David McDermott: CO-all of it

David McDermott Interview

Obsessed is a twisted thriller about love, murder and money gone terribly wrong in a Film Noir style.  You can see this riveting production at the Theater for the New City beginning on March 30^th and running for 16 performances.  David McDermott is directing this thrilling new work that he also co-wrote.  We had a chance to catch up with him to learn more about his career in the arts and this production.

     David McDermott has many skill sets in the arts that have served him well.  While some artists focus more on what doesn’t happen for them, Mr. Mcdermott appreciates everything that happened for him.  “I’m very grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves over my career. I’ve always been drawn to actions and consequences. Be it as a director, writer, choreographer or actor, I continue to enjoy the challenges of the journey.”

     David McDermott and Andy Halliday (co-writer and lead actor) make a great team!  Mr. McDermott focused on the characters and drew inspiration from the ‘Film Noir’ style when developing the script.  “Andy had the foundation down when I joined him in this project. I began to think about actions and consequences for these characters within the framework of’ Film Noir’ style. The characters are defined by the lengths they are willing to go to survive day to day, to find love and the smallest amount of security. It’s a cruel world they have to survive in, yet their actions do have severe consequences foreach of them. The genre is the perfect canvas in which to explore these themes. The piece began taking shape through many zoom readings and rewrites. Andy continually offered support as I explored the many potential paths the characters could have taken. I’m eternally grateful to the talented actors that partook in the readings which allowed ‘Obsessed’ to find its voice. The process of developing this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. As a relatively young playwright I couldn’t be more grateful to experience ‘Obsessed’ realized on the stage.”