The Our Time Questions with Liz Tuccillo

Liz Tuccillo, on the right, during one of her many trips around the world

Periodically, we will interview members of the Our Time and Camp Our Time family (company members, alumni, honorees, participating artists, the board, volunteers, staff, donors, parents, campers, counselors, etc.) by asking them the same 20 questions. Which will now be known as THE OUR TIME QUESTIONS.

Our fifth interview is with Liz Tuccillo. Liz is an accomplished writer perhaps best known for her work on the HBO comedy series Sex and the City and for co-authoring (with Greg Behrendt) the best-selling book He's Just Not That Into You. She also wrote Fair Fight and Joe Fearless (which are two of Taro's favorite all-time plays).

Liz is involved in MANY ways with Our Time: Liz is a Board Member, a volunteer, a playwright teacher/adviser for our One-Act Play Program, a host for many cast parties and other Our Time events including an unforgettable afternoon with Our Time Gala Honoree Bill Withers and the Our Time kids. She is one of Our Time's most important friends and we are all SO THANKFUL to you, Liz for EVERYTHING that you do for us!

1. Favorite Food: Very hard to say, possibly French fries

2. Favorite thing about Our Time: The love, baby – all the love!

3. Favorite place I’ve been: Reykjavik, Iceland

4. Place I’ve always wanted to go: The Grand Canyon! And all the other National Parks out west as well.

5. Favorite Movie: I don't know if I can say I have a favorite movie. The two movies that come to mind that have affected me the most have been Ordinary People and The Lives of Others.

6. If you were trapped on an island for three years, and you could only listen to one recording artist, who would it be: Stevie Wonder. Does that make me really old?

7. Mac or PC: Mac. Does that make me really young and hip?

8. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate, c’mon.

9. Cats or Dogs: Neither, really. Don’t tell anyone, I think people will hate me.

10. Favorite Our Time moment: Recently – Tom singing Neil Diamond at the One-Acts! I mean talk about a magical moment!

11. What do you want to be when you grow up: Completely satisfied with my life and unafraid.

12. Who would play you in a movie: Tina Fey. No wait. I think what I really mean to say is that I want to be Tina Fey.

13. Favorite Book: Um. “He’s Just Not That Into You.” What? What????

14. Favorite sports team: Giants right now. So obvious, I know.

15. What advice do you have for people who stutter: Hang around Taro and Our Time for the rest of your life.

16. What advice do you have for people who don’t stutter: Hang around Taro and Our Time for the rest of your life.

17. Favorite TV Show: 30 Rock. I WANT TO BE AS FUNNY AS TINA FEY.

18. Favorite Play or Musical: Six Degrees of Separation was pretty amazing. And Rent. That’s right!

19. If you were President, what would your first official act be: Shutting down Guantanamo Bay, getting all the prisoners to trial or releasing them.

20. Where do you see Our Time in 10 years: That is a very difficult question as I am not clear how much the company can expand, if we are not able to clone Taro into twenty different people. But what I do see, is an amazing, thriving, huge camp for kids who stutter, and their friends and siblings. And a space – for rehearsals and offices.

The Our Time Questions with Chelsea Lacatena

Periodically, we will interview members of the Our Time and Camp Our Time family (company members, alumni, honorees, participating artists, the board, volunteers, staff, donors, parents, campers, counselors, etc.) by asking them the same 20 questions. Which will now be known as THE OUR TIME QUESTIONS. 

Our fourth interview is with Chelsea Lacatena. Chelsea has been an important part of Our Time since the very beginning.  Chelsea was the first Our Time employee and is now the Associate Artistic Director of Our Time. Our Time would not be as groovy without her.  THANKS CHELSEA!!!

1. Favorite Food: I could eat pizza everyday

2. Favorite thing about Our Time: just one?! Hmmm… the LOVE!

3. Favorite place I’ve been: Ireland

4. Place I’ve always wanted to go: Italy

5. Favorite Movie: Clue

6. If you were trapped on an island for three years, and you could only listen to one recording artist, who would it be: Stevie Wonder

7. Mac or PC: Mac

8. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate

9. Cats or Dogs: er… neither.

10. Favorite Our Time moment: My favorite Our Time moments are when it dawns on the new members how amazing the experience of being in Our Time is. You can see them becoming more comfortable with the group each week, more confident, and participating more. Then they start the process again, warming up to the theatre, and then they shine in front of the audiences when the show finally opens! Then they “get it” and are able to help the NEW new members when the season starts again!

