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Can you start by telling us a little bit more about you and what projects you have on the go right now?

Sure. Right now I’m working on a family drama called Common Grace which goes up at Pacific Theatre in January, and a screenplay called Trying, which is a Judd Apatow-style comedy about a couple trying to get pregnant. I’m also working as a dramaturg on Ron Reed’s play about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien!

The 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival is coming up. Your short film, Bedbugs, which you wrote and starred in, screened there last year – along with other festival appearances. What can you share about the journey of creating the film and taking it through to festivals?

Films are incredibly collaborative things and you go in with a plan, but you don’t really know what’s going to come out until the thing is done. So it’s been an incredibly informative experience in terms of learning so much more about how films are made, how they evolve, and how everyone contributes to make a thing what it is. And I love Bedbugs. I love what a fantastic cast and crew I got to play with and how much support we got from Crazy8s to make this wacky little puppet film. So taking it to festivals just feels like gravy. Or whipping cream. Like you get to invite everyone in on the fun.

Having gained some experience on the film festival circuit, how are they beneficial for filmmakers and what challenges did you run into along the way?

I think seeing your work in front of an audience is extremely informative because you need to know if your story lands – if your jokes are funny, if your moments lead people on a journey, if people are connecting. You learn how well you succeeded in telling a story – or not. There are jokes in Bedbugs that I thought were funny and no one ever laughs at. Ever. That’s interesting to me. What should we have cut? Where did we need another beat? As far as festivals, it helps to meet people. It helps to win awards. It helps to see what other people are making and creating to spur you forward to the next thing.

In terms of challenges, I would say it’s expensive. Festival entries are expensive and going to festivals is expensive. And also it’s very time consuming to be spending so much time administrating. As a writer looking forward to the next project it’s hard spending a lot of time on emails and correspondence and uploading things to Dropbox when you’re not being paid for any of it. But it’s also a great problem to have, because it means people want to see your film.

You’re a prolific writer as well as being an actor. What inspired you to do both?

I think if you’re a storyteller, if you’re an artist, then that impulse can come out in different ways. I love bringing a character to life as an actor and connecting with my heart and mind and body to a story. It’s so physical and happens with other people – on a stage or a set. But I also love that as a writer I get to create the world, all the characters, and the whole journey myself. But the seed of  it is the same. Plus, I like to write what I want to play as an actor and what I want to see as an audience member. It’s all about story.

If someone sees your name in the credits of a film as a writer or actor, what qualities do you want the audience to associate with you as a performer and writer?

I guess I want them to see truth. I want them to see something in the story or the character that feels true or authentic to them. And I hope I make them laugh at least once.

What have been some of your career highlights at this point in time?

Getting my first professional production of a full-length play in January is pretty exciting, for sure. It’s a play I really love, full of funny, broken, deeply human people and I can’t wait to share it. Working with Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira on the set of Motive was something I really loved because I think the writing on that show is stellar, and they’re two incredibly gifted, hard-working, and generous actors. And every time Bedbugs plays on the big screen and people genuinely laugh, it’s a career highlight. I could eat those laughs for breakfast.

You’ve written for stage as well as for screen. What are the challenges and rewards of writing for these two mediums?

I would say that one of the challenges of theatre is that you can’t visually cut away to reveal something or button a scene or build suspense – the actor has to do it with their performance and you have to construct it with your words. On the flip side, the challenge for me in film and TV is to not use words so much – to think more visually.

The reward of film and TV both as an actor and a writer is that you have something tangible when you’re done. You can watch it again and again. You can look at it. In theatre, the beauty and the difficulty is in its ephemeral nature. But you get to live the story with the audience in real time which is this beautiful, marvelous, kind of sacred thing when it’s done well. You actually breathe the same air and hold your breath together and affect each other. It’s alive.

What advice would you give to actors who are considering writing their own material?

Do it. Absolutely do it. But also, learn about writing. I studied writing for a long time. I’ve written a lot of stuff – and it’s hard. Sometimes you write things that are bad. Very bad. It’s hard to do it period, and it’s hard to do it well. So read the books on story and structure, then practice and get feedback. And don’t let wanting to play the part cloud your judgement about whether the story works or not. Then rewrite. And rewrite again.

Which books and authors have been influential to you in your career so far?

I’m most moved by stories that explore the depth of human experience. I connect most with stories that have some kind of existential longing. Stories that make me feel, think and laugh. I loved
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle. The Brothers K by David James Duncan. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.

I saw Good People last year, by David Lindsay-Abaire and half-way through I almost jumped out of my seat because I realized “This play is about something.” And it was fantastic. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, too.

And I love good television – I love The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Parenthood, The Good Wife. And I love seeing smart, funny women telling stories – they influence me. Elizabeth Meriwether. Tina Fey. Amy Poehler. Amy Schumer. Smart and funny. Gets me every time. I’m sure gonna miss Jon Stewart.

Where can we go to find out more about you?

You can go to my website, which should be updated this month, or you can find me on Twitter!

