Tonight, Essential Theatre presents a one-night-only performance of I’m Not Supposed to Talk About This by Lee Nowell. Read on to find out more about the playwright and performer!

Lee Nowell is a professional playwright, director, and actress. The productions she has directed have garnered critical acclaim, including being named one of the Top Ten Productions of the Year by the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Her plays have been presented by Actor’s Express (ALBATROSS; PAPER HOUSE; OBSESSION), Georgia Public Broadcasting (BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT: THE TROY DAVIS PROJECT), Horizon Theatre (BLUE ANGELS WEEKEND), 7Stages (TRUE NORTH), Ex Somnium (HOW TO SURVIVE BEING HUMAN), and Synchronicity Theatre (BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT: THE TROY DAVIS PROJECT). HOW TO SURVIVE BEING HUMAN was published by Ex Somnium. In 2024, she performed I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT THIS to sold-out houses at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern. She is also the member of a band called The Dianas. She is the recipient of two NEA Grants and has been nominated for The List, a Jennie Award, two Suzi Bass Awards, and Best Play of the Year by Atlanta Theatre Fans. Go to www.leenowellplaywright.com to learn more.

ET: So tell us, where does this play come from?

LN: A very famous pop musician watched one of my plays and then asked me to write a musical with her. What followed was stranger than anyone could have predicted. The story that is told in this piece is 100% true.

ET: This isn’t your first time participating in an Essential Festival, but it is your first time having something you wrote be a part of the Festival. How does that feel?

LN: I have worked with Essential Theatre as a director on many new plays, and every experience has been incredibly rewarding. But I’ve never performed anything of my own at the Festival. I’m so excited to be part of it!

ET: How did you get into playwriting?

LN: When I started in the theatre as an actress and director, new plays were the only genre that deeply interested me. As an actress, long ago, I started writing my own monologues to use in auditions. Then I met Phillip DePoy, the well-known playwright and novelist, at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. I had been cast in a play there, which Phillip was hired to direct. One day, he suggested that we write a play together- which we did. That play was URBAN FAIRYTALE, which premiered at Theatre in the Square. Since then, I’ve written plays on my own, experimenting with form, style, and content along the way. Ideas just seem to pop into my head, and when an idea won’t go away, it’s time for me to write a play around it.

ET: Are you working on any new projects at the moment? What’s next for you?

LN: I’m working on a new piece- also a one-person show- that might be the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything. It’s in the early stages, but it’s very exciting. If it’s ready this year, I will definitely announce it. I’d love for everyone to see it!

Lee’s play, I’m Not Supposed to Talk About This, is one night only, this Monday, August 25, at 7:30pm. Get your tickets at EssentialTheatre.Tix.com!