Writing & Producing
I use humor and honesty to destigmatize stories about disability and mental health.
When I was twenty-nine, my parents sat on the edge of my bed and handed me an envelope. I knew what it was before I opened it. “I got it,” I said quietly. They cheered as if we had won the lottery.
I had just been declared legally disabled.
Their excitement came from knowing I would finally have health insurance to cover my overwhelming medical bills. To me, it felt like the end of my future.
Was I being dramatic? Maybe, but I had no model for what success looked like as a chronically ill artist. I began writing to understand my own experience. Along the way, I met others with similar stories and realized the best way to amplify those voices was to add my own.
I write dark comedies about things we’re not supposed to laugh at— the harder parts of life. But exploring them through humor helps us connect: to ourselves, to each other, and to the stories we share.
I strive to create authentic stories that make people feel seen and heard.
My brothers would say this path was inevitable—they were regularly recruited to perform in the plays I wrote as a child. The work has improved since then, and I’ve also learned that red nail polish is a terrible substitute for stage makeup.
Z IS FOR ZEBRA
Katie Scarlett has crafted something remarkable here—a tightly executed, deeply personal, and often wickedly funny piece that finds its power not in spectacle, but in honesty.
— Kirk Sheppard, Off Book Cincinnati
If C is for courage,
then Z is for Zebra earns an A for honesty, humor, and heart.
— Alan Jozwiak, League of Cincinnati Theatres
My Writing
