Podcasts about national new play network

Send us a textAudrey Cefaly streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight after I had the pleasure of seeing the production of her play Alabaster at The Fountain Theatre in Los Angles. This is first time I've had the opportunity to talk to the playwright after seeing their work. We discuss asking big questions, making changes throughout the play's evolution, how much design is on the page, knowing the rules of the card game, and refraining from hardwiring stage directions to allow creative freedom. We also delve into stripping the work down to its core, the use of hashtags, writing poetic dialogue, stillness in storytelling and other way finders, and the use of overlapping and dual dialogue. We wrap it up writing regional, the use of hypnotic language, the purpose of an artistic statements, and her toolbox of playwright vocabulary and "How to Playwright." It's a great conversation that went on for another thirty minutes after I stopped recording. Won't let that happen again. Enjoy, and be sure to go catch Alabaster at any of the theaters below.Audrey Cefaly is an alumna of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage, a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers Conference, and a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals, Smith & Kraus, and Applause Books. Her plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, Gulfshore Playhouse, Signature Theatre, and many others. Her play Alabaster received an 11-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in National New Play Network history and is now playing at The Fountain Theater in Los Angeles until March 30th.For tickets to Alabaster at The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, CA - https://www.fountaintheatre.com/events/alabasterFor tickets to Alabaster in Grand Rapids, MI, through March 8, 2025 -https://actorstheatregrandrapids.org/programming/coming-soon/alabaster/For tickets to Alabaster in Charolette, NC, through March 16 - https://charlottecultureguide.com/event/430227/alabaster-by-audrey-cefalyTo watch the video version of this interview, visit -           https://youtu.be/pcJSzLrAk-IWebsite and Socials for Audrey Cefaly -www.audreycefaly.comSubstack - https://audreycefaly.substack.comBluesky - @audreycefaly IG - @alcefaly X - @alcefaly Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -Punk Monkey Productions - www.punkmonkeyproductions.comPLAY Noir -www.playnoir.comPLAY Noir Anthology –www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.htmlJames Elden -Twitter - @jameseldensauerIG - @alakardrakeFB - fb.com/jameseldensauerPunk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods                  - @playnoirla IG - @punkmonkeyprods       - @playnoir_la FB - fb.com/playnoir        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductionsPlaywright's Spotlight -Twitter - @wrightlightpod IG - @playwrights_spotlightPlaywriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festivalwww.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the show

Check out this podcast replay of the SDCF Virtual Panel: Demystifying Pre-Production with Knud Adams, Maija García, and Delicia Turner Sonnenberg. This conversation focuses on the pre-production process, giving insights and a better understanding of all the things that happen between when a director signs a contract and first rehearsal. The panelists talked about what they have discovered over the years makes for the strongest pre-production process for them before rehearsals begin. Transcript available upon request. We hosted this panel in June 2024. Knud Adams is an Obie-winning director of artful new plays, based in New York. This season, he's directing English on Broadway. His work has been featured on "Best of the Year" lists by The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post. An avid developer of new work, his world-premiere productions include: Primary Trust (Roundabout), English (Atlantic/Roundabout), Bodies They Ritual (Clubbed Thumb), Private (Mosaic), The Headlands (LCT3), Paris (Atlantic), and The Workshop (Soft Focus). Knud also directed the radio play Vapor Trail, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Maija García is a theater director, cultural innovator and advocate for equity in the arts. She recently directed I am Betty, a world premiere hit new musical at History Theater by Cristina Luzarrága and Denise Prosek; VALOR, a Spanish golden-age play by Ana Caro; and OUR HOOD, a bi-lingual cineplay by John Leguizamo. Director of Movement for Spike Lee's Oscar award-winning Blackkklansman, CHI-RAQ and She's Gotta Have It on Netflix, and Executive Producer of Art of Dance, a documentary film, García's Theater Directing credits include Bill T. Jones' FELA! World Tour; CRANE: on earth in sky by Heather Henson and Ty Defoe and Salsa Mambo Cha Cha Cha in La Habana Cuba. Regional Theater credits include original choreography for West Side Story at the Guthrie Theater; Kiss My Aztec by John Leguizamo and Tony Toccone at Berkeley Rep, and La Jolla Playhouse; Snow in Midsummer by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Cuba Libre by Carlos Lacámara at Artists Repertory Theater (PAMTA Award); and Fats Waller Dance Party with Jason Moran and Meshell N'degeocello at Harlem Stage, SF Jazz and the Kennedy Center. Garcia founded Organic Magnetics to generate urban folklore for the future. She wrote, produced and directed Ghosts of Manhattan: 1512-2012, an interactive history and I am New York: Juan Rodriguez. Director of Education and Professional Training at Guthrie Theater, Maija served on the Tony Award Nominating Committee and is a proud member of SDC since 2008.  Delicia Turner Sonnenberg is a director, artistic leader, teacher, and mother. She is a founder and the former Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre, which she helmed for twelve acclaimed seasons. Delicia has directed plays for the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego REP, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, Cygnet Theatre, New Village Arts, and Diversionary Theatre, among others. Delicia has directed countless workshops and staged readings of new plays for National New Play Network, Old Globe, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, San Diego REP, and Arena Stage. Delicia was twice a recipient of the Van Lier Directing Fellowship through Second Stage Theatre in New York and is an alumna of the New York Drama League's Directors Program, as well as Theatre Communication Group's New Generations Program.

