Interview with Jessica Puller, author of "Robin Hood: The Panto!"

A couple of weeks ago, Piccolo Ensemble Member Brianna Sloane sat down with playwright Jessica Puller, who wrote this year's hit Robin Hood: the Panto, as well as last year's successful panto, Perseus and Medusa. Here Jessica tells us how she got involved with the Piccolinis and then started writing pantos for the ensemble. She also gives some hints about what you might be seeing on the Piccolo stage next year around this time!





Brianna: How did you originally get involved with Piccolo?

Jessica: That's actually a bit of a funny story. After graduating from college, I was looking to get into theatre administration. I decided to start blindly sending cover letters and resumes out to local theatres. Piccolo was one of the many theatres on my list, so they got my business resume. About two months later, I got an email back from Piccolo. It said something along the lines of, "We found your resume and headshot and were wondering if you'd be interested in auditioning for our production of Sinbad." Well, to this day, I have no headshots, but I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so I asked to audition! On Monday, I did a monologue for Piccolo. On Tuesday, I was cast as the rear end of a camel. On Wednesday, I started rehearsals. And I've been in love with the company ever since!

B: How long have you been writing plays? What are you working on right now?

J: I think I wrote my first play in fifth grade. It was my attempt at science fiction and was basically, I realized, a spec script for Star Trek: The Next Generation, only with the names of the characters changed. Too bad the show was off the air! After that, I don't think I got very serious about playwriting again until my junior year of college. At the time, I was enrolled in all my serious acting classes, but I applied to, and got into, the Northwestern playwriting program. By the end of the year, I was absolutely in love with playwriting and basically switched my concentration and my energy to playwriting.I have a few current projects up in the air right now. I'm working on an adaptation of The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis, for the Citadel Theatre. The Breadwinner is an amazing young adult novel about a young girl living in Afghanistan who has to dress up like a boy in order to go out and earn money for the rest of her family. Adapting it has been an interesting challenge. I love writing adaptations, but I've never written one of a book before. I much prefer mythology. Nevertheless, I've found a way to apply my own, unique style to the dialogue of the novel. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. At the same time, I'm working on a new piece called The Trojan War...or how one bad apple spoiled the world for a new company called the Inconceivable Theatre. Greek mythology has always been a passion of mine, especially when it's used to examine modern day issues, in this case, war. I can best describe this play as a combination of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), No Exit, and A Company of Wayward Saints, with maybe a dash of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Finally, I'm also writing a murder mystery dinner for a fundraiser with a theatre group up in Niles, Michigan called The Swansong. All in all, I'm a very busy playwright!

B: What is the most fun about writing Panto?

J: Oh, I absolutely love Panto. I often tell people that it reminds us that in the theatre, it's called a "play" for a reason. I suppose my favorite thing about writing a panto is that I get to work with folktales. They're my favorite kind of play to watch, so therefore, they're my favorite kind of play to write.

B: Is it tricky to adapt a folktale into something like a Panto? Do you find the Panto a rigid or freeing format to write for?

J: I actually enjoy the challenge of adapting a folktale to the Panto format. I think of it like putting together a puzzle. There are all these pieces that need to be included (a shaving cream battle, an old woman played by a man, a scene with magic, etc.) and it's my job to find a folktale that can incorporate all of them. With all plays that I write, I'm an obsessive outliner. I won't begin writing a script until I have all of the scenes mapped out and I know that the beginning, middle, and end are all connected and in place. Writing a Panto just means that when I'm outlining, I have to take an extra step to ensure that all of the pieces are in place. I'm very selective about what stories I choose to work with. Generally, I spend some time on the internet, researching folktales and myths to decide which would best work in the format. Some stories that I absolutely love just won't cut it. Others, that I've never even heard of before, work brilliantly.

B: What is your experience working with the Piccolo directors these last 2 years in the development process we have found together? Or alternately what is it like working with a composer?

J: I love working with Glenn and Brianna on the Panto. The great thing about writing it and producing it pretty much at the same time is that there are three sets of eyes on the script that can see three sets of opportunities. Glenn and Brianna have made such wonderful discoveries that I might have absolutely missed. Likewise, I've been able to come up with some solutions to practical problems. For example, the character of Nestor in last year's show become an entirely different person from the beginning of the process to the end. When I first wrote the script, I pictured Nestor as a sort of Phil Silvers wannabe, a weasely, silly man. By the end of the process, Nestor had become Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle, with super powers and a sexy, sleek delivery that was absolutely hilarious. It was beautiful. All three of us, and the brilliant Deborah Craft as well, contributed to the complete transformation of the character.

As for Tyler Beattie (Composer for Robin Hood: The Panto!), he's absolutely amazing. He and I went to Northwestern together, although we never met. I remember seeing some of his work and thinking, "Wow, this guy is good." When I began working on the Panto last year, I knew I needed to find someone to write the songs. I can, and often do, write lyrics, but my musical talents are somewhat limited. On a total whim, I went onto Facebook and looked for Tyler. I found him and sent him a message, asking if he was interested in the project. He said he was! I think I did a happy dance. On Perseus and Medusa, the script was written completely before he wrote the songs. Tyler brilliantly managed to write songs that fit the piece so well, you would never have known. This year, Tyler and I met a few times before I began writing the script, looking for opportunities for music. At the same time, we've also started talking about doing some other collaborations. We both love children's theatre and we both love musicals. I only wish we had met in college!

B: What do you love most about your "Robin Hood"?

J: The cast, of course! They're an incredible group! They're a wonderful group of actors and they've managed to crack me up. And I already know all of the punchlines ahead of time! Without a question, my favorite thing about Robin Hood script itself is the character of Scarlet. She was the very start of the whole story. As I was considering Robin Hood as a possibility for a panto, I started to ask myself questions: Who's the dame?" Maid Marian's nursemaid. "Who's the comic duo?" Little John and Alan-a-Dale (he's always been my favorite Merry Man!). "Who's the good fairy?" That was a question that gave me pause. I thought about it and I thought about it and gradually, the character of Scarlet formed in my head. I enjoy writing spunky female characters, as many of my plays will attest. I think I put a little bit of myself into every character, but Scarlet is the most obvious. I tend to be pretty snarky. I find pleasure in writing adventures I've never had. I have big dreams. All of these elements have been incorporated into Scarlet.

B: What stories are you dreaming of making into Pantos of the future?

J: I've actually collected quite a stockpile of Panto outlines on my computer. I honestly think that I could happily write Pantos for the rest of my life! Right now, I have King Arthur, Puss in Boots, Eros and Psyche, The Snow Queen, and Rumpelstiltskin all sitting on the back burner. Whenever I'm surfing the net and I come upon a story that I think would make a good Panto, I immediately sit down and try to write an outline. The great thing about most of the stories is that any of them could also be written into a children's theatre play with just a few tweaks, so stories that don't make it as Pantos still have life elsewhere.


You can get tickets to Piccolo's annual Holiday Panto, Robin Hood: the Panto! online or by calling the box office at 847-424-0089.