A Girl Wrote It: Ali Scaramella, Actor

 

Ali Scaramella A Girl Wrote It marks Alison’s first production with Wide Eyed.  Recently, she has performed at Joe’s Pub and Ars Nova in the new musical Salamander Leviathan by Krista Knight and Barry Brinegar.  Other NYC credits include: Girl / Group- A Daughter’s Tale (La MaMa ETC), The Light Inside (Examined Man Theatre), Murder in the Cathedral (Hoi Polloi), Invader? I Hardly Know Her!, directed by Rebecca Hengstenberg (FringeNYC), A Frontier, As Told By The Frontier (Columbia Stages/The Cherry Pit and New York Theatre Workshop), and the NYC debut of Pink! (DownPayment Productions / Workshop Theatre), which was nominated for seven New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Regionally, she has worked at The Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY in their productions of Circle Mirror Transformation, boom, and Speech & Debate.  Her film work includes the short film Underneath (written by Jake Paque and directed by Tim Butterfield), and the feature film Honeysuckle.  Alison has trained at Connecticut College, the British American Drama Academy, and The Lee Strasberg Institute for Theater and Film. 

• You’ll be performing in Deirdre O'Connor's Penicillin as part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us some of your initial thoughts about the piece? How are rehearsals going?  

I loved the piece right from the start!  The dialogue seems not only incredibly witty and smart, but also very realistic and poignant at times (no small feat).  She’s really done most of the work for us!  One-Acts can be tricky- there’s a lot to fit into a pretty small space- but this piece covers so much ground.  It’s really a testament to the writing that you can get to know these characters so well and watch them transform over the course of twenty pages. 

Rehearsals are going great!  I feel pretty lucky to get to hang out with Rebecca Hengstenberg and Michael Komala three or four times a week.  

• When did you know that you wanted to be an actor? How did you get started? 

I think I’ve wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember wanting anything (at times, against my better judgment).  My father is a High School English teacher who also directed the Drama Club plays for a while, so I spent a significant amount of time when I was very little in the auditorium watching rehearsals of plays like Rumors and Annie.  That undoubtedly played a part in lighting the fire.  I got started the usual way- summer camps, school plays, and then went on to get my undergraduate degree in Theater and to study in some conservatory settings.

• Who or what do you consider to have been your biggest creative influences to date? Why?

WOW, that’s a tough question.  I feel very inspired by the creative people I get to make theater with, many of whom are also very dear friends, and the collaborative process of putting on a show leaves an imprint on me every single time I do it.  There have also been some formative experiences that helped me to not only develop a sense of creative identity, but to grow into myself as an adult.  I studied abroad in college at the British American Drama Academy in London.  That program was very challenging and inspiring for me for a number of reasons, the greatest being that it forced me to face some of my insecurities and fears.  I was surrounded by lots of very talented people who seemed so comfortable and confident in their skin, and I suddenly found myself being very afraid to fail.  I realized that I could either let the experience pass me by without ever pushing myself to grow, or I could throw caution to the wind and take a risk.  I didn’t always succeed in doing this, but I really gave it a good go.  I failed a lot, but I learned even more!  There was also a summer in college that I interned at The Pearl Theatre Company here in NYC, and that was the first time I truly understood just how rich and varied the theater community is.  I saw so much amazing theater that summer (Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Chuck Mee’s Iphigenia 2.0) that it really awakened in me a whole new appreciation in me for the craft. 

• What is your favorite part of the creative process before you perform for an audience? Do you have a particular pre-show ritual that you engage in before curtain? If so, can you share it with us? 

I get extremely superstitious, though I have learned to work against it over the years, especially once I moved to NYC and realized that I’m not always going to be able to control my pre-show conditions.  Sometimes I’ll be racing to the theater from another job, sometimes the dressing room will be in a leaking basement with no bathroom, sometimes there won’t be a dressing room, so you have to go with the flow and have a ritual that is adaptable.  Usually I like to warm up- I do some sad little version of yoga that would probably make real yogis cringe, and I try to breathe and listen to my nerves and connect with my body.  I do the some vocal exercises.  Sometimes I run around like a crazy person.  Sometimes I play Katy Perry really loud and dance.  Sometimes I sit in a chair in the corner by myself and try to be still.  Depends on the show!  Often I have a little conversation with myself that goes like this: “Oh wow I’m so nervous I want to puke.  Why do I like doing this?  This is awful.  This is torture.  I don’t like doing this at all.  I think I’m going to go home.  No one will know I left.  I really don’t feel like it today.”  And then I get out there and in the first two seconds I find myself thinking, “Oh yeah... THIS is why I like doing this.  This is awesome. ”

• I believe this is your first time working with Wide Eyed. We’d like to get to know you a little better. Could you tell us a little bit about what you like to do in your spare time? 

