This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi everybody.

[0:07] Jason A. Coombs: Hey survivors, welcome to Survival Jobs: A Podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: My name is Samantha Tuozzolo, and this is my amazing co-host Jason A. Coombs.

[0:20] Jason A. Coombs: And we just recorded an iconic episode that you guys are about to hear, and we're kind of hyped from it. So hey Jason, how are we doing?

[0:28] Jason A. Coombs: Hey Samantha Dawn. I am hyped that we just talked to Connie Constance Shulman from Well. I know her, we know her growing up as Patty Mayonnaise from Doug.

[0:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was so iconic that Lily was, I think you said it during the interview, like our childhood, you know, like yeah.

[0:47] Jason A. Coombs: That was me every day after school watching Doug wanting to be Skeeter, you know.

[0:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: So yeah. And you know, we're talking about the play she's in right now, um, called Well, I'll Let You Go, playing at the Irondale in Brooklyn.

[1:00] Jason A. Coombs: And we talk a lot about this play, you guys, in this interview, and it's so, I mean, we haven't seen it yet. We're going to in the next couple of beats, but yeah, it is buzzing everywhere.

[1:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: It is a critic's pick. The reviews are screaming about how special this play is.

[1:15] Jason A. Coombs: So everybody needs to get a ticket and go.

[1:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: And Connie will tell you why once you listen to this episode. But anyway, we just got off with her and we're like, hey, we're pumped, we're amped. She's iconic.

[1:27] Jason A. Coombs: Like the stories, you know. This is a professional, you know, she's been through it, she's been through the seasons.

[1:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: She even says at the beginning, she's like, I've been, I hopped on the roller coaster of, you know, acting and performing, and I haven't gotten off. I've been up, I've been down, I've been upside down. I've been stuck in the top, you know, and the bottom.

[1:47] Jason A. Coombs: So it's a really amazing episode. How are you?

[1:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: I am good, Samantha. I've been so funny because I mean, um Samantha, sorry, that Connie was talking about all the lot of shitties like summer movies going out right now.

[2:01] Jason A. Coombs: But I saw two really good ones.

[2:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's hear it. Let's hear it.

[2:05] Jason A. Coombs: One's called Weapons, which is a horror thriller, which you know, I don't want to say too much about. I think you should just don't even watch the trailer, just watch it.

[2:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, it's not too scary. It's fun though, it's so fun.

[2:16] Jason A. Coombs: It's like, um, I'm not sure if you know Barbarian, but um, it's by the same director that did a movie called Barbarian with Justin Long a couple years ago.

[2:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love Justin Long.

[2:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, he's incredible.

[2:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: He's incredible.

[2:27] Jason A. Coombs: And then of course, I saw Freakier Friday, which is also you have oh, I'm so happy for you to see it.

[2:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: I watched it.

[2:35] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, it's fantastic, it's not bad at all. If you love the original, you are gonna love this one.

[2:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's literally like I don't get it. It's like if you like the first one, you're gonna like this one. It's the same characters.

[2:47] Jason A. Coombs: I don't know. I don't know about that. I don't trust like what what what do they want? What do people want?

[2:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm not sure. You want Lindsay Lohan being awesome because we love Lindsay Lohan, right? She was like our queen, our Lucille Ball for our little generation.

[3:00] Jason A. Coombs: And you want what's her name? Jamie Lee Curtis being Jamie Lee Curtis, and that's what they do. They give you everything.

[3:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well let me say something. I just want to give a shout out to Lindsay Lohan and her comeback.

[3:11] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[3:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Come on, come back. All of it, all of it, all of it, all of it.

[3:16] Jason A. Coombs: The face, the face, the gigs.

[3:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, great. I actually cannot wait to see this movie, Jay.

[3:26] Jason A. Coombs: I want to see it again.

[3:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm like, I will I will. If I was with you, I would volunteer to go with you because I really did love it.

[3:31] Jason A. Coombs: Actually, made me terrible.

[3:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Volunteers trip you at one point.

[3:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, I volunteered.

[3:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: I mean, I teared up, it was funny, it was engaging.

[3:39] Jason A. Coombs: It was too like two fun hours. Like, if you like the first one, I don't know how you can't like the second one.

[3:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's older. It's like they're she, whatever. It's fun.

[3:48] Jason A. Coombs: And what a blessing to grow older.

[3:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Exactly. And what a blessing is to see like two iconic people from your childhood still being iconic.

[3:57] Jason A. Coombs: Honestly, slay.

[3:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, everyone. Don't listen to the haters.

[4:01] Jason A. Coombs: What do people expect? I'm like, what do you expect? It's don't listen to the haters. Listen to Jason Coombs, the ultimate film guy.

[4:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I wish that's what all that's what all we have to say to you. Jason, I do want to mention something.

[4:16] Jason A. Coombs: I have a couple of girlfriends in the city that were like, Samantha, we gotta get you out of the theater district. We're taking you out on the Lower East Side.

[4:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I was like, fine. Because you know, I stay hanging out like in the same places I go, and what's familiar, whatever.

[4:29] Jason A. Coombs: So two of my good friends that I work events with, shout out to Alyssa and Emma. This weekend, they were like, we have to go to the Lower East Side.

[4:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: So we went to the Lower East Side. We ended up going to this place called Double Chicken Please, which apparently is viral.

