Marvel Universe’s New Superhero: The Multi-Hyphenate
Photo: Lauren Eliot
Hello, introduce yourself...
Hi, I’m Charlotte Purser. Bar Professional and multi-faceted self-producing artist. Filmmaker, writer, actor photographer… and I have a podcast.
All The Things!
Yup
What are you drinking right now?
A beer
*gasps with joy as Charlotte holds up a Corona Beer*
Way to support!
*Laughs*
Other than enjoying a Corona during Corona, what other cocktails are you drinking?
Bourbon lemonade with citrus bitters.
What brand of bourbon?
I started with Makers and ran out, so now I’m using Evan Williams.
I think I dated him.
What’s the most recent project you’ve been working on?
A short film I finished shooting in August currently in post with an animator. It’s called Portrait of an Artist. I wrote, directed, and shot most of it by myself…pre-quarantine.
Ahead of the times.
What else is on the creative burner?
A play called The War Letters. In 2001, my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and needed full-time, 24 hour a day care. As we cleaned out her house, my mother, my aunts, and I found over five hundred love letters dating back to 1942 in big black garbage bags in that cluttered Baton Rouge attic. Enter into the staggeringly beautiful mind of an Alzheimer’s patient as she searches for the life and memories her disease has left behind. Based on an actual collection of over 500 love letters written between a pair of newlyweds during World War Two, The War Letters uses verbatim and imagined text, physical theatre, and classic storytelling as two actors explore the mind’s eye of Alzheimer’s. Salvaging what is left when memory has been lost to time.
That’s really special. *Makes note to begin the Quarantine Letters: One Woman’s Journey into Cookie Dough and Wine*
What has been a favorite quarantine activity?
My husband and I have watched all 15 Marvel movies in order.
Ironman or Spider Man?
Captain Marvel.
Any new shows or artists you’ve discovered?
StarTrek Discovery, it’s so good. But I’m not a Trekky.
You are now.
What surprise present would you like to just show up at your door?
Gap utility joggers, in black. They have been sold out.
Have you put on actual pants, like with a zipper?
Yes, because I’m teaching acting remotely.
Keeping it professional.
I put on makeup for this Zoom.
I feel loved.
Have you been doing the cooking or cleaning?
I bake.
Go on…
Sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, banana bread…
*mouth waters*
*stares at own kitchen where none of that ever happens*
Favorite comfort movie?
Clueless.
How do you think Cher (Alicia Silverstone’s character) would handle Quarantine?
She would be totally chill, it’s just a party, even if it’s just 2 people. She would make the best out of it.
You have been with Town Stages from the start, what’s the best part about working here?
It’s not just a bar job. It’s an idea, a movement and an expression of a universal sentiment that I can get behind and I’m a part of it.
Not only are you a multi-hyphenate artist, baker and cocktail maker- you are a mom. How is that going in covid-land?
We have been playing cards and watching Lego Masters, also surprisingly good. We had to cancel his Star Wars/Jedi training themed birthday party. However we were able to do a virtual party at this boutique toy store. It has a storefront, but there’s a secret passageway that opens up to a magical realm of toys.
A toy store speakeasy?! Does it have a bar for the adults?
No.
Lost opportunity.
Any “quarantips” for the parents out there?
Make sure to get some alone time. I always try and find a spot to be on my own, even if it’s just 20 minutes for yoga or something.
Or drinking more Corona?
Exactly.
Where can folks learn more about you and your work?
@charlotteinc
Town Stages is an event space in Tribeca advancing equity for arts, hospitality, civic and social justice workers. We build Places of Assembly in New York City that transform the face of leadership on our stages and screens – one story, one song, one endeavor at a time.
Click here to learn more about the space or to book a tour.
