BASIL KREIMENDAHL “Orange Julius” is about the relationship between a transmasculine child and their father. I knew I wanted to write about Agent Orange and the stories of children of Vietnam vets, about how Vietnam affects them.

When did you become interested in playwriting?

BARBAGALLO I’ve been writing since I was in high school. I was surprised to get into a conservatory acting program. I didn’t think I was a very good actor. Scene study did leave me a little cold. I graduated from school and then after I was out for a year, I was like, I can’t handle my student loans. I’m going to go back to college to become a teacher and I’ll study playwriting.

KREIMENDAHL Like Jess, I always wrote growing up. I wanted to write films. My family, we never went to the theater. I was at a community college in Florida and I took a theater class and a film class. In film class, we just talked about directors. In the theater class, we talked about the playwrights. I was like, I’m doing the wrong thing.

KAUFMAN I always was into theater and writing. I wrote my first play in a high school drama class. And then I tried to do a lot of other things. I graduated from college and was doing all kinds of weird jobs and I was like, I think I want to be a playwright.

BARBAGALLO What weird jobs?

KAUFMAN I was a Spanish teacher and a nanny and a barista.

KREIMENDAHL I did construction, remodeling.

BARBAGALLO I was a bartender, I taught school. I work at a magazine now, “Us Weekly.” I’m a researcher.

What were your early plays about?

KREIMENDAHL A kid who had a webcam show and who was cyber-bullied and who killed himself live on the webcam. It was a dark comedy.