Catherine Scheiber Chronicles Her Career Angst Onstage At The Edgemar Center

On paper, Catherine Schreiber has attained success, both as a writer and as an actor, since leaving her home town of Great Neck, New York. "I have had an adventure-filled career," Schreiber admits. "But there have also been some frustrating mis-adventures along the way."
With writing partner Joshua Grenrock, Schreiber has chronicled many of these jaundiced milestones in the stage play, Desperate Writers: The Final Draft, starring Brian Krause (Charmed) and British actress Kate Hollinshead (Emerdale). This ragingly comedic work premieres April 4 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica.

The Yale University Magna Cum Laude graduate originally established herself as an actress in New York, where her many stage credits included the world premiere of A.R. Gurney's play, Wayside Motor Inn, at the Manhattan Theatre Club and the National Company's production of Sly Fox, directed by Arthur Penn.

"I came to Los Angeles when I was touring with Sly Fox," Schreiber recalls, "and decided to stay." Her credits include work on stage (The Man Who Came to Dinner with James Whitmore), television (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and in film (The Jane Austin Book Club). "Acting has always been my first love, but being an English major and loving literature and writing, I was drawn to writing screenplays. Soon after I arrived, I began writing scripts on my own."

Schreiber and Grenrock, a former series regular on Eight is Enough, have been writing together and separately for over 20 years. "We met as actors at the Front Row Theater. It has been a great professional relationship. We have a natural rapport that allows us to come up with all kinds of ideas for scripts."

Together and individually, they have completed over twelve feature scripts and many TV treatments. Their scripts have been optioned/developed by Freddie Fields, Ian Sanders, Hunt Lowry at Disney, David Ladd, Avenue Pictures, and Kate Hudson's Cosmic Entertainment, among others. They had a series in development with Steve Cannell at CBS. On her own, Catherine wrote several produced Divorce Courts and had features in development with Thom Mount and Rastar. She was a co-creator of the Stalin mini-series developed at CBS.

"Joshua and I had some success as writers in an impossible, ridiculous and insecure profession," Schreiber admits. "Our stage play, Desperate Writers: The Final Draft is a result of the years we have spent being frustrated by the process of pitching ideas, having deals made and then having them fall away."

At first, Schreiber and Grenrock began riffing with each other about all the career roadblocks and obstacles that have plagued them over the years. Schreiber recalls, "Joshua and I started bouncing ideas off each other about what two writers could do in this state of desperation that would be really funny.

"Once we started, this script just flowed because it was based on our experiences. Everything in the play is based on truth. We had a bagel-eating agent that never stopped noshing all through our meeting; and there were always people talking on the phone while we just sat there waiting to do our pitch.

"I have had so many scripts that were on the verge that, at the last moment, didn't go. I had a script that was supposed to go with Showtime. They said,' It was happening, it was happening.' I should go celebrate. I asked, ‘Can I tell my mother in Great Neck? They said, ‘Yes! Go tell your mother in Great Neck. Two weeks later, it was dead."

Schreiber is delighted with the cast for Desperate Writers: The Final Draft, starring Brian Krause, who starred as Leo Wyatt on Aaron Spelling's hit TV series, Charmed, and British actress Kate Hollinshead, a series regular on Emmerdale and HeartBeat.

"They absolutely capture the manic hilarity of two loving and creative people who are facing a dire reality that is absolutely relevant to these stressful economic times. If they don't sell this script, they are going to lose their house. They are wonderful actors who are being directed by the fabulous Kay Cole."

Cole, an award-winning director/choreographer, who created the role of Maggie in the original New York producton of "A Chorus Line," is equally impressed with the script that Schreiber and Grenrock have wrought. "This show is a madcap, screwball comedy that harkens back to those great Preston Sturges films of the 30s and 40s, but with a definite contemporary edge. It is one continous comedic roller coaster ride."

Schreiber adds, "For Joshua and I, another great plus to this production is we are in it, playing two of the typical L.A. producers who are standing in the way of our two protagonists."
Catherine was interviewed by Jim Giggans for CNN/Headine news about making things happen as a woman in show business. The interview can currently be seen at desperatewriters.com
Desperate Writers: The Final Draft premieres Saturday, April 4 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, located at 2437 Main Street in Santa Monica. For show information: info@desperatewriters.com. For tickets call 1-800-838-3006; or online: desperatewriters.com.

 

 

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