So many things!  And also sometimes nothing.  Literally.  Sometimes I don’t leave my apartment for a day or two and I’m perfectly content with that.  I love music.  I just purchase a Ukulele a few weeks back, so that’s been very fun to play around with and learn.  I think my neighbors probably hate me now.  I love to read.  I love to cook.  I love to be outside.  I love to walk around and explore the city.  I love to see plays and movies. Most importantly, I love to be with my friends and family! 

• Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Care to share with us? 

I have a couple readings coming up in the next couple months, one at The Lark and one with a brand new play development group.  Other than those, we shall see!

The 17%

A Girl Wrote It is back for a second season but some of you might not know why we are trying so hard to get female playwrights the attention they deserve.  Let us help to fill you in.  Did you know that only 17% of playwrights being produced are women?

35% of actors, 17% of writers,

23% of directors...

52% of the population

*Credited to Sphinx Theatre 

How can this be? Isn’t theater known for pushing the limits and bridging the gaps? Well, that’s just what we’re going to do. It's an unfortunate truth that sexism still exists in the theater. We've got a huge gender imbalance to work on and there is no better way to tip the scales than to start making a difference ourselves.

A Girl Wrote It showcases the work of seven amazingly talented females who were all kind enough to tell us a little bit about themselves, their process, and inspirations.  If you haven’t already, go get acquainted with playwrights Judith Goudsmit, Bekah Brunstetter, Liz Magee, Laura Maria Censabella, Erin Singleton, Dierdre O’Connor, and Heather Lynn MacDonald.

Interesting Information:

Did you know the first female playwright is credited as being the German canoness Hrotsvitha (meaning strong voice) from the Abbey of Gandersheim around 935-1005? It’s interesting to note that her writing often featured tenacious female characters that contrasted the common portrayal of women as weak and emotional.

A Girl Wrote It: Amy Lee Pearsall, Actor

Amy Lee Pearsall is a long-time member of Wide Eyed Productions, having appeared with the company in The Trojan Women, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, and their inaugural production of The Medea, among others. She is currently appearing in Gideon Productions’ Blast Radius. Amy Lee holds a BA in Theatre Arts from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. She is also a freelance writer when the opportunity presents itself, and has been known to take some photographs. http://www.amyleepearsall.com/ 

• You’ll be performing in Erin Singleton’s Bologna Sandwiches as part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us some of your initial thoughts about the piece? How are rehearsals going? 

It’s a very fun piece and, after the recent run of dramatic roles I’ve had, I’m delighted to be performing a comedic monologue. I think Erin Singleton has a terrific voice as a writer and I’m eager to see what she does next. I’m also thrilled to be working with Kristin Skye Hoffmann again. She directed me in The Medea, …Cuckoo’s Nest, The Trojan Women, My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer, and she knows how to both push and inspire me as an actor. 

• You were recently interviewed on another site regarding your creative process. Where can we read about that? 

Yes, that was on Zack Calhoon’s blog Visible Soul. He profiles New York playwrights, directors, actors, etc. It’s a terrific local resource.  Be sure to check it out! 

• I hear you’ve been keeping busy. Can you tell us a little about the show you’re working on right now? 

I’m currently performing in Mac Rogers’ Blast Radius with Gideon Productions. It's the second installment of what Mac's calling "The Honeycomb Trilogy." Aliens have invaded earth, and this particular play is about a resistance faction operating out of a house of pregnant women. Jordana Williams, our director, has called it “a love letter to humanity,” and I think that’s accurate. I may be somewhat biased. I adore this ensemble, and love Mac’s work – it’s always kind of left-of-center, but has this beautiful poetry to it. The New York Times just listed us as a "Critics' Pick" and we even made the New York Magazine approval matrix – not bad for an independent theatre production! We’re all real proud of it, and we close next week, so get tickets while you can. 

• What is your favorite part of the creative process before you perform for an audience? Do you have a particular pre-show ritual that you engage in before curtain? If so, can you share it with us? 

I like to take a brisk walk before call time to get the oxygen pumping a bit. I try not to eat a big meal before, but I do stay hydrated and maybe eat a bit of protein to keep my energy up. I like to connect with folks when I walk into the theatre and say hello. I do some light stretching, and spend a moment talking around a clean wine cork for enunciation. Then it’s a bit of make-up, focusing on my breathing, and showtime. I’ve never been a fan of group warm-ups; my apologies to those who love them. If you want a group warm-up, throw everyone in the same dressing room. 

• Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Care to share with us? 

Wide Eyed has a new apprentice playwrights program this year that we’re very excited about. These new scripts will have staged readings during A Girl Wrote It’s “Dark Nights” series, and I’ll be participating in some of those. I attended one of the workshop readings this past weekend. It’s so much fun to be on the ground floor of something like this, watching these fantastic stories take shape and getting to be a part of it.

A Girl Wrote It: Andrew Harriss, Actor

Andrew Harriss is an actor and writer who has been a member of Wide Eyed Productions since its inception in 2007. Company credits include The Medea, Much Ado About Nothing, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, A Devil Inside, The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, Henry VI (Part III), and Plight Of The Apothocary in 2011’s A Girl Wrote It. Other credits include Gorilla Rep's Hamlet, The Jack Johnson Project, and All For Love with Boomerang Theatre Company. Andrew is also the writer, producer, and star of the webseries White Liars. He is originally from Irvine, California and holds a BFA from Hofstra University.   

• When did you know that you wanted to be an actor? How did you get started? 

I have wanted to be actor since I was 9 years old. I played a dog named Bowser who ran a dog store. I don’t remember what the play was called but as an adult, looking back, I’m concerned about some of the themes from that show. I’m typing this during a rather dry episode of The Daily Show so I’m going to try to count the number of plays I’ve been in since then. Hold On. So through elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and professionally I can remember being in 44* plays over the last 20 years. But I drink a lot so I’ve probably forgotten a few. Each one was either a life affirming experience or made me wish I had never bothered with this stupid craft and gone to law school. Is 29 too old to go to law school?

The short answer is I got my start after getting my degree and started working professionally in New York.

*I remembered one more. 

• Who or what do you consider to have been your biggest creative influences to date? Why? 

I’d like to name drop somebody like my mom or the late John Ritter but I have to say my biggest creative influences are the people I come into contact with everyday. Some of these people I’ve known for years others I’m just observing in line at Starbucks or Chipotle. I’m particularly interested in idiots, as in people who lack common sense and would rather blame somebody else for their problems rather than try to solve it themselves. What was it that made you check out of reality? Do you do this all the time or did something just get fucked up with your morning and maybe I shouldn’t be judging you. Who knows, but I find that behavior fascinating. I’m guilty of it too, I think we all are from time to time (that doesn’t excuse it) which is good because I’m basically playing myself in this play. 

• What is your favorite part of the creative process before you perform for an audience? Do you have a particular pre-show ritual that you engage in before curtain? If so, can you share it with us?

My favorite part of the process before an audience sees it is the week before an audience sees it and you're pretty sure the show is going to be a disaster. The anxiety is awful, but it usually makes opening night cathartic. If it doesn’t, then I start looking up law school applications again. I don’t necessarily have a pres-how ritual aside from warming up, but I do have habits. For instance, I’d rather not talk to anybody on my way to the theatre. That’s mostly because I’m nervous and on edge. I love being able to sit on the subway with my ipod and just be alone and quiet and small. On my way from the subway to the theatre I likes to get me coffee, listen to my musics, and chill out before psyching myself up for a performance. 

• In addition to being an actor, you are also serving on the company’s Board of Directors.  Can you tell us a little bit about what’s going on behind the curtain right now that you’re excited about? 

My job on the board is member relations and dues so I’m not personally as involved with the day to day behind the scenes stuff, but I am getting really excited about the Dark Nights. I’ll be doing my one-man Show Filibustero under those auspices and I’m really looking forward to the other acts and projects that will be performing as part of the Dark Night series as well. 

• Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Care to share with us? 

I’m currently in production on the second season of my webseries White Liars. The first season saw my character (Timothy Michael Forbes) unwittingly go from a down on his luck actor to haphazard con artist. The second season follows Tim as he is put to the test in his conning ways. We’re also working on a new show called ‘Laid Up’ about a guy who some manages to screw up getting laid right before it’s about to happen. Information on all this can be found on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheConIsOn), Twitter (@WhiteLiars), and our website (http://www.white-liars.com/).

A Girl Wrote It: Heather Lynn MacDonald, Playwright

Heather Lynn MacDonald Originally from New Hampshire, Heather currently lives in Harlem with her husband, Anuj Shah. Her plays have been produced and developed by The New Group, Naked Angels, A.R.T. Theatre Institute, Summer Play Festival, Page 73 Productions, Atlantic Theater Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Hangar Theatre, and The New York International Fringe Festival. She is the recipient of a NYSCA Individual Artist grant and NYFA fellowship; additional honors include residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Page 73, and the Orchard Project. Her play The Givers is a 2012 O'Neill Theater Conference semifinalist. Heather is a former member of Page 73′s Interstate 73 Writers Group. She holds a MFA from Columbia University where she received the Brander Matthews Fellowship, and a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

• Your one-act, Early Michigan, will be performed as a part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us about what inspired it? 

