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Playwright and filmmaker Sharisse Zeroonian streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight this week. Forgive a few moments of choppy audio on my end, but Sharisse's audio is clear, and she gives some great insight into taking your fate as a creative into one's own hands. We discuss her evolution as a writer through academia, offending your audience, self-publishing, unconventional marketing, what influences character names, avoiding expository dialogue, and character wants and obstacles. We also delve into discovering plot holes, writing in the present not in the past, the Playwrights' Center as a resource, the Playwrights Bill of Rights, and producing your own Amazon Series. Sharisse is a testament on DIY playwriting and getting one's work into the world. Enjoy!
Sharisse Zeroonian is playwright and filmmaker. Her short play, “Glass Child” was featured in the 2024 10-Minute Play Festival at the Cannon Theater in Devens, MA, and will also be featured this month in the 2024 SOOP To Nuts Play Festival in Pelham, NY. Her short play, "Pomp and Circumstance", was read at the Equity Library Theater in Manhattan in October 2024, and her full-length stage play "One Plus One Is Two" was adapted into an Amazon Prime series in October 2020. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston University in 2018, and her MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen from Lesley University in 2024.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/U1Osl2-tr4U
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Playwrights' Center -
https://pwcenter.org
Dramatists Guild -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com
Dramatist's Bill of Rights -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com/rights
Website and Socials for Sharisse Zeroonian -
Email - [email protected]
IG - @mediterranean_homesick_blues
X - @SharisseNaomiZ
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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A MUST LISTEN! This in far from a dismissal of past guests and interviews. This is a personal and human conversation that is insightful and inspiring from struggle to achievement and perhaps a pathway to the later. June and I had a mishap in schedule that, had it not happened, I don't think we would have had the conversation that we came away with. Her background of going from lawyer to playwright is enough to inspire anyone question their passion into the arts to take the leap. We follow with the lessons of writing a disaster of a play and getting the craft wrong but, yet, finding the engine. We examine her process, need vs premise, skeletal biographies, working backwards to move forwards in terms of character backgrounds, the gentle form of interrogation by starting with love, exploring unknown markets, inspiring playwrights and (un)appreciating the classics, reading vs viewing a play, and compromise, sacrifice, and tradeoffs. It's a very philosophical episode that playwrights of all levels will walk away with something huge. Enjoy!
June Carryl is a playwright, actor and director. Her plays include LA BÊTE - A One Act which won the Encore! Producers Award, Spirit of the Fringe Award, and Orgasmico Most Orgasmic Writing Award in 2014, STONE ANGELS, BLOWFLY; MOURNING STORY, BABY TOES, SEDUCER, THE RINGS OF SATURN (The Living Room Series, Blank Theatre), GOD’S WIFE, and THE ART OF YES. She’s received commissions from the Magic and Visual Artists Theater in New York.
For tickets to The Girl Who Made the Milky Way, opening November 9th through November 17th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank with school matinees November 12th through the 22nd, visit -
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35252/production/1206496
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/SaUzYm9Om7Y
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
ACT -
https://www.act-sf.org
Z Space Studio -
http://www.zspace.org
Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance -
http://www.armeniandrama.org
The Blank -
https://www.theblank.com
Ojai Playwrights Conference -
https://www.ojaiplays.org/
Edinburgh Fringe -
https://www.edfringe.com
IAMA -
https://www.iamatheatre.com
Playwrights Arena -
https://playwrightsarena.org
Rogue Machine -
https://roguemachine.ludus.com/index.php
Lower Depth -
https://www.lower-depth.com
Collaborative Artists Bloc -
https://www.collaborativeartistsbloc.org
The Road -
https://roadtheatre.org
Socials for June Carryl -
IG @junecarryl
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Bonus episode between our usual schedule! In order to align our guest's upcoming shows with their interview, we're sneaking an additional episode during what would normally be a break. However, we skipped an week earlier in the season, so we hope this makes up for it.
Ethan Crystal and Garrett Poladian streamed in to the Playwright's Spotlight to talk about their world premiere musical Golem Owned a Tropical Smoothie, the first writing endeavor for the two. We talk about the origin of the idea and the dedication and steps to get it from concept to production. We also explore the key element for actors to creating a successful project to showcase their talent, and Ethan and Garrett make a strong argument on how to succeed. We delve into the two perspectives as playwrights vs characters, inserting meaning, the benefits of audience response, musical collaboration, and obsession and consistency. This is an episode about taking the leap and how to showcase your talent in a medium one may not be familiar with. Listen to end, because Ethan and Garrett share a perspective I have yet to hear in three seasons. Enjoy.