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Our thanks to Shauna Johannesen for speaking with us!

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Recommended Reading

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Bird by Bird:
Some Instructions
on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott

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[bscolumns class=”one_third”]

Good People
David Lindsay-Abaire

[/bscolumns]

[bscolumns class=”one_third_last”]

The Mistakes Madeline Made
Elizabeth Meriwether

[bscolumns class=”clear”][/bscolumns]

The post The Biz Interview: Shauna Johannesen appeared first on Biz Books.

Play Details

In South Boston, this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, bingo is a night on the town, and sharp-tongued single-mom Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another crappy job. Scrambling to make ends meet for herself and her special-needs daughter, she looks up an old flame, hoping he’ll help her make a fresh start in this humour-filled drama from Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire about how our choices coupled with twists of fate determine our path.

This is the story of Good People, which has arrived at Vancouver’s Studio 1398. It’s now playing with a cast that includes Nancy Sivak, Rondel Reynoldson, Rukiya Bernard, Kurt Max Runte, Adam Lolacher, Paul Herbert, and Linda Darlow.

Good People is now on at Studio 1398 (3rd Floor, 1398 Cartwright Street) until November 29th, 2014, where it runs Tuesday to Saturday at 8PM with a 2PM matinee on Saturday, November 22nd.

Tickets are $25 each ($15 for the matinee) and available at the door and on BrownPaperTickets.com

Enter to see the Thursday, November 27th Performance

Please send an e-mail to info@bizbooks.net and please include this information:

• Your Name

• Your E-mail Address

• Your Phone Number

• “Good People Contest” in the subject line

Winners will be selected at random and will be contacted by e-mail.

Recommended Reading The Perfect Stage Crew
2nd Edition Click a cover for more details Empire of the Son Ignite: Illuminating Theatre
For Young People

The post Good People Theatre Contest appeared first on Biz Books.

This is the story of Good People, which has arrived at Vancouver’s Studio 1398. It’s now playing with a cast that includes Nancy Sivak, Rondel Reynoldson, Rukiya Bernard, Kurt Max Runte, Adam Lolacher, Paul Herbert, and Linda Darlow.

We spoke to director Jennifer Copping about the experience of staging this story for a Vancouver audience.

What inspired you to take on this production?

A few years ago my husband and I were on a trip to New York for my birthday. It was the weekend of the Tonys which I never miss and we happened to be staying at the Plaza. We got a deal people!!!

Anyways, as the cab pulled up to the hotel I noticed all kinds of security and roping off of entrances. We went up to our room and turned on the show to watch.

One of the highlights was seeing Frances McDormand win the Tony for Best Actress for a play called Good People.  It’s an understatement for me to say that I love her. So I immediately knew I had to read that play. If she loved it I would love it.

There’s a whole other story of that night as I realized that the craziness downstairs was because the Tony after party was happening there,but I’ll save that for another time.

I went to the theatre bookstore the next day and bought the play. Laughing and crying reading it on the plane home, I knew I had to direct it. It took three years to get the rights but tenacious is my middle name.

Recommended Reading The Perfect Stage Crew
2nd Edition Click a cover for more details Empire of the Son Ignite: Illuminating Theatre
For Young People

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for this production, from the early stages all the way to opening?

First off was casting. The role of Margie is so complicated. I really only had one actress in mind. Someone I had always wanted to see do a role like this.  Someone who every time I see them act I am left wanting more. I asked her to do a read of it for me and she said yes. That actress was Nancy Sivak. The other roles all fell into place so beautifully. It truly is magic when the casting is so perfect!

I had a lot of years to sit with the play until we have finally been able to produce it. I knew I wanted to keep it simple and I knew I wanted it to be a visceral experience.  I think we’ve accomplished both.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

All Souls by Michael Patrick Macdonald.  A director I worked with on Fargo named Matt Shakman told me to read it as research. We were talking about our love of theatre ( he also directed theatre) and I mentioned I was dying to work on this piece. It turned out he had directed it at the Geffen in LA and loved it as much as I did!

What were the biggest challenges for you as a director in developing this production and how did you deal with them?

For me, it’s always time. Not enough of it. I never really care about elaborate sets or costumes. I just wish we had enough money for all of us to take three weeks off from our real lives and jobs and just dive into this world completely. But… the miracle is always that somehow it all comes together if you trust the writing and you trust the work. With however much time you have.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

I have a couple of incredible shows that I get to be a part of next year onstage myself.  One that I can announce is Godspell for the Arts Club. Exciting!! The other is a play that I am thrilled to be a part of, but I better wait until they announce it.

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You can see Good People at Studio 1398 (3rd Floor, 1398 Cartwright Street) until November 29th, 2014, where it runs Tuesday to Saturday at 8PM with a 2PM matinee on Saturday, November 22nd.

Tickets are $25 each ($15 for the matinee) and available at the door and on BrownPaperTickets.com

The post The Biz Interview: Jennifer Copping of Good People appeared first on Biz Books.