“ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME…”
Interviews by Denise Penn
Written and produced by Kyle Schickner, it began as a successful Off-Off Broadway Production in 1996 which was turned into the well received 1997 independent film by Schickner's company, Fencesitter Films. In 2008 Schickner began working with a cable TV network to transform 'Rose by Any Other Name . . .' into a weekly TV series. The series, currently in its second season, has been made available as a web series.
While Season 1 focused on the initial meeting between gay Rose and straight Anthony and how they and their friends dealt with the less than traditional relationship, Season 2 delves further into Rose’s process which sends her to a bisexual support group. It also explores the sweet relationship between Rose’s friends, a lesbian couple (played by Jaime Michaels and Kristen Howe) and their first tentative steps to having a baby. The show breaks ground by being the first show to put Bisexuality center stage without being heavy-handed or preachy.
Beyond the politics and the controversial aspects of the issues is the simple storyline of a woman falling in love. The show does a nice juggling act bouncing between Rose’s lesbian friends, Anthony’s straight world and the looming presence of Bisexuality, while making the viewer, straight, gay or in between, feel like the web series is just for them. The LN sat down with three of the actors who star in this ground-breaking series to talk about their lives, their roles in the series, and more.
LN: Stephanie, please tell us about the character you play in the web series, “Rose by Any Other Name”
Stephanie: I play Rose. I had actually met Kyle Shickner a few projects before this I guess. I really appreciated the characters he wrote for women. That was the first thing that drew me to the project. I had never played a role like this: I play a lesbian who – for the first time – falls in love with a man. I love the script. I love all of the characters in the script, so when I auditioned for Kyle I was very excited about it. The project has taken a great turn and we are now in our second season.
I have to say that at the time I got the role, it was at the same time that I had just experienced my first time with a woman. I could see as it progressed through the first season, her friends weren’t very supportive of her and they weren’t on board. She was really frustrated; she was trying to find herself and I felt like I could very much relate to that. As an actor, to be able to draw on something you have gone through in your life or have gone through is the best way to portray a character onto the screen. It gives the audience this vulnerability and connection. For me, that was an interesting turn in my life. The best thing about this cast crew and everything is playing a character who is very complicated and very real.
LN: What kind of feedback do you get? Do people see you and tell you that they love your character or hate her?
Stephanie: I haven’t had anybody hate my character yet but it would be okay. Any strong emotion that is provoked either way, I’m okay with. We have gotten some great feedback. People love our voice and what we are trying to say. People say that they really feel for Rose and that it is sad that her friends are against her. It is nice to hear that because it is really hard to come out as a bisexual. A lot of people want to know why you can’t just be one way. For a lot of people, it is not that easy; it is not that black and white. So it is nice to see people sympathizing with Rose and what she is going through.
LN: Tell me about yourself: where were you born and how long have you been acting?
Stephanie: I was born in Chicago and I grew up performing my whole life. I was a dancer and then I got an acting scholarship to Roosevelt University in Chicago, and still traveled around the country teaching Dance and doing some modeling here and there. I had planned to take my scholarship the following year but I decided to move to
L.A. I moved here and have been here for ten years, acting pretty steadily since 2005. I have done TV, commercials, independent films, sitcoms.
LN: Are you in a relationship right now?
Stephanie: I am actually seeing the first girl I was ever with. I’m seeing her again and we are dating. We dated two years ago and then we got in a huge fight and lost touch and now we are dating again. It’s great: we are working through some stuff and it’s great.
LN: What sign are you?
Stephanie: I’m a Pisces and she is an Aquarius.
LN: Do you have pets?
Stephanie: I have two rescue dogs. My first rescue dog, Fred, is a Sheppard/Chow. I rescued him with my ex-husband about five or six years ago. That started my love of rescuing dogs. I finally got a second dog – a Border collie. I just rescued a German Sheppard and I have been fostering dogs. The girl I am seeing and I try to rescue dogs from the kill shelter and find them homes. We have actually found homes for two dogs this year.
LN: Are you excited about the new season of “Rose?”
Stephanie: Oh yes. I am not going to spoil it for anyone but this season, you will get to know the friends more, which I think is really great. I think the guys are hilarious and the girls are really wonderful. I love working with everyone in the cast. We are done shooting for the second season and I think every single person who works on it loves being there. I think that comes across on the screen.
LN: What are your thoughts about the web series as a medium?
Stephanie: I think we are in such a transitional time for TV and internet. It is scary for actors, but it is also exciting. It is a labor of love for all of us though. Everything will be on the internet but to be honest, for an actor it is terrifying from a financial standpoint. From an artistic standpoint, it is always accessible, and that’s what I love about it. But eventually everything will be a web series and it is cool to be in on the ground floor.
LN: Before you were in “Rose”, did you identify as straight?
Stephanie: Yes. I was completely straight. I had never been with a woman. I was married and then happily divorced. I got married when I was very young: I was 23 and I married a guy who was eighteen years older than me. It was a difficult marriage but I learned a lot. I don’t regret anything. But then I was in a really horrible abusive relationship after that with a guy for a year and a half. I stayed a little too long and then I met the woman I am with now. I met her at the dog park and found myself instantly attracted to her. We were there with our dogs and she is totally gay but this was new for me. We started seeing each other and it was totally great.
LN: Would you consider marrying a woman?
Stephanie: I would. If it feels right and I want to do it, I’m going to do it. If I’m in love with her and want to spend the rest of my life with her, I will absolutely do it. I have no fears or reservations about it. My friends know; my family knows. There is no problem.
