We talk with actor and producer Stephanie Bignault about her time studying at the University of Arkansas, her career in Los Angeles and her producing debut, "360 Seconds."
Watch "360 Seconds" - bexbradshaw.com
Instagram // @yoyo_benyo
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KF [voiceover]: Welcome to Reel Talk Arkansas. Today, I've got a special guest, uh, live from Hollywood, North Hollywood, California, lovely North Hollywood. Uh, Stephanie Bignalt who, uh, has a lot of Arkansas connections, a University of Arkansas MFA acting MFA grad and has done some work up here in the area too. So Stephanie, thank you for being here.
Stephanie Bignault: Thanks so much for asking me, I'm really flattered.
KF: Yeah, absolutely. So let's just kind of tell us a little bit of background about yourself, you know, like where, where are you from, how you ended up here at U of A, all that good stuff?
SB: Yeah. Well, so I grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, and, um, I was actually homeschooled for most of my upbringing. I was pulled, my parents decided to homeschool me when I was in second grade. And so I was homeschooled second grade all the way through, but I was really interested in acting in particular and theater, um, which really stemmed from my love for movies. So which ultimately led me to coming out to Los Angeles and the like grander scheme of things. But, um, yeah, so I grew up in Georgia and was doing like little, uh, groups on the side. I was like doing plays and things. Um, my mom found different organizations that were like geared more towards homeschooled kids. So that was really cool. Um, and then when I graduated, I ended up going to Piedmont College, which is this small little liberal arts college in North Georgia.
So I got my undergrad there and I got a BA in theater and, uh, creative, well in the English lit, uh, slash creative writing. It was sort of this funky interdisciplinary to create it. They formulated for me. Um, and then from there, I, uh, I auditioned at the Southeastern Eastern theater conference, um, for like summer jobs, but also for grad schools. And from there, I got connected to University of Arkansas and Amy Herzberg, um, who's the head of the MFA acting program there. And, um, I just absolutely fell in love with Amy's teaching style and what the program had to offer. And one of my, um, one of my friends is another view of a, of alum and also went to Piedmont. So she kind of paved the way for me, like got my foot in the door, I guess her name is Shannon Weber. She lives up in Chicago now and does a lot of theater up there, um, and has performed at theater squared a couple of times as well. So, um, yeah, so that was what led me ultimately to going to University of Arkansas, which was like just such a little golden time of my life. I've so treasured my time in Fayetteville, it was so special.
KF: So let's talk about what you did once you got to U of A, you're studying under Amy. How was that experience?
SB: Oh, man, it was, um, it was transformative for me. It just really helped me take my craft to a whole nother level and access a range of emotions and, um, way of looking at scripts that I had had really not received training in that, in that regard, um, up until then, uh, the programs that I did up until that work were great, but they did not really deep dive and, um, Amy's method of like using Meisner and a little bit of Stanislavski and, um, and, uh, Chekov and Pinter, like just really taking all of these big, big names, these big styles and themes that really, uh, developed, um, developed like the style of acting that is that, that you would want to see when you go, when you go to the movies, like what you're going, the, the level of performance and the depth of performance that is there that really takes it to the next level. Uh, I feel like she and her style of teaching really helps bring that out in me that I and gave me the tools necessary to be able to do that for myself going forward.
Um, some of my favorite roles at Arkansas, I loved doing the play Ken by Beth Shiva DRAM. And this is a real ensemble play. That is a fluid there's like, there's like 15 major characters that you're following. And uh, everyone is connected ultimately in like this larger sense, but you're just getting, you're like seeing each scene has like just two characters. So you're kind of piecing together how everyone is really connected until the very end, which ultimately is kind of the big takeaway from the play is that everyone is, that's kind of the question that is like keeps the ball in the air throughout is like, are we connected or are we disconnected as human beings? And ultimately it's, it's, you know, leading towards no we are, if, if we're seeking that then we are. Um, and I loved that role because, um, Helena, because she was quirky and she was, she was off the wall and she didn't really have like a sense of where her life was going.