11. What do you want to be when you grow up: still trying to figure that out!

12. Who would play you in a movie: Amy Sedaris

13. Favorite Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

14. Favorite sports team: Yankees

15. What advice do you have for people who stutter: Speak from the heart & people will listen! Don’t let your speech interruptions dictate your behavior, people are more willing to listen than you may believe, especially if you’re being honest and speaking from the heart.

16. What advice do you have for people who don’t stutter: LISTEN. Just relax and don’t judge, or get all freaked out if a person you are talking to is stuttering

17. Favorite TV Show: 30 Rock

18. Favorite Play or Musical: Gypsy

19. If you were President, what would your first official act be: 4 year supply of Ben & Jerry’s stocked in the presidential freezer

20. Where do you see Our Time in 10 years: In our own beautiful building with rehearsal spaces, computers, a theatre, and an office where we can do everything under one roof… OUR HOME!

The Our Time Questions with Doug Filomena

Periodically, we will interview members of the Our Time and Camp Our Time family (company members, alumni, honorees, participating artists, the board, volunteers, staff, donors, parents, campers, counselors, etc.) by asking them the same 20 questions. Which will now be known as THE OUR TIME QUESTIONS.

Our third interview is with Doug Filomena. Doug has been Our Time's Lighting Designer for years and is an all around awesome person. Doug is also a person who stutters. Last week, Doug created beautiful light for our one-act plays at the Cherry Lane Theatre. My favorite quote from Doug last week was, "Let the process come to you." Thanks for all that you do Doug!

1. Favorite Food: grilled sardines

2. Favorite thing about Our Time: Taro’s and the Kid’s energy

3. Favorite place I’ve been: Rome, Italy

4. Place I’ve always wanted to go: back to Rome

5. Favorite Movie: Style Wars

6. If you were trapped on an island for three years, and you could only listen to one recording artist, who would it be: Fela Kuti

7. Mac or PC: MAC

8. Chocolate or Vanilla: chocolate

9. Cats or Dogs: cats

10. Favorite Our Time moment: Seeing Ned’s play performed last year

11. What do you want to be when you grow up: an archaeologist, like Indiana Jones

12. Who would play you in a movie: John Cusack

13. Favorite Book: The Wind Up Bird Chronicles

14. Favorite sports team: Pittsburgh Steelers/New York Mets

15. What advice do you have for people who stutter: Just keep going. Think of yourself as being perfectly normal, because you are.

16. What advice do you have for people who don’t stutter: don’t ask me if I am OK.

17. Favorite TV Show: Shark Week

18. Favorite Play or Musical: Fences by August Wilson

19. If you were President, what would your first official act be: Universal Healthcare

20. Where do you see Our Time in 10 years: still working and doing its thing, but with a much, much bigger family and a lot more love to go around.

The Our Time Questions with Peter Reitzes

Periodically, we will interview members of the Our Time and Camp Our Time family (company members, alumni, honorees, participating artists, the board, volunteers, staff, donors, parents, campers, counselors, etc.) by asking them the same 20 questions. Which will now be known as THE OUR TIME QUESTIONS.

Our second interview is with Peter Reitzes. Peter is a long-time Our Time supporter, a speech language pathologist, an Adjunct Professor at Long Island University, the Co-host of StutterTalk.com podcast, the Co-editor of The Journal of Stuttering Therapy, Advocacy and Research (JournalofStuttering.com), and a person who stutters.

1. Favorite Food: Anything but olives! I love Mexican food (tamales, tortas, etc.)

2. Favorite thing about Our Time: I get to meet and appreciate so many cool and talented people who stutter.

3. Favorite place I’ve been: Israel

4. Place I’ve always wanted to go: Outer space (no joke, I want to be the first stutterer in orbit).

5. Favorite Movie: Star Wars

6. If you were trapped on an island for three years, and you could only listen to one recording artist, who would it be: The Hold Steady

7. Mac or PC: What’s a Mac?

8. Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla with peanut butter cups and M & Ms.

