Maren Lavelle is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and producer from the Northeast. A graduate of Pace University’s BFA Acting Program, Maren is an original member of the José Rivera Writer’s Group. Beginning her writing for the stage and, transitioning to screenwriting, her plays have premiered in various venues. Maren has also co-written and directed award-winning and critically acclaimed short films. We caught up with her to discuss her career and latest project, the queer coming-of-age film, “Wendy’’.
Maren, thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. For readers unfamiliar with your background, what drew you to a career in the arts?
Growing up as a performer and actor, I decided to go to college in NYC to receive my BFA in Acting. During my time in school, not wanting to fight the inevitable curvy-actress-type battle and wait for projects to find me, I transitioned away from acting as a career path and put my focus into playwriting and directing. It was liberating to be in charge of my own work. After graduating, I spent several years as a playwright in the NYC theatre scene, where I met my now husband and producing partner, Matt Steiner. Matt and I started writing film and TV scripts together in March of 2019, leading us to found our production company, One-Eyed Rabbit, that November. I had always wanted to direct film, but I couldn’t figure out how to bridge the gap between my theatre education and the film industry. One-Eyed Rabbit gave me that opportunity.
Who were your early influences and how did they impact your career?
I grew up watching movies like Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur with my Dad! From a young age, I was analyzing these high-caliber films and immersing myself in the world-building of the cream of the crop of filmmakers. As far as current directors who have influenced my work, Mike Flanagan does a remarkable job of building tension and using horror to get into the psyche of his characters. Spielberg does spectacle like no one else. Ari Aster creates haunting images that cement into your brain. Greta Gerwig manages to portray both the softness and the strength of her female characters with impeccable nuance. My favorite rising female director is Meryam Joobeur. Her film Brotherhood is lovely.
Congratulations on your awards and inclusion in the 2023 FirstGlance Philadelphia Film Festival. Your coming-of-age short film “Wendy’ is part of this year’s lineup of films. Please tell us more about the origins of this film and what audiences can expect.
My husband, actor/writer Matt Steiner, wrote this script as a part of a larger project a few years back. When the larger project fell through, he basically put the script in a drawer to collect dust. Then, a couple of years later, he wanted to shoot a scene from it for his reel and that’s when I thought, “Wait, why don’t we go film the whole thing at my old performing arts high school, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, in Wilmington, DE?” And that’s exactly what we did.
We got in contact with Amanda Curry, the theater teacher for the rising 9th graders at Cab. We auditioned them through Zoom, Matt ran them through a mini Shakespeare workshop (he’s a teacher in real life, just like his character Mr. Hansen LOL), and then we cast the film!
The highlight of this process for me was hands down, working with these young actors, particularly our incredible leads, Ava Ramey and Lexi Rubincan.
As to what audiences can expect from Wendy, Matt always says that he grew up a straight, white, cisgendered male in the 80’s/90’s when there were so many movies telling him that he deserved love as long as he was courageous enough to go after it. And so he wanted to write a film for his real-life LGBTQ+ students that told them they deserved the exact same thing.
The film was shot during the pandemic. Please tell us more about the production schedules, casting, and working conditions.
Though we shot Wendy during the pandemic, I have to say it was one of our smoother production experiences! Perhaps it was because every single person involved in this film was so passionate about the characters and subject matter.
And something that really stands out to me about this process is that, because of the pandemic, it was the first and only time the students went to work with each other in person during that school year. And you could feel on set just how happy they were to be in a room together, creating something that was meaningful to them.
Please tell us more about your company, One Eyed Rabbit, and what other projects are in the pipeline.
One-Eyed Rabbit is an independent film company that I founded with my husband, Matt Steiner, in 2019. We write all of our projects together, with Matt often focusing on the initial idea and structuring of the story, while I contribute to world-building, specificity of dialogue, and fleshing out the characters. I direct and Matt always has an acting role within the film.
With each film, we seek to offer new perspectives that illuminate the full scope of our shared humanity. One-Eyed Rabbit’s style consists of intimate, personal stories that exist within dynamic and playful structures. Our films are driven by complex protagonists at a precipice in their lives and we’re interested in shining a light on characters who aren’t typically in the spotlight of mainstream narratives.
Next up for us is a horror short called Clifton Park about theater, cults, and gaslighting.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can find out more about my production company at one-eyedrabbit.com and follow us on Instagram at @one_eyedrabbit and @wendyshortfilm!
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