I’ve lived in New York for nearly twenty years. During that time, many of my friends left New York to either pursue their art in another city/town, or to pursue another career altogether. When you’re in your 20’s, you think “well, they must not have wanted it that badly.” When you’re in your 30’s, you think “oh my god, I’m in my 30’s and I have no actual profession I can put on my LinkedIn profile, let alone own a home or thought about starting a family.” So you look around at all your friends who left New York and have those things, and you panic. At least I did. Still do. 

I guess this is my way of saying this play is about that moment in life where you begin to assess where you’re at, what you have, and the sacrifices you’ve made to get there. While the story centers around four friends at varying stages of professional and personal growth, the play is really about assessing my relationship with New York. 

• Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer? What inspires you to get to the page? 

My biggest influence as a writer is clichéd, but true: Caryl Churchill. While our styles are dramatically different, she helped me understand that writing can be lyrical without being cloying, dangerous without being sensational, historical without being musty, and political without being dogmatic. And she’s a girl – er, woman. 

• In terms of your creative process, do you have a particular ritual when it comes to writing? If so, can you share it with us? 

Sadly, no. I’m terrible with establishing routines or a disciplined approach to writing. For the most part, I write when I feel it. But as any writer will tell you, inspiration is fleeting and completely unreliable, which sucks for someone with no discipline. Attending retreats has been the best way for me to be productive - I’d go every year if I could. A friend recently sent me an app that forces you to write a certain amount of time each day. I should probably get it. 

• I read somewhere that you grew up in rural New Hampshire near Lake Winnipesauke. Did you always want to live in New York? How would you say these experiences have shaped you as a writer? 

Yep, I always knew I wanted to live in New York. As a theater dork growing up in the country, there really wasn’t any other option in my mind. Now, nearly twenty years later, I’m starting to believe maybe there is a world outside of New York… 

• Can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on right now? 

I’ve been working on a play called Neocomrade about the birth of the neoconservative movement in the U.S. It’s a topic I’m fascinated by, and this is my attempt to understand its evolution from a group of Depression-era left-wing radicals to the present-day architects of the war(s) in Iraq. My current task is sharpening its focus – there are too many juicy characters and not enough stage time, so I’m going to have to get serious with the delete button.

A Girl Wrote It: Deirdre O'Connor, Playwright

Deirdre O’Connor’s full-length plays include Jailbait, and Assisted Living.  Her plays have been produced or developed with The Cherry Lane Theatre, Naked Angels, St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Lark, The Playwrights Foundation, and Profiles Theatre, among others.  Deirdre was a 2008 Cherry Lane Mentor Project Fellow mentored by Michael Weller.  Deirdre was a 2008-2009 Lark Playwrights Workshop Fellow.  Deirdre’s television work includes Pearl, one of the short films in Lifetime’s FIVE (Writers Guild Award Nomination), and The Electric Company on PBS (Emmy Award).  Deirdre is a graduate of Hampshire College, and Columbia University's MFA Playwriting program where she was the recipient of the John Golden Playwriting Award. 

• Your one-act, Penicillin, will be performed as a part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us about what inspired it? 

Oh dear.  Well, it was NOT inspired by personal experience.  Let’s just be clear about that. I was teaching a playwriting class to high school students and I gave them an assignment to write a play set in a waiting room.  And they all wrote cancer plays.  So I decided to give myself the same challenge and see if I could flip the situation on its head. Take what should be a melodrama and make it a comedy.  Take what should be the end of a relationship and find a way to make it the beginning. And Penicillin is what I came up with. 

• When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? What inspired you to start writing plays? 

I always loved writing.  Growing up I wrote a lot of short stories and bad poetry.  But my writing was always about ninety percent dialogue.  I think it’s because I grew up in a big Irish family that valued good dinner table conversation above all else.  So I have always had a lot of lively voices in my head.  And then in my first year of college I took a playwriting course and it was just a natural fit for me. 

• Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer? What gets you to the page on difficult days? 

In grad school I studied with Eduardo Machado and Frank Pugliese, two amazing writers who had a big impact on me.  And then a few years ago I was mentored by the fantastic Michael Weller as part of the Cherry Lane Mentor Project.  Michael is a god among men, I learn from him just by sitting in the audience of one of his plays.  But I’m equally influenced by my amazing playwright friends who read my early drafts and fight about plays with me.  Heather Lynn MacDonald is an awesome person to argue about theatre with. 

