Jen Ponton’s Journey to Finding—and Owning—Her Voice
Actor/Playwright of Sugarcoated in Maiden Mother Crone
Jen Ponton has always known she was meant to be a storyteller. By the time she was three years old, she was already certain she wanted to be an actor. At five, she was writing stories; at 18, she completed her first play. But despite her love for writing, she put it away for nearly two decades, carrying a quiet shame about it. It wasn’t until a friend nudged her toward screenwriting in her 30s that she returned to the craft, discovering that the creative evolution she had always cherished as an actor also extended to her writing.
Now, Ponton is bringing her play SUGARCOATED to the stage as part of MAIDEN MOTHER CRONE, a duet of solo shows running at The Flea in New York City from February 12 to February 23. SUGARCOATED is immersive, playful, and laced with the whimsy of a fairy tale. Her longtime friend Deborah Unger wrote and performed the second act, THE LONGER MY MOTHER IS DEAD, THE MORE I LIKE HER. Together, these two stories explore the complexities of womanhood, queerness, and self-acceptance.
For Ponton, the most thrilling moments in SUGARCOATED happen when she breaks the fourth wall—directly engaging the audience and pulling them into her world. It’s a technique she loves that fosters connection, vulnerability, and, at times, uproarious laughter. There’s one memory in particular that makes her want to turn her skin inside out just thinking about it, but she knows it will leave audiences—and especially her best friend—screaming with mortified delight.
"Queer people, women, and anyone who has ever wrestled with the roles society expects them to play—this show is for them, for us," says Ponton.
SUGARCOATED is, in part, a hilariously tragic late-bloomer coming-out story that invites the audience to laugh, grieve, and reflect on the journey toward self-discovery.
As fulfilling as this production has been, it hasn’t been without its challenges. Producing, as Ponton puts it, is like “working in a short-order kitchen and feeding everyone in Times Square.” The logistics, the emails, the endless moving pieces—it’s overwhelming. But through it all, she has found strength in the people around her: her co-star Debbie, with whom she’s finally getting the chance to share the stage; her best friend and producer Alex Finger, whose brilliance and calm leadership have been a steadying force; and director Tessa Slovis, who has been shaping SUGARCOATED since its early drafts with nuance, wit, and a deep understanding of trauma-informed storytelling.
At its heart, SUGARCOATED is about reclaiming one’s voice—about the power and devastation that can come when, after a lifetime of silence, you finally stand up for who you are. Ponton has lived this story. She knows what it’s like for a life to never quite come together because of silence, and for it to fall apart when the silence finally shatters. But in that breaking, there is also something else: a chance to rebuild, to step fully into one’s truth.
With MAIDEN MOTHER CRONE, Jen Ponton is not only telling a story—she is living it, owning it, and inviting others to do the same.
You can find her online at jenponton.com, on Instagram @jenponton, and on Substack at jenponton.substack.com.