For tickets to Golem Owned a Tropical Smoothie playing through November 10th, visit - https://thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/2024/10/17/golem-owned-a-tropical-smoothie
Ethan Crystal is a singer, actor, writer, musician, and comedian as well as an award-winning vocal arranger, comedy writer, and composer. He is also the host of Ethan’s Open Mic, a variety open mic with a live band.Garrett Poladian is a New York City based actor, writer, and ballerino having been a full-time company dancer from 2014-2016 with the ballet Pensacola, the only resident professional dance company in the area.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/eMJLHD--HbQ
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Theatre Now -
https://www.tnny.org
Sound Bites -
https://www.tnny.org/soundbitesprogram
The Tank -
https://thetanknyc.org
Website and Socials for Ethan Crystal and Garrett Poladian -
Ethan Crystal -
IG - @ethancrystal1
Garrett Poladian -
IG - @garrettpoladian
TikTok - @ravensymonestaint
Golem Owned a Tropical Smoothie -
@golemmusical
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Send us a text
After high praise from Ellen Geer a few episodes, we were able to get Jennie Webb to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight and share her experiences as a playwright, dramaturg, and overseer of workshops. We explored her transition from acting into playwriting, her assistance in developing new works from "living voices", the benefits of asking questions, knowing the origin of a moment and earning it as pushing boundaries and whether or not there is a formula for playwriting. We also touch on her love of language, her process, submitting to outside markets especially oversees, defining success and accepting rejection, giving oneself parameters, and the benefits of going for a walk. Another episode chock of great advice and insight. We had a lot of fun. Enjoy.
Jennie Webb is an LA-based playwright and dramaturg having created and ran the new play development program, Seedlings, at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum and co-creating EST/LA's Ignite Project. Her work includes “Yard Sale Signs,” “Smiling Cat Candy Heart,” "On Tuesday," "It's Not About Race," “Rebecca on the Bus,” “Brand New Script” and "Buying a House". National recognition include Finalist for O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Gulfshore Playhouse, and City Theatre Short Play Festival as well as Semi-Finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, PlayPenn, Athena Project, and Trustus Theatre Festival. She is the recipient of Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowships and a Women in Theatre Red Carpet Award and is a member of the Playwrights Union, EST/LA, Honor Roll!, Dramatists Guild. She is also co-founder of LA Female Playwrights Initiative.
For information for Jennie's reading of Wound Care on October 18th, visit -
https://www.companyofangels.org/new-works-fest-rsvp-1
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/l0z5Yj3qqDg
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
O'Neill Playwrights Conference -
https://www.theoneill.org/npc
Play Penn -
https://www.playpenn.org
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum -
https://theatricum.com
EST/LA -
https://www.estlosangeles.org
LA Female Playwrights Initiative -
https://lafpi.com
Playwrights Union -
https://playwrightsunion.com
Actors Gang -
https://theactorsgang.com
Hollywood Fringe -
https://www.hollywoodfringe.org
Website and Socials for Jennie Webb -
www.jenniewebbsite.com
IG - @jenniewebbsite
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jenniewebbsite
X/Twitter - @jenniewebbsite
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Michi Barall streamed into Playwright's Spotlight this week days before her new play Drawing Lessons leaps into rehearsal at Children's Theatre Company. Conceptually complex, Michi shares the concept of translating a graphic novel for the stage, the concept of live drawing on stage and simultaneously performing, putting the concept on the page, the process of casting, and her struggles breaking down virtual art. We also discuss the impact of the New York and Minneapolis markets and organizations on the play and the changes from each as well as collaborating with multiple artists and the Deadline Draft. We touch on her journey from actor to playwright, the lessons from Greek playwrights, learning the rules and overcoming obstacles, the importance of Theatre History, and conquering Imposter Syndrome. It's a very educational episode that explores the possibilities of theatre and what can be achieved. As always, Enjoy!
Michi Barall is a New York City-based actor, playwright, and academic. Her dance-theatre piece, Rescue Me, was produced at the Ohio Theatre by Ma-Yi in 2010. Her music-theatre adaptation of Peer Gynt - Peer Gynt and The Norwegian Hapa Band, premiered in 2107 at the ART/NY Theatre. She holds degrees from Stanford University, NYU with an M.F.A. in Acting) and Columbia with a PhD in Theatre/English & Comparative Literature. She has taught at Columbia, NYU, and MIT and is currently on the faculty at Purchase College.
