I had the pleasure of meeting Pamela Weiler Grayson at a lovely New Year's brunch on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. I found out we had some mutual friends, and also about her new album for Urban Momfare that would be streaming which she was very excited about. Read on to see what it's all about and how this mom finds inspiration to keep creating.
SuzeeBTS: You are a prolific writer and lyricist. Please tell me about Urban Momfare, how it came to be and where it played.
Pamela Weiler Grayson: I used to be a freelance writer for many years, and I mostly wrote essays and humor pieces about being a mom on the Upper East Side. I grew up there and also raised my kids there, too (and still live there!).
Around 2010, I began writing some songs about similar issues (I had a background in theatre and music), and I had an idea that the songs and maybe some of my writing pieces could be combined somehow into a show on this theme. But since I had never written a show before, I knew I needed someone to help me with that.
A mutual friend connected me with Alice Jankell, originally as a dramaturg and possible director. I sent Alice some of the songs and scenes and she connected to them deeply (she was a downtown mom, but she related to many of the emotions, and she said she laughed out loud, too).
We then met in person and hit it off immediately. We began working on the show, and Alice put so much into the writing that she became co-writer of the book of the show. Alice became the director as well. We did some readings of it as we developed it, especially at Emerging Artists Theatre (EAT), in NYC. EAT loved the show so much that they produced us in the 2014 NY Fringe Festival, where we had a fabulously successful run, won a Best Musical Award, and were a Time Out Critic’s Pick. We were then asked to be in the Fringe Encore Series, where we had a wonderful run at Soho Playhouse.
SuzeeBTS: And now you have released the soundtrack? Tell me about the making of it and where we can listen.
Pamela Weiler Grayson: In 2015 we made a studio recording of our original cast album, which was intended for potential producers. We had a great time doing it, at PPI Recording downtown, and we were very proud of the quality of the album. Our music director/arranger, Clare Cooper, was instrumental in coordinating that and helping with post-production as well. There was no streaming back then. We also did not know if we would be further developing the show, so we didn’t think to make it public at that time.
Fast-forward 10 years, and I wanted to do something to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show and the album, so I had an idea to release our album on music streaming platforms. I had to get permission from all the singers and musicians, and once I secured that, I signed up with a distribution site (Distrokid), which gets albums released on music streaming platforms.
Available on Most Streaming Platforms
It’s now available on most of the platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube Music, Deezer, and some others. We’re thrilled to be able to share the songs from the show with people who had seen the show and loved it, as well as with people who never got a chance to see it. We also are reaching a whole new audience with streaming, which is very exciting.
SuzeeBTS: You have so many award-winning projects to your name. Tell me about what you are most proud of.
Pamela Weiler Grayson: All my projects are basically like my children, so it’s really hard to play favorites and say which I’m most proud of. That said, I’m particularly proud of my most recent play production, OBSERVANT, which had a sold-out run at The Chain Theatre in NYC in September, because I not only wrote the play, but I was the lead producer, which was a new experience for me.
It was very challenging to produce the show (and I did have the support of EAT, as we were part of their Fall Spark Theatre Festival), but I found out that was I good at it. I also found that I enjoyed a lot of aspects of self-producing, especially devising creative ways to market the play. I had a grant from The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), which also helped, and which is something else I am especially proud of receiving.
Facing Ageism
I think overall, in terms of my theatrical writing career so far, I’m most proud of my perseverance and how far I’ve come in less than 15 years. I started very late as a playwright/musical theatre writer, after some other careers, so I’ve had to deal with ageism and all the attendant insecurities of sometimes being the oldest person in the room when I’m with other theatre artists.
When I did the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop (a two-year funded program) from 2012-2014, I was one of the oldest members of our cohort, and I was the only woman with children, so it was very difficult socially for me. But I kept at it, and I’m proud of all the work I’ve done and the wonderful communities I’ve been part of over the years.
SuzeeBTS: What is on the horizon for you?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: I’m always working on several projects at once, but right now the most exciting thing is that the new musical I’ve been working on for a number of years with Alice and a composer collaborator (Aaron Drescher) will be having a workshop production in September, produced by Theatre Now New York (TNNY). The show, called THE SUSTAIN, is one we have been developing in TNNY’s International Musical Writers Lab for several years. TNNY gave us a staged reading in 2023, and now they are producing this workshop, with the support of a grant from NYSCA.