[4:45] Jason A. Coombs: It's on a million lists, it's like top 50 cocktail bars in the world. You know, me, I don't know.

[4:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: I like I said, I do what I do, I do it in my routine, I go to where I go. Let me tell you something.

[4:56] Jason A. Coombs: I cannot wait to go back to Double Chicken, please.

[4:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let me tell you something. The cocktails, iconic the food we had, breathtaking, and the vibes are just to die.

[5:08] Jason A. Coombs: And so probably people listening to this are probably like, okay, idiot, we've known about that place for years. It's viral, it's iconic. You just need to watch more TikTok or like be up to date.

[5:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: But I just wanted to give a big shout out, especially to the popcorn chicken and the hot honey dip. Love it, and that's all I have to say to that.

[5:26] Jason A. Coombs: Amazing. You know, we don't talk about good restaurants on this show. And restaurants and cooking is a craft and art as well in its own way.

[5:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Shout out to our former guest Michaela, right?

[5:42] Jason A. Coombs: Shout out to Mix Kitch, yes. So shout out to Double Chicken, please, and shout out to Connie Shulman.

[5:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: And oh my gosh. Like I always say, get that notebook out and just enjoy. Enjoy a legend. Speaking of it.

[5:55] Jason A. Coombs: And she's so funny. This episode's amazing. I laugh so hard.

[6:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: And like, let's just give a shout out to Yoga Jones from Orange Is the New Black.

[6:04] Jason A. Coombs: I know we didn't get to talk about that as much because you know we had a certain amount of time, but that's also like another iconic role.

[6:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like, what a blessing it is to have like two truly iconic roles in your journey, your artistic journey, right? It's like some people can wish they could have one and she has at least two, you know.

[6:20] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, so yeah, for sure. That was like the first kind of big Netflix show was Orange Is the New Black.

[6:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I think it was the first one.

[6:28] Jason A. Coombs: Right, or was it House of Cards? Where okay, yeah. I can't remember which one of them are like so close.

[6:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah, sure. But iconic though, like literally, like Yoga Jones.

[6:39] Jason A. Coombs: Anyway, enjoy all. Enjoy this episode, people.

[6:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: All right, Connie. Welcome to Survival Jobs: A Podcast.

[6:46] Constance Shulman: Thank you.

[6:47] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks for having me.

[6:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Of course, we're so excited to chat with you. You are an icon, a legend.

[6:53] Constance Shulman: No, that's not true.

[6:55] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, you about your journey, your creative journey, your new play, all the great things.

[7:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: New York Times, uh, critic's choice. That's super awesome.

[7:12] Jason A. Coombs: But Samantha.

[7:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, so I know you've had a bouncing career for years and years and years, and we have so much to talk about from Well, I'll Let You Go. Just like Jason said, critics pick, these reviews are phenomenal. Congratulations.

[7:27] Jason A. Coombs: We can't wait to come. I will be there tomorrow.

[7:29] Constance Shulman: Hey.

[7:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, absolutely. Okay. Yes, I can't wait.

[7:33] Jason A. Coombs: Um, but before we jump into the play and your amazing career, did you ever have a survival job along your journey, maybe before you started working as an artist or even during that you can share with us?

[7:44] Constance Shulman: Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, I um I'm from Tennessee. So I came up from Tennessee to study theater here, and right before I moved to New York, I decided to go to beauty school in case nothing was gonna happen in New York.

[8:09] Constance Shulman: So I went to the Tennessee School of Beauty for three months, and I thought I'd come up here as a backup job and do hair.

[8:19] Constance Shulman: Yeah, that didn't happen because I dropped out, I didn't know what I was doing. I dropped out and I came to New York and started, you know, and I went to a theater program for two years, but as the survival job, you know, at that point, um I wasn't a good waitress.

[8:38] Constance Shulman: I waitressed one day for like three hours and they fired me because I didn't know what again, I didn't know what I was doing. And um, so I started doing temp jobs, and in like I moved to New York in 1981. So around 1983, 84 temp jobs were survival jobs, and you had to pass a typing test, and I was a pretty good typist, I guess.

[9:08] Constance Shulman: So I was sent to a lot of different places um as a temp, and you would be there for like two days in some office, and then you'd be put someplace else, and one of the jobs was at Penthouse magazine.

[9:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh wow, which was insane.

[9:30] Constance Shulman: So I went and I had that job for actually several weeks, and I was working on it was like a side part of Penthouse. It was called, I think it was called the Forum, and it was this little, I don't know, it was like a little magazine where people wrote stories, their sort of fantasy stories.

[9:53] Constance Shulman: Oh, and I was working with this woman editing these people's fantasies, and I, she would read the, it was horrifying, she would read them aloud, and I'd be sitting there listening to these exotic stories that people had.

[10:10] Constance Shulman: One of them came from this my hometown, and somebody I knew, and I that that was the end of it. Like I feel like I gotta get out of here. I was like, oh my gosh, um, I'm from a small town in East Tennessee, northeast Tennessee.

[10:31] Constance Shulman: So you do know a lot of the people there in that area, and so when Johnson City, Tennessee popped up, and this was somebody who I had actually known, and now I knew better after working on.

[10:51] Constance Shulman: But that was sort of I did like a lot of temping. And then I ended up at some accounting firm for a while, and then I started working. And then I didn't work, I didn't do those jobs anymore.