Drawing Lessons opens at Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota October 8th through November 10th, 2024.
For tickets, visit - https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/drawing-lessons/
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/w1gHrCcEN5M
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Children's Theatre Company -
https://childrenstheatre.org
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Ben Edlin and Deborah Aquila came by the studio to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight before the World Premiere of the collaborative play -TH*IR*DS. In this interview, we discussed the long process of developing this play over the course of seven years, the changes made, the possibility of it becoming a pilot but returning the concept to the stage, their process and procedure, and breaking a story. We also touch obstacles in collaboration, Ben's need to "enter the cave", choosing words and punctuation, assembling the team, and the changes that occur during table work as well as the challenges of flipping from playwright to actor when cast in your own piece. It's a insightful discussion that gives both perspectives of a collaborating team. Enjoy.
BEN EDLIN is a playwright and actor who trained at Dartmouth College and The Aquila Studio in Los Angeles. He is also a founding member of THE THREE WEEKS NOTICE COLLECTIVE, with whom he recently premiered his play, “Conversations in Exile,” an original adaptation of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.” His newest play, THIRDS opened September 6th and runs through September 29th at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles.
DEBORAH AQUILA is casting director and is the mind behind the story of THIRDS. A graduate of NYU's TISCH SCHOOL of the ARTS and THE STELLA ADLER CONSERVATORY, she’s cast films including "THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION," "PRIMAL FEAR," "KISS THE GIRLS," and "LA LA LAND.” She is a proud member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, and the Casting Society of America (CSA) and has been nominated 18 times for the Artios Award by the CSA, winning for the features Red, My Week with Marilyn, CODA and La La Land.
For tickets to TH*IR*DS, playing through September 29th, 2024, visit -
https://thirdstheplay.com/
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/06ioaeHchCY
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
The Aquila Studio -
https://www.theaquilastudio.com
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Send us a text
If there was a formula that could tell you how to become a successful playwright, this episode is it. Nicholas Pilapil dropped into the Playwright's Spotlight for an insightful approach to becoming a working playwright. His approach to workshops lays out a pathway of motivation and accountability. We discuss confidence versus hubris, his approach to selecting playwrights for his workshop, the benefits of seeing theatre, telling the story, character description, set, and beats, as well as how to creating distinct voices. This was such a motivating chat that I believe lays out a foolproof way to becoming a working playwright. Let me know if you agree. Enjoy!
Nicholas Pilapil is an alum of The Writers’ Room at the Geffen Playhouse, IAMA Theatre Company’s Emerging Playwrights Lab, The Vagrancy Playwrights Group, and artEquity. His plays include The Bottoming Process and if all that You take from this is courage, then I’ve no regrets and was the winner of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. His work has also been developed with Geffen Playhouse, Abingdon Theatre Company, Playwrights Foundation, American Stage, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, The Workshop Theater and Artists at Play.
For tickets for God Will Do the Rest playing through September 29th, visit -
https://www.latinotheaterco.org/godwilldotherest
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/49Xf3MSTcmE
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Artists at Play -
https://artistsatplay.org
Los Angeles Theatre Center -
https://culture.lacity.gov/cultural-centers/los-angeles-theatre-center-latc/
Geffen's Writers Room -
https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/tickets/new-plays/the-writers-room/
IAMA -
https://www.iamatheatre.com/
Boston Court Theatre -
https://bostoncourtpasadena.org
Website and Socials for Nicholas Pilapil -
https://www.nicholaspilapil.com
Twitter/X - @nicholaspilapil
IG - @nicholaspilpil
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nepilapil
TikTok - @nicholaspilapil
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Actor, director, producer, playwright, and artistic director since 1978 of the famous Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, Ellen Geer stopped by to talk about the history of the Theatricum, growing up in a blacklisted family, and how playwriting helps heal societal wounds. Ellen shares her transition into playwriting, her approach to revising Shakespeare to the female characters' point of view and how it changes the story, the learning curve of a self-taught playwright, and the importance of ending a days work of writing on a high note. She also delves into the important lessons of playwriting, the use of technology, struggles and confidence, and her view of "gatekeepers" and staging your own work, especially when it could be considered a controversial piece. It's a charming conversation and the second episode where my camera shut down in the middle of the interview, so I apologize for the brief interruption. In the end, it was a pleasure to sit and share with an important and prominent influence in the Los Angeles theatrical community. Enjoy!
