What does it take to write a play? Senior theatre major Mercedes Kuhn says, “It’s easier than writing a novel.”  

Kuhn is the playwright of Theatre Wesleyan’s upcoming play, Letters from the Library, on-stage Feb. 19-23. Inspired by a photograph of two women on a porch she saw on a springboard of her playwriting course, Kuhn’s play delves into the fascinating world of the Packhorse Library Project set in rural Kentucky at the height of the Great Depression. 

After writing the initial ideas in class, Kuhn continued to work on the play, making the characters come to life, filling in the scene, the scripts and the story lines. Thirteen pages later, her first draft was crafted. Over the past year, with the help of her mentor and professor, Connie Whitt-Lambert, professor of theatre and director of the playwriting program at Texas Wesleyan, the play evolved into over 50 pages of work. 

As part of a senior project, Kuhn wanted to develop a play to be performed in front of a live audience. Originally, she thought she would work on a play she started in high school. However, Whitt-Lambert called her over the summer and suggested having Theatre Wesleyan produce Letters from the Library as the spring show.  

“Obviously I wasn’t going to say no,” Kuhn laughed. “I was so excited.”  

Theatre Wesleyan connected with alumna Cheryl Penland ’88, a theatre arts teacher for Fort Worth ISD, to direct the play.  

“As the playwright, I don’t have much jurisdiction (with costumes and set design) because those are up to the designers. If this play were to ever go out into the world, I wouldn’t have that control,” she said. “So, it’s cool when you have the playwright in the room, we’ve had a lot of fun with that.”  

This play, however, isn’t the first play Kuhn has written. She’s delved into comedy, fantasy and sci-fi.  

“This show has been such a challenge because it is a historical romance – two of my least favorite subjects,” she said. “It wasn’t something I normally write, but that’s what made it a great senior project.”  

As she looks toward graduation this spring, she’s excited to continue writing plays and let life take her wherever she’s needed. However, Kuhn originally thought she’d never go into a career involving theatre. In intermediate school, part of her curriculum was to take a theatre class.  

“I hated it,” she laughed. “I had the worst stage fright ever.”  

Then in seventh grade, the class became fun for her, and theatre became a passion in both high school and college. She loved writing and discovered playwriting, developing her skills before she even got to college to start her theatre degree.  

She transferred from Tarrant County College to Texas Wesleyan, getting both an academic scholarship and theatre scholarship.  

“When I first came to Texas Wesleyan, Connie reached out to me immediately. She’s been here every step of the way, especially through this project,” Kuhn said. “She’s been really great.”  

To learn more about Theatre Wesleyan theatre productions, majoring or minoring in theatre arts or getting a theatre scholarship, visit the theatre page. 

You can also check out Mercedes Kuhn’s work at @worksofmercedeskuhn on Instagram.