We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melanie Anne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melanie below.
Melanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Nothing Special has been my most beloved project since its conception. It started as a class assignment at the Art of Acting Studio and has gone on to be an important show that changes with the times and has been able to travel the country. We’ve had tours through LA, NYC and the Twin Cities. The show focuses on one woman, Edie Sedgwick, and how she interacts with the world. It takes place in 1965 in Andy Warhol’s factory. The factory is where Warhol made his screen tests, his underground films, his Campbell’s soup cans and countless other pieces of art. This was the perfect setting to tell a story about art, consumerism, human nature and how the past repeats itself.
I wanted to make something a story with no plot and where the actors could have a lot of creative freedom on stage. When I created Nothing Special it was a one-woman show with all the music played on stage with a record player. There are no light cues and no sound cues. The magic of the play lies in how simply it can tell a really heavy story. It’s a slice of life piece. I’m really proud of the journey it’s taken over the years and excited for each time it grows. Our upcoming show features three Edie’s for the first time and will have a focus on how your mind interacts with itself, what isolation can do to a person, and the cyclical nature of humans.
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 knew from an early age that I would set out on a creative career. Right after high school I left Minnesota and moved to Los Angeles. I began to study acting and found myself in more creative spaces with more freedom to explore all types of story-telling. I wrote my first one-woman show in college that chronicled Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with fame. I realized I had a huge interest in telling these female driven stories in simple ways that used voices and narratives from history. The next one I wrote was about Andy Warhol’s factory, called Nothing Special. I fell in love with curating this piece. It’s been a challenge to put this show on its feet each time but it’s been a truly rewarding experience as well. One thing I’m really proud of is being able to collaborate with so many amazing artists throughout the years and really work to create a collective where we can share art through our common interests.
This year we’ve put a huge effort into creating a bigger space for this show to live which includes adding to our cast. For the first time since its conception Nothing Special is moving from a one-woman show to a true art collective. We have Allisyn Snyder directing the piece, Aparna Brielle and Kristin Couture joining as fellow Edie Sedgwick’s and The Split Manics as our live house band. I’m so grateful and proud that this show carries a reputation that people believe in and want to be a part of and that it allows me an expansive group of talent to work with that takes the show to a new level each time.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My main creative drive stems from wanting to be a storyteller in all that I do. I spent a lot of time in my head as a kid creating stories and believing in things that I couldn’t see, but knew to be true. Since moving out to LA I’ve found such a haven for this creative journey to thrive. Telling good, important, interesting stories can unite people and I see it happen at these shows. Weaving the past and the present into stories that reflect who we are as a society brings me a real sense of fulfillment and I’m beyond grateful that I get to spend my time here working to do that.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of living a creative life is knowing that I’m living a life that is true. I don’t have to question “what I would do if” because I’ve given myself an opportunity to explore what I’m most passionate about and I know that following that will always take me where I need to be. I know that there is a lot of risk in pursuing a creative career but I feel a lot of safety in the pursuit because this journey makes me feel like my most authentic self.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nothingspecialshow.com
- Instagram: nothingspecialshow
Image Credits
Dylan Snyder