For tickets to the current running production of Wendy's Peter Pan at the Theatricum Botanicum, visit - https://www.todaytix.com/los-angeles/shows/41175-wendys-peter-pan
Ellen Geer is a playwright, actress, producer, and director and has been the artistic director of Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum since 1978, where she helped the theater develop from a Sunday afternoon workshop performing Shakespeare to a professional repertory theater company with a negotiated Actors Equity Contract. She has produced and directed well over 100 Theatricum productions, including plays by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Chekhov and Thornton Wilder and many of her own plays and adaptations have been performed at Theatricum as well, including this season’s Wendy’s Peter Pan and last season’s Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses; Trouble the Water; An Enemy of the People; TOM (adapted from the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”); Merlin: The Untold Story; Dracula; A Dark Cloud Came; and Dory, A Musical Portrait.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/F5nDOG__jr4
Website and Socials for Ellen Geer and Theatricum Botanicum -
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum -
https://theatricum.com
Theatricum's Socials -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Theatricum
IG - https://www.instagram.com/theatricum_botanicum/
X - @theatricum
Ellen Geer Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ellen.geer.3
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Send us a text
Tom Jacobson swung into the Playwright's Spotlight in the midst of his coinciding plays The Bauhaus Project and Crevasse to discuss the correlation to both of the pieces and the subject matter of fascism and anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. While discussing the historical influence of the Bauhaus, we explore previews and changes within coinciding pieces, writing trilogies and their process and presentation, standalones within trilogies, jumping timelines in historical works, balancing historic events and relationships, and taking creative license. We also discuss research, outlining, and when to start writing, breaking down structure, layering characters with and for the actor, table work and the role of the playwright, doubling and tripling up actors, writing complex sets with simplicity, stage magic on the play, and the benefits of academia as well as relationships and how they can help land productions. It's a wonderful conversation with a few technical hiccups that you might find entertaining, but you'll walk away with some education in history in addition to some insight in the craft of playwriting. As always... Enjoy!
Tom Jacobson has penned more than 50 plays and has had more than 100 productions of his works performed around the world. His play The Twentieth-Century Way premiered at The Theatre @ Boston Court and the New York International Fringe Festival garnering five Ovation Award nominations, four Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle nominations, one GLAAD Award nomination, a Fringe Festival Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, a PEN Center Award for Drama and then moved Off Broadway to Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. He has been a co-literary manager of The Theatre @ Boston Court, a founding member of Playwrights Ink, and a board member of Cornerstone Theater Company and The Theatre @ Boston Court. His most recent play The Bauhaus Project opened at the Atwater Village Theatre and will be running simultaneously with his play Crevasse at the The Victory Theatre here in the Los Angeles area. Both pieces focus on the relationship of art and artists to the rise of fascism, anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany.
For tickets for The Bauhaus Project and Crevasse through August 18th, 2024 -
https://glamgical.com/the-bauhaus-project-and-crevasse/
For the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/sNg7rH8QzQE
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Dramatists Guild -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com
Moving Arts -
https://movingarts.org
Website and Socials for Tom Jacobson -
www.tomjacobsonplaywright.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tom.jacobson3
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Catherine Filloux dropped into the Playwright's Spotlight before the New York Premiere of her new play How to Eat an Orange. We spoke about her development and involvement in Theatre Without Borders and transitioning from an actor to playwright which would later push her into becoming a librettist for operas. She explained the structure of a libretto, the purpose of arias, developing characters and writing for range. We also touched on the dramatic question, theatrical perspectives, framing and shaping your play, and whether or not there is one thing that all playwrights should be doing. Catherine brings her knowledge and experience to this episode that I think everyone listening will walk away with something. Enjoy!
Catherine Filloux is an award-winning playwright who has been writing about human rights and social justice for over twenty-five years. Her plays have been produced around the U.S. and internationally. Filloux was honored with the 2019 Barry Lopez Visiting Writer in Ethics and Community Fellowship; the 2017 Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre and the 2015 Planet Activist Award due to her long career as an activist artist in the theater community. She received her M.F.A. at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Dramatic Writing Program and is a co-founder of Theatre Without Borders as well as an alumna of New Dramatists. She has taught playwriting at many universities and colleges including Vassar College, Wesleyan University and Bennington College. Plays include White Savior, whatdoesfreemean?, Kidnap Road, and How to Eat an Orange.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/VZZqwhmP_H8
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Theatre Without Borders -
https://theatrewithoutborders.com/
Circle in the Square Theatre -
https://circlesquare.org/theatre/
HB Theatre Foundation -
https://www.hbstudio.org
Website and Socials for Catherine Filloux -
www.catherinefilloux.com
IG - @catherinefillouxwriter
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CFillouxWriter/
X - @CFillouxWriter
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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Send us a text
Olivia Sawatzki came by Playwright's Spotlight after the West Coast Premiere of her play Being Alive (& other big jokes) at the Raven Playhouse in North Hollywood.
