Q&A: @Jenna - The Recs

New York and Los Angeles-based comedic actor and writer, Winnie Stack, makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut with her honest, awkward, and hilarious one-woman show, @Jenna.

Hello Winnie – and congratulations on making your Edfringe debut this year. What is it about the Fringe that made you want to bring @Jenna here? What do you know of Fringe – what are your expectations?

Hello! Thank you! I have always wanted to go to Fringe and see the shows–I’ve heard it’s like Disney Land for the arts–and I’ve been fine-tuning @Jenna for three years now so I felt it was as good a time as any! I’ve been advised that Fringe is a lot. Very stressful, very exciting, high highs and low lows. I’m terrified and excited! I’ve also heard that everyone is extremely supportive, a community of performers and patrons that are eager to connect and enjoy each other’s shows which just sounds lovely.

At the point we are chatting, we’re about two months ahead of the start of the Festival. How are you feeling about your big Scottish adventure? Excited? Nervous?

I’m definitely oscillating between feeling overwhelmed and excited! It feels like there is just SO much to prepare and check off my list of to-do’s, it’s never ending! However, I’ve also been trying to embrace the unknown and let myself feel excited about the adventure of it all. It feels nice to know it’s still two months away, but I’m also like oh my god, it’s only two months away!?

So, let’s chat about @Jenna. It’s a one-woman show based on some rather unique source material…?

Yes! The show is about how Pam from The Office became my gay awakening when I was 11 years old. Throughout the piece, I read from my completely unedited childhood journals–raw, hilarious, and deeply embarrassing entries that capture my innermost tween thoughts as I was trying to figure out who I was while also desperately attempting to fit in.

Without wanting to spoil the magic of your show, how much were you able to use exactly what you had written in these 11 childhood diaries – or did you have to tweak the contents a little for artistic purposes?

Every journal entry (including the drawings and home videos!) are completely unedited and in their original form…which just makes them all the more embarrassing.

Although it’s a one-woman show, it’s character-comedy where you play all the characters. Who are audiences likely to encounter while watching @Jenna?

Audiences will be introduced to several characters of my past that influenced by childhood as a I grappled with my identity. These include my teachers, therapists, a man that works in the back of my head, my first kiss, my dog, and most notably, the tree in my backyard who I told all my secrets to.

Do you have a character you particularly enjoy playing within the show?

There is a scene in the show where I play my family’s dog, Sweetpea. When I had my first high school make out with a boy I rushed home to tell Sweetpea how awful it was, so she has a monologue about knowing I was gay before I did. I like playing her because I like the idea that she knew something I didn’t when I was growing up, silently rooting for me. I only seemed to spill my guts about my inner thoughts to trees or animals because that felt safer than telling a person, so Sweetpea heard it all. She tells this monologue while sipping a martini, so I like playing her for that reason too.

The narrative of the show is your coming-of-age story as a gay tween. With life for the LGBTQ+ community becoming increasingly challenging in many parts of the world, how timely is @Jenna?

It feels very timely as the world continues to be divided on human rights. That’s why it feels especially important to tell LGBTQ+ stories as much as we can, particularly because so many of us grapple with our queer identities at such young ages. While @Jenna is rooted in a very specific coming-of-age experience as a gay tween, the show is really about identity, belonging, resilience, and the universal challenge of figuring out who you are while growing up. I hope the show resonates with audiences regardless of their sexuality, reminding them of their first crushes, the awkwardness and vulnerability of growing up, and the ongoing journey of learning to accept ourselves–not just when we’re young, but throughout adulthood. More than anything, I hope it sparks conversation and helps people feel seen.

You’ve worked on the show for over three years – from a 30-minute reading of your journal to what you’ve described as “a full-ass production”. Can you describe a bit about developing a show? What lessons have you learned along the way?

The show began as a 10 minute monologue on the live podcast “Mortified” where I read snippets from my journals to an audience. I then began to uncover more entries that eventually created a kind of story arc, so I stretched the show to half an hour and incorporated some characters. The first iteration was performed in the basement of The Brooklyn Comedy Collective three years ago, and the most recent show was a 75 minute play I performed at The Elysian in Los Angeles! I learned that I struggle to sit down a write, inspiration hits better when I’m doing mundane tasks. I also learned that it’s important to be patient, trust the process, and trust the audience feedback. It was so helpful to hear from audiences on what worked and what didn’t over the last three years so I could continue to tweak, edit, and fine-tune the show.

You’ve been touring the show across New York and Los Angeles theatre venues. Do you anticipate that there will be a difference from performing to American theatregoers and playing to Fringe audiences?

I’ve heard that Fringe audiences often come in really open to experimentation and discovery, they’re ready to take a chance on something new and unconventional. There’s a kind of intimacy to those spaces that feels very aligned with a coming-of-age story like @Jenna. I’m hoping audiences in any country can connect to the awkwardness of growing up, first crushes, identity, and self-acceptance. The laughter and conversations afterward may differ slightly depending on the crowd, but the emotional core of the show seems to resonate across both worlds…I hope!

Lastly, who do you think should come along and see @Jenna at the Fringe?

If you’re looking to laugh out loud, cringe-out, reminisce, feel a tug at your heartstrings, perhaps shed a quiet tear for your own younger self, feel community in the room, laugh again, and then discuss your own celebrity crushes with your friends over a pint after the show, then @Jenna is for you!