Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather E. Cunningham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Heather E. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
Over 20 years ago I was in a production with an actor with whom I’d been working steadily that summer. We were in a production of a Christopher Marlow play that, well, let’s just say it left something to be desired. We were frustrated. For my part I felt miscast, and the role I felt I should have been playing had a revolving door of actresses. One day this actor turned to me and said “I’m tired of making other people’s shit look good.” It was my lightbulb moment. I knew it was time for me to make my own shit look good.
I am very much a product of the 1980s. Pop culture at that time was really full of nostalgia for an earlier time; between television like HAPPY DAYS, movies like BACK TO THE FUTURE, and music (everyone from Phil Collins to the Ramones were covering songs from the 50s and 60s), artists seemed to really be revisiting the past, and that went for a lot of playwrights as well. As I aged my love for things from the past only grew: swing music, two-toned shoes, crinolines, I was there for it all and still am! When Andy says “Iona, you’re gonna O.D. on nostalgia” in Pretty in Pink – I’m Iona. So when I started thinking about producing indie theater myself, I knew I wanted to do plays with costumes and sets – not street clothes and folding chairs.
The very next play I did I met an actress with whom I bonded over our shared love of Nancy Drew. Yes, that’s right, the teenaged sleuth of our youth was a bonding moment. I am a full-fledged collector of 20th century girls chapter books and now count 154 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories in my collection (and that’s just the first 59 volumes – I am only interested in those published before 1990). We thought it was high time Nancy got her stage debut and worked toward that goal. We raised money, hired a writer and director, and started requesting permissions. It looked like it would happen too, until we were informed that Warner Brothers owned the character rights. Back to the drawing board.
So we decided to take the money we raised and start a theater company (we called it River Heights Productions after Nancy’s hometown). Since we were going to set our Nancy Drew play in the 1950s (that’s when the books got their first makeover, and a lot of my personal favorite stories were written at that time), I thought it would be fun to keep with the theme of the past. So I came up with a mission to do 20th century work and called it “retro theater.” We produced our first play in 2005 set in the 1960s, and a year later one set in the 1950s. My producing partners fell away and I knew I could continue this work on my own, so I changed the name of the company to Retro Productions. In 2025 we will celebrate our 20th year producing retro plays. We have hit every decade from the teens to the 80s. We have a production history of 23 plays, four of which were world premieres, and three of those went on to be published. I can’t say I knew I would succeed in the early days, and I can’t say I know now that I will always succeed. In fact with each show I wonder if it will be my last. But I definitely have a level of determination to make it to the next milestone.
I always felt that to be good at theater, whether as an actor or anything else, one should take the time to try to do all the jobs there are in a theater. It fosters a level of respect for all of those positions and reminds you (especially if you are an actor) that just because you are front and center in the spotlight you are NOT the most important person in the room – it is a collaborative art. In fact that collaboration is what I love so much about the theater. I have done most of the jobs in a theater and I’m not too good for any of them. I have worked in box offices, I have sewn costumes, I have fundraised, I have been a prop master, and yes, an actor. (I have not been an electrician or lighting designer – this is the one thing a person should not do without training!) I think having done a little bit of everything has made me a better producer.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was born in a trunk. Not literally. “Born in a trunk” is an old theater/vaudeville phrase which means one is born among stage folk. Judy Garland famously sang about it in A STAR IS BORN.
My parents came to New York to study theater. They both became designers, and my father did some directing. By the time I came along I was brought along with them. One family favorite story is about the time Mickey Rooney kidnapped me – ok wait – no – not exactly. But my parents were painting scenery and I was on a nearby blanket and well, I guess Mickey Rooney thought I looked bored. When my folks turned around I was gone and chaos ensued until a thoughtful production assistant suggested checking Mr. Rooney’s dressing room – there I was happy as a clam, bouncing on his knee.
I studied acting and singing and when I went to college I prioritized a theater program and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Upon graduation I worked in many theaters and traveling tours. But at a certain point all that traveling began to ware me down a little and I wanted my own home base, and well, to have that, one must have steady income – so I got a job. I worked many an office job, some in arts administration, some not. I continued to act and perform, mostly focused on gigs I could do while maintaining my 9 to 5. So when I started self-producing I maintained that schedule.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
So I say this as a one-woman band of sorts, but one who relies on a lot of volunteer help.
1) Always say thank you, then say it again, then one more time – and if possible keep saying thank you.
2) If someone is volunteering their time, feed them. I fully admit that food is my love language – but honestly, a couple of pizzas is a lot cheaper than labor and it means a lot to the people who are helping that you thought of their needs.
3) Find out what the volunteer excels at, what is their skill, and use it. Don’t ask them to do something they aren’t good at.
4) Don’t waste anyone’s time. If you say you need them at 10AM, be there at 9AM and get the space ready so they can get to work when they arrive. Create a schedule for them, so that they always know what needs to be done and by when.
Do I always get this perfect? No, but it is my volunteer philosophy and I strive to hit all four points with each helper.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
This isn’t an easy answer because I do think that most artists have a driving need deep in their souls to do what they do, otherwise they wouldn’t! Some may achieve fame, but most won’t, and very few make a living wage just on their art.
For me the most rewarding thing is looking at the finished product, at the people I’ve brought together, and knowing that I made that happen, sometimes by sheer force of will. I gave those people these gigs, I got this perfect storm of designers together, this cast of gifted actors with perfect chemistry for this play, and I found this director who knows how to talk to them all and bring them all together on the same page. I did that, and that is incredibly gratifying. The cherry on top is when someone gets the next gig because of this one; a playwright gets published, an actor is seen by another director, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.retroproductions.org
- Instagram: @RetroProdsNYC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RetroProductionsTheater
- Other: My personal website is https://heathercunningham.net – which is just for my acting work. And my personal insta is @hthecgh
Image Credits
Images by Kyle Connolly, Ric Sechrest, and Reed Yurman