We discuss seeing your work onstage, writing strategies, evolving as a playwright, being influenced and deconstructing playwrights' works, the process of revision, writing tricks and rituals as well as breaking habits. We also talk about confidence, finding motivation, character descriptions, detailed stage directions, and living an artists life. As an emerging playwright, Olivia has some wonderful information that any playwright at whatever stage in the career can benefit from. Enjoy!
Olivia Sawatzki is a Los Angeles-based playwright. Originally from Columbus, Ohio. She is an alumna of Ohio State University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Theatre in 2020. She won the 2019 Gerald R. Black Prize for Recognition of Excellence in Playwriting. Her plays have been produced in Ohio and California and include Men of Might, LZRDGRL, Bleed Me Dry, and for sale, baby shoes. Most recently, her play Being Alive (& other big jokes) sold-out its West Coast Premiere run at in Los Angeles, CA, and she is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/MEG5VRKejqQ
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Stuart Rogers & Theatre Tribe -
https://stuartrogersstudios.com/la-theatre/
New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org
Dramatists Guild -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com
Playwrights' Center -
https://new.pwcenter.org
NYCPlaywrights -
https://www.nycplaywrights.org
Website and Socials for Olivia Sawatzki -
IG - @olivsawa
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Recent Harvard-Westlake graduate Ian Kim swung by the studio to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight after the successful production of his second musical - Bakery of Love as part of HW's Playwright's Festival. We talk about making it look simple, the dangers of missing deadlines, musician collaboration and singer coordination as well as the meaning and benefits of safeties in a musical and writing for ranges. We also discuss transitioning from traditional playwriting to musicals and the process of the latter, commons songs types found in musicals, and terminology such as the bridge of a song. We wrap things up with trimming and cutting, cross-casting, changes during rehearsals, finding outside opportunities, and monetary prizes versus getting produced. Ian's a charming and talented musician with insight that will take him without doubt to a successful future. I hope you find inspiration from his interview. Enjoy!
Ian Kim playwright, actor, and filmmaker as well as a recent graduate of the prestigious Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood, California. His musicals Unauthorized Aid and Bakery of Love were both selected for the school’s annual Playwright’s Festival, and the former was produced at the California Young Playwrights Contest in San Diego, California. He begins attending Harvard next fall with an undeclared major.
Click below to view the video format of this episode -
https://youtu.be/20RJdGE8Nos
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
MuseScore -
https://musescore.org/en
Stephen Sondheim: Finishing the Hat -
https://www.amazon.com/Finishing-Hat-Collected-1954-1981-Principles/dp/0679439072
The Blank Theatre's Young Playwright's Festival -
https://www.theblank.com/ypf
California Young Playwrights Contest in San Diego -
https://www.playwrightsproject.org/programs/contest/
Unauthorized Aid Production Video -
https://vimeo.com/832110714
Socials for Ian Kim -
IG - @ianbkim
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Barry M. Putt, Jr. beamed into the Playwright's Spotlight from New Jersey to discuss the medium of the audio drama, a throwback and homage to radio plays of the 30s and 40s. We breakdown the differences in elements of traditional playwriting vs the audio drama, i.e., setting up the scene, dialogue, sound effects, music, etc. We also talk about converting plays from stage to audio drama, the process of writing them as well as compensation and the opportunities in that market. We also touch on length, episodic vs feature, beats and silences in the medium, the hiring process for staff writers, popular genres, writing good suspense and character as well as establishing character flaws and adapting from other sources such as dime magazines. We wrap things up by touching on some of the traditional aspects of playwriting. Whether its audio dramas or traditional stage plays, Barry offers insight that I think you will find beneficial, and as always... Enjoy!
Barry M. Putt, Jr.'s plays have been performed in Canada, France, the UAE, and throughout the U.S and his comedy, “A Different Blend of Friendship” won the New Jersey Wordsmiths Award. Other plays include – Seafood Salad, The Grumbletonians, Inside Out, and Gutter Rat. He has also scripted more than 50 audio-drama productions for companies including Colonial Radio Theatre, Radio Theater Project, and Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre. His book on the craft of audio-drama writing entitled "Stories Told through Sound" is published by Applause Books. He is a member of the Witherspoon Circle, the Dramatists Guild, and the Authors Guild and has a degree in Dramatic Writing from NYU and in English Literature from Centenary University.