She's like trying to be an actor she's trying to do it. So it was very like almost meta for me in a way I identified with her so deeply. Um, uh, but she also, uh, was a character that wasn't afraid to let things get really, really uncomfortably real in the moment, even if it made everybody else feel awkward, she's like, that was just who she was. Um, and then the character also deals with like some mental health issues and which are things I'm really passionate about personally. And it was just a beautiful, beautiful play and such an incredible experience.
KF: I have a follow up on that is given the different, one of the differences, you know, with that, from like being on screen on screen, you're going to kind of move through that quickly. But with the play, I mean, guys were rehearsing for a few months at a time, right? Like building up to that. Do you
SB: Pretty long, not a few months. I think for, can we probably rehearsed like maybe a little over a month, which even, even that is longer than professional standards.
KF: Fair enough. Yeah. I'm not as well-versed in the theater. I mean, did you find like if this kind of a complicated role, I mean, was there like a lot of emotional labor that you kind of took that home with you or are you able to turn it off when you guys left the stage?
SB: That's a really interesting question. There was a lot of emotional labor and I think that I, whenever I'm working on a play, I'll become a little bit like my character for that time being not like in like an exaggerated, Daniel Day Lewis sort of way, but, and like, uh, just like what areas I'm more sensitive, I guess. Um, so for that one in particular, I felt like it really opened me up and, um, in a big way, um, it's a story about love and it's a story about all the different kinds of love. And my, my, um, Helena's love story as like the more like sub character, I guess if you're going to call it that it's fairly ensemble, um, was a love for her best friends. And that I think really kind of solidified for me, like what kind of friend I want to be in my own life.
And I feel like I learn through my art and art and theater and acting and filmmaking, um, is, is almost, um, like can be like feels somewhat spiritual, although it's very, very much like hard work to produce the producing side of it for sure is just like lists on lists and making sure you're checking every detail and dotting every I crossing every T all of that staying organized one of the deadlines. And so that like structure, um, yeah, I think that acting can be almost like chaotic in a way, and then, um, producing it's very much like the order, you know, of like, so that the chaos can be contained in a way that will serve the story
KF: You're producing. You're managing the chaos basically.
SB: Exactly, yes.
KF: Well back to acting. Was it easy for you early on to be in like these heavier roles to be vulnerable? Or did you have to like kind of work, work that out or was it just did it kind of flow? Because I assume if you're doing something that is more of a drama that is heavier and it's like hitting some of your, the personal notes for you, how was that experience for you?
SB: Well, that's a good question because in undergrad I felt like I always really wanted to be able to access, um, more difficult emotional areas, whether that was like a great joy and being very authentic in that, or like great sorrow or, you know, whatever, whatever the areas were. And, and I, the wildest experience when I did my audition with Amy, when I was considering being part of the program, cause she just gave me like a couple little, um, lines of direction and it was like, it was like the key that I needed to fit the lock and it just went and I just suddenly realized I had access that I didn't realize that I had before. And, um, so learning how to ask myself those questions and be able to lead myself to the water was really a big part of what I gained from U of A and from Amy's teaching, but also Michael Landmines teaching and, uh, Kate Frank as well. They're all, they're all very excellent at being able to like guide, so that, yeah.
KF: So after U of A, I mean, you've been in some Theater Squared productions as well. What were some of the productions?
SB: I was in Rapture, Blister, Burn back in that was just a, I was just like a year out of school at that point. So I came back from LA to do that and the spring of 2016. Yeah. And, um, that was a really fun role. She's, uh, quite different from me. Um, she, uh, that character Avery, she's an instigator. Um, she's a, she calls herself a provocateur. Uh, and does these like little documentary style like films just to get a rise out of people. Um, you don't ever actually see her doing that on stage. That's just like an extra, extra circumstance that, you know, bringing into it the first time you see her, she has a black eye from like getting up into someone's face too much. And someone like someone attacked her, um, properly, rightly so. She's all about like pushing the envelope and that particular play really centers on the regenerations of women and the way that, uh, civil rights for women has shifted since the sixties, especially. And so you have these three, you have like, uh, um, an older like sort of grandmother aged character. Um, that's not her grandmother, she's like a student. Um, and, uh, Avery's my character, Avery was a student and, uh, this, this like women's rights or class. And then, uh, but they, because of like extra situations, I had to do the class out of this woman's home and she's like moved back home with her mom. So that's why you get like these three, swirling opinions, not always invited to the conversation. Um, um, and then I did Great Expectations. I played Stella in that as well as a couple other characters, it was a, um, it was a Bob Ford adaptation and, uh, they, it was just a cast of, I think there were six of us in that play playing all of the characters. And then we had, each of us had like one kind of main character and then a few additional ones that was really, really fun to develop multiple characters and have all these quick changes. And it was a, it was an exhausting play, but it was so fun. Um, let's see. And then I did, uh, I did Shakespeare in Love. I was Viola, um, slash Thomas Kent and the, um, the show that opened up the brand new Theater Squared space. So that was, that was a real treat. Got to live in the new artist housing.
