Q & A with Hollie

Yes! I went to a few. For undergraduate I went to Columbia College Chicago where I majored in film Directing and Screen Writing. For my first masters I moved to London and attended City University of London for Scriptwriting (Plays!) Then I went to City College of New York (CCNY) for a masters in Educational Theater so I could be a K-12 theater teacher.

Did you always know you wanted to write for kids?

As someone who is neurodiverse, I see the world a little differently. I have always been a creative person who loved to tell stories from acting to directing, writing, drawing. I couldn’t figure out where I fit in. I went on a winding road to creating books and plays for young people. The truth is, while my journey took me to all parts of the entertainment industry, it took having kids and teaching kids to notice I had been telling stories for them all along. (Read the bonus below and click on the link to watch my short film Piggy, that I wrote and directed back in the early 2000s when I was a junior in college.)

Making a picture book, a graphic novel, or a chapter book is a lot like putting on a play. That’s where my voice as a director, producer, writer, designer, and artist shine bright. All the many hats I wore in working in theater and film, have merged to create the artists I am today. When creating characters it’s a lot like casting the perfect actor for the role, and directing them in the story. When I talk or illustrate the setting, it’s no different then the work I did building or painting sets. The stories follow the same story telling principles I used when writing plays.  

Do you still write plays? Are your plays produced?

Yes, I still write plays but not as much as I have in the past. As a playwright, I have had various plays performed in and around New York City. But my most well-known play is Children of Hooverville, published with YouthPLAYS. It continues to have performances at middle schools around the country. You can see one of those performances (here). 

Awards / Honors

Cornerstone Writer-in-Residence Program -2024 Finalist

PBparty finalist illustrator showcase 2024

Tassy Walden Award for New Voices – Illustration Portfolio 2023

RUCCL Mentee – 2023

Pets

Let’s be honest – this is what you came here for. These two will not disappoint.

This is Oberon. We call him Obbie. (If you want to know more about his personality, look up the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. He’s named after one of the characters.) He’s thirteen years young and is very vocal about his wants and needs. He’s obviously the pet in charge. He helps me write many of my stories.

Now we have Benny. He’s a Corgi! He’s three years old with a larger than life personality. He’s the mayor of our neighborhood and goes into all the local shops who keep treats just for him.

He’s a… wind in his fur… big stick don’t care… I’m the cutest and you know it… kind of a dog.

Theatrical Work

My other works are under her maiden name, Hollie Rosenberg. ( IMDB for that time she worked on a gameshow. )

Scraps, a full-length play, had a reading at Urban Stages (Off B’way) and a workshop at City University of London.

Spoiled Cherries has had a production at the Manhattan Repertory Theater, and Narrows Community Theater.

10 Going On 30 had a production at Adaptive Arts,

Dirty Laundry On The Crazy Girl’s Line has had a production Riant Theater’s Strawberry One-Act Festival (as a Semi-Finalist), and is published in Best of The Strawberry One-Act Festival Vol. 4.

Bedpan Palace had a production at The Brooklyn Heights Players.

As a Director, I’ve had productions at The Producers Club, The Brooklyn Lyceum, TSI/PlayTime Series, Brooklyn One, Hudson Shakespeare Company of NJ, Manhattan Repertory Theater Company, The Heights Players Theater, and The Public Theater as part of a night of US / UK exchange Cabaret produced by Old Vic New Voices Network.