Interview: Playwright Nandita Shenoy and ESSPY at NJ Rep

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJRep) will kick off its 27th season with the world premiere of Nandita Shenoy’s ESSPY, directed by Peter J. Kuo.  The world premiere play will begin shows on February 22 and run through March 17.

ESSPY is a comic-drama about a young medical student embarking on a journey he never expected. Although William is intellectually at the top of his class, he soon discovers that knowledge of science is only one ingredient in caring for a patient. While adept at making clinical diagnoses, intimate human interactions confound and bewilder him, until he encounters Anu, a young woman working in the Patient Simulation program. The play follows their sessions over several years as it moves toward a profound and poignant climax, and poses the question – can empathy and compassion ever be taught.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing playwright, Nandita Shenoy about her career and the upcoming production of ESSPY at NJ Rep.

Shenoy is a New York-based writer-actor who loves hearing an audience laugh.  She is delighted to return to NJ Rep after working here as an actor in Mercy.  Her play The Future Is Female… received its world premiere at the Flint Repertory Theater last winter.  It was a Finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and her Rage Play was named to the 2020 Kilroys List.  Her Washer/Dryer has been produced multiple times nationally after its world premiere at LA’s East West Players and an Off-Broadway production in which she also starred.  Her first full-length, Lyme Park: An Austonian Romance of an Indian Nature, was produced by the Hegira in Washington, DC, and Satisfaction had a developmental run at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  One-acts, Marrying Nandini, By Popular Demand, Rules of Engagement, You Are Here, and A More Perfect Date have been produced in New York City and regionally.  Nandita has acted in world premiers of new plays by Richard Dresser, Madhuri Shekar, Chelsea Marcantel, Adam Szymkowicz, and Eric Pfeffinger as well as a season at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  Nandita won the 2014 Father Hamblin Award in Playwriting, a 2018 Mellon Creative Research Fellowship at the University of Washington School of Drama in partnership with Ma-Yi Theater Company, and 2022 Hermitage Fellowship.  She is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, dtfwaw, and the Dramatists Guild. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) which received Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater last year. Nandita holds a BA in English literature from Yale University.  

Who was the very first person to recognize your writing talents?

Probably my first grade teacher, Mrs. Millatello who had one of my short stories published in the school paper!  Also, in middle school, I wrote the dialogue for our middle school chorus concert which tied all the songs together, and my drama teacher, Ms. Olena, got me a t-shirt that had my name on the front and the word "playwright" on the back.  I was 11.  That was my first play.  And Ms. Olena somehow knew that I was a playwright before I did.

Can you tell us a little about your education and how it has enhanced your career?

I have a lifelong love of language.  I read a lot of books as a child, and that love of literature led me to major in English in college.  As an English major at Yale, I was required to take 4 classes that focused on literature from before 1800, and I took 3 of mine in Shakespeare.  At the same time, I also took a lot of classes about post-colonial literature.  I think these two concentrations in my academic career have deeply affected my writing, in that one enhanced my attention to detail in language and the other opened my eyes to the value of perspectives before the cannon.  I'm really grateful for my education and the opportunities it has afforded me in my life as well as for the incredible friends I made along the way, many of whom continue to support my creative work to this day.   

How does being an actress enhance your playwriting?

I hope that it makes me more open to collaborating with the actors in my cast.  As a playwright, I am always trying to keep track of all the characters and the larger picture that they create together.  When I'm an actor, I focus on the journey of my character.  So I really try to listen to actors when they raise questions or concerns from the point of view of their character.

What was your inspiration for the play ESSPY?

I have worked as a Standardized Patient for multiple medical schools over the years, and I always thought that the process of acting like a patient so that medical students can learn how to communicate with them would be a wonderful topic for a play.  I also had some personal experiences with doctors who were great communicators and ones who were not that made me think about how working with standardized patients might influence doctors during their training.

How do you like being back at NJ Rep?

It's wonderful to return to a place where I have many happy memories.  I loved being part of Adam Szymkowicz's "Mercy" in 2018, and it is a delight to return in a different capacity.  I'm especially happy to be back at the Buffalo Bill House! 

Why do you think NJ Rep’s mission of producing new plays has been so successful?

I think they have developed an audience with a taste for new plays which is rare.  My experience with "Mercy" and the reading of "Esspy" was that NJ Rep has cultivated a curious and engaged audience which is really what every playwright wants. 

Can you tell us a little about the cast and creative team for ESSPY?

The director, Peter J. Kuo, and I worked together on my first professional production at East West Players in LA.  The theater arranged for us to meet on an "artist date" before we were paired up on the production, and from that first meeting, we clicked.  We had such a great time working on "Washer/Dryer" and on a few shorter plays since then that I was thrilled when he was available for this show.  He is a smart and compassionate director who gets my sense of humor.  He is also very collaborative in the room which sets a really great tone for everyone to feel important and valued.  That's very important to me.  Our cast is wonderful.  I wrote the role of Dr. Mendoza for Ching Valdes-Aran, and so I am just delighted that she made the time to act in my play!  Lipica Shah and I have worked together on many projects, including on Madhuri Shekar's "House of Joy" at Cal Shakes in 2019.  We have also worked as SPs together.  I'm grateful to have her in the cast.  Tim Liu is the only person I had not worked with before, but he is simply wonderful in the role. He and Lipica are New Jersey natives which might make them audience favorites!

What would you like audiences to know about the show?

I want them to know that at its heart the play is about empathy and how we can cultivate it. 

Can you share with us some of your future plans?

I'm a freelance artist, and so the future is always a bit of a mystery!  I did have a commission for a childrens' play last year that will go into production later this spring, but the details have not been finalized. other than it will premier in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. 

Nandita Shenoy’s website is www.nanditashenoy.com and you can follow her on Twitter @NanditaShenoyNY.

Tickets are NOW on sale at NJ Rep.org or by calling 732.229.3166. NJRep is located at 179 Broadway, Long Branch, New Jersey 07740. ESSPY will play on Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 2 pm & 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. 

Photo Credit: Deborah Lopez

 

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!