[11:09] Jason A. Coombs: You're like, bye bye to the fantasy editing. Thank you so much.

[11:19] Constance Shulman: But I got on the roller coaster ride and just hung on for dear life.

[11:24] Jason A. Coombs: And you've just been on ever since.

[11:26] Constance Shulman: I also just want to say going up and down.

[11:29] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, up and down, upside down.

[11:31] Constance Shulman: That's right. Um it's so iconic, you're actually the ultimate beauty school dropout.

[11:38] Jason A. Coombs: You're like, I dropped out of beauty school. I'm like, hello, Grease the Musical.

[11:42] Constance Shulman: Oh, that's right. I mean, that is a whole another um universe beauty school.

[11:51] Constance Shulman: It's very odd, very unusual group of people, and the truth is by the time I was a dropout, I had never really worked on any a real person's head.

[12:06] Constance Shulman: You really are working on mannequins and wig for a long time, but I did manage to take the few skills that I had um and destroyed my own hair.

[12:22] Constance Shulman: It was the day before I was starting this theater program, I was like, um, oh, I don't want to look like I'm from East Tennessee, I want to look very funky, and it was during punk, punk period was happening in the early 80s, and so the night before I put a hair color.

[12:47] Constance Shulman: I got a box of hair color and I got a box of home perm. And what I wanted was long black curly hair. And I had two roommates at the time, and they were in the other room watching the Newlywed Game.

[13:01] Constance Shulman: I could still hear it on the TV. And I colored my hair black, and then washed it and then put the perm thing on and was perming it on little rollers, and then I washed that out, and my hair stretched and then broke off, and stretched and broke off.

[13:20] Constance Shulman: It had the chemicals, and no, I was screaming, and they came in and cut it all off, and I went to school with very short blue hair because the chemicals made it blue, and I looked very punk, just like so I looked like a New Yorker, like my dream came through.

[13:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[13:45] Constance Shulman: Well, I landed in the correct career path.

[13:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I think I think so for sure.

[13:49] Constance Shulman: I know I kind of was gonna say can you touch on my blonde, but um maybe not.

[13:54] Jason A. Coombs: Don't ask me to help.

[13:57] Constance Shulman: I think we'll pass on that one, but yeah, like I was saying earlier, you've had such a uh groundbreaking career from stage work, voiceover work, yeah, no little screen work. When you were young, like a young little girl, was was theater always like the the ultimate goal for you as as an artist?

[14:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, tell us more.

[14:20] Constance Shulman: No, I I'm from a very big family, and I have three older and three younger, so I'm one of seven, and I wasn't very good in school. I was daydreaming, not paying attention, and um my siblings for the most part were very good in school, so I was sort of sandwiched between good students, and I wasn't one. I wasn't rebellious or anything like that, I was just sort of um looking out the school window, dreaming of something I couldn't even tell you what. And um, so I didn't have like no, but I think what happened is you know, I knew I wasn't gonna be very academic, and I think I probably junior senior year in high school started, maybe I did a couple of plays, and then um I went to theater programs, like summer theaters and worked there, and um I think just sort of I don't know, you know, people are clapping for you and you're getting acknowledgement, you're like, oh, I must be okay with this, I must be pretty good, and then it's sort of like that. But it wasn't like as a kid, I was tapping and singing at home.

[15:50] Jason A. Coombs: No, yeah, and you won't be doing that now either.

[15:55] Constance Shulman: Let's get the top shoes.

[15:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's get the town shoes.

[15:58] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[16:01] Jason A. Coombs: Is there a particular moment? You know, I we've said it a million times, your career is so amazing and you've done so much. Is there a moment from your artistic career that was like you you couldn't believe this was happening? Like a pinch me moment almost. And what did you learn from that experience? Whatever that may be.

[17:25] Constance Shulman: You know, that figured out what they wanted to do. So I mean, that was one of those moments. But I would say that is connected to this other moment when I was probably 27, and I um auditioned for um a play Still Magnolias, and so I did Steel Magnolias, and it became a big hit, and because they were making a movie out of it, all these celebrities came to see the play because they wanted to do the movie, and in the front row, you couldn't believe the people that were coming. I mean, it was Elizabeth Taylor, it was Lucille Ball. I mean, it was as huge as they got at that point, and um on the front row, one of the nights was to me my icon, the biggest person that it could ever be to see me do something.

I was Betty Davis, and that for me was I guess that moment where it wasn't more, it was more like one of those things where you you cannot believe where you are and what's happening, and it it wasn't like oh yeah, that means this, this, this. It was just uh moment that you take in and you're like this unbelievable um actress who has done unbelievable things is on the front row watching me do my do your craft, yeah, doing crazy stuff. So um, and the reason I did the series with Dolly Parton was Dolly Parton was one of these celebrities that came to see Steel Magnolia's. And she ended up doing the movie, but had remembered watching me in the play. So five years later, when this series started, she um either had recommended me or had remembered, and that's how that all happened. You know, you never know.

[19:52] Jason A. Coombs: That's such an amazing story.

[19:53] Constance Shulman: It's right. Like those moments, I guess.

[19:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[19:57] Constance Shulman: Yeah, you're just like going through the waves of what you're supposed to do as an artist, and then something lands, and then somebody's there, and then that leads to the thing that leads to the thing that leads to the thing.

