Daily Inspiration: Meet Abbey Monnin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Monnin. 

Hi Abbey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I fell in love with acting when I played Marta in a community production of “The Sound of Music.” I was eleven, and my mom had to drive me a couple of towns over. She would drop me off and then I would run around the theatre with my new best friends who played Brigitta and Gretel. When we performed our short little run and the audience had these visceral reactions to what we were doing, I was hooked. I love the energy of theatre and then in college, I really discovered how much I like acting on camera. It’s the combination of exploring someone else as yourself and then also sharing a story with people. There is a rich connectedness to all of that in every step from the people you work with to the audience you share the story with in the end. I love it. Growing up in a really small town, I knew I had to leave to go after acting. I initially had my sights set on New York but ended up choosing LA. A lot has happened since I first set foot in LA but it was the pandemic that really changed things for me. 

As an actor, you spend so much of your time waiting for someone to give you an opportunity and I was tired of waiting. I also wanted to explore writing and producing. So, after years of wanting to start a production company, I did. Blue Tuesday Productions is the name and the focus is on creating character-driven stories. During the pandemic, I really was able to zero in on what is most important to me and realized it was time to go after what I really want instead of hiding from it. That’s where End of the Cornfield came into play. 

End of the Cornfield is the first project for my production company. It’s a nine-episode murder mystery audio drama that centers around six former high school classmates who end up in the middle of a murder investigation. When a night out of reconnecting at a hometown softball alumni tournament ends with one of the six murdered, the remaining five classmates turn on one another in an attempt to figure out who did it. It’s been the best experience for me because it’s allowed me to act, write, produce, and cast. Having so much creative control over a project and working with the most talented team of artists has been so much fun. I feel so fortunate to have found such an incredible group of people. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road, and it’s just the beginning of the production company. There has been a steep learning curve as a first-time producer. There is so much that I don’t know about the business side, and as the sole producer for End of the Cornfield, it’s been a process of learning by doing. It’s also been a struggle financially to come up with the funding for the project and I’ve taken on a lot of extra day job work in order to be able to fund it. 

The other challenge with End of the Cornfield involved acting. I took some time off from acting and finding the confidence to come back to it was difficult. Even though acting is something that I intrinsically love so much, it felt like maybe I had taken too much time off and all my acting muscles had atrophied. Putting so much of myself into this project, I was nervous that I would seem like the weak link in the cast. Thankfully, it was really more like riding a bike. Or taking a few months off driving. It feels weird at first, a little out of place, and then in no time at all, it feels as comfortable as it did before. 

Another challenging aspect was writing. I was nervous that I was taking on too much and wouldn’t really be able to write (I’ve never written a finished script before for anything). I had a strong concept for the story and detailed characters, but actually writing it out felt daunting. Luckily my co-writer and I meshed so well when writing, and we came up with this story that I really love. I’m excited to share it with people. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
End of the Cornfield is a project that was inspired in part by growing up reading my dad’s old Hardy Boys books and in part by the town that I grew up in. The characters and the story itself is fictionalized and doesn’t relate to anyone I knew growing up, but the town in the story is remarkably similar to the town I grew up in (Russia, OH pronounced Rue-she). When you grow up in such a small town (600 people) and your high school experience is moving lockers upstairs and continuing to spend time with the same 26 people you’ve known since you were five, it changes the way you see things. It’s a unique experience. My town was also primarily Catholic, something I have a complicated relationship with now. 

This is a place where everyone knows everyone. No stop lights, no major stores, no murders, very little crime, and not a lot to do but interact with the people around you. When I was in high school, we had one cop. The cemetery, high school, and church all share a parking lot. It’s a modern version of a 1950s world. Russia (my town) has a softball alumni tournament every year, and I knew it would be a unique setting for a murder mystery story. The town is a big part of the story and its own character in a way. That inspiration really came from my hometown, and I think sets the scene for a great story. 

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
Scrivener is hands down my favorite writing app. I use it for everything — screenwriting, fiction writing, copywriting, acting notes, poetry, and journal thoughts. Its feature set is unique and makes it really easy to map out ideas. Some of my favorite things include writing distraction-free in full composition mode, the corkboard structure for storyboarding, the general binder structure, and the ability to import photos and research documents directly into the app. The visual aesthetic makes me feel more free creatively. 

There’s also this book called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Years ago, I went down a rabbit hole reading through his blog and signed up for his email newsletter (something I had never done before). His book “Atomic Habits” is one of my favorite growth books. It really breaks down the science behind habits in digestible pieces and provides interesting anecdotes as well as actionable steps to create/break habits. I think it’s a must-read for creatives because it’s so easy to get off track without someone pushing you forward. Staying accountable to yourself in between projects is hard. 

In between projects, I see a lot of theatre. A really fantastic production can bring me back to myself and inspire me creatively like nothing else can. The last production that did that for me was the Geffen’s production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” It’s been weeks, and I’m still thinking about Calista Flockhart’s performance. Master class level. Working with her one day is on the dream list. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluetuesdayproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbeyroadrose/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluetuesdayprod
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/end-of-the-cornfield/id1636530574

Image Credits
Peter Konerko
Spencer Channell
Abigail Gorden
Amelia Wiygul