Meet John Mabey | Playwright & Mental Health Counselor

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Mabey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in the southwest and there’s something special about the desert air, sounds, and skies that’s always present as I write. My childhood has been a huge influence on my writing as I also grew-up as a queer kid in a very religious community. This led to writing and publishing graduate work on the topic of sexuality and spirituality, exploring ways to lead a fully integrated life where different aspects of identity are unified and celebrated. This was also the start of my work as a mental health counselor and a deep understanding of emotions and trauma that always exists in my plays alongside the joy. I feel incredibly fulfilled when these elements come alive in my work to create fully realized and complex characters.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been a storyteller since I was young, staging one-act plays with my action figures. As I got older and began writing actual plays, writing dialogue provided so much joy, giving voice to characters that changed from action figures to the imagined characters in my mind. What I loved most about creating characters for the stage were their inner lives and ways of viewing the world, and this led me to the study of Psychology, earning a masters in counseling. Writing remained my passion as I continued to write plays but also book chapters and journal articles about sexuality, spirituality, aging and how we create a sense of belonging. I continually bring these themes into my playwriting with underrepresented characters who engage in messy confrontations (especially with themselves) about intersecting identities.

I write plays of different genres, but a common thread throughout are characters searching for connection. I’m also searching for the lightheartedness and comedy even in the darkest of times, and I put my characters through a lot to get there, too. But it’s how they find their way back to other and themselves that I find the most interesting.

In both my work as a counselor and a playwright, I try to see a more complete picture of what’s expressed nonverbally, what’s said aloud, and what’s between the words. I love writing characters who are sometimes truthful but also deceive each other and themselves in fascinating ways. And in this way I add more of the unspoken and the unsaid back into the dialogue for greater depth and subtlety. I’ll even sit with my characters and talk to them out loud as if we’re in session together. And it’s an amazing feeling to have a character so developed that while we’re in conversation, even I’m surprised by what comes out.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta has amazing neighborhoods, and my favorite is the Grant Park & Summerhill areas. In the morning we’d go for a walk in the historic Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta’s oldest public park, and then get some breakfast at Little Tart Bakery across the street (be sure to wash down any of their delicious pastries with a Nitro Oat Latte). Afterward we’d stroll through Grant Park itself which is right next door on our way to the zoo, right inside the park (the pandas are my favorite). Then it’s a quick walk to Summerhill for shops and restaurants. A definite go-to is BBQ at Wood’s Chapel then to Big Softie across the street for the best soft serve afterward.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are two arts organizations who welcomed me so warmly when I moved to Atlanta: Working Title Playwrights and Merely Players Presents

Website: https://mabeyplays.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmabey/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mabey-12799b53/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnemabey

Image Credits
John Mabey