[20:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, it does. You have to show up though.

[20:08] Constance Shulman: You have to be there for these things to happen.

[20:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Number one.

[20:13] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[20:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's um let's dive into while I'll let you go. It's like such a hit, it's buzzing throughout the entire tire industry. So can you tell us without really giving any spoilers away, what drew you to the project and what made you say, Oh, this I want to do this play?

[20:31] Constance Shulman: Um, okay, well, wasn't that long ago? Usually you get an audition or something about a play that's gonna happen, you know, maybe I don't know, further down the line. This was kind of a fast thing. And it's summer, and it was in Brooklyn, and it was like, I'm on the upper west side, I don't want to go to Brooklyn in the summer. I don't want to do that. Or in the hot, the hot subway. I know, but I looked at the play, and the writer was an actor who I had done a lot of workshops with and loved him. But I was like, his name is Bubba Weiler, and I was like, Bubba wrote this? I didn't even know he was a writer. I just thought of him as this really good actor. And I liked him a lot. So anyway, I'm reading it, I'm reading it.

And for me, I'm not a great reader. Once again, I'll go back to my academic days where I spaced. And I wasn't spacing out. And I didn't have to read it twice. Because a lot of times I'm like, okay, I didn't quite get it. Let's go back and kind of not talk yourself into something, but kind of reinforce what you read or something. And this, I didn't have to do that. And I was like, oh my gosh, this play is really, really beautiful and moving. And it's unique in the sense that for the most part, most of the actors just have their one shot at it. They don't come out throughout, they come, they do their thing, and then go. And I was just I was so taken with the script. And also I knew how much I thought of Bubba.

And when they asked me to do it, I was like, oh, yeah. It's a short commitment. Okay, it's summer. Yeah, it's 45 minutes on the C train. Maybe if the C train is running. And then I saw the cast. And I had never worked with that director before, but I had heard a lot about Jack. And I thought this is all good, all good. And then it continued to feel that way. Yeah, I feel very, very extremely lucky to be part of this experience. Because it really um I've done a lot of plays, and um most of them not hits, not extended, not mixed reviews, and you know, you still feel good about it. It's something that you've worked on, and um and you don't know how things are gonna get received, and um, and again with this play, you know, you don't know you can fall in love with something, but you're in the bubble, and you don't know what it feels like to be out of out of it, and I think um the response it is getting is really merited.

I think it is extraordinary, I really do. So I'm excited that you know see it. This play is buzzing through the entire industry, not just the you know, the reviews and and what's online, but just what the word of mouth buzzing around the theater district is crazy.

[24:20] Jason A. Coombs: So well, I think sometimes um you know, a play or a film will come at the right time, and uh the message is said in the right way, and the right people are are doing it, and like it just and and it needed to be at the Iron Dell Center in Brooklyn for that to sort of eat that had to be part of it too. And also with the summer where your expectations of those summer movies are out that aren't very good, or whoever who wants to come. And so my hats off to the producers and uh Jack and Bubba for saying, let's do this play in the summer in Brooklyn. And let's just let's do it for us and we'll see what happens.

[25:13] Constance Shulman: I love that.

[25:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. I can ask you a question. We've all got a lot of like you know, like young listeners who are you know fresh out of college or still in college. Do you have like when you approach a role where because this show is very small, very intimate, right? But you've also done like television, you've also done voiceover, of course. Do you approach your acting roles differently depending on the medium that you're performing in? Or is it all kind of like the same, like the same tools just pulling out?

[25:36] Constance Shulman: No, I have absolutely I have no technique at all. And I don't switch gears because that's the editor's job, they'll edit you down, or the director's job is say, you know, you're acting too big or whatever. I mean, it's like you just are using yourself and being truthful, like I I mean, I don't know what you know what advice would I give anybody. It would just be, you know, own what you are and own what you bring, you know.

[26:14] Constance Shulman: Too many people early on was like, honey, you're not gonna work as your voice, your accent, and it's like I don't care. I will because it's authentic to me. I love yeah, but you know, people uh you know, I guess maybe theater programs they have to earn their keep, so they have to like knock all that stuff out of you so they can build you back up or something. I mean, I didn't fall for it, so I would just um say, you know, be your authentic self. I don't know. It was really funny. A couple of years ago, I went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for college, and I did the speech and theater program, never never worked there, never did a play. I don't know what I was doing. I guess I was running props.

I have no idea. A couple of years ago, I think it was I don't know whether it was during COVID, maybe I don't know, maybe before that, but um, they asked me to come down and teach a master's class. Oh wow, and I was laughing because I thought I never nobody even knew that I was an actress when I went to school there. So I do I'm coming down there to teach this master's class, and I'm on the stage. They have a huge theater, and they had some press people there. They asked me, they're like, How's it feel to be back on the stage here? And I was like, I never was on this stage. It's like this is my first time. I did not work in the theater program. I probably wasn't the right guest to talk to the grad students because I was like the program didn't do, you know, didn't work for me, but it worked for you.

I love that so much. I'm returning. I've never gonna been in this room. That's amazing. That's amazing. No, it reminds me, I had a teacher after college who was like a teacher, a theater teacher in New York, and she had this, she's an amazing actor, and and you know, she had a really thick uh like Portuguese accent, and she was just like, I'm not gonna like my act is not gonna change. I'm just gonna bring myself to every role that I get, and that's how you all have to be now. It was like so reaffirming for me to hear that as someone who was like you know in my mid-20s who was like, you know, just trying to fit in into this world of entertainment. So to hear someone like you say that as well, that's you know, pretty incredible.

