Richard Rossner & Rahla Kahn
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
We live in Woodland Hills, CA, a sleepy, hip, suburb of Los Angeles…if you consider chipmunks, coyotes, rats and skunks hip. We’re right next door to the paparazzi-driven enclaves of Calabasas and Hidden Hills…the Montecito of the San Fernando Valley.
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
RICHARD: Rahla and I first met when we were original Groundlings in the 1970’s. Years later we started dating, and she invited me to a class where she was teaching improvisation to mentally ill and homeless adults in Santa Monica.  I knew there was a story there, and I was right!  Rahla opened my eyes to the power of improvisation as a personal transformational and healing tool. I saw mentally ill men and women learning to speak up for themselves in how they talked with their doctors; the hopeless without a dream declaring a dream for themselves and the courage to take steps to make those dreams come true. If the people Rahla was teaching were getting as much out of the work as they did, the whole world needed to know about it, and a movie was a great way to spread the word.  We eventually married and always wanted to write this story as the origin story of The Power of Play, the company Rahla created.
I’ve written for film, situation comedy and variety shows and felt my skills would be best applied to a screenplay rather than any other format.  I saw that Rahla was writing great material for a solo show she was working on, so I encouraged her to use her voice to write this story, which was her story.  Since we were married, we thought it would be an exciting project to create together.
RAHLA: The inspiration for me was how my little group at Step Up On Second, an outpatient mental health facility in Santa Monica, kept showing up to play, to stay and learn to say what was on their mind. Their psychiatrists noticed and their families noticed that something magical was happening with this odd gang of misfits. It was an unexpected Divine Intersection that turned into a nine-year gig.  I was amazed when I discovered how incredible and talented they all were.  But the big surprise was what the people in my group taught me about life, perseverance, resilience and how the stigma of their being labeled mentally ill can get in the way of dreaming big.  They taught me how to be a much better version of my Self. I learned to teach from my heart, not my head.  So while I was teaching them, they were teaching me. And that was a beautiful dramatic arc that was perfect for a screenplay.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
RICHARD: We’ve worked on and off with this project for some time.  We first worked out the story with an outline and notecards.  Although 85-90% of the events in the screenplay happened, they had to be reorganized for dramatic effect. 
There actually were so many interesting stories within this experience, that we had to figure out which one was the central idea. RAHLA: We started with brainstorming and downloading a mass of ideas.  We talked them all out until we could see how the different themes could be crafted into one coherent story. We mind-mapped the different threads. There were lots of frustrating starts and stops as we wrestled with the essence of the story that wanted to be told.  There were many iterations. Originally there was too much emphasis on my life as a struggling actress who got a gig at a mental health center.  We used our experience as improvisors to “find the yes” of the story we needed to tell.  We listened to our intuition, and that all takes time…but we kept coming back until we found the best focus for the story. By the way, the notes we got from the judges were exciting, because they were spot on and gave a us a clear path to making our great script an exceptional script. 

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
RICHARD: I deeply believe in the power of telling good stories to enliven, inspire and have a positive impact on people and ultimately society.  My goal is to create a body of work that can lift people up and show them new possibilities for living fun, satisfying and fulfilling lives. 
RHALA: I, too, believe in the power of storytelling.  I prefer standing on a stage in front of an audience. I’m writing a hybrid theatrical experience where my solo show meets the science and medical research of a TED talk, while engaging the audience in an experiential journey into The Power of Play. It’s a challenge turning science and medicine into theater, but I love what this first work-in-progress is about to become.  
We are also committed to writing the book and the play, Finding Center.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
RICHARD & RAHLA: Writers who inspire us are Paddy Chayevsky, Rod Serling, Ernie Kovacs, Nat Hiken, Tina Fey, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Robert Riskin, Issa Rae, Billy Wilder, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Nora Ephron, Mindy Kaling, and Wes Anderson.  These writers all embody enormous sensitivity, creativity, a certain kind of quirkiness, humor and depth.  We aspire to be able to bring that kind of humanity to our writing.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
 
RICHARD & RAHLA: It’s always hard to narrow it down to one, and we both have different favorite films. Here are a few of the films that we hold close to our hearts: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Big Street, Lawrence of Arabia, the original West Side Story, Born Yesterday, The Godfather, GoodFellas, Bringing Up Baby, The King’s Speech, Trapeze, What Dreams May Come, The Awful Truth, South Pacific and The King and I.  Favorite television shows include the Phil Silvers Sgt. Bilko series (You’ll Never Get Rich), The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
 RICHARD: Write and submit your screenplays.  You can’t win if you’re not at the table.  But be careful about the competitions you enter.  Do your research and find reputable contests (like the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Competition).  Another thing to consider is that your story may appeal to a niche competition.  Knowing that this competition included a category focused on Diverse Writers was a natural for the story of FINDING CENTER, which is co-authored by what some Gen X-rs might call us out by saying, “OK, Boomers…” And one of us is even a woman! Talk about diversity!
 RAHLA: Start with what you know.  What lights you up? What gets you curious, instead of judgmental?  What in your world intrigues you, fascinates you, or pisses you off?  I remember when we saw “A Beautiful Mind” I had a flash of insight. That movie was written about someone with a brilliant mind struggling with mental illness. I thought about my group at Step Up and all those talented, eager-to-learn, generous minds that left unattended would never have the chance to reach their potential, let alone dream and hope for more.  I thought, “Wow! I have a story I’d like to tell about my nine years working with the mentally ill.” Richard said, “Let’s write it.” So, write what you know.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
 RICHARD: I have co-authored a novel entitled Dishonor Thy Father www.DishonorThyFather.com). It is a contemporary murder mystery that takes place in Los Angeles.  The unique hook in this story is that the murder is an honor killing in America. It’s shocking that this practice is still happening.  My intention with this project is to spark a larger conversation about this brutal practice.  I am now seeking a production company to develop a limited series.  Later this year, Cold Feet, a romantic comedy I’ve co-authored with another writer is slated to go into production.
RAHLA: I still turn improv on its ass and teach grown-ups how to “play with a purpose” through my company, The Power of Play. All the business magic happens at our corporate site (www.ThePowerOfPlay.com), while our other work is dedicated to personal challenges, including the healing of the mind, the body and the spirit (www.ThePowerOfPlayForHealth.com). Richard and I are on staff at The Simonton Cancer Center, where we deliver The Power of Play as a permanent part of their curriculum.  Our motto is “Laugh more! Play Hard! Die Less!”  We have seen many inspiring and moving miracles in our cancer work there, and are developing a new program called “The Soul of Play” designed to prevent
“dis-ease.” Why wait to get sick to start playing, when playing can help you to stay well?
 
We are finishing up work on a book entitled, “The Power of Play: The Five Game Set.” It’s a basic primer with five signature games that started it all. We’re also in the final stages of completing a stand-alone story-telling game called “Let’s Story.” I deeply believe that the lessons learned from our unique and innovative style of teaching improvisational skills are profoundly healing and transformational.  They are critical to the physical, mental and spiritual health of everyone now caught in an uncertain, unexpected, upside down, post-pandemic world. We feel that now more than ever learning to improvise is an imperative necessary skill of adaptation to the unknown events looming ahead.

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