The video format of this episode can be viewed at -
https://youtu.be/y2hIkY8sbTs
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Shoestring Radio Theatre -
https://www.shoestring.org
Next Stage Press -
https://www.nextstagepress.com
Voices in the Wind -
https://www.voicesinthewind.ca
Richard Wade, U.S. Marshal -
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/richard-wade-u-s-marshal/id1549613880
Website and Socials for Barry M. Putt, Jr. -
Website -
https://www.barrymputtjr.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/barry.m.putt
IG - @barrymputtjr
@puttbarry
X - @bmputt
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Playwright Boni B. Alvarez stopped by Playwright's Spotlight during the run of his historic play Mix-Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy. In such, we discuss approaching historical figures and events and flashbacks on stage. We also discuss his approach to writing "in threads," being married to material, finding momentum, and addressing and giving feedback. We also explore Julliard, his start in playwriting, lessons in playwriting and having a style. We also touch on what is craft, finding an arc, and writing and finding a good antagonist. It's a fascinating episode that explore the evolvement of writing and revision, "taking every single note," making changes and change "requests," as well as content warnings. As always, I hope you walk away with some beautiful insight into the craft of playwriting. Now, sit back and get to work.
Boni B. Alvarez is a Los Angeles-based playwright-actor and faculty member at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. He has been a semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and a Finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Aurora Theatre’s Global Age Project, and Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission. He is currently in the Geffen Playhouse’s Writer’s Room and a Resident Playwright with New Dramatists. His plays include America Adjacent, Bloodletting, Fixed, Nicky, Dallas Non-Stop, Driven, The Debut of Georgia, Emmylu, and Refuge for a Purple Heart. He holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA (Acting) from A.R.T./MXAT Institute at Harvard University, and an MFA (Dramatic Writing) from USC. His play Mix-Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy opens May 18 and runs through June 16 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center.
For tickets to Mix-Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy visit -
https://dola.com/events/2024/6/6/mix-mix-tickets
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/1UzeyRIgdtI
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
https://americanrepertorytheater.org
Website and Socials for Boni B. Alvarez -
https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/boni-b-alvarez/
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
David Johann Kim stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to discuss his two new simultaneous running plays and the process in which they were developed, their similarities surrounding the same historical event, and the collaborative process working with two different troupes and directors and his "overnight" success. We also discuss the value of workshops, recording notes opposed to writing them, fighting with structure, the Joint-Stock Method, discoveries from table work, writing rituals, and embracing rejection letters. It's a fascinating conversation about a unique situation. I hope you enjoy the talk.
David Johann Kim is an actor and playwright. His plays PANG SPA and TWO STOP were awarded the 2022 Los Angeles New Play Project Award and Grant. TWO STOP was recently workshopped at The Inkwell Theater and PANG SPA was a semifinalist for the 2018 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Ashland New Play Festival and Bay Area Playwrights Festival and the final round of Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation Playwrights Program. He holds an MFA from UC San Diego and is a member of The Dramatists Guild, The Playwrights Union, EST/LA’s Playwrights Unit, Chalk Rep’s Writers group, Playwrights ThinkTank and cofounder of EST/LA’s Ignite Project.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/N4oPK8ZBt5M
For tickets to both Two Stop (May 2 – June 9, 2024) and Pang Spa (May 16th - June 9th), visit - https://www.estlosangeles.org/two-stop-world-premiere
Links to resources mentioned in this episode -
Los Angeles New Play Project -
https://lanpp.org
EST/LA (Ensemble Studio Theatre) -
https://www.estlosangeles.org
Chalk Repertory Theatre -
https://www.chalkrep.com
The Magic -
https://magictheatre.org/
Asian American Theatre Company -
https://naatco.org
New Works Now -
https://downtownla.com/do/new-original-works-now-festival
Lark Play Development -
https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/lark-play-development-center/
Inkwell Workshop -
https://www.inkwellretreats.org
Circle X Writers -
https://www.circlextheatre.org/new-page-2
Evolving Playwrights -
https://www.circlextheatre.org/evolving2023
Ignite Project -
https://www.estlosangeles.org/ignite-project
New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org/
Website and Socials for David Johann Kim -
IG - @d.yo_hankim
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/david.j.kim.982
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Michelle Kholos Brooks sat in the Playwright's Spotlight for a wonderful conversation about her approach to the craft. We talked about the rehearsal process with the return of her play Hitler's Tasters in which we touch on writing transitions, the effects of Covid on this particular piece and the different renditions prior to publication as well as working with different casts. We also discuss inspiration to write historical events, playing in different markets, her trajectory into playwriting from journalism, overcoming struggles, writing exposition well, using and implementing prompts, editing, motivation, and detailing or suggesting stage directions. As always, it was a very insightful interview that I hope you will enjoy. Cheers!
