Interview: KING LIZ's Fernanda Coppel Successfully Balancing Writing for Stage & TV

Next up at The Geffen Playhouse, the west coast premiere of playwright Fernanda Coppel's King Liz opening July 21, 2022 (previews already begun). Jesca Prudencio directs the cast of Ray Abruzzo, Oscar Best, Nancy Linari, Evan Morris Reiser, Michelle Ortiz and Sabrina Sloan. I had the opportunity to throw out a few questions to Fernanda about King Liz, as well as her writing career.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Fernanda!

King Liz world premiered at Second Stage in 2015 and has been published by Samuel French. Have you tweaked King Liz any for this west coast premiere at Geffen?

At first, I wanted to update all of the NBA references in the script because all of the players referenced in the original draft, from 2015, have either been traded or are retired. But, once I started tinkering with the script, I ended up changing certain moments. The ending in particular was something I thought about and workshopped with this 2022 cast and director.

When does your script become set in stone? Dress rehearsals? Tech run-throughs? After opening night curtain calls?

I don't have an exact answer for this. In every production there's a period before opening when the script is locked. No more changes can be made. However, I'm constantly thinking about how to make each script a little better. Even though King Liz is published, I've had a blast seeing regional productions and learning new things about the script. The great thing about theater is every night's performance feels different. There's an alchemy between the audience and the company of actors that is unique and new every time. For this production of King Liz, I decided to make some of those changes I had been thinking about over the years.

How involved are you with pre-production of your premieres?

If it's the world premiere of a new play, I attend all rehearsals and work on the script through tech, previews and up until opening night. I also enjoy working with the director and designers more closely. Sometimes script changes will come from production meetings or tech. It's a very fluid process for a world premiere, we are all discovering the script together.

What cosmic forces brought you and director Jesca Prudencio together for King Liz?

Jesca and I have known each other since 2011 when we both lived in New York City! We participated in a theater exchange at the Old Vic and traveled to London with a group of up and coming theater artists. She's a wonderful person and a fierce artist who's always been on my radar. I'm so lucky she was available to direct this production of King Liz.

What would your three-line pitch for King Liz be?

Liz Rico is a fast talking, ball busting, powerful sports agent who's looking to achieve the highest honor an agent can reach, her name on the Candy Agency door as the CEO. However, when she signs her new client, Freddie Luna, who's supposed to take her to the mountain top, her world is turned upside down. Freddie's a diamond in the rough with a limitless potential but he doesn't possess the tools to succeed. Liz is faced with a choice, does she go out of her way to help Freddie, who reminds her of herself? Or does she continue on her ego driven journey to be the most successful agent in the world?

King Liz has been optioned by ABC Television and 42 for Television. Does your three-line pitch for TV differ from your theatrical pitch?

The TV version of King Liz is very different. Liz Rico works in the music industry, there's no sports involved. The pilot revolves around Liz, and her ambitious assistant Gabby, trying to build a music management company from scratch.

With your writing experience for the stage, for TV and for movies, what would you tell a budding writer the differences between writing for each medium?

In film, the plot is king. We need to know what happens and we need to get there. TV is more character driven, but an extremely concise type of writing. When writing for TV you end up making a lot of cuts, sometimes those cuts are heartbreaking. In fact, my new play, Friendship Park, was borne out of a scene from a pilot that I was developing. Everyone was really excited about this one scene that I wanted to be about five pages long, which for TV is like a novel! As I continued to work on the pilot script, I kept obsessing about THAT scene. I wanted to spend all of my time in that scene. TV is dictated by pace and the structure - so much of what you write is about how much time you have between commercial breaks and people's attention spans. So, if you find yourself writing five-seven-page scenes in a pilot or a screenplay, that usually means you're starting a new play. Playwrighting is more meditative and messier. It's about recreating the human experience that's smaller in scale, full of pauses, people saying the wrong thing, fights over the dinner table, etc. As a playwright you're a fly on the wall of a room while your characters take up space. So, if I find a room in my work that I want to spend a lot of time in, then that usually the start of a new play. And I need to make time to write it.

You had originally intended to go into the legal profession. What epiphany inspired you to do a 360 and pursue an MFA in playwriting and attend NYU on a full scholarship?

As a Mexican immigrant, I didn't grow up around theater and being a writer wasn't a viable career option. I had to blaze a trail for myself which took bravery and hard work. I discovered theater by accident as an undergrad and I kept coming back to it during my time at UC Santa Cruz. I quickly realized that theater had started as a hobby and morphed into a vocation. When I was a senior in college, I knew I wanted to continue my studies in grad school. I applied to several different types of programs but when I was admitted into NYU for dramatic writing, I took it as a sign that I should continue to pursue this dream.

Out of all the commissions and awards you've received, is there one that still stands out to this day?

I really value my education, so my scholarship to NYU's MFA program is something that I'm immensely grateful for. I applied to NYU as a "Hail Mary" application. I NEVER thought I'd get in, let alone a free ride. Not only was Tisch a fantastic school, but New York City was a wonderful teacher. I spent my 20's very broke, living in an apartment that was 5by7, and stomping around Manhattan trying to find my writing voice. While working as a student and then Off-Broadway, I met the most wonderful, generous, smart, talented artists who taught me so much. The Big Apple shaped me in ways I'm still processing as an adult.

What's in the near future for Fernanda Coppel besides your new play AYA or Dear Lover commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse?

I'm working on a top-secret feature film script for Disney, more details coming soon!

Thank you again, Fernanda! I look forward to meeting your characters in King Liz.

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