Why TV Vet Rob Ulin Was Nervous to Write His First Play—and Why He Did it Anyway

The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Rob Ulin whose new play “Judgment Day” stars Patti LuPone, Jason Alexander, and Santino Fontana, among others. It will be streamed online from Aug. 22–25.  

I was sitting on a panel of television writers once when an audience member asked, “What’s the most important skill for a comedy writer to have?” Before I could think about it, I heard myself say, “Toughness.” As it came out of my mouth, I wasn’t completely sure what I meant. But, over time, I’ve decided I had a point.

Of course a sense of humor will come in handy, too. And you really ought to know how to type. But, in the comedy world, there’s no skill more valuable than being able to take a punch. A number of my college friends who had more than enough talent to make their living in the comedy field threw in the towel after a brief effort because they got sick of the rejection that comes with the territory. (In the comedy world, “threw in the towel” is a euphemism for “applied to law school.”)

Over time it gets easier. You build up calluses on the ego and maybe even a smidgen of confidence. I wrote my play “Judgment Day” over a couple of years while I was working on a number of TV shows. At first I couldn’t tell what it was I was creating during my lunch breaks. A pilot? A film? I just knew I loved sitting with it, tinkering with it, making it incrementally better, while I was earning my living on somebody else’s show.

When it finally came out of me as a play, I felt that warm sense of accomplishment that new mothers feel. It lasted a full 20 seconds before I began to worry: “What if my child isn’t as pretty as I think she is?” They say that trying new things will make you feel young again, and they’re right, as I was flushed with a sense of insecurity that brought me back to my salad days.

READ: How to Become a (Successful) Playwright

Which made it all the sweeter when I got an email from Jason Alexander last November telling me he had read my play and he quite liked it. Unfortunately his schedule was booked solid for the next two years so there was no way he could do it in the foreseeable future. But he said some really nice things that buoyed my spirits tremendously.

Then, of course, quarantine happened, and Jason wasn’t so busy anymore. He is the reason this online reading happened, and I owe him more than I can say. So now my play is going out into the world. I really hope people enjoy it, but I think I’ll be happy no matter what just to see it realized. It feels great to be trying something new at what I optimistically refer to as “middle age.” Maybe I’ll be more confident next time. And if it doesn’t work out, there is always law school.