Well, I feel that way. Now, look, is it limity? Yeah, I guess I'm not gonna place um you know, uppercrest Connecticut woman necessarily. I mean, I you know, but um I'm okay. I'm okay with that. Right. Yeah, yeah, because you're just sticking, staying true to yourself, and that's so. Yeah, I'll do those stuff that I you know that I do. You know, I don't know whether that's because I'm not super ambitious. I have other things that are important to me. Um, but I also think I'm gonna do what I do best. Somebody else is gonna do that better than me. Let them do it. Right. Speaking of your voice of your voice, you have such an iconic voice. How did how did you get the role of Patty Mayonnaise? Like, what do you Oh yeah?

Well, that's a very funny, kooky thing. Um I was taking aerobics was really big in that early 90s. I belonged to this studio and I took a lot of aerobics classes. And one of the phonetically that it was really funny, and I was like getting into really good shape. And I one of the teachers there was like um my husband is um creating a cartoon. Oh wow. And you're at that also at that time I had done a series of mayonnaise commercials. I I became a spokesperson for uh craft mayonnaise. And so I had all the I had these commercials running at the time, and I was so I was in the um aerobics class and this the one of the teachers she said, My husband's taking this cartoon, and your commercial came on, and he said, That's the voice I want for this character.

And she said, would you consider coming to our apartment and recording some of the lines for him? And I was like, Yeah, sure. Yeah, I mean, it was a little weird, but you know, that's how you did it then, you know. You went to studios or recorded and emailed something. It was right. So I went to their apartment and um and I met her husband, Jim Jenkins, and they had a little recorder, like a little tape recorder, and he must have had some lines. I guess I must have read something. And I recorded a couple things and then I left. And a couple of weeks later, I got a call from um like I had a uh voiceover agent, and he's like, you know that thing you recorded the other day, they I must have given them some context stuff.

They said um they're gonna make a pilot, and they would love you to play um this little character. So I was like, that's are you kidding me? Because I'm like, oh, I didn't think I didn't think anything of it, and then we got together, and at that point, because Doug was at um Nickelodeon first, so all the actors that were doing the first episode, we got together, so we met each other, and we recorded it in the studio together, and that and then which was great because you're talking to somebody and you're acting with people, and they were amazing, most of them voiceover people, and so they could all do lots of different voices on the show. I could do one. And so anyway, so it became this thing.

And um it was the greatest experience ever because it was such a fantastic um, you know, cartoon, and everybody was so good. And Jim Chinkens heart, he was dug. I mean, he his heart was in just the exact right place, and it was very innovative and actually ahead of its time, and very retro, and um I'm not sure. I never really asked him if he named Patty Mayonnaise commercial. I mean, he had to have, right? I remember asking him that, and I don't know whether it was just a coincidence, you know, that that's what he called her, and I'm like, here's this woman doing mayonnaise commercial, but I feel like I never did ask him that, and um you know, it the one time um he asked me to try to voice Patty's dad.

There must have been one or two episodes with her dad, and nobody else was around, and he was like, 'Connie, do you think you can lower your voice and do her dad? ' And I'm like, Yes, of course. And then I recorded one line, he said no. He said things are the efforts. No, right. He got some assistant director to do it. He was like, No, that you can't do that. So I was um it was an incredible experience, and I really also feel very proud to have um been part of that. Yeah, oh yeah, there's no way this guy didn't name her Patty Mannings because you're not gonna have to ask him. I think I'm gonna email after this because I'm still in touch with Jim, and um I don't think I've ever asked him that.

You'll have to give us the update because now there's no way. I mean, it could have been, it could have been okay when she's always thought it's funny because she had like mustard here, but her last name was Mayonnaise, like my my little kid brand. I don't know, a walking content. Oh my god, I love that. Can you tell him that we want to bring it back? Like we would love it. I know, I know. I think there were talks of all of that, and sort of um, and you you just you you never know, you just don't know what'll happen with something, but it it it's it's really nice because they do oddly get stopped a lot and about um Patty, and it's funny because it's like well, I don't really look like her, so how would you do it?

It's just it's funny, and and of course, the ages of people are much older because they were like 12 when they were watching it, and now they're like late 30s, yeah. Yeah, it's us, yeah. Yeah, that's literally. So, you know, I'll have these like 30 year olds come up and say you were so instrumental in my childhood, and I still think of, oh, oh, you were, yeah, that's right. You were like 10 at that time. Yeah. Literally. I agree. And I love that story. Yeah. I love that story too, just going back to what you said before of like you have to show up. You have to be at these places. Like if you never were at aerobics, who knows? Oh, I know the mystery mayonnaise girl, you know what I mean? I mean, sometimes things are, you know, we have to believe that.

I mean, I don't believe there's coincidences. I think it's all you know, we make those coincidences happen. For sure. And um, yeah. So I mean, I've had a lot of things that I've done that I really, really am proud of, and that is one of them for sure. Amazing. Um, I just want to bring it back to Wall, I'll let you go for one second, just for our listener. I just want you to tell them why you already gave so much about the play and why it's so beautiful, but can you let everyone know it's a limited run? They only have until the 29th to see it. Let everybody know why they need to run on that C train, get on the C train to Brooklyn. It's right off the sea, right? It is right off the sea, and it's in this.

