrewlaws.com

Instagram: @davidandrewlaws

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidandrewlaws/

Twitter: No thank you

Other: https://startplaying.games/gm/dagl