And as for difficult days… if I have a story I feel compelled to write, I will write it.  But on some difficult days I don’t sit down to my computer at all.  I go for a walk or clean my apartment.  It’s a huge misconception that writing is only the process of putting pen to paper.  Sometimes I have my biggest breakthroughs just standing in the middle of my kitchen staring at my refrigerator. 

• In terms of your creative process, do you have a particular ritual or schedule when it comes to writing? If so, can you share it with us? 

Well, I never used to.  But after my son was born I had to create one for myself.  I have an office nearby my home with a tiny desk and a little window that looks out on a beautiful garden.  I go there for six hours a day, pour myself a cup of coffee, disconnect my internet, and just write.  I always worked best with a deadline, and getting home to the baby is a pretty great daily deadline. 

• Your play Assisted Living just completed its world premiere at the Profiles Theatre in Chicago, where your play Jailbait also enjoyed a run the previous year. How would you say the theatrical scene in Chicago differs these days from that of New York?  

Chicago and New York are both amazing theatre towns.  I think the big difference is that it feels like there is a greater balance in Chicago between the big theatres and all the amazing little store-front performance spaces.  Chicago critics and audiences really seem to value the voices and contributions of each of these disparate groups.  Whereas in New York, it can be harder for emerging theatre artists to get their work seen by a wider audience. 

• Can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on right now? 

For the past year I’ve been focusing on film and television projects.  Which has been really fun, but I’m looking forward to getting back to playwriting.  I have an idea for a new play that I’m excited to write, so I’m going to carve out some time to do that soon.

A Girl Wrote It: Erin Singleton, Playwright

Erin Singleton performs weekly at The People’s Improv Theater with the indie team Student Driver. She also coaches improv. Erin received her BFA in Theatre from Stephens College in Columbia, MO. She has acted in many plays regionally and in NYC, as well as been in several shorts, including one with J.B. Smoove. For funzies, she likes to produce shot by shot recreations of 80's music videos with Student Driver. Check out their version of Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go on Funny or Die.

• Your monologue, Bologna Sandwiches, will be performed as a part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us about what inspired it? 

I wanted to write about something a character would have trouble admitting to anyone, especially herself, while keeping that vulnerability veiled with humor. I know a lot of women who have felt similarly to this character – it’s usually right before they start feeling like an adult for the first time.

• How did you first get involved in theatre? When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? What made you want to start writing plays? 

I grew up living and breathing basketball (believe it or not). I suffered a back injury in high school that forced me out of the game and left me sulking on my mom’s couch. She was anxious for me to find something, anything else to do, so she bought me season tickets to the Landers Theatre, a beautiful theater an hour from our home. I saw my first play when I was fifteen. I was mesmerized. The following season I played Juliet at that same theater. I studied every aspect of theatre in college, I like crafting a story from every angle. When I got into live comedy a couple years ago, writing seemed like the natural next step. I’m a newbie to the writer world.

• Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer? What inspires you to get to the page?

Like any woman in comedy right now, I love Tina Fey. I will gobble up anything Aaron Sorkin writes. I love writers who strive to give every character integrity, and I think Sorkin is one of the best examples of that. My friends I do improv with are always inspiring me in every way. However, the person who inspires/encourages me the most is my husband. Having someone who believes in your smarts and your talents who also happens to sleep next to you is pretty awesome.

• In terms of your creative process, do you have a particular ritual when it comes to writing? If so, can you share it with us?

No, not really. I’m still figuring out my process. Right now I start with a want or feeling to communicate. I get that down on paper in all its vague glory, then lots of rewriting and refining! 

• I read somewhere that – in addition to writing – you regularly perform improv and sketch comedy at The PIT (People’s Improv Theatre). How would you say that experience has contributed to your work as a writer?

Tremendously! Improv is writing on your feet. I do longform improv, which means we are basically creating a 20-25 minute play in front of an audience. Improv teaches me economy of language. It opens me up to my impulses. It demonstrates how rewarding it can be for an audience to see something from earlier in the show brought back throughout a piece when you least expect it. I could go on and on (this “economy of language” thing is an ongoing challenge for me). As for sketch, it allows me to explore non-realistic worlds. My sense of humor can be a little looney toons, and sketch celebrates that.

• Can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on right now? 

I recently wrote an essay titled Paris Hilton Wears a Burqa. I’d love to expand that into something more. You can catch my indie improv team, Student Driver, every Sunday at 7pm at The People’s Improv Theater. You can also check The PIT’s website for details on the Indie-pendence Day festival we host.