Tag Archives: Playwrights

Sophie McIntosh, Nina Goodheart, BT Hayes, & Morgan S. Perry of “Benevolent”

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Good Apples Collective presents BENEVOLENT, written by Sophie McIntosh, directed by Nina GoodheartListen in as Benevolent playwright Sophie McIntosh, director Nina Goodheart, associate director & dramaturg BT Hayes, and actor Morgan S. Perry, discuss wicker basket handling, figuring out what you’re after, the meaning of “soiled shift,” historical blogs, finding the right word, “critical fabulation,” finding your washing style, the importance of intimacy direction, covering as an understudy, and writing past realities back into the narrative.

“…these corners of society that, at the time, were documented in a kind of less than…gracious? …what’s the word…”
“Benevolent?”
“Yeah! A less than benevolent way. […] What is missing from a section of society that was highly oppressed […] A lot of our conversations beyond the physical world of [1917…], a lot of it was about imagining beyond the archive, in a way that does not conform to the archive…”

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Tom Kelly, Andrew Block, Dan Patrick Brady, Evan Klein, & Kate Miller of “The Bathroom Attendant”

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Listen in as The Bathroom Attendant playwright Tom Kelly, director Andrew Block, and actors Dan Patrick Brady, Evan Klein, and Kate Miller, discuss timely genre fiction, writing what you like, Yoenis Céspedes heartbreak, folk tale heroes (and having your heroes disappoint you), recognizing the humanity in your fellow American, and “broken people trying to survive.”

“…you have all of these really robust, rich characters that exist on the fringe of society, and they all have these desperate needs…it’s dealt with laughs, and also with sustained tension…and ultimately, it’s a coming-of-age story for these two younger characters whose lives have been changed over the last 48 hours…”

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Duncan Pflaster & Neysa Lozano of “Incel Vanya”

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Cross-Eyed Bear Productions and The Tank present INCEL VANYA written and directed by Duncan PflasterListen in as Incel Vanya playwright & director Duncan Pflaster, along with actor Neysa Lozano (Selena), discuss titles from typos, the smartest character onstage, finding modern resonance in classic drama, “rehearsing with an audience,” icky grossness in charming characters, getting stuck because of your philosophy, putting the comedy back into Chekhov, and finding a way to make sure the show always goes on.

“…the more I started to think about it, the more it made sense that Vanya would be an incel, if he lived today; then all the pieces started to fit into place…this is a more straightforward modernization of the story, touching on what we’re all living through today…”

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Jason Tseng, Emily Hartford, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, & Brian Tong of “Fear & Wonder”

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Flux Theatre Ensemble presents FEAR & WONDER written by Jason Tseng directed by Emily HartfordListen in as Fear & Wonder playwright Jason Tseng, director Emily Hartford, and performers Neil Tyrone Pritchard (Ryan) and Brian Tong (Jabez), discuss falling back in love with faith, grappling with the harms that can come from traditions and institutions, changing the world by changing the story, and music, communion, & service.

“…it’s really kind of a meditation on queerness, faith, and how we love something that doesn’t know how to love us back…”

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Āsim Ali Naqvi, Yves Allen, Anissa Naji, Karan Khanna, & Nafis of “Down Once More”

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New York Theater Festival presents DOWN ONCE MOREListen in as Down Once More playwright Āsim Ali Naqvi, along with performers Yves Allen, Anissa Naji, Karan Khanna, & Nafis, discuss identity, the supernatural, expanding what’s allowed to be discussed and by whom, meeting your favorite character, wearing multiple hats, showing up as yourself, and the play’s complicated blend of science, psychology, spirituality, queerness, career, and attention.

“…hella juicy…”

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Carolina Ðỗ & Isabel Criado of “ExtraO1dinary Aliens!”

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Listen in as ExtraO1dinary Aliens! playwright Carolina Ðỗ and assistant director/stage manager Isabel Criado discuss nightmares becoming reality, bureaucratic flattening, telling stories to heal, collaboration & community & education, and growing, changing, & becoming more real.

“It’s about people trying to survive the American government…”
“…while pursuing the American dream. Which is such a paradox. But a reality.”

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Barry Boehm & Christopher Borg of “Our House”

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Listen in as Our House playwright Barry Boehm and actor Christopher Borg discuss wedding jitters, putting your play in history, living a life of dignity & honesty & joy anywhere, legacy, sticking your foot in it but trying to do better, rom-com energy, & the history and importance of the producing company, TOSOS.

“…I’ve had the basic ideas of this play for many years…originally it was going to be about the life of gay people, comparing the East Coast to the Midwest…then as I got older, it became a more intergenerational discussion…things just sort of changed…it’s about people that are trying to find their voice, and express who they are, but are often caught up…they experience crises in different ways…”

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Ed Schmidt of “Edward”

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Listen in as Ed Schmidt, creator and performer of Edward, discusses melodramatic origins to fictionalized short stories, a “theatrical epistolary novel,” doing what you can do and not what other playwrights do, cutting out the middle men, object—>story vs. story—>object, and finding the sustainable model that works for you.

“…somebody else’s life started to emerge from this, and at a certain point I realized, ‘this is a play, told this way.’ […] And I thought, ‘how could I do this thing, which is really kinda anti-dramatic…and make that theatrical in some way’…”

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Xhloe Rice & Natasha Roland of “What If They Ate the Baby?”

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Xhloe & Natasha present WHAT IF THEY ATE THE BABY? at SoHo PlayhouseListen in as What If They Ate the Baby? playwrights, directors, & performers Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland—Xhloe & Natasha—discuss being fascinated by history, deep absurdity, dressing up in femininity (as opposed to the masculinity of their last NYC show), zooming into a slice of life, true crime re-enactments, green spaghetti, candy-coated plasticky artifice, and not letting anything go to waste.

“…my biggest tip when you come see this show is, let it happen to you—don’t hurt yourself trying to get to the bottom, ‘what does this mean?’…just wait for the car ride home…”

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Alexandra Haddad of “Helen in Her Homeland”

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Frayed Knot Collective presents HELEN IN HER HOMELAND, written by Alexandra Haddad, directed by Jessica Wastchak, at Loft Story BrooklynListen in as Helen in Her Homeland playwright Alexandra Haddad discusses immersion & implication, fragments of poetry, working outward from dialogue, leaving arts admin jobs, listening without responding, writing as a director, what propels us through the difficulty of production, and “the spectrum between Sarah Ruhl and Sarah Kane.”

“…early on, Helen says, ‘you might think you’re above that,’ like, judging people by their appearance, but ‘you have a body, too, you have a face, too,’ and you know that those things have consequences in the world. And so, I do want the audience to feel both invited, and implicated in that conversation…”

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