TIC Hearts Paula Vogel: An Imaginary Conversation with the Playwright

Dear Ms. Vogel,

I promise I don't usually approach playwrights-slash-Pulitzer-Prize-winners when they're trying to enjoy a nice steak dinner out -- but I just have to tell you that I love your work.

Paula Vogel, playwright

When I was getting my MFA in acting, someone passed me their copy of your play The Baltimore Waltz, and I was hooked by the creativity of your storytelling.  When I founded my own independent theater company, Tongue in Cheek Theater, in 2006, The Baltimore Waltz was our first production.

Over the years, I've read other plays by you and always hoped to someday do your seminal work, How I Learned to Drive.  But for many years, I held back: the uncomfortable mix of sex and family seemed so... challenging... to stage.

But you know what, Ms. Vogel?  Can I call you Paula?  I really do love this play.  Re-reading it late last year, I felt a deep kinship with all the characters, especially the busty-and-smart Li'l Bit.  My production stage manager urged me to do it for our fall show.

So here we go: in 10 days, my production company, now on its 24th production, is staging a three-week run of How I Learned to Drive.  It feels like a brilliant way to celebrate our 8 years of shows (so far!) by returning to your work.

Just wanted to say thank you for writing it.   Enjoy your meal.

Sincerely,

Jake Lipman

P.S. What is Li'l Bit's real name?  We have a bet going that it's Elizabeth.  Or Lily?

Production Details
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.

For more about the cast, crew, and Tongue in Cheek, please visit www.tictheater.com and like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/tictheater
How I Learned to Drive is an Actors Equity-approved showcase.

Q&A with Holland Hamilton ('Aunt Mary') 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.  Often at odds with her family, she admires her Aunt Mary, who seems to know how to handle any problem with dignity.

We sat down with actor Holland Hamilton ('Aunt Mary') to talk solitude in the city, singing, and sophisticated drinks.

Most of the play takes place at night, on back roads.  What's your favorite place to go to escape the city?

Holland Hamilton

Near my house, there's a pier that looks out on the hudson and further on into New Jersey. Looking out on the water and then onto another time and place has always made me feel calm. The city is always full of noise and action. When I stand in that spot and listen to the water (especially at night), I feel like I'm in my own secret world. Knowing that a quieter, calmer place is just a boat, bus or train ride away is soothing. It reminds me that I don't always have to feel cramped or overworked or tired. I can just pick up and go somewhere that's not so crazy. 

Music from 1960's figures heavily in the play.  What's your favorite song from that decade?
I love the song "Ain't No Mountain." Every time I hear it I get happy. I fell in love with the song when the two moms and kids sing it into their hairbrushes in the movie 'Stepmom.'

Later, I recorded the song with my best friend Marina and at the lyrics "My love is alive deep down in my heart although we are miles apart," we both started laughing at some inside joke. Now I can listen to that recording, no matter where she is, and feel connected to her. It's a real theme song in my life. 

If Aunt Mary were mixing a drink, what would she drink, and why?
So, at first I read this as "if your character was a mixed drink..." But the answer is the same. Cosmopolitan. Aunt Mary tries to present herself as very "good." She's grown up under her sister, "the bad daughter," and so she never wants to be like that.

Cosmos are a strong drinks that look sophisticated and taste delightful. So is Aunt Mary. 

Catch the heartfelt Hamilton as 'Aunt Mary' 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

Q&A with Joan D. Saunders ('Grandma') 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.  She has more in common with her bawdy grandmother than she would like to think...

We sat down with actor Joan D. Saunders ('Grandma') to talk theater, 60's music and mixed drinks.

What's your favorite place to escape it all?

My favorite escape is going to the theater. It doesn’t matter that I’m surrounded by crowds of people. I just slip into the world on the stage. I love movies, too, but theater is different — maybe because it’s living and breathing.

What's your favorite song from the 1960's?
This is really tough to narrow down, even just to the artist — Frankie Vallee, Three Dog Night, any and all Motown, I could go on and on.

But if I have to narrow it down to an artist, I would say Blood, Sweat and Tears, and from among their many great songs, I’d pick “Lucretia MacEvil” (specifically the longer version). In my case with music, it’s always about the music, not the lyrics, and as with all BS&T songs, it’s the combination of brass and guitar, blues and rock, that grabs me. But this song has FAB lyrics, too. 

If Grandma were entertaining, what drink might he fix?
She would mix a virgin Cuba Libre. She knows a girl of any age has to keep her wits about her. And it would be a Cuba Libre because it sounds sophisticated and exotic.

Grab your tickets now to see the jocose Joan D. Saunders out as 'Grandma' 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

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

Q&A with Michael Edmund ('Big Papa') 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.  Li'l Bit finds herself constantly ogled by men: from her lewd grandfather Big Papa, to disapproving waiters, and boys at school.

