Plays and Playwrights 2007
An Interview With
Andy Chmelko
Office Sonata
Let's start by talking a little about your play, Office Sonata. Tell us a little bit about the story, and where the inspiration for it came from.
Well basically, Office Sonata is the story of a handful of young professionals trying desperately to survive in probably the most bizarre, surreal, and unpredictable corporate office known to man. This play was written in segments over a span of about four years and was inspired by my own introduction to Corporate America when I first moved to New York City in 2000. As I was learning the ropes and trying to keep my head above water these crazy "what if" ideas kept popping into my head, and the rest is history.
The play was produced by Impetuous Theater Group, a company you've worked with quite a bit. How did you first meet them, and what are the things you like about working with them?
I met managing director Josh Sherman through a mutual friend not long after I moved here, and once the company was formed I started meeting the other members through him. I like working with Impetuous because they're always finding new ideas and always working hard to put the spotlight on newer plays and playwrights trying to find an audience. Also, they're one of the most fun groups of people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. They're like a crazy little family, and I consider each one of them dear friends.
In addition to being a playwright, you are also an actor. How does one inform the other, for you, if at all? And, do you have a preference between the two?
There have been many times where I've had the "I'm not an actor, I'm a playwright" or "I'm not a playwright, I'm an actor" argument with myself. I think now though I'm finally starting to find a balance between the two where I appreciate each one equally and my preference is based on whatever's driving me at the time.
As an actor, you've worked several times with writer-director Roi "Bubi" Escudero. Tell us a little bit more about working with her, and how you two first met up?
Bubi first approached me about working with her after seeing me perform in a staged reading in May 2004. In the three years that I've worked with her she's been a phenomenal teacher and friend to me, and has helped make me a better artist and a better person. She is quite possibly the hardest working artist in this city right now. The amount of time, dedication, and passion that she puts into her work is astonishing and truly inspiring. There is only one Bubi, and if you are lucky enough to have a chance to see one of her unique works of performance art it will be an experience that you will never forget.
Tell us a little bit about how you first got involved in the theatre.
I've wanted to perform and create for as long as I can remember. Whether acting out something I saw on TV for my family or putting on skits or puppet shows for my elementary school classmates, it seems like I was always performing somehow as a kid. But I really started to get serious about acting in high school when I joined the drama club and play writing in college when I started submitting to playwriting festivals.
Do you have any particular influences or inspirations as either a writer or an actor?
My inspirations come when I least expect them. And I always try to jot them down as soon as I can. I have an actual pile of paper, Post-It notes, whatever I can get my hands on of random thoughts or ideas at home...some going back quite a few years. Mainly I just try to keep my eyes, ears, and mind as open as possible to everything around me and to always be wondering where I can go next.
Interview with Andy Chmelko was conducted by Michael Criscuolo February 2007.
