Peggy Stafford is a Brooklyn-based playwright behind 16 Words or Less. Her other plays include Everything is Here (Clubbed Thumb/Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, Vineyard Reading Series), Motel Cherry (Clubbed Thumb/New Georges, Huffington Post’s Top Ten Plays of 2012), Jewel Casket (New Georges/Dixon Place Puppet BloK), and Three Miracles and A Giant (Annex Theatre, P73/HERE).
Peggy’s work has also been performed and developed at theatres including Soho Rep, Women’s Project, Playwrights Horizons, Two River, Bottom’s Dream, Circle X, On The Boards, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Tank, as well as The Playhouse in Northern Ireland.
indieactivity: Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, and production of your script
Peggy Stafford (PS): My play, 16 WORDS OR LESS, was produced by Clubbed Thumb Theatre in 2016 as part of their Summerworks Festival. I was then approached by the director, Meghan Finn, to write a short film based on the play. Meghan and I were commissioned by Staging Film to make the short.
Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Peggy Stafford (PS): Yes, in fact, I originally wrote the stage play with actor, Crystal Finn, in mind for the lead. Neal Huff played opposite Crystal in the production. For the film project, our aim was to recreate the unique connection that Crystal and Neal had built in the stage play, in the film. The chemistry between the actors captures the spirit of the piece.
How long did you take to complete the script?
Peggy Stafford (PS): It didn’t take long to write the screenplay … although a number of small moments and lines were revised once we were on set.
Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Peggy Stafford (PS): Funds! Films (even shorts) cost so much money. Working on such a low budget required us to be very resourceful.
Where do you think your strengths line as a filmmaker?
PS: I consider myself a good collaborator; I’m flexible, open, and happy to make room for other artists in the room to bring their expertise to the project.
What else have you got in the works?
PS: I’m in the early stages of the development of a documentary with Sweetspot Pictures.
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