Really listen to what you want—not what someone else wants, or what you think you should want.”
Kate McMorran (she/her)
MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage
Kate McMorran is an MFA student in the Writing for the Screen and Stage program in the School of Communication. Her writing centers and celebrates the honest, messy absurdity of growing up as a woman. Kate’s play CHOPSTICK won the judges choice award at the Playbill Virtual Theatre Festival, and several of her short plays have been produced in NYC. Her work has been published by Smith & Kraus and various literary magazines, and she is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience?
I write toxic rom-coms about women searching for pleasure. Whether it be through theatre, TV, or film, I'm passionate about using comedy to tell stories about how hard it is to be a woman in today's world.
Tell us what inspired your research and/or work.
I grew up loving movies, but as I hit my early 20s, I realized that the depiction of women I'd grown up seeing on screen was harmful, perpetuating misogynistic tropes and only featuring women as accessories to men. I write to make sense of the cognitive dissonance between my love for movies and my frustration with how they're written—I hope to write my vision of honest, messy womanhood onto the screen!
Whom do you admire in your field and otherwise, and why?
I have so much admiration for my adviser and mentor, Tracey Scott Wilson! She is an incredible writer who has a prolific career as a TV and screenwriter, yet still finds time to be a generous and wonderful teacher at NU.
My favorite TV writers are Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters, Catastrophe) and Phoebe Waller Bridge (Fleabag, Crashing)—I admire the way they use dark comedy to explore the hard truths about sex, gender, and relationships.
Why Northwestern?
When I realized that I wanted to pursue an MFA in writing, I researched the playwrights and TV writers whose careers I admired. I found that many of them had come through the MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage program, and I especially loved that the program encourages equal focus on the three writing mediums of theatre, film, and television writing.
How do you unwind after a long day?
Taking a long walk, reading in the bathtub, writing in my journal with a fountain pen—and watching TV!
What books are on your bedside table?
Right now I'm reading The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch and Working Girl: On Selling Art and Selling Sex by Sophia Giovannitti—both amazing!
What advice would you give your younger self or someone considering a similar path?
Really listen to what you want—not what someone else wants, or what you think you should want. Listen to your gut—it's always right!
Tell us about a time when things did not go as you planned, what did you learn?
I had a disappointing experience with a freelance artist that I hired for a short film. Going forward, I learned to be very clear in communicating what I want and need, and the importance of taking my needs and the needs of the project seriously, rather than catering to other people's feelings!
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I recently had a workshop production of my play RECYCLE, BABY! which is about a near future where humans start giving birth to plastic babies due to the amount of microplastics inside of us. It was directed by PHD candidate Claudia Kinahan and had a cast of undergrad and MFA actors from NU. I was so proud of how we all came together and used comedy and absurdism to convey a message really important to me—that we need to save the planet and use less plastic!!
Publish Date: July 16, 2024
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