by Devin Wallace. @thedevinwallace.
BOSTON - Following reports that local playwright Adam Ryland’s entire artistic oeuvre was inspired by, and created for, his long-time muse Piper Longo, Longo issued the following statement: “Who’s that?”
“I’ve never heard that name in my life,” said Longo while confirming she wasn’t connected with Ryland on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even LinkedIn. “Maybe I matched with him on Hinge? But usually I’d have his number in my phone as 'Weird Adam' or 'Theater Guy Adam (don’t call)'. I checked, and it’s just nothing with this guy.”
Ryland, who has written a half-dozen unproduced plays centered around his relationship with Longo, says he wouldn’t be where he is without her.
“Everything I’ve written, it just screams Piper Longo. It’s incredible, she’s on every page,” said Ryland while recounting all the times they almost spoke in college. “Our relationship is so pure, so complex, so distant, so…far away, that it gives me so much room to explore in my work. I can really project her on the page, create a pure image of her in my mind, so I think it’s been totally beneficial and healthy.”
Colin Bask, Ryland’s long-time roommate, said he was very familiar with Longo.
“I’ve heard so many stories about her from Adam. What she likes, what she dislikes, where she grew up, what she’s wearing that day,” said Bask while flipping through Ryland’s five-act play Piper’s Journey: An Elegy of Innocence. “I think it’s great they have such a strong relationship. Two artists giving and taking back and forth can create really profound material. I can’t wait to finally meet the woman behind the work,” said Bask, unaware the relationship was technically limited to a semester of Intro to Playwriting at Bard College in 2012.
Ryland stated he’s excited to continue working on a wide range of material inspired by Longo’s life, interests, and Facebook posts she forgot to set to Friends Only.