Honors Contracts for IU Indianapolis Honors College

 Bit about Mary Karty​

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Karty is an Indiana and Florida native who is devoted to the fine arts. She is a playwright and a technical writer with multiple degrees from Purdue University.  Many of her works have been performed at Indy Fringe Fest and other theaters in the Indianapolis area. 

 

Karty agreed to the question and answer session due to the fact that Elizabeth Terhorst, the interviewer, is the child of Karty’s best friend. In high school and college, Karty and Terhorst’s mother would go to Rocky Horror Picture Show showings and heavily contribute to the audience participation. The two were known for being the life of the party, and a lot of Karty’s plays do bring aspects of that lifestyle into the forefront of the show. The play Three 2 One does have the same type of raunchy humor that Rocky Horror Picture does, but it is just a tad more family friendly, seeing that Karty’s father and aunt came to the show with Terhorst. 

 

Overview of the play

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Three 2 One is a coming of age story following the mind, heart, and body of one young woman trying to find love in a modern world. We follow these conflicting aspects of the same woman as they fight over what to look for in a man and how the three can find someone to satisfy all their needs.

 

Questions

What is your writing process like?

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Karty: Oooooooh. [long pause] I come up with the concept first. I definitely have characters [as part of the concept], but I also have an outline. Because I am a technical writer [for my day job],  I kinda tease that Three 2 One is kinda like an entertaining manual of how a woman falls in love. A very thorough [manual]. Mind, heart, and libido. I didn’t want to mess anything up. Not only that, but I only had 54 minutes. And I wanted to make it entertaining, so I made sure you paid attention. But I didn’t want to leave anything out. 

 

But, I come up with the concept first. What story do I wanna tell? And what characters would illustrate that? And every story [I write] comes down to a different element of love. 

 

Three 2 One is a coming of age story of a woman overcoming her shame, and it’s kinda wrapped up like a romantic comedy. But, it’s really about a woman trusting herself. It’s about knowing if she trusts herself, that she can make her own way in the world, that she can have whatever man she wants. If she really trusts her mind, she can follow her heart, and she can have her body’s desire. 

 

What other forms of art do you like to create? 

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Terhorst: I know you do a lot of writing, that’s your job, but what else do you dabble in?

 

Karty: Coloring. That’s when I really like to zone out and I have, they’re probably right around here because- If you wanted to make this really special, say that you did this in my office. And you can talk about how I used to have strawberry shortcake decor and what’s in my bookshelf. 

 

These are the books that are not for [the] public. When you leave, look what’s in public bookshelf, and then look at what’s in these bookshelves. And you’ll see why this is not for public. [laughs]

 

Terhorst: Okay, okay.

 

Karty: [Laughs] So, especially for this play, I did a lot of dancing. I think that ties back into being a singer. I did a lot of dancing, getting into my body.  

 

What do you think art is born from, from a writer’s perspective?

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Karty: Pain. [Laughs] In saving people like you from [pain]. Teaching. Making the road for future generations a little bit less. I wanna teach people how to love, and it shouldn’t be so hard. They say you gotta love yourself first. But sometimes, you have to make the best decision you can with the means at your disposal. Sometimes, you’re too young to love yourself first.

 

You just mentioned that people get busy. What else keeps you busy? What other things are you involved with outside of the fine arts and writing?

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Karty: I am a member of Indiana Writers Center and Indiana Playwrights. The two biggest things that have the biggest influence on my adult life are being part of choir, and being part of the writers center. It was the biggest impact of my career. When I moved back to Indiana, I was able to make friends, and I was able to reinvent myself. It’s how I was able to do Fringe. 

 

My last question is: What do you wish someone had told you about playwriting when you were first starting out?

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Karty: I wish people would tell me more, now. I’m barely getting along. 

 

Study. Study. Do your research and study. Go to plays, as many as you can, know the craft and practice your craft. I said that with such authority, didn’t I? STUDY! Don’t half ass it! It shows when you half ass it. [Laughs] It took me 20 years to be an overnight success, Lizzie.

 

Terhorst: Well, you made it. This is it. It is just like the fish you were talking about.

 

Karty: If this isn’t making it, I don’t know what else is.

 

Other info

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Karty is still writing and researching here in Indianapolis. She lives in Broad Ripple with her husband Matt and their dog Henry. Her presence in the scene and at the Indiana’s Writer’s Center is essential to the ebb and flow of what local writers are trying to do. Karty has touched many hearts and continues to do so. She plans to continue showing plays at Fringe and hopes to see you there. 

 

Author bio
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Elizabeth Terhorst is from Valparaiso, Indiana and is currently a senior at IU Indianapolis getting a bachelors in Secondary English Education and English Literature