9. Cats or Dogs: Both. Seriously, I could love a squirrel, no joke.

10. Favorite Our Time moment: Years ago, seeing the Our Time band respond to an actor’s stuttering by holding the music for a bar or two and staying with the actor through the block. When the actor finished the stutter, the band played on.

11. What do you want to be when you grow up: A good father.

12. Who would play you in a movie: A good looking bald dude. Is Harrison Ford bald yet?

13. Favorite Book: Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad

14. Favorite sports team: The Philadelphia Eagles

15. What advice do you have for people who stutter: Stuttering is allowed.

16. What advice do you have for people who don’t stutter: Support Our Time! And, it’s good to talk about stuttering with your friends and children. Even if that makes us stuttering folks uncomfortable sometimes, it shows us that when we are ready, you are there.

17. Favorite TV Show: Battlestar Galactica (not the old series, the new one)

18. Favorite Play or Musical: Our Time shows.

19. If you were President, what would your first official act be: I would try and appoint an equal number of people from both political parties, men and women alike. I want to live in a non-partisan country in which we look for common ground.

20. Where do you see Our Time in 10 years: I see Our Time changing lives and making this a better world for people who stutter, our families and friends. Our Time is like pizza, it is always good.

The Our Time Questions with Jonathan Greig

Periodically, we will interview members of the Our Time and Camp Our Time family (company members, alumni, the board, volunteers, staff, donors, parents, campers, counselors, etc.) by asking them the same 20 questions. Which will now be known as THE OUR TIME QUESTIONS.

Our first interview is with Our Time alumnus, Jonathan Greig. Jonathan was a company member for 6 years (2002-2008). He joined Our Time at age 11 and is now in his Freshman year at Dartmouth College.

1. Favorite Food: Rice.  “White rice heals all wounds”

2. Favorite thing about Our Time: Our Time is a place where you can let go of your inhibitions and let you imagination run free. Gone are the social constraints and fears of ridicule. You are free to be who you are. For me specifically, Our Time became a place where I could let out everything I had hidden inside. For so long I kept everything inside; from fears to dreams, everything stayed trapped in my heart, locked in by my stutter. Our Time allowed me to break this lock and let everything out.

3. Favorite place I’ve been: Jamaica

4. Place I’ve always wanted to go: South Africa

5. Favorite Movie: Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee

6. If you were trapped on an island for three years, and you could only listen to one recording artist, who would it be: Stevie Wonder

7. Mac or PC: PC

8. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate

9. Cats or Dogs: Dogs

10. Favorite Our Time moment: Performing “Our Time Made Us LOUD” with Keith and Andre. I could not have wished for a better last Gala performance than that. Just being onstage with my two best friends and seeing the crowd rock to our song was amazing. I’ve never been as happy and amped up as I was during that song. It was just amazing.

11. What do you want to be when you grow up: I don’t know.

12. Who would play you in a movie: A young James Earl Jones

13. Favorite Book: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

14. Favorite sports team: It’s a tie between the Jets and the Knicks

15. What advice do you have for people who stutter: Don’t let it hold you down. Look at it as something that you have to deal with but that shouldn’t stop you from achieving something you want to achieve. It isn’t a dead end. It’s just a temporary roadblock.

16. What advice do you have for people who don’t stutter: Just listen. It’s that simple. You just give the person the time to speak and just worry about what the person is saying not how the person is saying it. Then you’ll be golden. That even goes for people who don’t stutter. They should do it for everyone.

17. Favorite TV Show: A toss-up between Cosby Show and 24

18. Favorite Play or Musical: That’s also a toss-up between The Lion King and Thurgood

19. If you were President, what would your first official act be: I would make an effort to end all wars and I would institute free health care

20. Where do you see Our Time in 10 years: I see Our Time continuing and achieving its goal of spreading awareness about stuttering, as well as just spreading a message of overall tolerance and love and still rocking out in Kingsley and Cherry Lane.