I mean, there's so many um reasons to see it. Um but all of the reasons sort of they all have to be there to work together. And it being at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn, um it's such a special place because it's sort of you don't even know it's there but then you're there and it's this big church and it's um so there's something very you you feel age and history and it's it's it's really a beautiful environment for this play. Um this play is um about grief and about community and about relationships and love and loss and um oddly about two months ago I got asked by a friend to officiate their wedding and I had never done that before and and we'll probably not be asked to do it again but it was it was kind of extraordinary but what was extraordinary was her her vows and what she had said she started saying she said life is full of loss from a little kid on you we're we lose things and and we know and our abilities to grieve those losses evolves and matures as we get older and we continue losing things.

[40:10] Constance Shulman: I mean it's just you know it's just the nature of life and this really digs deep into um I believe that process and how weird death is and how we still struggle trying to like get our head wrapped around it and what to say and what to do and how to feel and um I think Bubba has captured this in um I don't know a really extraordinary way and um so uh there's no way you could come and not I don't know walk away kind of a little deeper, I guess.

[41:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that.

[41:02] Constance Shulman: So yeah, yeah, I think it's uh it's it's extraordinary and it's um done in a very accessible way.

[41:12] Constance Shulman: It's very relatable, and you see yourself in those people, and um it's you know I mean life is heartbreaking, so much of it.

[41:25] Constance Shulman: There is some there is some fun in there, and I guess that's where I come in.

[41:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[41:33] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, you're saying that people is a hot, hot, hot ticket.

[41:35] Constance Shulman: So yeah, so uh snaps.

[41:38] Constance Shulman: You know, it's hot outside, so just come on hot outside for a hot ticket.

[41:44] Jason A. Coombs: That's right, you know.

[41:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, that sounds incredible.

[41:47] Constance Shulman: Yeah, so I mean so I really appreciate you um giving me the opportunity to talk about a little bit because it it it's I feel very lucky to be part of it.

[41:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[42:00] Jason A. Coombs: Well, you know, we we're friends with you know the producers as well.

[42:03] Constance Shulman: Jacob, Jacob's one of our good friends, so I was like, we gotta talk about this play.

[42:09] Constance Shulman: He is quite special, and I I really do adore him.

[42:14] Constance Shulman: And um you know when you see a young producer and you're like okay, they don't know what they're doing.

[42:24] Constance Shulman: He does know what he's doing.

[42:26] Constance Shulman: Yeah, because he read the play and ran with it, and he's very special.

[42:33] Constance Shulman: He brings chocolate chip cookies once a week to the cast, and they're good ones.

[42:37] Constance Shulman: And so I'm yeah.

[42:40] Constance Shulman: Oh fresh bakes place in my heart for sure.

[42:45] Jason A. Coombs: Good to know.

[42:45] Jason A. Coombs: He's never brought me a chocolate chip cookie.

[42:47] Constance Shulman: Yeah, well, Jacob, what are you doing?

[42:50] Constance Shulman: Hello?

[42:50] Constance Shulman: You let him know I told you.

[42:52] Constance Shulman: I'm gonna.

[42:53] Constance Shulman: I'm in a Dell.

[42:54] Constance Shulman: I'm gonna be at the theater tomorrow.

[42:55] Constance Shulman: I expect uh my own box.

[42:57] Jason A. Coombs: I know, I know.

[42:59] Jason A. Coombs: Actually, like maybe maybe at our our season four survival jobs party, he'll bring us some.

[43:04] Constance Shulman: Yeah, he has to be the caterer.

[43:06] Constance Shulman: I mean, I'm not gonna promise anything.

[43:10] Jason A. Coombs: Well, Connie, we have one more question before our really fun game.

[43:14] Constance Shulman: Okay.

[43:14] Jason A. Coombs: I'm not sure if they told you, but we always end this in the show with a really fun, light, engaging game.

[43:20] Jason A. Coombs: But um, before we get into that, Samantha and I are big manifesters.

[43:23] Jason A. Coombs: I think we touched on this a little bit, but um, you know, we love to just like manifest things, opportunities, you know, put it out in the universe.

[43:30] Jason A. Coombs: Is there like a role or a project or person that you would love to work with one day or a role that you would love to play?

[43:36] Jason A. Coombs: Tell us, manifest with us.

[43:38] Constance Shulman: Oh gosh, oh to manifest.

[43:42] Constance Shulman: Uh you know, I think I would want to skip myself and manifest it for my kids.

[43:51] Constance Shulman: Um I'm a mommy first and foremost, and I have two kids that are incredible actors and are doing really well, but I would want you to manifest, you know, and I d I don't have specific parts, but just um something that they each individually would feel equally as proud of as I have with this particular production, I guess.

[44:22] Constance Shulman: So manifest it away for my kids, Gossity.

[44:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's beautiful.

[44:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did y'all ever work together?

[44:28] Constance Shulman: Like in a professional competitive.

[44:30] Constance Shulman: Yes, I'm married to an actor.

[44:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[44:33] Constance Shulman: Kids are actors.