KF: Um, and you've done some new Play Fest stuff as well.
SB: Yes. A couple of years of new Play Festival. Um, so I was in Disfarmer right. Played Camille, um, written by, uh,
KF: Werner Trieschmann, he was my college professor for screenwriting years ago at UCA. Yeah, I know him. He's a great guy. I used to...I used to actually write for him for the Dem Gazette too. I would write music reviews when he was like the Sunday style editor. So yeah, I go way back with that. Yeah.
SB: Yeah. That was really fun. That was a really good time to work on that play. And it's an Arkansas inspired story.
KF: Are you going to be, you think you might do some more theater here in Arkansas at some point?
SB: Oh, undoubtedly.
KF: Nice. We won't be back for sure.
SB: Yeah. As soon as they'll have me, I'm so thrilled to come back. I love, love, love Fayetteville.
KF: Well, let's talk about LA now. So why LA? You're from Georgia. Why not go to Atlanta and pursue it in that end? why, why go to the heart of the beast?
SB: That's a good question. I, well, you know, at that point, at that point, I wasn't, I wasn't so sure about going back to Atlanta necessarily to pursue being in film and do theater and stuff. I maybe, maybe because that's where I'm from. And I just have a natural wanderlust and want to just go and like explore being in a totally new environment. Um, but also at that point there were, there weren't as many roles that were being cast in Atlanta itself. There were people that would get cast in LA and then fly out to shoot in Atlanta. Um, so that, and also, uh, quite frankly, the guy that I was dating at the time who I'm now married to, um, was wanting to come out here as well. And I was like, you know what, um, I've always wanted to be and explore filmmaking and explore what it would mean to audition for film and why not start there. And I knew that I could always do regional theater in addition. So that, that really worked out really well because every single year that I'd been out here, I've been lucky enough to leave once, if not, twice to go do theater somewhere in the country, whether it's Arkansas, I did a play in Chicago at one point as well. Um, so yeah, it made a lot of sense.
KF : What are, what are some of the roles that you've had some of your breaks since you've been in Los Angeles?
SB: Well, so LA is wow. Is just, it's vast, it's sprawling and getting started is really, really tough there isn't like, there isn't really like, um, like a play by play book on like how to get started. There's like a million different ways. And I moved out here really knowing like two people. So I just dove into like, signing up for all of these different databases that would post audition and just started going out for everything. And I knew that I needed to reel at first. So I auditioned for student films and got cast in a couple. And that was really fun. It was a good learning experience too. And, um, got some like decent footage from that. Um, but it's, it's so wild. Cause like you never know when you audition and get cast in something, unless it's like network television or unless there's like a big production house behind it. There's no, there's no like guarantee of where that work is going to go. And ultimately like you're, you're wanting to just build connections. You're trying to just like find people that you can collaborate well with so that you know, that you are going to have that door open to work with them again and again and again, but the gambit of going into like casting offices is like, they need to be seeing your face many, many times usually before they're going to cast you in something. Um, because they're all working freelance as well for the most part, you know? Um, and so why would they go with someone that they don't know? They've never like seen anything before, as opposed to the person that's been coming in for four years and now is their time. So like, I truly feel like right before quarantine happened, I had finally found this momentum. I was like, it was the first time that I put actor on my taxes. Like I was like, this is so great. Like if like they suddenly do booking jobs all over the place. Um, but I did a show on discovery ID called betrayed, which was a fun little bucket list item because I've always wanted to do one of those crime shows and it wasn't like strictly a crime reenactment show. It was it, they actually have like some scripts that they back up, but they're all true crime stories.