Nan Barnett, Executive Director of the National New Play Network, joins the show to discuss new writing for the American theatre, the New Play Exchange, and more. nnpn.org facebook.com/badmouthtc instagram.com/badmouthtc twitter.com/badmouthtc Music credit: MusicbyAden - Mythology by MusicbyAden is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0CC Download: Musicbyaden – Mythology @musicbyaden

Weekly Shoutout: coalitionworks issue 8, our latest publication is here! -- Hi there, Today I am so excited to be once again arts calling playwright Audrey Cefaly! audreycefaly.com About our Guest: Cefaly is an alumna of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage, a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers Conference, and a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals, Smith & Kraus, and Applause Books. Cefaly's plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, City Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Signature Theatre, Barter Theatre, Vermont Stage, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Capital Stage, About Face, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Circle Theatre, Theatre Three, Aurora Theatre, Quotidian Theatre Company and University of Alabama at Birmingham. ​Her play Alabaster received an 11-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in National New Play Network history. Instagram: @alcefaly Twitter: @alcefaly Her play, The Last Wide Open, is currently running at American Blues Theater through August 18th! Subscribe to her insightful playwriting newsletter, HOW TO PLAYWRIGHT! https://audreycefaly.substack.com/ Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Audrey! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j

Hello listeners! This week's guest is Kira Rockwell! Kira (she/her) is a neurodivergent playwright, originally from the heart of Texas. Through a trauma informed, healing centered lens, she aims to nurture communal spaces that disrupt passivity and empower agency. This summer she will develop her play WICKED BITTER BEAST(S) with Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Her play, OH TO BE PURE AGAIN, was developed with The Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, and Great Plains Theatre Commons. It premiered at Actor's Express in 2023 going on to win the Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award. Rockwell's work is often based on her nuanced experiences growing up in "culty" Pentecostal Christian Communities. She is based in Atlanta with her creative husband and their sweet lab pit. When she's not writing, she's probably trying to talk to a caterpillar. Additional Links:  Kira's recent spotlight in American Theatre Magazine Insta: @kirarockwell website: www.kirarockwell.com Kira's plays on NPX GLISTEN Cho - new play "Screen Time" Sam - Slime mold Kira - experiments with ChatGPT! ________________________ Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram or Threads: @beckettsbabies As always, we would love to hear from you!  Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: ⁠www.beckettsbabies.com⁠ Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beckettsbabies/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beckettsbabies/support

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=200451592Michelle 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-0Links mentioned in this episode -Rogue Machine Theatre -https://www.roguemachinetheatre.orgNew Light Theater Project -https://www.newlighttheaterproject.comPacific Resident Theater -https://pacificresidenttheatre.orgDramatists Bill of Rights -https://www.dramatistsguild.com/rightsNew Play Exchange -https://newplayexchange.orgWebsites and socials for Michelle Kholos Brooks - https://www.michellekholosbrooks.comIG - @michellekholosbrooksX/Twiiter - @MKholosBrooksFB - https://www.facebook.com/michelle.k.brooks.7Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -Punk Monkey Productions - www.punkmonkeyproductions.comPLAY Noir -www.playnoir.comPLAY Noir Anthology –www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.htmlJames Elden -Twitter - @jameseldensauerIG - @alakardrakeFB - fb.com/jameseldensauerPunk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods                  - @playnoirla IG - @punkmonkeyprods       - @playnoir_la FB - fb.com/playnoir        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductionsPlaywright's Spotlight -Twitter - @wrightlightpod IG - @playwrights_spotlightPlaywriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festivalwww.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.htmlSupport the Show.

Christmas came early this year! We are dropping this episode a few days ahead of schedule to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the release of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.   The multi-talented Lavina Jadhwani stops by to discuss her adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which was first produced when her script was discovered on New Play Exchange. In this episode, we discuss:Adapting a well-known story for the stage, making it unique, and being faithful to the original textLavina's approach to adapting for the stageHow surviving cancer gave her a different perspective of her workthe Bollywood film list Lavina curated for Melissa on the spotAnd more!Resources MentionedA Christmas Carol by Lavina Jadhwani is playing at the Guthrie and Penobscot Theatre during the 2023 holiday season.New Play Exchange Nothing For the Group substackAbout Our GuestLavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director, playwright, and activist. Directing credits include Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Rep, the Rep of St. Louis, Asolo Rep, Mixed Blood, the Neo-Futurists, the Gift, Teatro Vista, Silk Road Rising, and Rasaka Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director for seven years. As a playwright, her work has been seen at the Guthrie, the Goodman, the Gift, East West Players, Cincinnati Shakes, and Indianapolis Shakes, and more. Lavina serves on the boards of the National New Play Network and the Chicago Inclusion Project. She is a proud cancer survivor, dog mom, and child of immigrants. She got her BFA/MA at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and her MFA at The Theatre School at DePaul University.Connect with Our Guestlavinajadhwani.comRead & Recommend Lavina's plays on New Play ExchangeFacebookInstagramConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Inspired by a post in a playwriting group on Facebook, Melissa replays part of her previous conversation with Nan Barnett when they cover New Play Exchange (NPX).In this episode, we discuss:What NPX is and how this program got startedWho it's for and how to use it (Hint: anyone who writes plays and reads plays!) What playwrights can expect from putting their work on NPX How to optimize your profile and membershipAnd more! Resources MentionedEpisode 9 with Nan BarnettEpisode 27 with Nan BarnettNational New Play NetworkNew Play ExchangeAbout Our GuestNan Barnett is a new play developer and producer and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country's alliance of theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. While on NNPN's Executive Committee she worked to create the organization's revolutionary Rolling World Premiere and Residency programs. She came to the Network full-time in 2013 and guided it through the development and launch of its field-altering database, the New Play Exchange ®, now home to more than 53,000 plays by living writers, and its recent planning process, which resulted in the organization's much-lauded new governance and membership structure and plan for leading the field towards a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive new play ecosystem. Nan spent 24 seasons at Florida Stage, a LORT theater producing exclusively new and developing work, was a member of the inaugural Helen Hayes Awards' New Play Panel for the nation's capital region and Coordinating Producer for the 2015 and 2018 iterations of DC's Women's Voices Theater Festival. She serves on the Artistic Council of the O'Neill Theater Center and was inducted into the National Theatre Conference in 2017.Connect with Our GuestNational New Play NetworkConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

RP McLaughlin, Interim Programs Director at the National New Play Network, discusses the essential collaboration between theaters the NNPN provides to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. We chat about the challenges and rewards of producing new work, the abundance of resources available through the New Play Exchange (for $10 a year!), and wonderful opportunities for theater companies. https://nnpn.org/ https://newplayexchange.org/

In this episode Amber talks with Lynde Rosario, a new play dramaturg who wears many hats: Director of Fellowships at the Playwright's Center, President of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), and Impact Accessment Director at the National New Play Network. We discuss the vibrant creative community being nurtured in Minnesota, the LMDA conference and the resources the organization offers. the importance of collective questioning to create more inclusive structures, and finally - what artists need most from the American theatre.

