Backstage Bite: Bess Wohl and Whitney White Go Back In Time to Cook Up a LIBERATION Cheese Ball

Hi everybody, it's me, Katie Lynch, and I have the honor and privilege of being here with two of the most beautiful, inspiring, and talented women in New York City or on the space of the earth

It is Best Will and Whitney White, the writer and director of Liberation at Roundabout Theater Company

Hi. Hi. Come see our play. And today, we are so excited because we are making this gorgeous cheeseball a la 1970s

So come back in time and come into the present and make this gorgeous dish with us

The show is set in the year 1970 and also now and also other times

And there's one fabulous character. I hope it's okay to give it away. Her name is Margie

Shout out to this character and Betsy Aden playing Margie. But she comes in the show with a cheese ball

And it's supposed to be a huge cheeseball. And in general, because of Best World's Brilliant Mine

I've taken this deep dive on, like, Americana recipes from the 70s

They really are bananas, like all the little pineapple dishes, the meatloops

So today we're going to make a cheeseball. I'm ready. Okay. We are going to start by

roasting some pecans. Okay, this I'm into. Let's do it. We're going to roast these at $3.50 for

5 to 10 minutes. Okay. While those are in the oven, we are going to start, yes, exactly

by dicing some scalyons. I'm not going to watch and learn because I would have no idea

And while you do that, I would love to know a little about your mothers

Oh, that's one that you start. My mother was active in the second wave of feminism, which is partly what the play is about

She worked at Ms. Magazine when I was a little kid. Isn't that iconic

Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah. So it part of where the play comes from is like growing up being we call ourselves like the Ms kids And it was sort of kids who hung around Ms Ms had this big like non toy tot lot where you could just it was like a giant room with carpeting everywhere that you could just like bang around in

You mentioned this. Yes, yes, it's in the play. And so I grow, oh, those look cool

She does such a good job. They're so fragrant. So that's my mom

Wow. Yeah. Whitney? Shut up to Lisa. My mother's name is Janet

I love her so much. She spent a lot of her life working as a travel agent

and she's in all these amazing places. And she raised me on her own with the help of her fierce sisters

But my childhood really was with her. And I think everything I have is because of her

I think there's not a day where I'm not sending it up to her in some way, shape, or form

And my favorite thing about my mother is she has the most exquisite taste out of anyone I've ever seen. And she really taught me how to make the best

choices possible aesthetically all the time. I don't know he's come through with it, but I remember

so many times sitting on the couch with her, like looking at Vogue and her explaining to me

like, what made something nice, what makes a fabric valuable, how much time and work a woman can

put into sewing or making something or decorating. And yeah, how, how much, um, time and work a woman can put into sewing and, Yeah, her eye for visual aesthetics and her, she's a tastemaker in this way that I'll never be

I really look up to her for that. Wow. I hope you got that from her

I don't know. I think so. You say that, but if my mom was directing her play, it would probably be even more amazing

Like, in my imagination, what you do to make a cheese ball, it's like something out of a sci-fi movie

So I want to see. The sci-fi movies. How spot on I am

How funny. Whoa. These things terrify me. Why? I don't. I can't

If any, if a recipe calls for a food processor, I don't make it. So, honestly

it's too advanced. Well, then I would suggest, you're switching positions. Run me out of way

If it goes like that, so fast. You're doing it. You're doing this part

Embrace. Embrace the fear. I just feel like you can put your hand right in there

Okay you are going to start with four tablespoons of butter of butter please into your food processor One two three four Okay Great job I think honestly this play is more than I even realized when I was writing it really is about female friendship and community and like what it takes how communities operate together how they support each other how difficult it is actually to collaborate on something and how difficult it is to be in community

sometimes. And I think also, you know, looking back at the 70s, like looking at a time when people

really spent time in community in a way that I think is much more fragile now, you know

I would completely agree with you. There's such a sense of isolation, I think partly because we're all sort of on devices

And, you know, obviously that's been talked a lot about a lot. But I do think like there's a

feeling of togetherness in this play that we're exploring and poking at and questioning and

it feels very unique also to the time period that we're exploring. Part of what's fun to me about being in the room with all of these women that are making

this play together is like we've made that community in our room, you know, for a time

And it's something that I think we all crave and love and want more of in our lives, you know

Interesting. Shall we sprinkle some cheese? Oh my gosh, I'm so excited

Oh, it has a little, this thing with holes on it. Have you never opened a spice

She said she couldn't cook. She meant it. I thought she was being cute

She meant it. No. She was shocked to see that the... Anyways, you're hot

Because I, how much, this is a dilemma you asked. No, no

You're using your discretion. Be artistic. to make better to a ball Okay now yes Yes time to get our I don get I don get this part Like it time to get our hands dirty just a little bit But first before you do get your actual hands in there

you're going to take your... Ooh, with the wrapper. Parchment paper to help form it

Okay, so that you're kind of getting your shape. You're in this. I feel like you should do that

This is a two-sided paper. Let's make the making a cake. This is a metaphor for our process together

I love it. warming a ball of cheese. Absolutely love it. And we are going to stick it in the refrigerator

for it to solidify a little bit. I didn't know that was coming

This is awesome. Flot twist. And I can smell our nuts. And we are going to take these out of the oven

This feels so good. Now what happens? Now we gotta crush our nuts

Oh, that's fun. We have now roasted our nuts and it is the perfect time to take out some aggression

And to crush these nuts. actually like, oh, now we can really crush it up

Crush the nuts. Okay, now my friends, we are going to take your beautifully shaped cheese ball and get your

hands dirty and you're going to put it in the center of your crushed nuts and we're

going to start coating our ball with nuts. That's wool. All right, coating the ball with nuts

It's really beautiful. I'm honestly going to make this. Really? I can't imagine like it

I'm gonna love it. Okay, I'm trying it. Okay, who's ready? Grab your..

You go first. Vessel of choice. All right. Mmm. Oh, is it. Right? Mm-hmm

It's good. It's perfect. Mm-hmm. It's good. It's good. Katie. I can eat this bowl ball

I can do. I can eat that whole bomb. I'm so glad you like it

It's so good. So you guys are perfect. This play is perfect

Please go see Liberation at Roundabout Theater Company. Thank you so much for being in the kitchen with me today

Thank you for this. I'm so fun. I had a wonderful time. So much fun

And this ball is delicious. It is. Thank you for teaching us

Absolutely