Q&A with Shelley Little ('Mother') in HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE

TIC Theater is thrilled to produce a 3-week run this fall of How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, running Oct. 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 2 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 W. 54 St., 12th Fl.).  Tickets are $18 online and 212-868-4444.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this play follows precocious Li'l Bit's formative teenage years in rural Maryland in the 1960s.  Her mother's wit and wisdom proves prescient, but what teenager ever does exactly what she's told?

We sat down with actor Shelley Little ('Mother') to talk escapes, driving standard and the pivotal role this play had on her life as an actor.

What's your favorite place to escape to, and why?

Shelley Little

When I was in high school, I volunteered at the science center on weekends, doing demonstrations on the power of tornados and the history of technology. After a year or two, I was given the very grown-up job of narrating shows in the planetarium. I loved to sit in the cool dark quiet of the planetarium for a few minutes before I would let guests in for my show and at the end of the day after the crowds left. At sixteen, teaching elementary school groups about the skies felt like a lot of responsibility and I loved it.

I guess that place just made me feel special and adult! I wish I could still go there to get away!

Who taught YOU to drive?

My first boyfriend taught me how to drive a standard. We would circle parking lots and I would terrorize the clutch on his ancient Dodge Colt (does anyone even remember those cars existed?) Eventually he got a new car and I inherited the Colt for about a year before it died forever. The first time I drove it alone was on college campus after an Ohio State Football game. I was driving down a packed street where I hit a red light every second block. I stalled out over and over. It was frustrating for me and all the sports fans around me. At one light, I must have stalled a dozen times -- enough that a police officer walked up to my window and asked if I needed help. I was most likely a little hysterical. We figured out I was putting the car in third gear instead of first.

After that lesson, I've been pretty pro and prefer driving standard, but that was not my best day.


How did you first come to know the play?

The motel room scene in this play was the first scene I performed in an acting class, when I was eighteen, Lil Bit's age in the scene. I remember chugging a glass of real champagne (my first), and when I asked Uncle Peck for more, I was choking and coughing. My teacher loved it and laughed. He told me I should audition for the next show at OSU, and I did. So in a way, this play is the reason I'm an actor! I'm very excited to have the opportunity to work on the entire piece, with such a talented group of people.

Come see the sensational Shelley as 'Mother' this fall at the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios!

TIC is thrilled to have sold out its last 2 seasons of plays, so please do buy your ticket in advance.  http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=HOW27

For more about the cast, crew, and Tongue in Cheek, please visit www.tictheater.com and like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/tictheater