Spotlight On...John Pastore

Name: John Pastore

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Education: B.A. - English Writing

Favorite Credits: Family of Strangers, Sidetracked

Why theater?: Because we have the opportunity to make a live audience uncomfortable in the best possible way. I love making a live audience think and / or cringe. Also, as a writer, theater affords me the luxury to maintain focus on a limited number of characters within one or two sets.

Tell us about Panic at the Riverside Motel?: What are your options when you are $50,000 short on an extravagant wedding? What happens when you've exhausted every avenue of help? Thankfully for Jake and Kaitlin, they have the opportunity to sell $50,000 worth of cocaine at the Riverside Motel. But things go wrong...immediately.

What inspired you to create Panic at the Riverside Motel?: I've always wanted to write a show that took place in a seedy motel. I think they're fun. I had the general idea in my head, but nothing else. A lot of things happen in these motels, so I felt my idea had potential. I eventually realized that combining the sleazy motel environment with desperation based on superficiality would naturally cause even more trouble for these characters. It felt very comfortable.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The best theater for me makes you think, even if it's a comedy. The audience should be able to sit there and put themselves in whatever position a character is in, and just wonder..."what would I do?" My first inspiration was Sam Shepard. I read a lot of his plays in college, and they were the first ones that I related to. After that, I felt I had permission to write my own plays.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: High hopes here: Melissa Leo, Ethan Hawke

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Revivals of Waiting for Godot and True West

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Edward Norton- “Hanging By A Thread”

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: WWE Wrestling! Been a fan since I was a kid!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Back in the office job that I quit.

What’s up next?: I just finished a script that I'm considering turning into a short film. It's pure comedy.