Nan Barnett returns! We are thrilled to have her back because there was so much more to talk about after the last conversation. This time Nan reveals more about her personal story and some of the sacrifices she's made for her work. In this episode, we discuss:What NNPN is focused on in terms of equity and diversityPost-pandemic trends she's seeing in the theatre industryWhat 24 seasons of producing new work at Florida Stage taught her about theatre-makingAnd more!Resources MentionedEpisode 9 with Nan BarnettNational New Play NetworkNew Play ExchangeAbout Our GuestNan Barnett is a new play developer and producer and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country's alliance of theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. While on NNPN's Executive Committee she worked to create the organization's revolutionary Rolling World Premiere and Residency programs. She came to the Network full-time in 2013 and guided it through the development and launch of its field-altering database, the New Play Exchange ®, now home to more than 51,000 plays by living writers, and its recent planning process, which resulted in the organization's much-lauded new governance and membership structure and plan for leading the field towards a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive new play ecosystem. Nan spent 24 seasons at Florida Stage, a LORT theater producing exclusively new and developing work, was a member of the inaugural Helen Hayes Awards' New Play Panel for the nation's capital region and Coordinating Producer for the 2015 and 2018 iterations of DC's Women's Voices Theater Festival. She serves on the Artistic Council of the O'Neill Theater Center and was inducted into the National Theatre Conference in 2017.Connect with Our GuestNational New Play NetworkConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Melissa reconnects with playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer. They first met when Melissa interviewed her about her play, Be Here Now. Now we be here again to talk about one of Deb's (apparently many) stage adaptations, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, based of course on Chekhov's Three Sisters. In this episode, we discuss:Why Deborah set her adaptation in New JerseyWhich of Chekhov's 3 sisters we areWhat message Chekhov's plays have for us today How writers groups influence her writing processAnd more!Resources MentionedThe Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe LauferMelissa's first interviews with Deborah : The Be Here Now Interview, On Playwriting Pt. 1 & Pt. 2About Our GuestDeborah Zoe Laufer's plays have been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva, The Humana Festival, Everyman, Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and hundreds of other theaters around the world. Plays include Be Here Now, End Days, Rooted, Informed Consent which was a NYTimes critic's pick, Leveling Up, Out of Sterno, The Last Schwartz, Sirens, Meta, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, Fortune, dozens of short plays, and the musicals, Window Treatment, and By Any Other Name, written with composer, Daniel Green. Deb is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, the Lilly Award, The ATCA Steinberg citation, and grants and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Edgerton Foundation, The National New Play Network, and the Lincoln Center Foundation. Her work has been developed by The Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Theatre Lab, PlayPenn, The Cherry Lane Alternative, The Missoula Colony, LOCAL Theatre, Asolo Rep, The Baltic Playwrights Conference, and more. Her plays are published or recorded by Concord/Samuel French, Smith and Kraus, Playscripts, LA Theatreworks, and Premieres. She is a graduate of Juilliard, an alumna of the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical TConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Hi there, Today I'm thrilled to be arts calling Audrey Cefaly and Carolyn Messina! About our Guests: Audrey Cefaly (https://www.audreycefaly.com) is an alumna of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage, a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers Conference, and a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals, Smith & Kraus, and Applause Books. Cefaly's plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, City Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Signature Theatre, Barter Theatre, Vermont Stage, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Capital Stage, About Face, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Circle Theatre, Theatre Three, Aurora Theatre, Quotidian Theatre Company and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her play Alabaster received an 11-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in National New Play Network history. Twitter: https://twitter.com/alcefaly Carolyn Messina is an AEA actor and LMDA dramaturg. She has served as dramaturgical consultant for the National Showcase of New Plays (NNPN) (10-city rolling world premiere), the Southern Writers Festival (Alabama Shakes), Signature Theater's SigWorks, BMCC Showcase (NYC), and About Face Theatre. She has worked in various capacities of dramaturgical support for plays such as Safety Net (Daryl Fazio), Winter Break/Spring Break (Joe Calarco), and perhaps most notably Maytag Virgin, The Gulf, Alabaster, and Trouble, as longtime dramaturg for playwright Audrey Cefaly. For more information, please visit: https://www.carolyn-messina.com. Thank you both so much for this incredible conversation! All the best!! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent: much love, j https://artscalling.com/welcome/

The incomparable Nan Barnett graces the podcast this week with her wisdom, storytelling, and the amazing work happening at National New Play Network (NNPN) and the behemoth that is New Play Exchange (NPX).In this episode, we discuss:Her various roles in 24 seasons at Florida Stage and how she built her career thereWhy she considers herself a "connector"What NNPN & NPX are and who they're forWhat playwrights can expect from putting their work on NPX and tips from both Nan and Melissa to make the most of itAnd more!Resources MentionedNational New Play NetworkNew Play ExchangeAbout Our GuestNan Barnett is a new play developer and producer and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country's alliance of theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. While on NNPN's Executive Committee she worked to create the organization's revolutionary Rolling World Premiere and Residency programs. She came to the Network full-time in 2013 and guided it through the development and launch of its field-altering database, the New Play Exchange ®, now home to more than 40,000 plays by living writers, and its recent planning process, which resulted in the organization's much-lauded new governance and membership structure and plan for leading the field towards a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive new play ecosystem. Nan spent 24 seasons at Florida Stage, a LORT theater producing exclusively new and developing work, was a member of the inaugural Helen Hayes Awards' New Play Panel for the nation's capital region and Coordinating Producer for the 2015 and 2018 iterations of DC's Women's Voices Theater Festival. She serves on the Artistic Council of the O'Neill Theater Center and was inducted into the National Theatre Conference in 2017.Connect with Our GuestNational New Play NetworkConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Intro: Emceeing a memorial serviceLet Me Run This By You: Fear and the paranormalInterview: We talk to Tina Parker aka Francesca Liddy about SMU, Blake Hackler, Andre DeShields, Maria Irene Fornes' Mud, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Robert Altman's Dr. T & the Women, Birdbath