Like these scenes didn't necessarily happen. They don't have evidence of like the transcripts that's like the detective interrogating the possible murder or anything. Um, but they to elevate the story, they add these little like fictional scenes. So I was the friend of a woman who got murdered and I suspected her boyfriend. And so it was all about like casting shade on him. That was really, really fun. I got to be like kind of emotional for that scene too, which was a treat. Um, and then I was in a Snapchat show, which I was so excited. I got that because it was my, actually my first time going into, uh, the casting office of the same woman that did, uh, always sunny. And she does, she casts a lot of really, really cool stuff. So I was just really pumped to, to be able to go into her office. Um, and Liz Barnes, I've been able to go into her office a lot cause she loves to take care of her Arkansas connected people.
KF: I know Liz, she's great.
SB: She's awesome. She's so awesome. Learned a lot from her too. Um, so yeah, as far as the things that I booked, it's such a funny question because really, I think the most valuable experiences that I've had have come from just the projects that people are trying to get off the ground themselves, not going through the Hollywood system, but people that are willing to put their own money and time and energy into a project and like bring it to life. So there was this VR game that I was in that was really, really fun. My friend Brad makes VR games. And so I played a character and bad news reporter, um, when there's like this, this like, uh, uh, apocalyptic kind of possibly alien events that's happening. And then the lead character is like trying to go through and figure out what's going on. And so when the TV comes on, um, I'm the news anchor that was really, really fun.
SB: Let's see...So there was actually, um, a student project that I, I felt really, really connected to. And I, it, it was ultimately, I didn't find this out until after the fact, but it was based on the director's experience, um, when she came out to her dad. And so I played the girlfriend and that case and had a couple of scenes with the dad trying to like see her friends, um, yeah. That I really enjoyed that a lot. So it's a, it's a wild rat race out here for sure. And a lot of it just feels like throwing paint at the wall over and over and over and over and over again. And until you get lucky. So you like find somebody that you really, really connect with. Um, yeah. Oh, the Snapchat show. I I'm about to tell you that one was set in the eighties and I played a character that died in her bathtub and they're like at the main characters are, are doing their true crime podcasts, and so they're like trying to determine it was a mystery, how she died. And so I got to do every version that they posed of how she died.
KF: So like Clue, basically.
SB: Right, exactly. Yes.
KF: That's fun.
SB: It was really fun. It was really fun.
KF: Well, I want to jump back to something you said a second ago when you mentioned Liz. Uh, so I've never lived in Los Angeles, myself. I have friends that have been out there. I've been out there and spent time though. And the one thing that I've noticed quickly when I got out there to hang out with my friends, it seems like Arkansas people tend to be attracted to other Arkansas people and kind of run in packs out there. Has that been your experience?
SB: Uh, we've definitely have been able to connect with other Arkansans, uh, or people that have been connected to Arkansas. Um, but yeah, yeah, they definitely, everyone likes to be able to like collaborate and like keep tabs on what everybody's doing. Um, we actually run around with a lot of Ohioans. My husband is from Ohio and, um, we were kind of welcomed into, uh, my brother-in-law's friend group and they've been really, really awesome, but Liz, um, started a group called Arkansas to LA and we would meet up like once a month, um, possibly once every other month, just depending on people's schedules. And that was really awesome to get to know some folks. Um, I met Jennica Schwartzman.
KF: I know Jennica, yeah.
SB: Yeah, yeah. Through, um, through that group, um, which really like hearing her story about starting to do her own independent filmmaking is really what led me to start producing and like, um, uh, try to lift up our own projects ourselves. Uh, she she's really an inspiring lady and she's got such a sense of she comes from California. So she really, and from Hollywood specifically, so she understands the ins and outs of the filmmaking process, at least strictly to LA, um, very, very well. So she's been a really awesome person to talk to.
KF: Well, yeah. Let's, let's go, go down this rabbit hole a little bit. You produced a short film recently - "360 Seconds."
