The Seven: New Works Festival 2009
 

Nicole Pandolfo
New York, NY

An Interview with the Playwright

How did you hear about “The Seven”?

Insight for Playwrights or the Loop.

What was the impetus/basis/inspiration for writing the piece?

I wanted to write a funny slapstick about two mob guys. I kept writing two pages, and then deleting them, because I realized for two minutes I had my characters discussing turkey jerky. I let it rest a couple of days, around Christmas 2008, and then came back to it and cut the jerky discussion down to a few lines and then the play was born.

Is this play representational of your writing style? Is it similar to or different from your other plays?

This is fairly representational of my work. I definitely enjoy writing dark comedy about small town people from New Jersey or other working class areas, without a doubt.

What is the role of the short work in your playwriting career?

Writing short work is invaluable for a few reasons.
1- It helps you learn how to contain a complete story in one scene (usually).
2- It is great to write short plays when you are feeling the pressure of a full length. If you are having writer’s block with your full length, a short play will keep you writing, and usually, having fun.
3- Short plays build your writing resume. There are many short play festivals, and the odds a short play of yours will eventually get produced is higher than a full length because they require much fewer resources then a full length production.

What is your favorite play? Who is your favorite playwright?

I don’t know that I can name a favorite play or playwright since there are so many that are great for different reasons, but I can tell you my favorite theater experience that I’ve had thus far- It was seeing a play called, LOVE JANIS, based on the life and music of Janis Joplin as told through excerpts from her diary. I suppose it’s technically a musical, but there was an actor Janis and a singer Janis that rotated, and I saw it back in 2001 when I was 16 and it was Off-Broadway in a theatre on Bleecker Street in NYC. I just remember it feeling very special, and I realized that theatre (and musicals) can be cool on top of entertaining.

What is your next playwriting venture?

Continuing development on a semi-autobiographical one woman show called, “Love in the Time of Chlamydia,” as well as a new full length, off-kilter love story about some down and out Jerseyites whose worlds collide in a bar one afternoon.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I’d like to thank everyone involved in “The Seven” for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of this festival!


Nicole Pandolfo
NICOLE PANDOLFO (Canadian Tuxedo) graduated from New York University in 2006 with a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies, which she will put to use later during her philanthropic period. In the meantime she is an actress and playwright who lives and works in New York City. She currently studies at HB Studio under the profound tutelage of Austin Pendleton and Julie McKee. She was recently seen playing the role of “Ethel” in the improvised web comedy series, The Villagers, directed by legendary comic book artist, Kevin Maguire. Her one woman show, Love in the Time of Chlamydia, written, directed, and performed by Nicole, was featured as part of the Illuminating Artists New Work Series at Emerging Artists Theatre in New York City in May. She is from New Jersey and does not understand anti-Jersey sentiments. She thinks meeting Cher and playing her in a movie would be the tops. She thanks her mother, Adele, and her family and friends for their love and support.