LN: Tell me about the character you play in “Rose.”
Kristen: My character, “Jo” is the very strict lesbian, I would say. She definitely has an issue with men, so she is really displeased about Rose dating a man and it’s coming from a place of hurt in her past. She didn’t have great male influences in her life. So she is definitely concerned and feels protective toward Rose. You can definitely see that she has a limited viewpoint.
LN: what is that like to play that part? Is it challenging for you?
Kristen: It’s interesting. I think once you find her positive motivation, then you can find where that person is coming from. So I have been able to find merit in it. She is actually very warm and loving and of course, a great source of humor. For me, it was finding the parts of her that I could relate to and that was her instinct to protect the people she loves.
LN: Tell me about yourself, your background and experience.
Kristen: I was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and grew up in the Long Island, New York area. I was actually a Broadway performer for years and came out here to LA with a musical theater show and just never went back. I started booking some things out here and of course, I love the weather. I would like to go back and I came out here planning to leave in three months and it has been four and a half years.
LN: How do you compare musical theater with working on a web series?
Kristen: It’s been a good journey coming from musical theater into film and TV was an interesting transition and I’m loving it. I love being a part of “Rose”: it is really well-written and its funny but it makes important points at the same time. Instead of heavily making the points, it allows you to see them lightly.
LN: You are a Taurus; would you say that your character, Jo, is a Taurus also?
Kristen: That’s an interesting question. She probably is because she is so much “me.” But she is probably more of a typical Taurus than I am. She is probably a bit more grounded in her stubbornness.
LN: Would you say, then, that she is the character who is closest to fitting the role of the traditional lesbian feminist?
Kristen: Yes, absolutely. Completely. And it is an honor for me to represent that and exciting because as she evolves through the story, it is similar to how people react when someone comes out as gay: When they say they have trouble with people who are gay and then they realize that a family member or close friend is, they find a whole new tolerance for it. A similar thing happens with her as she evolves.
LN: Are you in a relationship now?
Kristen: Yes, I am actually bisexual and have been in a monogamous relationship with a woman for a long time. We have been together for over five years and she loves my character. She is an actor too and appears in season 2. Erin and I were actually interviewed for the Lesbian News around five years ago when we came out here with the show, “One Way Ticket to Hell.” We met on the road and fell in love.
LN: The web series as format is new and challenging: What do you think of it?
Kristen: It is exciting because I don’t think people really know what it is and what it will become. It is clearly the next frontier, so being on the front lines of it is very exciting.
LN: Do you have a message for our readers based on something you have gleaned from playing Jo?
Kristen: What I love is imparting the message that whatever you are and whoever you are, you are awesome. Everybody should stand up in their own truth, even if not everyone agrees with them. And they should do it with a sense of humor.
LN: Tell me about your character in “Rose.”
Fay: My character is Veronica, Rose’s best friend. We confide in one another about anything that is going on in our lives and she is a lesbian and proud of being a lesbian. She is usually single because she hasn’t really figured out how to date successfully. She has a great sense of humor and she loves hanging out with Rose and her buddies.
LN: So she is the sounding board and the supportive friend?
Fay: Absolutely. She has strong opinions sometimes but she is definitely the supportive friend.
LN: How do you feel about the web series format, in general?
Fay: I think “Rose” is amazing web series because there is so little bisexual content out there that is actually specifically bisexual as opposed to LGBT. That’s why it makes me excited to be a part of it. What is also great about it is that it isn’t preachy. It’s a comedy about a woman discovering that she is bisexual and finding her place in the world.
LN: Tell me about yourself and how you came to be part of the production.
Fay: I was born in Fairfield, Connecticut. I have been acting most of my life and I am also a musician. I did lots of TV and independent films. I released an album in 2009 and am getting ready to release my first full length album this fall. I play what I call “sad piano songs” but I have a sense of humor about it.
LN: Are you more of an actor or more of a musician?
Fay: They definitely intersect. Because I am working on an album, it has taken up a lot of my time. I love working on Rose too. I am also a professional organizer. That’s how I supplement my income.
LN: What sign are you and do you think Veronica is the same sign?
Fay: I’m a Leo and I think Veronica could be too. I’m on the Virgo side of it and I don’t think she is as organized as I am. So maybe she would be on the larger side.
LN: What do you think about the web series as a medium?
Fay: I think it is an amazing medium because it gives people an opportunity to get their work out there independently and not have to wait for their pilot to be picked up and produced. That is so great for all kinds of artists.
LN: What are you planning to work on in the future?
Fay: I am planning to promote Rose and my album and whatever else happens to come my way.
LN: What do you think is important for our readers to know about Rose?
Fay: What I would want anyone to know about Rose is that it is a comedy, first of all. Second of all, it happens to be about bisexuality. In terms of talking to lesbians about it, it is a great way to make light of judgments about it. People will probably recognize themselves in some of the characters. I think it’s a wonderful way to hand someone some education without hitting them over the head with it.
LN: Do you think it is a way to assuage fears that lesbians have about bisexual women?
Fay: Absolutely. As I said, it is a comedy first, and then it is also a piece of activism. I’m just proud of that angle. As a person with a sense of humor, I think we can open up a subject with laughter instead of going to those deep dark places.
This is a great article and I'm interested in viewing the web series. But I'm confused, how do we find it? I don't see the link to it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something?