Interview: SLOW FOOD Playwright Wendy MacLeod Writing From Real-Life

International City Theatre's next virtual production Wendy MacLeod's SLOW FOOD will begin streaming April 29, 2021. Wendy has taken a bad experience at a restaurant that she personally underwent, and turned it into comedy gold. This prolific writer of stage, screen and television took some time from her many scripts to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Wendy! How have you been keeping sane and productive during these pandemic times?

I'm lucky enough to live in the country where social distancing is easy and I haven't had to worry over a seriously ill family member. Except for the elevated anxiety levels, I've almost enjoyed life on lockdown. There's nothing on the calendar, there are no students begging me to come see their shows, and my suitcase is gathering dust. I write, teach, and bake the occasional coffee cake. My social life is walking the dog with friends and watching Scandinavian crime drama.

Have you been as disciplined with your writing schedule during these quarantine times as pre-pandemic? Or more flexible?

Some of my writing routines have been disrupted. In the summers, I usually write in the Reading Room of the Conway (New Hampshire) Public Library, but this year I could only pick up the books I needed from a cart outside, wrapped in a plastic grocery bag. Until recently, I only had the energy to finish up projects, but I've just written a half-hour television comedy and started on a new play.

How long do you usually take to complete a new script?

Every play is different, and plays aren't truly completed until after the first production. That's the part I don't have any control over. My play THE LAUGH TRACK, (about the early days of television) was commissioned in 2017, workshopped at A.C.T. in 2018, was slated to premiere in September 2020, and now may not be done until 2022. It was inspired by one of the first women television writers, who wrote for Lucille Ball.

What cosmic forces brought SLOW FOOD to ICT?

The director Marya Mazor is certainly one of the cosmic forces. We reconnected when I spent a recent sabbatical in L.A.

What would your three-line pitch of SLOW FOOD be?

This is a play about the world's worst waiter. And he's probably been your waiter at some point.

SLOW FOOD is based upon a real-life experience you had at a restaurant. So what aspects of that evening in your play actually happened, and which are exaggerated with artistic license? I'll bet the most outrageous moments were real.

Now it's difficult to separate the real waiter from my creation. Our waiter was evidently over 40, but he took his readers from his apron pocket and waved them around as if we wouldn't believe it otherwise. The restaurant was under construction - a project which he claimed to be supervising. He was territorial and jealous if we even mentioned another waiter, and he acted as if he were being run off his feet even though we were his only table. But the real inspiration came from observing how my behavior changed for the better after I was finally fed.

Has your script for this virtual production been tweaked some from the live stage production at Geva Theater in January 2020?

Only minor line changes that made more sense with the casting.

Once a play of yours premieres, how involved do you get with the theatre companies producing subsequent performances?

After the first or second production, I try to let the play go and allow other teams to reimagine the play. The casting can be very different, but middle-aged female actors, in particular, are consistently grateful for a good role. I was interested in writing a play about a real marriage, one that had stood the test of time. I wanted to write about the parents of grown children - what you worry about changes, but the worrying doesn't stop.

Your plays have been performed in theatres all over the world. Do you ever go to view some of those productions?

Funny you should ask, as I've just been commissioned by the National Theatre of Genoa. My agent wanted to know how much they were paying, but I was more interested in whether they were planning to bring me to Italy. THIS may be the fastest play I've ever written since I was just commissioned, and the play will premiere in October.

Do you find different cities or countries 'get' or laugh at different lines or situations?

Different audiences laugh at different lines, but there are some reliable bits. Audiences usually don't laugh for the first ten minutes. They're listening hard and waiting for permission to laugh. But once a knee-slapping comedy gets rolling, audiences really do slap their knees. Still, I can almost guarantee that there's one line that nobody finds funny which I think is hilarious.

Do you read your reviews?

Of course, I read my reviews. I'm weak.

Can you quote the very first review you received?

I can quote one of the first reviews I ever got as an actor. I was Stella in a college production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and the reviewer said I was "fetching if not beautiful," and I spent a lot of time figuring out that meant I was NOT beautiful.

What is in the post-pandemic future for Wendy MacLeod?

As of tomorrow, I'm fully vaccinated, and I'm planning to go swim laps in the pool. I've been working on a couple of television pilots which I hope will sell. And I've been told it's going to be a very good time for comedies since everybody will be so desperate to get together in a theater and laugh.

Thank you again, Wendy! I look forward experiencing your SLOW FOOD.

For SLOW FOOD viewing tickets streaming on demand April 29 through May 16, 2021; log onto www.InternationalCityTheatre.org

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