SB: Yes. Oh yeah. I was just going to say written and directed by Bex Bradshaw.
KF: Okay. Well, tell me how, how did that come about your involvement and let's talk about the process.
SB: Yeah, so I, when I first moved out here, I got a job as a nanny and which was really, really lovely and spoke to another skill set of mine, um, and really gave me a little bit more freedom to be able to audition and stuff a little bit more of a flexible schedule. However, um, just a little over a year ago, I was like, I think it's time for a big change. I want to be surrounded. I want to work in a place where I'm going to meet other people that are wanting to make their own stuff. People are connected to, in, to the industry. And I want to learn another side of, of this process other than acting. And, um, it just so happened that my friend Kavinder had connections to this, uh, production company. And they were looking for a new like office manager type person.
And so I, I jumped in and was a me, I was hired. And so I started working there just prior to lockdown. And that was how I met Bex cause she also works there. Um, and so not only learning, uh, cause I help out with kind of like the, some of the scheduling for production, but I also will assist the, uh, production coordinator on staff as well as the head of production on staff with various to do so I really got immersed and, and seeing what, what it actually looks like on paper. And it's a lot of paperwork, whether that is more than anything, it was just making sure licensing, permits, um, you know, talents like just every aspect of it is covered. And that's what the production side of it really does. So, um, Bex, uh, at one point over the summer hadn't written a feature script and she was like, "Hey, do you want to do like an informal zoom reading of this, of this script?"
And I felt so honored that she had me read for the lead. It was so much fun. It was like this thriller, her writing is amazing. And I just like kept talking with her about it afterwards because I was like, so lit up from it. And then I'm coming back into the office and like late June, early July, you know, masked and stuff, we were seeing each other more and she was like, "I really want to make something, I really want to help you make something." And so that's what really led led to it, was just finding like this like great collaborative person, um, and just like a natural, uh, chemistry that I feel like we've really bagged. So since we've been doing like some of this press for “360 Seconds” and we're getting some really great feedback from it, um, this was always kind of the plan, but once we really released it, we were like, okay, let's start ironing out what the feature version of this for this vigilante character would look like. And so for the past few weeks, we meet up once a week and then we're messaging each other all the time as well. And we're breaking the story and we're putting together a pitch Jack in a full, like official treatment that we're hoping to be able to like shop around places and see if we can find funding that we can make the thing in a full capacity, which we're very excited about.
KF: Awesome. Awesome. I wish you guys luck on it for sure. I guess on that note. Well, has it been accepted to some festivals? Like I know you guys are doing some press cause that's how I found out about it. He was reading an article on it. Uh how's that process going for you?
SB: That was a, that was a big question for us. Cause we were like, okay, do we want to submit this to festivals this year? And ultimately we decided that we wanted to get as big of an audience for it as possible and as many eyes on it as possible. So we did not go with the festival route, especially since it was a weird year, last year. And especially because we shot this during lockdown, following like all the COVID protocols that LA has in place for filming, um, uh, we, we just really wanted to build some momentum out of a time that felt so stagnant, you know, um, and rather than submitting it to, you know, East Michigan or something like random for a festival, which, which is always really cool. I think there's a, there's definitely a benefit to festivals, but, um, for this particular project at this particular time, we felt like just getting it out would help us, um, get maybe more press on it than we would necessarily get through doing the festival route. And I think we've really found that to be the case. We've been really pleased with the response that we've gotten and the number of publications that have, uh, that have featured us or given us a little review or, um, you know, posted about us. So put us on a website it's been really great.
KF: What was it like? I mean, so you, this was your first time producing something. Right? And did you consult like people like Jennica or maybe some other people who have done production before you did it, or did you just dive right in and kind of learn while you were on the ground?
SB: Yeah, I just dove right in, um, I did ask questions to, uh, some folks here and there when things came up, but for the most part, I was just following my own instincts and just, just, just doing it and finding out what that, what that experience really was firsthand hands-on and that, um, just diving in is always just like so rewarding. Um, yeah. Yeah.
KF: What were some of the big challenges that, I mean, you talked about the COVID protocols and things like that. Were there other things that maybe non COVID related that popped up that you had to like troubleshoot, like?