[44:34] Constance Shulman: I I mean I met my husband doing a play uh like you know 30 years ago, and um I have worked with uh both of my kids.

[44:45] Constance Shulman: I I yeah, I have, and my son and my my husband did a beautiful play together here in New York.

[44:53] Constance Shulman: So yeah, we do cross, we do crossover, which is really fun.

[44:59] Jason A. Coombs: That's iconic, a little family affair.

[45:01] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[45:04] Constance Shulman: This was amazing.

[45:05] Constance Shulman: Thank you so much for joining us.

[45:07] Constance Shulman: This is such a special idea.

[45:08] Constance Shulman: Thank you.

[45:08] Constance Shulman: I'm scared of your game.

[45:10] Constance Shulman: What is your game?

[45:11] Jason A. Coombs: I'll be scared.

[45:12] Jason A. Coombs: So so the game is called it's it's super easy.

[45:15] Jason A. Coombs: Most of the plays are plays you've done, so hopefully you know.

[45:18] Jason A. Coombs: The play the game is called the game since you're in an amazing off-Broadway play right now.

[45:23] Jason A. Coombs: We're playing a game called Broadway or Off Broadway.

[45:26] Jason A. Coombs: We're gonna read you a name of a play and you're gonna say whether that was on Broadway or whether it was off Broadway.

[45:32] Jason A. Coombs: Simple.

[45:33] Constance Shulman: And I am such a cheater every time we play the games.

[45:36] Constance Shulman: If you do not know the answer, just look at me and I will tell you.

[45:40] Constance Shulman: Oh, I'm gonna tell you.

[45:41] Constance Shulman: I'm not gonna.

[45:42] Constance Shulman: I told you I wasn't a good student.

[45:44] Constance Shulman: I told you that early.

[45:47] Jason A. Coombs: 90% of these are plays you were in, except like two.

[45:51] Jason A. Coombs: All of them, I think, are plays you were in, except two.

[45:54] Constance Shulman: Well, then I'll say off Broadway right now.

[45:57] Jason A. Coombs: Because I've only done one Broadway show.

[46:01] Jason A. Coombs: Which leads us to our first question, Jason.

[46:03] Jason A. Coombs: Take it away.

[46:04] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[46:04] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, this play is called The Rose Tattoo from 2018.

[46:10] Jason A. Coombs: One month.

[46:12] Constance Shulman: Ding ding thing.

[46:13] Constance Shulman: It was a Broadway revival, and you played is it this the stringer?

[46:18] Constance Shulman: Oh, oh yeah.

[46:20] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[46:21] Constance Shulman: Yes.

[46:24] Constance Shulman: That don't know what that is.

[46:25] Constance Shulman: It was this I don't know, trashy witchy woman that had a goat.

[46:32] Constance Shulman: That walked around with a goat.

[46:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that's right.

[46:36] Constance Shulman: Iconic.

[46:39] Jason A. Coombs: Fun, fun, fun.

[46:41] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[46:42] Jason A. Coombs: Number one, you got correct.

[46:43] Jason A. Coombs: So on to number two.

[46:45] Jason A. Coombs: Dear dead drug lord.

[46:49] Constance Shulman: Dear dead drug was off Broadway, I think.

[46:52] Constance Shulman: I think I just almost did that play.

[46:56] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, perhaps.

[46:57] Jason A. Coombs: It was off Broadway in 2019 at WPC.

[46:59] Constance Shulman: It was what upstairs.

[47:02] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[47:03] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly.

[47:04] Constance Shulman: I know that play.

[47:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[47:07] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, so I'm doing really well.

[47:09] Jason A. Coombs: You're two for two, girl.

[47:11] Jason A. Coombs: Two out of two.

[47:12] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[47:13] Jason A. Coombs: Next one is from 2017.

[47:16] Jason A. Coombs: Dollhouse part two was on Broadway or off Broadway.

[47:20] Constance Shulman: Doll House Part 2.

[47:24] Constance Shulman: Um, I think I saw that.

[47:28] Constance Shulman: Um you want a clue?

[47:30] Constance Shulman: I'm gonna say Broadway.

[47:32] Jason A. Coombs: I don't know what it was correct, Broadway.

[47:34] Constance Shulman: Yeah, I was doing it.

[47:37] Constance Shulman: I love her.

[47:38] Constance Shulman: Lori Metcalf.

[47:40] Constance Shulman: Yeah, I saw her.

[47:42] Constance Shulman: She had a lot to say.

[47:45] Constance Shulman: She had so much to say.

[47:47] Constance Shulman: That is what I'm saying.

[47:47] Constance Shulman: I was watching her going.

[47:51] Constance Shulman: What are you what?

[47:53] Constance Shulman: Stop talking.

[47:55] Constance Shulman: How are you talking that much?

[47:57] Constance Shulman: She talked a lot in that play.

[47:59] Constance Shulman: She really did she learn that.

[48:02] Constance Shulman: And like why?

[48:04] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[48:05] Jason A. Coombs: Why?

[48:06] Constance Shulman: I don't know.

[48:07] Constance Shulman: We'll have to ask her.

[48:08] Jason A. Coombs: She's coming back to Broadway this week.

[48:11] Jason A. Coombs: She's on your podcast.

[48:12] Constance Shulman: Oh my gosh.

[48:12] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[48:13] Constance Shulman: Oh, we have sure to say stressful.