play, Perpetual Grace. FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited):1 (8s):I'm Jen Bosworth Ramirez2 (10s):This, and I'm Gina Pulice1 (11s):We went to theater3 (12s):School together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand it.4 (15s):20 years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of3 (20s):It all. We survive theater school and you will too. Are we famous yet?2 (34s):So what does mean, What does it mean to mc a memorial?1 (40s):Yeah. I mean, I don't know what to call it. I I people keep it host. I'm not hosting cuz the family's hosting. So what it means is that I'm trusted, I think to not, Well one, I've done this twice, you know, I've lost both my parents. So I like know the drill about how memorials go, but also I think I'm kind of a safe person in that I will step in if someone goes kaka cuckoo at the memorial and I also have some, you know, able like, presenting skills. Yes. Right. And I'm entrusted to like guide the ship if it, and if it goes off kilter, I will say to somebody, Hey, why don't you have a seat?1 (1m 23s):This is like, we'll have time for this later if you really wanna get crazy or whatever. But that's, and I think it's just sort of steering, steering the grief ship maybe. I don't know. Yeah, look, I don't know. I like that. It's gonna be2 (1m 34s):Interesting, dude, people, Oh, honestly, they should have that for, you know, in other cultures where they have like professional grievers and professional mourners, it, it sounds a little silly, but at the same time it's like, no, this is right. Because no, we don't, we never know how to do it. Unless you've lived in a really communal environment where you, you, you, you know, you attend the rights, the ceremonies or rituals of everybody in your village, then you really don't know until, usually until it's thrust upon you. And then it's like, well, you're supposed to be grieving and then like hosting a memorial service. It's such a weird thing. So this could be another career path for you. You could be a professional, you know, funeral mc, I actually, honestly, I hate, I don't hate it.2 (2m 21s):I love it. Well,1 (2m 22s):And also could be my thank you, my rap name funeral Mc instead of like young mc funeral mc, but no. Yeah, I, I have no, and it's so interesting when it's not my own family, right? Like these are family friends, but they're not, it's not my mother who died. I don't have the attachment to I people doing and saying certain things. I don't feel triggered. Like being, I grew up a lot in this house that I'm sitting in right now, but it's not my, it was not my house. So I don't have any attachment emotionally like appendages to the items in the house where the girls do.1 (3m 2s):So I'm able to be here and, and, and be like, this is, this is, I'm okay here. I don't feel overwhelmed. And I think that is a sign that I'm doing the right thing in terms of helping out in this way if I got here and I was like, Oh my God, it's too much. But I don't feel that. And I also think that like, one of the things that I did with Nancy and Dave over the last couple years is like, they were literally the only adults. Well, I'm an adult, only older adults my parents age who are like, Yes, go to California, you need to get out of here, get away from this. They were the, so I that made me trust them. And then we stayed, we had like weekly phone conversations, just like they would each be on a line.1 (3m 46s):It was hilarious. And we would talk for hours like maybe once every two weeks, a couple hours. And it was really like a parenting experience. So I feel very close to them and I, what I'm learning is that like, even if other people have different relationships with people, you can have your own. So I know that no one's perfect, but these were allowed, like, you're allowed Gina to have your own relationship with your mom and with your even dead people than other people have.2 (4m 17s):Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that. Back to the plane for a minute. In these situations, what do the flight attendants do, if anything?1 (4m 28s):Oh, well I always talked to them before because I, so what I say, I always like to, because Dave, who's, who's a hypnotherapist and a psychologist, he said, Listen, you know, he used to be afraid. And he said his thing was talking to the flight attendants before and just saying like, Hey, I have a phobia. I'm a therapist. I'm working through it. Like just to make contact, right. I don't, I didn't say that exactly, but what I said was, Listen, I say, Hi, how are you? We struck up a strike up, a teeny conversation in that moment where I'm going to my seat and I say, Listen, I'm going to Chicago to like mc a memorial for like someone who's like my mom. So if you see me, so if you see me crying like it's normal. And they're like, Oh, thanks for telling me. And they're, they usually don't get freaked out.1 (5m 11s):I'm also not like intense about it. They do nothing. And you know what they, I think and, and she said, Thanks for telling me. I really appreciate it. Because I think they'd rather know what the fuck is going on with someone than thinking someone's about to hijack the goddamn plane.2 (5m 29s):Exactly. I was thinking that exact same thing. I was thinking like, especially right now, all they know is it's heightened emotion or it's not, you know, like they, they, they have no, they would have no way of differentiating, you know, what's, what's safe and what's dangerous. So I can't believe nobody's ever done this before. But we, another project that we could do is like airplane stories. I mean there is such, this is one of the few points of connection that humanity still has people that is who can afford to you fly a plane anywhere. But this thing of like, it sucks and it's dirty and it's growth and people, people's, you know, hygiene comes into question and if they're sitting next to you and it's uncomfortable and it's not the glamorous thing that it used to be even when we were kids.2 (6m 21s):So it's, it's one of those moments unless you have a private plane where you're sort of forced to reckon with like the same thing that everybody else in humanity has to reckon with. But even on a private plane, and I would argue even especially on a private plane, there is the fear of your imminent death. Like the, the, it doesn't matter if you're afraid of flying or not, it crosses your mind.1 (6m 42s):Well, yeah. And I, my whole thing is like, I, I don't know what would happen if we all started talking about that on a plane. So like what would that be like? So, okay, when I was traveling last with home from San Francisco with Miles, I sat next to this woman, Miles was in the middle and the woman on the aisle was this woman. We were both afraid. And we had this idea for a fricking television show, right? Which was two, it's called the Fearful Flyers and then two people on each side and a famous person in the middle seat. And we would interview them as we, we flew to one, take our mind off it, but two really delve into our own fear and did the person of any fear and get to know a celebrity at the same time.1 (7m 27s):Now she never texted me back. So she's clear, clearly she's not that interested. Cause I was like into it. I was like, what if we get, I know, I know. And she's not even in the industry. She's like, so, but I was like, hey fearful flyer friend, I think we should talk about our idea. Crickets radio silence. So whatever. She's moved on. Like she just used me for the, for the Yeah. No entertainment, which is fine,2 (7m 53s):Heightened emotional space. She, she bonded with you, but now she's back to like all of her armor and all of her gear and she doesn't wanna think about flying until she has1 (7m 60s):To. No. Right, right. Exactly. It's not something that she wants to delve into on her free time, you know, So, which I don't blame her. But