SB: Yeah. Yeah. We did a one day shoot and we felt as ready as we possibly could have been. Um, however, one thing that we did not think about were some of the backup SD cards, it's always the littlest things, right? Um, we rented an Ari, which is like an incredible camera and it looks that's part of the reason why our short looks so beautiful is because we use such a nice, such nice equipment. Um, but it was also our cinematographer's first time using that camera. And unfortunately we did not realize how long it was going to take to offload these SD cards and how quickly they would fill up. So thankfully we had our PA on hand to run around to Best Buy and grab extra ones. So it was a really, a small little hurdle to deal with. Um, uh, that in the Ari is a way heavier and more difficult to set up than I think we were anticipating and, and in light of COVID, you know, we wanted to keep it an incredibly skeletal team. So it was just two guys, essentially, our cinematographer and our gaffer that were setting up each shot. And every, I was, I was the first day to be on set. So every time that they were setting things up, it would struggle a little bit. I would try to jump in where they needed me following their instruction, but it did make it more difficult in such a, in a small set that we built ourselves in the living room of, uh, Bex's apartment. Um, we, uh, yeah, it just took a lot longer than anticipated, however, because the script being what it was, uh, we, we still ultimately had plenty of time to do all of the things that we were really hoping to do. Although the, the technical logistics of, um, some of these sweeping shots that we were hoping to get just didn't make sense because we didn't have the equipment to really achieve that result.
Um, because the camera was so heavy, But, um, we found a way around that. And what we landed on, I think was maybe even more like creative and cooler than what we could have, like set ourselves up for. And that's the part of like being really present in the moment and knowing, expecting, and looking for the problems and, and being excited to solve them, I think is a big key to having a successful day on set and not bringing down the mood. Right. You want to keep it up and energized so that we can just keep rolling through a 12 to 15 hour day if we need to, you know.
KF: Well, what’s next for you as a producer, you guys are going to work on the feature, you said? Trying to get that produced. Do you want to produce any other shorts or do you want to stay in production or keep acting, do both?
SB: I want to do both. And I want to learn other areas as well. I just want to feel as well rounded in the craft as I can be. Um, probably not as much as like the technical stuff. Um, but, uh, I have written quite a few, um, uh, well, a handful of short scripts that I'm working on, um, some ideas for features as well. So I'm just, I, I feel like this opportunity and this, um, this relationship that Bex and I have found has just opened up the world of it in a way that I, I didn't see access to before. Um, and, and really like getting connected with the team that you would like to have. And knowing that like, Craigslist is an incredible tool out here for finding people that are just like hungry and talented and fresh on the scene, or, or maybe just looking to like switch it up entirely. Um, and ultimately I think those folks too, even though we're like, all wanting to build a career sure. But in the beginning, it's not about how much money you're going to get paid to do the thing it's about doing the thing, and really getting in there and like trying stuff and experimenting and seeing what happens, and ultimately like a deep love for storytelling, that just like brings everyone together and gets everyone really excited.
KF: How can people watch it if they want to?
SB: Um, you can find it on Venmo. Uh, and what am I saying, Vimeo, find it on Vimeo. Um, you can also just go to bexbradshaw.com and it's right there on her homepage of her websites. Um, but, uh, you can also just follow me on Instagram and find a whole bunch of links all over the place. Um, I'm yoyo underscored and yo it's spelled phonetically B E N Y O. And uh, yeah, that's where you can find it. Um, uh, and it's, it's currently being featured on a Hoohaha's page, which is, um, women in comedy, which was a real treat since this is more of a very dark, comedic, thriller type short. Um, and, uh, we've been featured on Indie Shorts Mag and Indie Activity as well. So, all of these websites, as well as their Instagrams.
KF: I love it. I can't wait to see what else you do in the future. Stephanie, the next project you have, come back and tell us about.
SB: I will, I will thank you so much, Kody. This is like such a treat.
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KF (voiceover): Reel Talk Arkansas is produced by Christian Leus and Kody Ford. Theme music by Amos Cochran. Thank you for listening and tune in next time. To find out more about Arkansas Cinema Society, visit our website: arkansascinemasociety.org.