How I (Really) Learned to Drive by Michael Edmund ('Big Papa')

I was born and raised in Manhattan. One of the disadvantages of being a teenager in New York City is that a young person can't get a learner's permit to drive until they're 18. (I think it's a little different now but that's the way it was in the 70's).

When I was 17 my family moved to Minneapolis—to help with my ailing grandmother's business. I was in the 12th grade then—and the only 12th grader who didn't know how to drive. I was forced to take driver's ed with a bunch of 9th graders. This was embarrassing to say the least. But since I was 17 I was able to go right into the driver's program once I passed my written test.

Well: the 6 hours behind the wheel training was nothing short of a disaster. I had never been behind a wheel before—and the instructor—Mr. Berg—had never had to deal with such an inexperienced student. I would confuse the accelerator with the brakes, the turn signals with the windshield wipers and as for parallel parking—the less said the better.

My teacher wasn't very encouraging: he bluntly told me that in 29 years of teaching I was the worst student he ever had. But somehow we got through the 6 hours and miraculously I passed the road test on my first try. (Mr. Berg claimed I passed because the instructor giving the test never wanted to see me again.) And for the next several years I drove pretty much without incident. (Well there was that time when I smashed into a parked car, but I really don't want to get into that.)

I haven't owned a car since 1977, and being back in NY I really can't say I miss it. I still rent cars when I'm visiting friends out of town, but I hate driving and I really hate parallel parking. (I love valet parking, however.)

See the marvelous Michael as 'Big Papa' 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

Q&A with Lynn Berg ('Uncle Peck') 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.  Only her Uncle Peck seems to get her, and shows her the ways of the world.

We sat down with actor Lynn Berg* ('Uncle Peck') to talk cars, drinks and the 60s.

What's your favorite line from the show?

Merlin Berg's '55 Bel Air.

Uncle Peck says, "Of course, my favorite car will always be the '56 Bel Air Sports Coupe.  Chevy sold more '55's, but the '56!"

The first car I owed was a '55 Chevy Bel Air.  My dad is a well-known car customizer and he bought me a rusty, two-toned green '55.  We restored it together and it was sweet!  I loved that car, and now, years later, I regret selling it.  Oh, well.  My pop has a '55 that he's had since before I was born.  And over the years, it's gone through several stages of customizing and colors. 

A lot of people, including me and my pop, say the '55 is the real gem of the Bel Airs.  I think Peck loves the '56 partly because of his affinity for the underdog.

Who do you think is Peck's favorite pop icon of the 1960's?
Peck's favorite character from the 60's, and really starting in the 50's would be James Bond.  Peck loves new gadgets, drinks and women.  And he likes to think of himself as a classy playboy.  He would envy Bond's above-the-law status and secret agent life.  Peck would live vicariously through James Bond's adventures, like readers and audiences have for over 50 years.

If Peck were entertaining, what drink might he fix?
The drink Peck would offer to mix lady guests visiting his den would be a Harpoon.  It is a precursor to the Cosmopolitan and we would learn to mix it from Playboy's Bar Guide by Thomas Mario (not Hugh Hefner).

Check Lynn out as 'Uncle Peck' 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

*Appears courtesy of the Actors Equity Association.  How I Learned to Drive is an Actors Equity-approved showcase.

First Read Through for 'How I Learned to Drive'

Theater people have loads of superstitions. For Tongue in Cheek Theater, we always wait until after a successful first read-through before we send our postcards to print... and I'm thrilled to report, after a fabulous first read of How I Learned to Drive, our postcard proof was just sent to the printers.

Six actors in search of a crazy family in this dark comedy.

Earlier today, in the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios, our cast and crew gathered and read through the entire show in 76 minutes.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Paula Vogel follows a dysfunctional Maryland family in the 1960s.

Happily for the cast, we all got along famously, jokes landed, and the Greek Chorus sang an impromptu arrangement of 'Blue Moon.' Seeing how many of the characters have a tendency to hit the bottle, we felt it fitting to adjourn for a nearby beer at the Tongue in Cheek-designated bar, Valhalla.

We coordinated our tops.  We're off to a mime convention after this.

The cast is comprised of Lynn Berg* (Uncle Peck), Jake Lipman* (Li'l Bit), Michael Edmund (Big Papa/Male Greek Chorus), Joan D. Saunders (Grandma/Female Greek Chorus 1), Shelley Little (Mother/Female Greek Chorus 2) and Holland Hamilton (Aunt Mary/Female Greek Chorus 3).  Rounding out the talented folks making this fall happen is our assistant director Allison Lemel.

If you're superstitious like we are, and if TIC production history is any indication (we're going to sell this one out, mark my words!), you might want to consider buying your tickets now for our fall run.

How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
Directed by Jake Lipman, assistant-directed by Allison Lemel.
9 performances: Thursday-Saturday, Thursday October 17 through November 2, 2013 at 8 pm.
The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor, NYC.
Tickets: $18 at www.tictheater.com or by calling 212-868-4444.
*appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association.