Interview: Hannah Loessberg, Nealie Tinlin, And Matthew Masino at Lazy Susan Theatre Co.

Lazy Susan Theatre Co. is about to embark on their fourth annual theatre season which will explore identity, community, power and survival through bold intimate storytelling. Artistic Directors Hannah Loessberg and Nealie Tinlin proudly noted,  "At Lazy Susan Theatre Co., we're drawn to stories that invite us to look closer at the people we think we know and the worlds we think we understand.". This year’s season will feature Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette and Lulu Raczka’s A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar). The company’s executive director Matthew Masino will be directing both Our Town (with Loessberg as Emily) and Marie Antoinette. Loessberg will be directing A Girl in School Uniform (Walk into a Bar) with Tinlin in the role of Steph.

This week, I sat down with Lossberg, Tinlin, and Masino to learn more about Lazy Susan, their upcoming performances and the season opener, Our Town. Masino has called the show, “a play about the extraordinary intimacy of ordinary life.”

Congratulations on the fourth Annual Season! Hannah and Nealie would you please give us the inside scoop of how the company was founded?
Loessberg: Definitely. Nealie and I met at Columbia College Chicago, we both were in the acting BFA program. It came out of a lot of frustration of submitting resumes to agencies, not hearing back, and just sitting around waiting to find work. We were sitting by the lake, talking about what we both want out of the future and how to proceed in the industry.

Tinlin: It was also at the tail end of COVID, when things were finally opening back up. We’re both actors; Hannah is also a playwright and I am a producer, director and writer. The two of us wanted to do more. There is a phrase that a jack of all trades is a master of none, I don’t think it applies to people in the arts since we all wear many hats to produce a play. Hannah and Matt are of a similar mind that we had this need to create. That was how Lazy Susan was born - I thought why don’t we put our heads together and make something. If the Moon Never Came Back was our first show and we’ve been doing performances ever since.

Why the name Lazy Susan? Is there a distinct meaning to your company’s name?
Tinlin: We knew we wanted to have two names. Something, something theatre company. Lazy Susan felt very true to spirit: It’s silly and fun. It felt like a name as though the world is our oyster. We can fit anything under a name like Lazy Susan.

In your own words, what makes Lazy Susan Theatre Co. unique as a nonprofit theater?
Loessberg: I think we can all claim that we’re trying to provide a sense of community. Anyone who’s done a show with us hopefully feels they’re a part of the Lazy Susan family and welcome into the space.

Tinlin: For a company, we’re pretty scrappy. We’re good problem solvers. In that scrappiness and passion, we’re driven to work together. I think therein lies that spirit. We also don’t take ourselves too seriously, which has been really beneficial and shows that we as a company and our audience have been enjoying our performances.

How would you describe the company’s programming process? How does its mission and vision guide decision making?
Loessberg: It has evolved over the years. We try to have at least a really clear picture of what we’re going to do in the next year. We’re now setting up meetings at this moment to be reading plays together and seeing which ones speak to each other.

Masino: It’s two-sided. First, what is artistically fulfilling to our team – we have been very lucky to find passion projects such as Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Our Town, and moon watchers. The flip side is learning the logistics of building a season. How many people do you have in a show? How big is the set? How many people do you need backstage? There’s a beautiful balance of practicalities and artistic expression which is always really exciting.

Matt, you have the exciting task of directing two upcoming season productions. What was it about Our Town that made you want to choose it as the season opener and take on the role as director?
Masino: Our Town is a classic American play which is as relevant today as it was in the 1938 premiere. I am really excited for audiences to be moved by this story. I think as director, the play excites me because it’s so untraditional even when Thornton Wilder was writing it. In the original production, the play requested no curtain or scenery. This was revolutionary at the time with elaborate sets and costumes. We wanted to hop back into this world where it is just text and human beings talking to each other. It’s just a beautiful thing.

Our Town is a beloved American theater classic. What will make Lazy Susan’s production stand out from past adaptations? What unique perspectives are you bringing to the play?
Masino: What I find really important are the ideas of community and connection. I’m excited to welcome audiences into the space because we will be welcoming people directly as the characters. Instead of a traditional venue, it will be a communal space for cast and audience. We’re also bringing live music into it and an incredible group of artists from across the city. 

Loessberg: This is our biggest cast yet, 19 actors. Everyone is so lovely, professional and funny. It’s a passion project I’m glad we are all doing together.

Tinlin: What I love about Our Town is its simplicity in the best way possible. In a world with so much information and things to do, Our Town is a really grounding play. It invites people to just sit and think about our fundamentals - all we are experiencing and go through. I think it is needed right now.

What are you most excited about when you think of the upcoming productions Marie Antoinette and A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar)?
Loessberg: The shows are vastly different from each other. I think it makes us strong and capable as teacher makers. I am excited to show that diversity throughout the whole season in the way we tell stories and how we connect with others in each play. 

What do you hope audiences take away from a Lazy Susan production? What do you want the company to be known for?
Masino: For me, it’s the goal of art to change people. We have had audiences leave happier than when they arrived. I think we want people to leave changed, whatever that means for the production.

Loessberg: It goes back to the feeling of humanness. I think the most important thing has always been the heart of it all in the performance. 

Tinlin: I hope people leave the theatre asking themselves questions and being more curious about the world. In the digital age, we’re super connected through the internet, but there’s also a layer of disconnection. Live theatre is a great space for people to sit with other people in a room, watch actors tell a story, and hopefully have audiences feel a little more empathetic to themselves and others.

Our Town will be performing from November 12 to December 13 at the Greenhouse Theatre Center. Tickets and information are found on the Lazy Susan Theatre Co.’s website.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Headshots courtesy of the artists.

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