Jeanette and I met and bonded while we were working on Who’ll Save the Plowboy? that ran Off Broadway last season, she in the role of producer and I was doing publicity. Our discussions revolved around New York history, theatre and her web series, Ghost Light. I binge watched the first season and laughed. I had so much identification. If you love Waiting for Guffman, do community theatre or waiting for the ghost light after curtain, be sure to check out the series!
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Malini: Tell me how you came to make a webseries about community theatre?
Jeanette: My ex-boyfriend was a stagehand and we had made a pilot together in 2007, and when trying to come up with our next project idea we were lamenting the fact that no one had ever made anything about the world of techies. He had toured with many productions and worked for many theater companies and he had stories for days (as most techies do), but mostly I loved hearing about the adorably odd people he met. The idea kicked around for several years, and when I was coming off of producing my solo show, “Love. Guts. High School.” and wanted to produce something else, I decided to make a show about those people.
Malini: Do you think there’s a difference between community theatre and independent theate?
Jeanette: I do, very much. I especially see it in NYC, because everyone is a freelancer and “for hire.” While theater people have a magical ability to just “get each other” and speak each other’s language almost immediately, everyone is always thinking about their next gig or their next job. When it’s your one job to work for one specific company, a family aesthetic grows. Additionally, in community theater there is a strong component of volunteerism – the theater in which we shoot “Ghost Light” for example literally would not run without its volunteers – and when people do something not for pay but because they love it, it changes everything.
Malini: I learned so much about the craft of creating theatre in that world because I knew I was given more latitude to work. I also may not have had the opportunities to direct/assistant direct the plays I did (Steel Magnolias, Plaza Suite, Moose Murders, A Chorus Line, for example). Did you have a similar experience and if not what was yours?
Jeanette: Yes! That is the other part of it. You’re not necessarily hired by your resume, you’re hired cause you’re available and you’re able. It opens up a world of opportunities that a lot of people wouldn’t otherwise have. The stakes are low – there’s no billion dollar contract on the line – so it’s a place to play and learn and grow. A lot of talented professionals got their start in community theater!
MORE ABOUT JEANETTE BONNER
Jeanette Bonner is an award-winning actor, writer, and producer in NYC. She has been writing informally since the age of five, and is now combining her love for writing with her passion for theater. In addition to “Ghost Light” she has written and produced the one-woman show “Love. Guts. High School.” It premiered at the 2012 Midtown International Theatre Festival, where it won nominations for Best Actress and Best Solo Show, and then went on to the Chicago Fringe Festival, where it was named a top ten “Critic’s Pick” by Time Out Chicago. Last year it received top reviews at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she performed it 23 times (whew!). As an actor in New York, she has performed with Magic Futurebox, Manhattan Theatre Source, and Vital Theatre Company, and workshopped plays with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Abingdon Theatre, and Primary Stages. She is a company member of improv troupe National Comedy Theater and non-profit organization Only Make Believe
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