Interview: At Home With Will Nolan

Many people don't really know what Will Nolan looks like, though they certainly know his name. It's kind of fun, wondering what people imagine his physical appearance is, or what his personality is like since their only frame of reference for Will Nolan is Leola. Will and Leola have never been seen in the same room together, though they always are. Before Leola came along, though, Will was a successful sketch comedy performer in the small venues of New York City. After Leola appeared, the two of them found themselves working in clubs and theaters outside of Manhattan, and it became pretty apparent, pretty fast, that this was a duo to die for. Leola has been in residency at New York City hotspot The Green Room 42 for the last year, but her 2020 residency in the Midtown Manhattan club was cut short by Will's temporary residency at home in The Garden State. There is no doubt that everyone will see the septuagenarian redneck lesbian in action again, maybe in person, maybe online, but for the time being Will has taken off the platforms and the straw hat and traded them in for some quality time with two best mates.

This interview was conducted digitally and has only been altered to correct Will's punctuation because this writer his a keen eye for commas.

Name: Will Nolan
First Cabaret Show (Title, Year, Club): Naked Dog Walking (sketch comedy with Melissa Bynum), 1999, at any little bar or black box theater that would have us!
Most Recent Cabaret Show: Gay History for Straight People! at The Green Room 42
Website or Social Media Handles: www.leolasladyland.com or @leolasladyland on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube

Will, where are you and your husband and son observing the shelter-in-place order?

We have been hunkering down in Bogota, New Jersey right across the bridge from NYC. Bergen County, where we live, has actually been the epicenter for the state of New Jersey. We've been telecommuting & teleschooling since about March 13. But we're safe and healthy and have toilet paper.

You are three of the most creative people on the face of the planet, what has the last seven weeks been like for you three musketeers?

Aw, thank you. In all honesty, this has probably been the most uncreative period of my life. I love making people laugh and I've had trouble finding anything funny yet. But it's coming! We have done a lot of cleaning and organizing though. When we are able to leave again, we will be leaving the most organized house I've ever lived in! Hairs have been cut - we have clippers and limited skills, but we all have haircuts. And I'm excited to start teaching an online class in solo show creation with Luna Stage later this month. Our son, on the other hand, has been sewing masks, discovering new recipes to try, designing runway looks out of old blue jeans and t-shirts, and I think might have finished watching YouTube. All of it.

Will, you have a long history in show business, as a comedy writer and small venue performer. Doing comedy, you have often portrayed a wide variety of characters - what has it been like, living inside of LEOLA for years at a time?

When I first created Leola, I think she was a vehicle for me to accept my own sexuality. Playing a 72-year-old woman newly out of the closet, discovering who she is and the community she had stumbled into, helped me appreciate the LGBTQ+ community more myself. She continues to be a filter through which I can interpret the world. She's braver, bolder, and more opinionated on current events than I ever dare to be. And as coo-coo as it may sound, I'm excited to see how she interprets and captures this pandemic when we come out the other end.

Leola has a massive and devoted fanbase. Have there been interactions between Leola and audiences that have informed subsequent performances?

Early on, audience interaction played a small role in my shows. I was nervous about doing it - probably because as an audience member, I hate the idea of being picked on. But as the shows have developed, it felt essential to bring the audience into the story and give them a more active role. Each time, the reaction seems to get stronger and stronger which makes me come up with new and surprising ways to incorporate audiences into the act. Folks have suggested I include more interview-style segments into my shows too. That response has also been great and I think will be something I continue to incorporate. Leola needs her disciples and it's one of the reasons live theater is so important! I just don't think humiliation works as well on Zoom, right?

Your husband, Stephen Kaplan, is a renowned playwright. How is this new world in which we are living affecting his work trajectory?

