Interview: Playwright/Actor Margot Rose of UNCONDITIONAL: A MUSICAL MEMOIR

Unconditional: A Musical Memoir, written by and starring Margot Rose (pictured, credit Natalie Rae), is a true story of dedication, loss, community, and love, in which two women, already in their mid-forties, go to extraordinary lengths to have kids. Presented at the Skylight Theatre, known for bringing world premiere productions revolving around current topics of sexual equality to the stage, Rose’s play runs February 15 through March 9. I decided to speak with Margot about her experience as a gay mother and the grief which led to the creation of it.

Thank you, Margot, for speaking with me. First of all, tell me a bit about your theatrical background.

I received my BFA from NC School of the Arts and attended the Yale Drama School. My stage career began Off-Broadway as Alice in the original company of I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road at Joe Papp's Public Theatre before moving to Los Angeles with the show. Working as an actor, songwriter, and storyteller, I have appeared in numerous TV series and films including 48 Hours, 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Desperate Housewives.

For more than a decade, I have produced and hosted Sidedoor Salon, a multi-discipline performance group, and have been an invited storyteller with Listen to Your Mother, Shine, Beyond Baroque and more.

As for appearing on Los Angeles stages, I performed my solo musical, Springloaded, and most recently, the Fountain Theatre produced a three-performance workshop of Unconditional.

Since I am a Star Trek fan. What character(s) did you play?

I played Eline, Patrick Stewart’s wife in The Inner Light episode of The Next Generation.

I remember that episode was a real tear jerker about the loss of a culture. As a theatre artist/actor, you’ve interpreted many stories over the years. How were you able to draw from any of those experiences in the process of creating Unconditional?

Margot Rose, Aaron Benham, Malina Young
Photo by Natalie Rae

I never formally studied playwriting, but having been on stage doing plays since I was 11, understanding what it takes to put a piece together, the roadmap of structure in storytelling, is pretty much in my bones.  It’s not an easy or quick process and I’m grateful to have learned that. This piece has been six years in the making.

Describe your creative process to bring Unconditional to the stage. What first inspired you to write it?

The loss of my daughter and my promise to her to continue my work and dedication as an artist, first and always. This play is for her and for my family, my love letter to them.

As for my process, it was long and involved with many stops along the way. In the first year, I worked with Anne Kenny as my Dramaturge almost daily and we ended the year with a final first draft. We were going to premiere the piece at the United Solo festival in New York when Covid hit hard and the festival was canceled. For the next two years I worked intermittently on the piece but also had two surgeries and there was Covid of course; a strange and difficult time to keep writing.

By the end of 2021 I had started working with my musical director Aaron Benham. Once again, I was going to do the United solo festival in NYC - this time, three days before I was to leave, I was hit with a gut obstruction and hospitalized for four days. By 2022 I was able to do a living room reading, get my band together and record five demos of the music. In 2023 I did two more living room readings and in the fall of that year a reading in concert with the full band at a local club.

Anne Kenny (director) Aaron Benham (musical director/arrangements), Margot Rose
Photo by Natalie Rae

Are the two women in the play in a relationship or are they strangers going through the same journey? Please tell me more about them.

I am the one main character in the play. It is the story of myself and my ex-partner, Pat. We were partners for 27 years and raised our twins together. There is a four-musician band onstage with me as well as a young woman who speaks texts and sings parts. 

Are all the characters based on people you know?

It is the true story of my family.

Are your family and friends supportive of your decision to write and perform this story?

Very much so. My friends and family have been by my side, cheering me on from the beginning and throughout.

I know you have a son. How has he reacted during the evolution of this project? Is he supportive of you talking about your process to become a mother?

My son Will is producing the show. I think that says it all.

Absolutely. So it really is a total family piece!

Margot Rose talking to her son Will (producer)
Photo by Natalie Rae

How did you find the strength to create and share such a personal memoir?

I found the strength in bits and pieces with many stops and starts, frequently wanting to give up, but going on – and with a boatload of help, both creatively and personally. 

Were you always planning to present it at Skylight? If not, how did that happen?

Not originally. I was first invited by the wonderful Stephen Sachs to do a workshop at the Fountain Theatre last January, which I did, for three performances. During the rest of 2024 I searched for the right place to do a full production while also editing the script and adding several new songs. By November 2024, I had spoken to Gary Grossman of the Skylight Theatre and we had settled on January /February of 2025. And here we are, finally. Six years and several lifetimes later.

Justin Lottie, Aaron Benham, Malina Young, Novi Novogg, Larry Tuttle, and Margot Rose - in front. Photo by Natalie Rae

Please talk about how you integrated the music into the piece, and how do you describe the style of this musical?

I would say the style is a little genre-busting. We weave the music in and out through the storytelling serving memory, the other characters in the story as well as conflict and resolution. My Musical Director/Arranger, Aaron Benham, has been instrumental in the creation of the score. I never would have completed it without him.

When did you decide to include live music in it? And how did you find the four-piece band to accompany you on stage during the show?

My daughter was a musician. I knew there would be music in the piece from the very beginning. I met Aaron through another keyboard player I had worked with years before. Two of the other band members have been friends and worked with me in other bands for years. Novi Novogg and Larry Tuttle and new band member Justin Lottie. Having been a singer-songwriter and performed in clubs for many years, I know a basketful of terrific musicians.

Justin Lottie, Margot Rose, Aaron Benham, Malina Young, Novi Novogg, Larry Tuttle
Photo by Natalie Rae

Were there any surprises that came up during rehearsals that you hadn’t anticipated? And how did they affect the script, music, or even the direction of the piece?

As with any creative process, there are always surprises, always twists and turns in the road. Fortunately, I had done so much work over the past six years before we got to this production there have not been too many big changes. But I have kept working on the script throughout the process, changing small things, fixing whatever could be better.

Have you and director Anne Kenny worked together before this production? And if not, how did you decide to bring her in to direct your vision of the play?

My Director, Anne Kenny, has worked with me from the very beginning of the piece – first as my dramaturge and now as my director. She has been instrumental in the creation of this piece. I never would have had a first draft if it hadn’t been for Anne and our original work together.

Aaron Benham, Malina Young
Photo by Natalie Rae

Now that you’ve brought this script to life as well as performing it, are you looking forward to working more as a writer in the future? Care to talk about any future projects?

Yes, I want to continue writing. I have a screenplay waiting for work and attention whenever the time is right. But I am dedicated to this show and hoping to take it out into the world, wherever is next.

What do you hope audiences will be talking about after seeing the show?

I hope they will be talking about their own lives and how my story connects to theirs, their loves and losses, their connections and communities - their stories.

Thanks so much! Break legs this weekend with the opening!

UNCONDITIONAL, A Musical Memoir - Written and performed by Margot Rose, Directed by Anne Kenny, Produced by William Mellon with Musical Direction/Arrangements by Aaron Benham. Opens at 7:30pm on Saturday, February 15 and runs at 7:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays; 3pm Sundays through March 9 (no performances on 2/28, 3/1, 3/2) at Skylight Theatre, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave, LA, 90027. Arrive early to find street parking or pay lots in the area. Read signs carefully! Runs approximately 85 minutes (no intermission). Recommended for ages 14+

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