[48:16] Constance Shulman: Connie wants to know why you were talking so much, Lori.

[48:19] Constance Shulman: Let us know.

[48:20] Constance Shulman: Like, Lori, let somebody else talk, please.

[48:25] Constance Shulman: Oh my god, I'm crying.

[48:27] Constance Shulman: That's so funny.

[48:28] Jason A. Coombs: The next one.

[48:29] Jason A. Coombs: Perfect.

[48:29] Jason A. Coombs: So far, perfect score.

[48:30] Jason A. Coombs: So you were nervous.

[48:31] Jason A. Coombs: The next one.

[48:32] Jason A. Coombs: In 2018, Bobby Cleary was off or on Broadway.

[48:38] Constance Shulman: In the basement at the roundabout theater off Broadway.

[48:43] Constance Shulman: Which got you a drama desk nomination, okay?

[48:46] Constance Shulman: That's right.

[48:47] Constance Shulman: Somebody else is very mad of that play, was barely off Broadway.

[48:52] Constance Shulman: It was so down in the basement.

[48:53] Constance Shulman: That was basement theater.

[48:56] Constance Shulman: Anyway.

[48:56] Constance Shulman: That's like the best thing.

[48:58] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[48:59] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[49:00] Jason A. Coombs: Drama Desk.

[49:01] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, four out of four.

[49:03] Jason A. Coombs: You're killing it.

[49:03] Constance Shulman: Oh, you're killing it.

[49:05] Jason A. Coombs: Even at that, how many more are there?

[49:07] Jason A. Coombs: There's one more, and then there's a bonus.

[49:10] Constance Shulman: Oh, okay.

[49:11] Constance Shulman: Okay.

[49:12] Jason A. Coombs: So the last one before the bonus, there was a 1987 play called Steel Magnolias.

[49:19] Jason A. Coombs: Which was off Broadway or on Broadway.

[49:22] Constance Shulman: Um Broadway.

[49:26] Jason A. Coombs: And if you were listening to the podcast, you got the whole story, people.

[49:30] Constance Shulman: Yeah, you know what?

[49:31] Constance Shulman: Um, I think did they bring it back?

[49:34] Constance Shulman: They might have brought it back and had a Broadway run of it, but I can't see it.

[49:38] Constance Shulman: I didn't.

[49:39] Constance Shulman: I mean, well, I I did cast or something.

[49:43] Constance Shulman: I don't think that I don't think it was not.

[49:48] Constance Shulman: You played an you played a Nell, right?

[49:50] Constance Shulman: Yeah, that's right.

[49:52] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[49:52] Constance Shulman: Okay.

[49:54] Constance Shulman: Iconic.

[49:54] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[49:54] Jason A. Coombs: You have a perfect score, but here's a bonus.

[49:56] Jason A. Coombs: In 1993, you premiered a play called Loose Knit, in which you played Margie.

[50:02] Jason A. Coombs: What theater did this play premiere at?

[50:05] Constance Shulman: Okay.

[50:06] Constance Shulman: Uh second stage.

[50:08] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, perfect.

[50:10] Constance Shulman: That's when I met my husband.

[50:12] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[50:13] Constance Shulman: Oh my god.

[50:14] Constance Shulman: Oh, I love that.

[50:15] Constance Shulman: Yes.

[50:16] Constance Shulman: That play was terrible.

[50:22] Constance Shulman: Teresa, you are.

[50:25] Constance Shulman: Early one of your play.

[50:28] Constance Shulman: Didn't make any sense.

[50:30] Constance Shulman: Oh yeah, no, she it didn't make any sense.

[50:33] Constance Shulman: We were all just knitting and anyway.

[50:36] Constance Shulman: Okay.

[50:38] Constance Shulman: What did I get for winning everything?

[50:40] Jason A. Coombs: The thrill of winning.

[50:42] Jason A. Coombs: You're gonna get a V season four premiere party survival deaths sometime in the fall.

[50:47] Constance Shulman: More than thrilling.

[50:50] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[50:50] Jason A. Coombs: And a lifetime of the movies from Jacob Stuckle maybe.

[50:54] Constance Shulman: Yeah.

[50:54] Constance Shulman: He's going to like all our parties, so yeah, he has.

[50:57] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, this is okay thank you so you're the best before we let you go can you please let everybody know how to keep up with you on social media where they can find what's going on in the Connie world okay well look I'm on Instagram and that means nothing I post pictures of my kids and my cat and my tortoise so nobody is gonna oh I do I have a tortoise I I bring him up but he's sleeping right now yeah he's uh he's adorable anyway it's a connie dot shulman don't think you're gonna find anything there because you're not okay and if you're tuning in because you're a Connie fan and you haven't followed us yet follow us at survival jobs pod on Instagram and TikTok follow me at Sammy Toots and my boy Jason at Jason A coombs and run run run to Brooklyn and see while I'll let you go you have until August 29th Connie you are an icon thank you so much thank you for having me I really appreciate it take care of thanks Connie all right survivors thank you so much for tuning in to survival jobs a podcast like we just said earlier please like subscribe look at those look at that look at that all the graffiti grappiti confetti coming down on Samantha um thank you so much for your support like subscribe and please leave us a little message a little review we would really appreciate that five stars five stars five stars all right y'all have a good week happy summer go see freaker friday