Hitler's Tasters runs May 4th through June 3rd at Rogue Machine Theater. Tickets can be purchased at - https://roguemachine.ludus.com/index.php?show_id=200451592
Michelle Kholos Brooks is an award-winning playwright with productions staged internationally. Awards and distinctions include the Susan Glaspell Award for H*TLER’S TASTERS and the Riva Shiner Comedy Award for KALAMAZOO, co-written with Kelly Younger. ROOM 1214 was a finalist for The Ashland New Plays Festival, and her play HOSTAGE was a finalist for the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, The Fratti-Newman Political Play Contest, and a Showcase finalist for the National New Play Network. Other plays include War Words, Chair, and Project Fear (and All the Feels). She earned her BA from Emerson College and an MFA is Fiction from Otis College of Art and Design and she is Playwright-in-Residence at New York Rep.
For the video format of this episode, click -
https://youtu.be/InlPEuB2b-0
Links mentioned in this episode -
Rogue Machine Theatre -
https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org
New Light Theater Project -
https://www.newlighttheaterproject.com
Pacific Resident Theater -
https://pacificresidenttheatre.org
Dramatists Bill of Rights -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com/rights
New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org
Websites and socials for Michelle Kholos Brooks -
https://www.michellekholosbrooks.com
IG - @michellekholosbrooks
X/Twiiter - @MKholosBrooks
FB - https://www.facebook.com/michelle.k.brooks.7
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Playwright Oliver Mayer joined us before the premiere of his new play Ghost Waltz. Oliver shares his experience writing operas, the medium's influence on his playwriting and the musicality of English as well as the intimacy of theatre and creative control, the after affects of "crashing into the wall. We also explore writing rituals, interruptions, reframing your story, breaking bad habits and the dangers of wit, where to start a scene and "when the mask falls," and wrap things up with dialogue and stage directions, the rules of twos and threes, the use of music, translating works, and saving (L.A.) theatre and nontraditional venues. It was certainly another page in the lesson books for me. I hope you walk away with something insightful. Enjoy.
Oliver Mayer is a playwright, poet, essayist and librettist, whose newest opera 3 Paderewskis, composed by Jenni Brandon, received its world premiere at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center in 2019. He is the author of more than 30 plays, from his ground-breaking Blade to the Heat to its long-awaited sequel - Members Only; he is currently at work on Ultimate Mix Tape, the third play in the Blade trilogy. Other produced plays include Blood Match and Yerma in the Desert (inspired by the plays of Federico Garcia Lorca), Fortune is a Woman, The Wallowa Project, Dias y Flores, Dark Matters, Young Valiant, Joy of the Desolate, The Sinner from Toledo, Laws of Sympathy and Ragged Time. He is developing new plays with The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Getty Villa. He is a tenured professor and Associate Dean of Faculty at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts. The world premiere of his play Ghost Waltz opens at the Los Angeles Theater Center on May 4th and runs through June 6th.
For tickets to Ghost Waltz, visit -
https://www.latinotheaterco.org/ghostwaltz
To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/hDj406wgr6g
Links mentioned in this episode -
Latino Theater Company -
https://www.latinotheaterco.org
Live at the Met -
https://www.metopera.org/season/radio/saturday-matinee-broadcasts/
Website and Socials for Oliver Mayer -
Website -
www.olivermayer.com
USC - School of Dramatic Arts -
https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/faculty-qa-oliver-mayer/
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Playwright Tira Palmquist sat in the Playwright's Spotlight while rehearsing her latest play The Body's Midnight. We had a wonderful conversation discussing the benefits of table work, entering the flow state and making discoveries later in the process, the role of the playwright in rehearsals, cutting characters, time between drafts, and the tool of "saving as." We also touch on the different development processes, rookie mistakes, teaching subtext and fixing your flaws, finding your voice, poetry in playwriting as well as her take on "pay to play" and finding opportunities. It was another interview full of insight that I hope can help take your playwriting to the next level. Enjoy!