anyway, so yeah, it's an interesting thing. Like I literally ha I sit out the window, I sit by the window and I have to look out the window. And this guy next to me who I met, who's like a vet and who is like, was self-medicating with alcohol and who is a gay vet was really interesting. But he, everyone copes differently. But it was in, at one point I thought, oh, I actually don't wanna be distracted by him because I'm really doing some deep work with myself as I look out the window and also your version of like getting through this experience, I, it does not feel safe to me, which is drinking and like just, I cannot distract myself.1 (8m 52s):People are like, Oh, read a book. I'm like, are you fucking kidding me? That's like telling someone I don't know who's having a seizure to read a book. Like you, you, it's not gonna work. Right. I look out the window and, and do therapy with myself. That is what I2 (9m 7s):Do. I love it. That's great. I think everybody who is listening to this, who has any kind of fear or intimidation around flying should, should do that. I don't know if you were getting to this, but I thought you were gonna say something about like how, Oh, you said, you said what if we all talked about it now? Every positive communal experience with the exception of theater that I've ever had, I've gone into unwillingly at the beginning and you know, sort of rejecting it and then come out the other side. Like that was amazing. You know, the thing that you experience, the communal thing, the thing of like, we're all in this together, which we are all like so actually parched for, but we, people like me would never really kind of actively sort of approach.2 (9m 48s):It has to be thrust upon me these like healing group experiences, but amen. In fact, they could make a whole airline that is sort of about that. Like this is, you know, this is the emotional express. Like this is where we're gonna talk about our fear of flying. Cuz everybody's crying in airplanes too. Being in the actual airplane does something to you that makes everybody much more vulnerable than there are otherwise.1 (10m 13s):It's so crazy. I agree. It could be emotional express and you could deal with it, but you would know getting on this plane, like people are gonna talk about their feelings and you shouldn't get on it. So the guy on the aisle2 (10m 26s):Yesterday, No,1 (10m 28s):No alcohol. Oh yeah, no alcohol. The guy on the aisle like hated everything about the flight, Right? He was like shaking his head. He was annoyed. But then he had a Harvard sweatshirt on. I was like, oh my god. But he was like middle aged guy, like coating or I don't know what he was doing, but he like hated everything. He shook his head when they told him to like put his bag under the seat. I'm like, listen, you know what's going on here. This is not your first time in an airplane, Why are you shaking your head? But okay. But then he said something that was hilarious and I said, I'm gonna put that in a script. Which, which was, I don't even know what he was responding to. It was probably my seat mate saying something. But he said, Listen, it's not ideal, but nobody asked me.2 (11m 13s):And1 (11m 13s):I, I'm gonna, and I said to him, I said, Listen, I am gonna put that in a script. Like the mother-in-law is meeting her future daughter-in-law and, and says, Listen, she's not ideal, but nobody asked me. And he laughed and then he said, it's true. And I said, Yeah, I know it's true. That's why. And so then he was like, then he was like free to talk about his disgruntledness, which was fine cuz then it was like he was more human. But at, he was hilarious. He was like the, like he's one of those people that like during and it was really turbulent at one point. And I was like, Okay, here we go. It's turbulence part of the deal. It's okay, fine. And he was like, just like angry at the turbulence.2 (11m 57s):I love1 (11m 58s):It. Which I thought was brilliant. Yeah, I'm like, but like, who are you angry at? Just like the turbulence. And he was like, ugh. And like angry at air flow. I don't know if2 (12m 7s):At air current1 (12m 8s):He was like pissed off. I was laughing. I was like, this guy's awesome. He just hates everything. It's, it is not ideal, but nobody asks me.2 (12m 17s):So what's so great about that? And so what's so great about you is like, you enga that's how you always engage people from this perspective of like, yeah, whatever is going on with you that you think is like nobody else wants to hear about, I want to hear about it. Because that's because that's what you spend your time doing. You know, bravely engaging with yourself. They, we need a person like you in all of these sort of like high stress situations that people have to do. Usually at some point in your life you have to get on an airplane. Usually at some point in your life you you have to speak, you know, in front of a group of people. You have to have the funeral. We need these sherpa's, these guides to kind of give us, basically just give us permission to have our own human experience that we have somehow talked ourselves out of having, even though it's completely unavoidable.1 (13m 3s):Yeah. And I also really respect people who now who have to just, I mean I, it's not my way, but like, shut down and they're like, Nope, I'm just gonna, they can do it. They're like, either it's drinking or whatever it is to distract themselves. They're like in it, whether it's the disgruntledness or other people, they like just go to sleep immediately. They like sit down and they're like out. And I don't think it's relaxation. I think they're just like checked. They're like,2 (13m 30s):I have, Oh yeah, no, they're, I cannot be conscious right now. I wonder what makes the difference between people who are afraid of flying and not, I have never once felt afraid of flying, even during turbulence. I've never once had the thought like, this plane is going down. I mean, maybe that changed a little bit when I had kids and I was always the one in the aisle, like holding, I had to hold my babies the entire flight because, because it must be a natural thing to be freaked the fuck out to be on an airplane. Even a baby freaks out to be on an airplane. So there's something to it. But what makes a difference between people who just, I've never had that fear.1 (14m 8s):I I know it is a foreign, it is like it is. I don't know either. And I, I I, there's other people like that have, What was the fear someone was talking about the other day? Oh, I have a friend who like literally cannot have their blood drawn. They have to go under almost. Wow. They almost have to be sedated to have their blood drawn. Me. I I stick out my arm. I don't give a, it's just not my thing. Yeah. I don't have any charge at it at all.2 (14m 37s):Well,1 (14m 38s):You could take my blood right now.2 (14m 40s):I used to have this theory that you grew up afraid of the things that your parents basically were afraid of so that they therefore communicated to be afraid of. But that I now think that that's completely untrue. My daughter is scared to death of spiders. She, she's haunted by this fear that when she goes into the bathroom at night, there's gonna be a spider. If there's the tiniest and we live in the woods, there's sp there's all kinds of insects that make that their way into our house. I have, there's not a spider I've ever encountered that I've been afraid of now. Mice and rats. That's what I'm afraid of. My mom was afraid of snakes. She did not transfer when I was younger.2 (15m 20s):I felt afraid of them too. And then one day I was like, eh, it's fine. Yeah. I don't think I have any coral with these snakes actually. I think it's completely fine. Right. So I, I don't, So it's something inherent in us that identifies an ob I think it's maybe like we've, I for whatever reason, this becomes the object of all of your fears. And