Meet Patrick Lawton: The Heart Behind Well, Here We Are
Playwright, Well, Here We Are
For Patrick Lawton, Well, Here We Are isn't just a play—it’s a love letter to the journey of relationships, crafted from a lifetime spent in love. Married at twenty-two and a proud father of three, Patrick has lived the ups, downs, joys, and complexities of long-term partnership. This heartfelt experience became the foundation for a play that explores love across a lifetime, told through the eyes of four very different couples.
A Play in Four Acts, Well, Here We Are walks us through the stages of love: from the butterflies of first encounters in “Nice to Meet You!”, through the heartbreak of “The Breakup,” into the introspective mystery of “Dreams of Johanna,” and finally to the poignant title act, where a long-married couple confronts life’s final curveballs.
Patrick’s favorite moments have come not just from the script, but from witnessing the transformation it undergoes in rehearsal.
“The hidden talents the actors reveal in the work have shaped and altered my words,” he shares. “It’s so fun to watch.”
When not writing for the stage, Patrick is an author of eight young-adult sci-fi novels—his pandemic project—and is finally collaborating with a visual artist to bring them to life. His pitch? “The Breakfast Club meets Star Wars.” Stay tuned, indeed.
Writing has always been in Patrick’s DNA, inspired by bedtime stories with his father—from Narnia to Lord of the Rings. “I write for the same reason I breathe,” he says, quoting Asimov. “Because if I didn’t, I would die.”
A lifelong theater lover since kindergarten (The Three Billy Goats Gruff, if you must know), Patrick fondly recalls seeing Les Misérables in London in 1988 with the original cast. It changed his life—much like he hopes Well, Here We Are might affect his audience. “If you’ve ever been in love—or fallen out of love—this show’s for you.”
Still, bringing the show to life has its challenges. “Casting!” he groans. “The talent in NYC is amazing, but my Irish Catholic guilt makes saying ‘no’ agonizing.” Luckily, his General Manager and Production Manager E.S. Strauss helps keep him grounded.
And at the end of the day, Patrick’s deepest pride doesn’t lie in the applause—it lies in his wife and children. “They are why I work so damn hard in everything I do.”
