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Irene Loy

Irene Loy is a playwright, actress, and academic writer. As a practitioner-scholar, she poses questions about theory in dramatic writing, which in turn affect choices made in editing, rehearsal, and production processes. She earned her MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in May 2015. Previously, she served as the House Manager at ImprovBoston and the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as a Graduate Fellow for Tricklock Company and an Assistant Vocal Coach at Indiana University-Bloomington. She is one of the founding members of Odenbear Theatre. Currently, she is living, working, and making theatre in Taos, New Mexico.

Desire Multiplied
Essay

Desire Multiplied

Renouncing and Diversifying Desire

8 May 2017

In this last installment, Irene Loy discusses a character’s drive to renounce their desire, and advocates for diversifying how desire is written for stage and film. 

Desire Multiplied
Essay

Desire Multiplied

The Trickster and the Child

7 January 2017

In this fourth installment, Irene Loy discusses the Trickster and child characters, exploring how play factors in their story arcs.

Receiving and Defending
Essay

Receiving and Defending

I Know What I Want and I Know What I Don’t Want

20 October 2016

In this installment, Irene Loy discusses how characters receive desire versus defend themselves against unwanted desire, delving into the difference of consent and dissent.

Desire Multiplied
Essay

Desire Multiplied

The Caregiver’s Desire—“I want something good for you.”

19 August 2016

In this installment, Irene Loy discusses the Caregiver character, who genuinely wants what’s best for other (often the main) characters.

Desire Multiplied
Essay

Desire Multiplied

Rethinking Desire in Dramatic Writing

12 May 2016

In this first installment, Playwright Irene Loy discusses how the Hero’s Journey traditionally exists in Western dramatic form and advocates alternative ways of portraying heroes.