Stephen has several of his plays being performed virtually, which has been exciting! He is also teaching an online class with Luna Stage on writing 10-minute plays, which sold out superfast. Plus, he was elected Northeastern Regional Representative on the Dramatist Guild Council, shortly before the quarantine, so he has been participating in regular virtual meetings with the Guild. We are dealing with this pandemic differently. I walk around saying there's nothing to be funny about. He works on 7 new plays, 2 musicals, and a one-man show.

Your 13-year old son is at every one of your shows and has been from an early age; sometimes the subject matter can be a bit delicate. How did you and Stephen begin to prepare MP for adult conversation and how does he let you know when a conversation topic is one he isn't ready for?

MP has always been an old soul, and quite frankly, way cooler than either of us. Leola doesn't use any curse words, but there's a lot of graphic language. Some of it goes over his head, other things make him slowly melt in his seat. But honestly, his biggest concern for me is that people aren't going to laugh, so as long as people around him are having fun, he's good with whatever Leola is doing. Plus, he feels invested in the shows. He usually follows me right off stage to give me notes and tell me what sucked and what didn't. He helps me with my makeup and during the quarantine has insisted that I change my beauty regime. And now that he's sewing, he's looking for patterns so that he can design new caftans for Leola. So it's kind of like having a manager/makeup artist/free child labor all in a 13-year-old diva.

What have been the lockdown essentials at your house?

Well, I'm my mother's son, so I've made a lot of casseroles. Any run to the grocery store is an opportunity to replenish my supply of Cream of Mushroom soup. That and a pack of Ritz crackers, two cups of shredded cheese, a stick of butter, and whatever vegetable you're about to feed to the raccoons, and you got yourself a one-dish casserole that freezes beautifully. And we're doing puzzles, which I haven't done in years! But is an oddly calming, focused way to spend time.

Will, Leola has become so much a part of your artistic life - do you ever consider other projects? Or is Leola the garden you wish to tend for a while?

I don't feel right talking about Leola or the state of her garden, Stephen. Everyone's garden is a little overgrown during this unprecedented time.
I never considered myself a performer. I never wanted to be the center of attention. Between the six Leola shows I have created, and a few other roles in local productions out here in New Jersey, I have really loved being on stage and making people laugh. I would love to do more plays, but with Leola, I can create my own work, my own timeline. And thanks to Daniel and The Green Room 42 team, I've had a home in NYC to play. But I have some non-Leola ideas brewing and would love to explore those somewhere down the road. For now, there are just so many casseroles to make.

MP is a most fashionable young man - are your facemasks beaded or styled in a certain way?

Ha ha! No, but when he reads this, I bet they'll get bedazzled! He is making masks as part of the Bergen Mask Task Force, a group of incredible volunteers led by our friend Victoria Pero that make masks for a whole slew of essential workers in New Jersey. He's been great about sacrificing his high fashion vision, to make sure the masks are fully functional and will keep folks safe.

Who are your comedy role models?

I mean the OG for me is Carol Burnett. I grew up watching her show in reruns and she's still my go-to comfort food. I also love Dame Edna and have binged her talk show many times. Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback is just brilliant and cringy. Leslie Jordan is my spirit animal. Especially what he's been doing during the quarantine. And my favorite, new discovery is Graham Norton. Whether he has A-list celebrities or folks you've never heard of, it is always funny and shocking and, yet, never mean.

Will, what is essential quarantine Television viewing at your home?

We downed Tiger King like it was our job. I'm not proud of it, but there you have it. Since we are all working and learning from home, we take little lunch breaks every day to watch The Office. We missed it when it was on TV and it has been a great family binge. As have the various fashion competition shows and RuPaul's Drag Race. My husband is busy cross-stitching - because he can't not multitask - and so he and I have been trying to watch things with British accents and corsets, to escape. And because at the end of the day, we're just a couple of old British gals stuck in quarantine.

Photos provided by Will Nolan except top photo, by Stephen Mosher

Postponing a world tour is never easy, but Leola will be back to educate the children soon! (photo credit Ron Glow)