Nancy McKeon of ‘The Facts of Life’ talks about starring in Off-Broadway show ‘Pen Pals’

Nancy McKeon. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland.

Veteran actress Nancy McKeon (“The Facts of Life”) chatted about starring in the Off-Broadway show “Pen Pals.”

This play is being performed at The Theatre at St. Clement’s in New York City.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This quote applies to Nancy McKeon.

McKeon just performed a special show of “Pen Pals” as Bernie this past weekend opposite Gail Winar (who played Mags), which was well-received.

McKeon will be reprising her role as Bernie from February 5th to February 9th, where she will be performing opposite Johanna Day as Mags.

“From all the comments and feedback we’ve been getting from people, this play seems to be having such an amazing effect on people,” she acknowledged. “It seems like a safe space for people, at the moment.”

“While every performer in this rotating cast is different, the beauty is the play that Michael Griffo wrote,” she said. “It is so good that it is still about the story! We all know that it takes a village, and we have a terrific little village of this play.”

Helping World Central Kitchen and the Los Angeles Fire Department

A portion of the proceeds from this special show went to World Central Kitchen and the Los Angeles Fire Department, and McKeon expressed that she was “thankful” for everyone’s support in raising funds for such philanthropic efforts (to help with the Los Angeles wildfires).

“The audience was so generous and kind, and we appreciate them very much,” she said.

Being a part of ‘Pen Pals,’ and playing Bernie

When asked what drew her to this script, she remarked, “I love this story! Michael Griffo’s writing is beautiful, and the themes that are covered are a slice of life. We all go through these things, and sometimes, we need to feel like we are not going through them by ourselves.”

“I think Michael Griffo’s play is beautiful and I love the character of Bernie so much,” she admitted. “What a joy it was to get to work on it.”

“It was a joy to sit down with our director SuzAnne Barabas, Michael Griffo, and Gail Winar to talk about the themes, and talk about who these two women are, and what he really wanted to see from them. That was a magical time, and it has been that since,” McKeon noted.

“It is such a wonderful group of people to be able to be with, and we all support each other. It is an interesting experiment to have the cast change, and seeing new interpretations of a character,” McKeon elaborated.

“It is this amazing little hybrid that I haven’t really seen before,” she noted. “I have really been enjoying that.”

McKeon had great words about Scott Stolzenberg, Anthony Hazzard, and everyone on the producing team. “Scott and Anthony are just delightful,” she said. “They are lovely and supportive champions of this play, and of each group that comes in.”

“I really feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this play,” she added.

Working with Johanna Day and Gail Winar

On working with Johanna Day and Gail Winar, McKeon said, “Johanna is so extraordinary. It was a privilege to have her as a partner. I hit the lottery with amazing partners in this play, so I feel really privileged.”

“Gail is just so special,” she said. “Gail and I have spent a lot of time together, and we really delve into these characters, and helped with the script.”

“Gail is just brilliant. Having Gail’s input, her experience and her spirit was so fun. We have terrific chemistry because we’ve become very good friends,” McKeon added.

McKeon reflects on her time in ‘The Facts of Life’

McKeon recalled her time in the hit sitcom “The Facts of Life,” where she played the iconic character Jo Polniaczek. “It was a privilege to be amongst that group,” she said. “I learned so much, especially from our beautiful Charlotte Rae, who was extraordinary. I miss her to this day.”

“People do enjoy the ‘Facts of Life’ theme song,” she said with a sweet laugh. “it is amongst some of the best!”

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, McKeon said, “It’s a great thing. When you are lucky enough to have worked over 50 years, there are a lot of old pictures around, so some of them, I would like to not see, but they bring good memories. It’s not everybody who has their whole puberty on camera growing up. Most people get to distance themselves from that particular perspective.”

Stage of her life

On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “Curiosity.”

Advice for young and aspiring actors

For young and emerging actors, McKeon said, “Do this for the love of creating and telling different stories. Don’t do it for any other reasons. Do it because you have a passion for collaborative art and you love to tell stories. If you are doing it for any other reason, then perhaps think of something else to do.”

Success

Regarding her definition of the word success, McKeon said, “The ability to keep doing what I’ve always loved to do.”

Closing thoughts on ‘Pen Pals’

For fans and viewers, she concluded about “Pen Pals,” “I want them to know how important friendship is. Tolerance and loving someone doesn’t mean you always agree with everything but you find a way to love each other anyway, and to be strong by them.”

To learn more about “Pen Pals,” check out its official website.

For more information on Nancy McKeon, follow her on Instagram.