I’m also working on the very early stages of a new musical with another composer and hoping to get another production of OBSERVANT in other theatres around the country.
I want to start a new play as well, so the ideas are brewing in my mind, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that all goes. My favorite thing is starting new creative projects, as that is when the juices are flowing and I get that high that comes from writing something new.
SuzeeBTS: What inspires you to write?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: Inspiration comes from so many sources, it’s hard to pin one down. Usually I’m inspired because I’m passionate about a topic, and I think I have something unique to say about it. Often it’s something that springs from my personal experiences as a woman/wife/mother/daughter, as I tend to write about women in conflict - that is what often drives my emotions, and hence my creativity.
On Being a "Shower Composer"
In terms of writing songs, I am a big “shower composer.” Alice and I used to joke that when I needed to write a new song, I had to take another shower. Not only does my singing sound great in the shower, but I find there’s something in the steam, and that private little space that allows me the freedom to play around with music and lyrics.
Since I often write humor, I also get inspired when I see things around me that seem ripe for comedy. Reading, listening, and living in this crazy world is a constant source of creative inspiration for me. If I didn’t write about it, I’d probably go insane. Or I’d at least be spending even more time talking to my therapist.
SuzeeBTS: Now let's get little personal:
Favorite plays?
A Streetcar Named Desire
Death of a Salesman
The Birthday Party
The Heidi Chronicles
Angels in America
Favorite musicals?
Fiddler on the Roof
Guys and Dolls
A Chorus Line
Les Miserables
Fun Home
Favorite movies?
Gigi
Top Hat
The Sound of Music
When Harry Met Sally
Some of your favorite writers?
Harold Pinter
Wendy Wasserstein
William Faulkner
Barbara Kingsolver
Nora Ephron
SuzeeBTS: Best meal in NYC?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: Right now my favorite restaurant for a great Italian meal (Italian is my favorite type of cuisine) is Cafe Fiorello, which is right across from Lincoln Center. The thin pizza is exceptional, as is the lasagne, which is done open-face, and is delicious. The veal parmigiana is also fantastic. The service is great too, and many of the booths there have plaques with famous names on them, which is fun to look at while you wait for your food. And I love that they have this silver covered-dish at the host table, where you can grab some amazing fresh chocolate pieces with dried fruit on top, after your meal. We take a bunch to go, with plenty of napkins!
SuzeeBTS: Best part about being the age you are now?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: I think the best part about being my age (60), is that I’m at this “sweet spot” stage in life where my kids are older, so I’m not mothering full-time in the same way (although young adult kids still need a lot of support!), and yet I’m lucky that my own mom is still in very good shape, physically and mentally, so I am not yet that worried about her health and needs.
Being in this stage of life, I can dedicate a good amount of time to the things I love to do, like my writing and seeing lots of theatre. I also really appreciate my friends, many of whom I’ve been close to for years, and some whom I became closer to only recently. Women really need each other more and more as we age, so appreciating the amazing women in my circle has become a huge part of my life right now.
SuzeeBTS: Best advice for an aspiring playwright?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: I think the best advice I have for aspiring playwrights is to find a community or multiple communities of other writers and theatre artists, where you can learn and support each other. I belong to several wonderful theatre communities, and that is how I’ve had a lot of my work developed, and also where I’ve met other writers and also actors, who can bring my work to life and offer valuable feedback. Taking classes is also helpful.
Additionally, I would suggest submitting to festivals and other opportunities around the country. Doing that is what launched me most as a new playwright, and I often had short plays accepted on blind submissions. Start with short plays, as there are a lot more opportunities for 10 minute plays and/or One Acts than full-length ones.
SuzeeBTS: What is the best advice you ever received- whether for professional or personal endeavors?
Pamela Weiler Grayson: The best advice I ever got was from Alice Jankell, my collaborator on my first show (see above), and one of my current ones. It was early on in my theatre writing career, and at times I would get depressed about rejections, because most of the time as a writer you are submitting things that don’t get chosen.
She told me, “Celebrate the ‘Yeses’!” It was such a smart, positive maxim, and it has served me so well over the years, both professionally and personally. Luckily I have gotten a lot of “Yeses,” mixed in with all the “No’s,” so that is what has often gotten me through hard times. I try to celebrate those “Yeses” every day I can!
To connect with Pamela:
https://www.instagram.com/pamwgrayson/