it could be a spider, it could be a plane, it could be, you know, clowns. Like it's for a lot, for a lot of people. It's1 (15m 47s):Fun. Oh remember, Okay, Larry Bates, who we went to school with, and he's open, I think about this. Yeah, he is cuz he's, he's talked about it. I, he had a fear of muppets, like an intense Muppet fear. And I was like, Wait, are you, I thought it was a joke. I was like, Wait, Muppets, Like, okay, they're a little weird, but like, but like a phobia of a Muppet. And I was like, what the actual fuck. I couldn't like,2 (16m 14s):I just, that's it's not, dude, my version of that is I was afraid of mariachi bands.1 (16m 22s):Wait, mariachi bands?2 (16m 24s):Yes.1 (16m 25s):Like bands. Yeah.2 (16m 26s):Well, so growing up, growing up in, well, we love Mexican boots, so we were always going out for Mexican food. And back then, I don't know why every time you went to have Mexican food, you know, dinner, there was a mariachi band. Like, I, I, it doesn't, I haven't seen a mariachi band in such a long time, but it used to be that you could not go out for a Mexican restaurant dinner without a mariachi band. And I, it got to a point where they couldn't, first it was like, we can't go to have Mexican food anymore. It was like, we can't go to a restaurant. I just, I didn't want these mariachis and, and it must have just, I think it was the bigness of the hat and the loudness of the music right next to your table when you think about it, it's actually, so it's strange, right?2 (17m 9s):Yeah. That you're sitting at your table, like with your family looking, you know, whether you're gonna order the chalupa or the enchilada. And then it's just like, extremely loud, very good, but extremely loud and, and in huge presence. People sitting, you know, right next to your table.1 (17m 24s):Yeah. I mean it doesn't really make a lot of sense as a business move either. Like what, why it would like, it would like make people, unless you're drunk again, if there's alcohol involved, it changes everything. But you can't really drink as a toddler. So, but I think that like, maybe there's something, I wonder if there's something about that of like all the attention being on you. Like, listen, when there's, like, there are kids I know at restaurants when they, when it's their birthday and they come over to sing that they fucking hate it. It's too much attention on them. And adults too. And I can kinda understand that. It's like too much pressure, right? There's like a2 (17m 59s):Pressure. Well, you just unlocked it for me now I know exactly what it is. You said something about being drunk and I think at that age, I have always equated loud and raucous with drunk. You know, as a kid, I knew when anybody in my family was being loud raus. And, and actually, I'm sorry to say even especially when they were having fun. When I'm in a room, when I'm in a house and everybody's laughing, you know, my, it's like, I I I I just get that fear. I just get that fear sort of rise up. It's different now that I'm older and I've, you know, been in more situations where that hasn't been scary to me. But that's what it was with the mariachis, The loud and the festive and the music meant like, somebody's going to say something that they really regret.2 (18m 44s):Somebody's gonna get a dui, somebody's going to jail.1 (18m 50s):Hey, let me run this by you.2 (18m 58s):So imperfectly into the thing I wanted to run by you today, given that it is Halloween season and this episode will air the day after Halloween. But so I, you know, Well, actually no. Okay, I'll, I'll start with this. I am one of those people that desperately seeks paranormal experiences. And I'm almost always disappointed when I'm, when I'm actively seeking it, going to a psychic, going to a medium, going to, it's, oh, you know, it's, I'm never the one in the crowd where the medium goes. Like, I've got a message for you.2 (19m 40s):And I've, I've gotten to the point where I'm like, my family's like just not that into me. They don't wanna, you know, the people have passed over, like, don't wanna, don't wanna come talk to me, don't wanna give me messages. But I I, if you're out there, if you're listening, ancestors drop a line. I'd love to know what the deal is. I'd love to know what messages you might have from me because I actually really do believe that that can happen. Maybe it just needs to happen with people who are on a higher spiritual plane than any of,1 (20m 9s):I mean, I don't, I don't believe that for a sec. I mean, it could be true. What do I know? But I think, look, I do believe right, that most shit happens when you're not expecting it paranormal or not. Like all this shit that has happened to me, most of it has been not at all when I would've planned or thought or, and so I have one ghost story. I don't know if you know, it happened in Great Barrington, Do you know this story?2 (20m 42s):Yes. But tell it again. It's a great story.1 (20m 44s):Okay. Okay. I could care. I was like 21. All I wanted was to be skinny and have boys like me. I didn't give a fuck about ghosts, I didn't care about anything. So I'm in Great Barrington in edits, Wharton's the old Lady author's house, and I'm the stage manager. And this guy I was in love with was in this play that took place. The monkeys paw took place in the, they were doing an adaptation of the Monkeys Paw in Edith Wharton's parlor on Halloween. It was like the creepiest thing, but I didn't give a fuck because I was in love with the guy who was seriously haunted. Yes, yes, yes. Super, super Berkshire's, whatever. I didn't care.1 (21m 24s):I was like, ah, I wanna, I want this guy to like me. I don't give a fuck about any of that. Okay. So I, my job was to literally move the furniture after the rehearsal to the storage room. Okay. In this big mansion. Okay, fine. They're getting notes and I'm just probably daydreaming about how I can make this guy like me. And I'm moving furniture and I go into this little storage room and of course people talk about the house is so big and haunted, I could care less. So I'm in there and down the road from the house is a barn where they're doing the play Ethan from and Okay, Ethan from, there's like a sledding accident in the play. So he's on a sled and they start screaming and the guy is hurt.1 (22m 4s):So another show was going on at the, in the barn. And I'm like, ah, okay. So I'm moving the furniture and I hear this sled yelling and okay, I'm like, Oh, should they, I wish they would shut up. I was like, this is loud yelling. So then I, we finish our rehearsal and we're walking up back, me and the cute guy and some other people, and all I'm thinking about is how can I get this guy like me? And like, literally, and also now I see pictures of him and I'm like, Dear God. Anyway, so, so, oh my God, why didn't someone, I mean, you should, someone should have just slapped me like 10 times and been like, No. But anyway, but that's what I was, I was all about him. I had a thing for Canadians. Anyway, so, so like, I just loved the guys that was like international to me, Canadians.1 (22m 48s):Anyway, okay. So it was like all the Canadians. So we're walking in the dark to our cars and, and I say, and we walk by the barn and I'm like, Oh my gosh, you guys, they were so loud tonight when I was moving the furniture. Like they should shut up. Like, I, I wonder how it's gonna be when we're doing the Monkeys Past show. We're gonna hear Ethan from, and like every, there's like four of us. Everyone stopped and I'm like, What, what's wrong with you? Two or three or whatever. And they were like, like turned white. I've never seen this happen in human beings. And I was like, What is happening? I thought I said something wrong or like, of course, like I was bad. And I'm like, What?1 (23m 28s):And they're like, Oh God. And I was like, What? What are you punk me? What's happening? And they're