But in the African and African American tradition, stories are fitted to an occasion. You have stories for holidays and for weddings and for horrible events.

I've done major rewrites, ... Instead of a kids play, it's now more of a multigenerational play, for a multigenerational audience.

It was commissioned by Center Theatre Group's youth program, ... They wanted something based on storytelling, something suitable for whole families. It was supposed to incorporate Br'er Rabbit tales. But once I got into it, I thought, 'Forget Br'er Rabbit. Use human beings.' There are so very, very many African, African American, Caribbean and slave narratives to work with.

You can't just snatch the boy down out of that tree,

I talk to my girlfriends. And I have three sisters. I talk to them on the phone every day.

I got Maxwell just before we moved to Los Angeles,