TIRA PALMQUIST is a dramaturg, director and playwright known for plays that merge the personal, the political and the poetic. Her play, The Way North was developed at the 2018 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and was a finalist for the 2018 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Other plays include: Two Degrees, Ten Mile Lake, Age of Bees, and This Floating World. She teaches creative writing at the Orange County School of the Arts, and has also taught at Wesleyan University and the University of California-Irvine. She’s back in town for a short spell for rehearsals of her play The Body’s Midnight which opens April 27th at the Boston Court Theater in Pasadena, CA.
For tickets to The Body's Midnight through May 26th -
https://bostoncourtpasadena.org/events/thebodysmidnight/
To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/i4JBkve6CtA
Links mentioned in this episode -
Seven Devils New Play Foundry -
https://www.sevendevils.org
Boston Court Pasadena -
https://bostoncourtpasadena.org
Playwrights' Center -
https://pwcenter.org
New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org
Original Works Publishing -
https://www.originalworksonline.com
TRW Plays -
https://trwplays.com/
Websites and socials for Tira Palmquist -
www.tirapalmquist.com
IG - @tira.p
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tira.palmquist
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
Joan of Arcadia's Becky Wahlstrom stopped by Playwright's Spotlight while in town from Nashville to help wrap up the rehearsal process for the premiere of her new play A Froggy Becomes. Becky discusses how she started out writing plays after a successful stint in Hollywood. We touch a bit on censorship from theaters, the pros and cons of writing for small budgets, and having a network circle and how it can help, the experience of coming into rehearsals late in the process, feedback in Nashville vs Chicago as well as the Nashville market and the benefits of second and third tier markets. Finally, we talk about writing layers and character transformation, prejudging the audience, evolving through experience and taking chances, and taking the time to write through each character's eyes. It's an energetic episode at its finest and Becky delivers. Enjoy.
Becky Wahlstrom attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England and has appeared on shows such as Star Trek: Enterprise, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, NCIS, Judging Amy, and is best known for the supporting role of Grace Polk on the series Joan of Arcadia. She recently dipped her toe back into playwriting with the premiere of her play A Froggy Becomes at Open Fist Theatre in Los Angeles.
For tickets to A Froggy Becomes through April 13th, visit -
https://openfisttheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#/
To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/ZGo5JVYll1M
Links mentioned in this episode -
Open Fist Theatre Company -
https://openfist.org
Nashville Repertory Theatre -
https://nashvillerep.org/
Moving Arts Theatre Company -
https://movingarts.org
Dramatists Guild -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com
Websites and Socials for Becky Wahlstrom -
http://www.beckywahlstrom.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/becky.wahlstrom
IG - @beckywahlstrom
New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
-
Send us a text
This week playwright Steve Fife sat in-studio in the Playwright's Spotlight. It was a reflective conversation of his experience in New York and on Broadway in the seventies, his dislike of eighties, and the joyous return in the nineties. We discuss rewriting and updating past works, getting back to theatre's roots, directing your own work (of course) and The Greats, the current acceptance of dark subject matter, and audience feedback at staged readings. We also touch on theatre in L.A., cast conflicts and obligations, Playwrights vs Directors interpretation, lessons from workshop participation vs running workshops as well as lessons as a literary manager which led into stories of David Ives and fame in the bubble of theatre and being a big fish in a small pond. Our conversation ends in writing natural dialogue. It's a fascinating conversation through a window of where theatre was and where it is now and Steve's connection with personas we've all come to know throughout our time in this wondrous arena. I'm sure you'll find something to connect with. Enjoy!
Steve Fife is an author, poet, and playwright and former reporter and literary manager. His plays SAVAGE WORLD, BREAK OF DAY and THIS IS NOT WHAT I ORDERED have been published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals. Other plays include In The Mood, Sizzle Sizzle, Blue Kiss, The Kitchen Girl, Fun With Freud, Scattered Blossoms, Vincent in the Asylum, Van Gogh’s Zombie Movie, The Transformation Center, Bring Your Own and The Blessing. His adaptation of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance was produced Off-Broadway and The American Wife had its World Premiere at the Park Theatre in London. He was 2019-20 writer-in-residence at the Ark Theatre in North Hollywood. He has also penned book & lyrics for four musicals. He is a graduate the National Theatre Institute, Sarah Lawrence College and received his MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/RZmBvAMPM3E
Links mentioned in this episode -
Interact Theatre Company -
https://www.interactla.org/
"Hurricane" Carter -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubin_Carter
Matrix Theatre -
http://www.matrixtheatre.com
New Dramatists -
https://newdramatists.org
Concord Theatricals -
https://www.concordtheatricals.com
Websites and socials for Steve Fife -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/steve.fife.94
X - @twistedhipster8
IG - @steve.fife.94
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show
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