My best memory of Luke was working with him shortly after we were
introduced by cinematographer Brianne Murphy. She had read my novella/play,
“Dear Jennifer”, and thought he would he the perfect director for a reading in Los Angeles.
Luke
assembled a brilliant cast and we had a run through on Sunday afternoon for a
Monday evening performance. The realization that cuts were needed because it
was too long and too wordy became apparent that afternoon, but the reading was
Monday evening and we were attending the ASC dinner at the Beverly Hills that night.
Well,
after the awards ceremony, we went back to my hotel, kicked off our shoes, and went
through the script slashing and cutting into the wee hours. Luke dropped the
changes off at Kinko’s for the casts’ revised scripts and I picked them up
after my business meeting Monday afternoon.
With
Luke’s calm, brilliant approach to direction and my best instinct as the author to trust
my director, the performance was marvelous and we got a standing ovation from
the invited audience.
We’ve
been through a lot over the years, but I’ll always remember the fun of working
together that night.
Luke Yankee
I have worked in many different aspects of the
entertainment industry. I’ve run two regional theatres, assistant directed six
Broadway shows, toured internationally with my one-man show, written a memoir
about growing up as a showbiz kid (my mother was the Oscar/Emmy/Tony winning
actress, Eileen Heckart)…lots of other stuff.
Currently, I am focusing my energies on television writing
and I am determined to become a staff writer on a hit TV show. I am also in
negotiations with PBS for an interview show called CONVERSATIONS ON CRAFT,
where I chat with actors, writers, directors and producers about how they got
where they are today.
My new play, THE LAST LIFEBOAT, is about to be published b
Dramatists Play Service. It’s the untold story of the owner of the White Star
Line at the time of the sinking The Titanic and the subsequent hearings and
aftermath of the disaster. It’s a big, epic tale told on a bare stage with an
ensemble cast and I am beyond thrilled it is getting published.
- Who are you? List five nouns that define you.
Caring – Flamboyant – Funny – Passionate – Great Storyteller!
- What have you done that you’re most proud of?
There are lots of things that I am proud of, but the top
two (okay, I cheated) would have to be my marriage to my amazing husband of 18
years, Don Hill, and writing my book, JUST OUTSIDE THE SPOTLIGHT. I’d talked about writing a book about my mom
since I was 14 and when I finally held it in my hands, it was – and remains -
an incredible feeling. It has great stories about Ethel Merman teaching me how
to make a martini at age 10, Paul Newman giving me acting lessons in the living
room, and Marilyn Monroe babysitting my brothers.
- If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?
I wish I had been kinder and gentler with my father. He
was an extraordinary man and I never realized just HOW incredible he was until
I lost him. He had a quiet, gentle strength and because he wasn’t boisterous
and noisy like the rest of the family, I didn’t appreciate him on his own
terms. He’s been gone nearly 14 years and I regret this every day.
- On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?
What drives me crazy is not feeling like I am being
treated with respect.
What gives me joy is entertaining people – especially
making them laugh.
- Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?
So many things! I love traveling with my husband. I’d love
to rent a villa in Tuscany for awhile, then move on to a pied-a-terre in Nice, then a flat in one of the posh,
London suburbs like Richmond and keep going all over the world.
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| Mom Eileen and Luke |
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| Polishing Mom's star! |
Very fun and interesting interview!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sally, this process is about the most fun I've had writing!
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