Hi Friends,
A couple months ago, I received an exclusive advance version of a book about theatre kids written for middle grades. I’m usually a fast reader, but I devoured this particular book, finishing it in an evening. I laughed, I cried, I even recognized some of the character names…not all that surprising considering I’m related to one of the authors. In February, my little brother Andrew Keenan-Bolger and his collaborator Kate Wetherhead are coming out with their first book, JACK AND LOUISA: ACT 1. Now, I’m obviously a tad bit biased, but I was thrilled to read a book with young, funny, smart characters, dealing with the theatre world and even a bit of queerness. I have a feeling, all nepotism aside, that regardless of whose name was on the cover page, this book was one I wanted to let people know about.
Currently in Atlanta, Andrew and I took a break from speculative texts about the Serial Podcast to chat about his book:
MKB: You and Kate collaborated a lot before writing the book on your webseries, Submissions Only. How has the process of writing these books been similar/different. What about the process do you like more/less than collaborating on your web series?
AKB: Collaborating with Kate has been a dream. JACK & LOUISA: ACT 1 is actually told from two different character’s perspectives, with each chapter alternating in voice. We loved the idea of a different kind of storytelling but it was also pretty necessary as we couldn’t be in the same room every day (we even did a lot of the writing in different states). We would meet every couple of weeks to brainstorm story arcs but for the most part, we were on our own. In that sense, it was almost like a letter writing courtship. I would write a chapter from Jack’s perspective and send it off and Kate would pick up the story from Louisa’s perspective. It was thrilling getting that new chapter in the mail and seeing what the other person had done. If I had to choose, I’d have to say I working on a film set was definitely more fun just because I am a social person by nature and love working with a big team of people, but I definitely think being alone with your words and your thoughts forces you to unlock a new part of your brain.
MKB: There are a lot of familiar names and circumstances in the book, how much of it is taken from you and Kate’s lives?
AKB: When we were brainstorming what our book series should be about, the first thing Kate and I did was swap theater stories from our childhood. We noticed that while our experiences were so different, (Kate performed in school and community theaters in Vermont while I was working in New York on Broadway) our passions and encounters with fellow performers were really similar. When I was a teenager, I was rehearsing for the Broadway bound SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL when my voice changed. It was kind of traumatic and I ended up having to leave the show only a month into its Broadway run. Our family moved back to Detroit, Michigan and I began to perform in local theater there. It was a weird adjustment at first, but ultimately the friends and experiences I had saved me and gave me the community I was looking for. What would happen if a boy in a similar situation moved to suburban Ohio and met a fellow theater kid? How would that friendship develop? Ultimately, we ended up just imagining what would happen if a twelve-year-old Andrew met a twelve-year-old Kate. Once we had that groundwork, writing it was so much easier. We peppered in a lot of characters that were inspired by real theater people we’d worked with. Also, I’m not sure how many people will actually notice, but a lot of our characters namesakes are teachers, directors and friends who’ve impacted our lives.
MKB: For now, Jack seems unsure about his sexuality, but he does deal with some intense gay bashing because of his involvement in theatre. This is new territory for books geared towards middle-school youth, Why did you think it was important to talk about homophobia and sexuality for this age group?
AKB: It’s true. This was one of the first things we brought up when we had our first meeting with Penguin. Being a twelve-year-old boy in theater, it’s impossible not to come into contact with homophobia and issues of sexuality. Even at an age when you’re not necessarily identifying as one thing or another, there’s an age-old trope that being a theater lover immediately makes you effeminate and not manly. I think almost every guy who braves middle school as a theater nerd experiences it. I worried that in writing a middle grade book, I wouldn’t be able to express this, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Our editors insisted that we not shy away from this and encouraged us to dig deep. It felt great to write. I know when I was growing up, I didn’t know of any literature that talked about bullying and homophobia within this age group. Once in a while I’d come across a character story arc on a tv show or movie but I never really saw myself in that person. In our story, Jack has a run in with a school bully. It’s not incredibly sensationalized or dangerous and we weren’t trying to write some great think piece on gay identity, but I wanted to write a story that a kid would read this and be like, hey, that happened to me and it’s good to know someone else felt that way.
MKB: You have two more books coming out- are you going to deal with the issue of sexuality more in those books?
AKB: Definitely. This morning Kate and I actually sent off our next draft of JACK & LOUISA: ACT 2. Right off the bat we meet a new character who identifies as gay. For kids living in suburban Ohio that’s not necessarily an everyday thing and I think it really informs both Jack and Lou’s world.
MKB: How do you think being a gay man influences the work you do?
AKB: As a writer I think it absolutely influences me. Although the things I’ve worked on are mostly fiction, I am absolutely writing what I know. I’m so grateful to be creating work in a climate where gay issues are on the forefront and I do feel a responsibility to tell stories that depict our community in an honest way. The first thing I ever created was SUBMISSIONS ONLY. About half of the characters in it are gay. At the time, a lot of other webseries were about dating and living in the gay community and that was awesome, but in some ways, I think it’s just as important to just write a story where your characters happen to be gay. It’s not like they’re sexless and have no romantic sides, it’s just that above all of that they’re humans. It’s something we’ve taken for granted with straight characters for years. It’s great to see the tables turn.
MKB: What were some of your favorite books when you were younger?
AKB: I loved Roald Dahl and Louis Sacher. They were probably my favorite middle grade authors. They wrote such wacky and specific characters that totally influenced how I write.
MKB: If you could go back and tell a middle school Andrew Keenan-Bolger some advice, what would it be?
AKB: I would tell him embrace growing up. I think being a professional actor as a kid was so great, but I think it also gave me a little bit of a Peter Pan complex. I learned early on that it was marketable to stay and act young and I think I had some serious anxiety about getting older.
MKB: You’re currently in Atlanta rehearsing for a show based on a popular young adult fiction book, TUCK EVERLASTING. Tell us a little about that!
AKB: It’s true! I can’t help but recognize the coincidence of these two events happening at the same time in my life. JACK & LOUISA: ACT 1 comes out the same month that TUCK EVERLASTING opens and it feels awesome. It’s so cool to be reminded that a book written in the 70’s can still be affecting generations for years after. I also think TUCK EVERLASTING was so ahead of its time. It deals with some seriously deep stuff. It’s often a kid’s first exposure to the idea of death and explores it in such a meaningful and sophisticated way. I think the musical has even expanded on it even further and I’m so excited for the world to get to see it!
Live, Love, Learn,