like, There was no show tonight.2 (23m 37s):Ooh. Even though I knew that was coming the story, it still gave me a chill. Today on the podcast we are talking to Tina Parker. Yes. Tina Parker, the one and only Francesca Litty from the Smash Hit series, critically acclaimed and me acclaimed Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad Tina's a delight. She's a director, she directs for theater. She's got a theater company in Dallas, Texas called Kitchen Dog. And she was so much fun to talk to and I just know you are going to love our conversation with Tina Parker.2 (24m 33s):Oh, nice. Okay. Well I wanna get all into Kitchen Dog, but I've gotta start first by saying congratulations Tina Parker. You survived theater school5 (24m 44s):So long ago. My Lord, so2 (24m 46s):Long ago. Yeah. I I have no doubt that, you know, the ripple we, we've learned, it doesn't matter how long ago you graduated, the, the feeling of survival persists and the ripple effects of it persists.5 (24m 59s):Absolutely.1 (25m 1s):When I had longer hair, people used to always ask if I played Bob Oden Kirk's assistant on better. And I would say no. But I adore the human that plays her. It's brilliant performance and I love it. So2 (25m 17s):There you go. It really is. And I, and I wanna talk a lot about Better Call Saul, but you went to smu, which I did. You interviewed the current dean, I think he's the dean. Blake Hackler.5 (25m 30s):Yeah. Chair of Acting I think.2 (25m 31s):Chair of Acting. Okay, fantastic. I'm I'm assuming you guys weren't there. No, you never crossed5 (25m 36s):Path. But we've actually, he and I have crossed paths a bit professionally nowadays. Yes. Because we've, we, Kitchen Dog has done a few of his new play readings cuz he's a playwright also. So he's, he had at least two or three plays read in our New Works festival and he's always helped me out when I need recommendations for young people to come in and read. Cause you know, we're all old at Kitchen Dog.2 (25m 56s):Fantastic. Shout out to Blake. So SMU is a fantastic school. Did you always wanna go there? Did you apply to a bunch of different places? How did you pick smu?5 (26m 9s):Well, it's kind of a ridiculous story. I, my senior year of high school, you know, of course like a lot of people went to theater school. You're all like, I'm the superstar. My high school. Like, all right, I get all the leads. I'm Auntie Mame and Mame. You know what? Ridiculous.1 (26m 25s):I just have to say I was Agnes Gooch and I, I was the Gooch. Were you5 (26m 30s):Agnes? I was ma I was anti Mame in the stage play version. Oh yes.1 (26m 35s):I wa yeah, yeah, me too. I was Agnes Gooch. I wanted to be anti Mame, but so anyway, always a goo, always a Gooch. Never a Mame over here. But anyway, So tell us, So you were the start.5 (26m 46s):Yeah, you know, like everybody who went to theater school, everybody was the start at their high school. But I, my dad unfortunately had a stroke when I was a, and he was only, my parents are super young and so he was 40, I don't know. So it was very unusual. It happened like at the beginning of my senior year. And so my family was, it was all kind of chaotic. My senior year was very chaotic and I was also like the president of the drama club and, and we, you know, and all the people, you know, all the competitions every weekend. And so it was just a, there was a lot going on and my family stuff got into disarray because my dad ended up losing his job because he was sick for so long. And, and it was so I screwed up.5 (27m 28s):Like I missed a lot of applications. I never, I didn't really, it was one of those where it just kind of snuck up on me and I didn't really know the places I wanted to go. I had missed like certain deadlines because of the fall. And so I, SME was still one of the ones that was open. And so I did, was able to schedule an audition cuz you had to get into the school, but also, you know, get into the theater program. Like you could get into the school, not get into the theater program, you know, it is what it is. Luckily I still had time to do the audition, so I did that and then my grandmother literally walked my application through the admin, through the academic part because something I had missed, I think.5 (28m 13s):And my grandmother is very like, I don't know, it's hard to say no to my grandmother. So she went and they took this great care of her and she just kind of walked through and she's like, told the whole situation. And I mean, I had good grades. Like it wasn't, you know, like I did get in, I got scholarships and all this shit. Like I had, I had good grades, so it wasn't like I was like, my grandmother did it, you know, But she did walk it through. She's a thousand percent charmer. And then the, as far as the audition goes, I was an hour late because I got lost. And then there's this weird horseshoe at SMU cuz you know, go ponies or whatever bullshit that is, there was no parking.5 (28m 55s):And so I was like, got, was super late and I was just like, just like so sweaty and like, you know, you, everything's high drama when you're in high school, right? So you're like, this is is my last chance to be a doctor. I'm gonna have to work at the, you know, fucking shoe store that I was working at or whatever. It was forever. And so1 (29m 15s):I would, I, after I became an actor, I was still working at the cheese store after I went to, But the other thing I wanna say is like, also your grandma sounds like charming, but also like, she might be in the mob.5 (29m 25s):Well, yeah, she's totally like, yeah, I mean, I don't know. She's, she's she, she can get it done. She's the wife of a Methodist minister too. So she, she, she knows how she can, she can read a person and figure out like, this is what you need, you know, And she's just sweet, like, you know, she's charmer. But I ran into someone else's audition, like that's what I, I ran and they then the school, the school is all built, the school is all built crazy. So if you don't know the school, you get lost. And I was like, went and I going in the wrong places and I was an hour late and I was like, and like, I literally like, this is it not open the door. And they're like, somebody's in there like, like doing the thing. And I'm like, oh my god. And they're like, you know, and I was like that.5 (30m 7s):And I was just like, Oh God. And so I go and sit in the room and I just remember them coming in. I was like, I'm really sorry, you know, like the kid was like, whoever, I don't think they got in. And they, I just remember them looking at me like, you know, and they left and I was like, great, this is awesome. And then I go into my audition, which I chose the worst pieces, like the worst of course. Like, I think it was like, I can't even remember the name of the playwright, but it's like a really, really dramatic monologue from like bird bath, you know, My head is not a hammer, like something ridiculous. And then I also chose to sing, which I'm not the greatest. I mean, I can sing, I can sing karaoke, but not like seeing like I'm a musical theater actor. I, I, that's not me.5 (30m 47s):I think I chose seeing like the something that Nights on Broadway or some bullshit, like, you know, the Neon Lights On? No, No. On Broadway. Like ridiculous. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And they were like, luckily, luckily I did get in the interview part and then they're like, turn your, they're like, turn your monologue into standup comedy.2 (31m 6s):Oh wow. I never heard of that in audition. What a cool tactic.5 (31m 10s):Well, and it was also, I think they could tell that I was so freaked out and so nervous, but then that like, the interview portion went great. And so they're like, you know, then they were like, Hey, try like play around with this. And then like, the bad song that I had selected that I had practiced with my cousin who could play guitar or something, they're like, do some dance moves with it. So I was just like, I don't dance, but I started doing these ridiculous things and they're like, Yeah, good. They laughed and you know, I, I think it also let me relax. They're2 (31m 38s):Like, you are crazy enough to be in theater school. Wait, you guys, should we have a documentary series about people who are auditioning for theater school? Because honestly like the stakes are so high for so many people. I bet there's 1 billion stories. Yeah, I mean, some of which we've heard on, on, on the podcast, right? Boz? Yeah,1 (31m 58s):I think we do. I think we do. And all the, I just remembered that in my monologue was from the play about the woman who traps the rapist in her house and puts him in a fireplace.5 (32m 10s):Oh, the burning bed or whatever. Not the burning bed, but the, Yeah,1 (32m 14s):Yeah. And it's, it's, it's William Masterson.5 (32m 17s):Yes,1 (32m 18s):Yes, yes. And, and she has a fire poker and she's poking the rapist and I am 16 at the time. Oh, and I what? And a virgin, not that that really matters, but like the whole thing is not good. And why, why did I do that? But yet I got, But5 (32m 35s):That's what this piece was the same thing. It was so dark. And so like, this person is mentally ill and she's like, I get, there's not a hammer.1 (32m 41s):Don't hit me bear.5 (32m 42s):And you're just like, What?1 (32m 44s):I'm like it would've been, I mean I know this is terrible to say, but what if they told me to turn that into standup? Like that would be dark, dark, dark humor. But any, Okay, so you, you clearly like, what I love is that smu like knew how to take a teenagers anxiety and like shift it and so good on them, those auditioners like good on them. So you did that, you did you walk out of there feeling like, okay, like it started off really wonky, like me being late, but like I have a chance. Or did they tell you, when did they tell you5 (33m 15s):I felt good like that? When I, after I left I was like, okay, you know, like I wasn't sure like, cuz I was like, it was weird that they told me to change it to comedy, but I think it was good, you know, And like I felt like the interview part went good and they were, at the time, my class, this was the first year that they, they eliminated the cuts program. So what happened is they instead they had the BFA acting track and then they had, well what was proposed anyways, they changed our, what our degree was, but it was supposed to be ba in theater studies. And so if you were interested in directing, you know, playwriting, whatever, stage management, tech, whatever, and then acting you could also have, so you kind of chose focuses, but that was it.5 (34m 2s):And it had more of a little more academic focus. And so cuz before me, the classes, everybody went in as an actor. You did first two years and then they kind of just cut you basically. And were like, you're in this free fall of like a program that wasn't really planned.1 (34m 18s):Yeah. I mean like, that's how our school was too. And like half the people didn't end up graduating and it was a racket and now they don't do it anymore. But that5 (34m 27s):Was a huge, yeah, they stopped my year.1 (34m 30s):Okay. So, so was it that the people that maybe weren't get getting into the acting program went to theater studies? Is that how it was proposed?5 (34m 37s):I think that's what they were trying to do. I think they were also trying to figure out a way, or they were try some people left. I think they were also trying to keep their numbers up. And I think they also had people who were like, Hey we're, I'm an actor but I'm also a director. Why can't you make, get me some classes here? You know, like, I wanna have the class. If you're gonna cut me, that's fine. But like, I'm interested in these things too. Can there be a program? And so they kind of were building that program, like they had it out there, you know, and that when they took our class, we had very set paths of like, and we had the same two years together as a group. So freshman and sophomore year. And then we split into our kind of disciplines and they kind of still, like when I was, when we were juniors, kind of like, here's some things and we're like, okay, but our class was kind of a hard ass and we're like, where's our, where's our, where's this class?5 (35m 24s):Where's that? So we were always in the office saying, no, this, this like afterthought of a class, this should then fly and you know, I'm gonna direct a main stage or I wanna direct a studio. And they're like, Oh. And they're like, No, this is how it's gonna work or whatever. So like, yeah, me and Tim and Tim, who actually is one of my coworkers, a kitchen dog and then a couple other folks were pr I think we turned the, the chair at the Times hair white because we would go in there and be like, No, this isn't gonna work.2 (35m 53s):You just, you just made me realize that our, this, all the schools who had cut programs who didn't have another track to go into after were missing out on such a revenue stream. Right? Like our, at our school. Yeah. All the people who got cut like went to this other college and I'm thinking, what, what, When was the meeting where somebody goes, Oh my god, you guys, we should just have something here for them to do instead of sending them to another school. That's hilarious. Well,5 (36m 17s):And I think too, they find like, you know, like that there's kids that truly have talent for, you know, like a playwright or director, but then they're also really good actors. Which I think, you know, I think it's really good for people who are like, I am primarily like, I'm a mix Tim I would say who my coworker is is primarily a director, but, but it's great for both of us to go through acting, you know, like that's been, that's, but1 (36m 38s):I'm noticing is there's no, like our school had no foresight into anything, so it was like they didn't, So that's a problem in a, in a university.5 (36m 49s):Yeah. It, here's problem. Right.1 (36m 50s):So okay, so at your school, what was your experience like on stage the star? Were you And then, Oh, okay. And then, and then my other follow up question is, man, the follow up question is you're launching into the professional world. What did your school do or not do to prepare you? And what was your departure like into like, okay, now you're 22, live your life.5 (37m 11s):Bye. I would say for, I was kind of a mix. Like I had a lot of opportunities while I was there and some self created as far as directing opportunities. And we had an interesting system of like, there was a studio theater and we were able to have, we had this studio system, which a lot of non-majors would come and see plays because they were required, blah, blah blah. But so we got to direct a lot, you know, And, and Tim really fought and he got directed main stage and I was, I was, my senior year I was a lead in a play, you know, like just all sorts of things. Like I had a lot of great opportunities at smu. I think I had some also, I had some good teachers and directors while I was there.5 (37m 53s):So when I was a junior, you know, they had Andre De Shields in to, to as a guest artist, which really stirred the pot because he was not about like, let's talk about your objectives, let's talk, let's really do some table work. Like, he was like, Why aren't you funny? I don't get that shit. Like, go, go out. Why aren't you funny like this? Or come up with some, some dancing or whatever, you know. He was awesome. Like, I loved it. Like cuz we were doing funny thing happen on the way to the forum. I was one of the, you know, concubines or whatever the dance, I was Tinton Nebula, the bell, the supposed to be a, like a bell ringer, you know, like sexy dancer. And he said, I reminded him of some lady he lived with in Amsterdam. So instead I was a clogger and had bells and had giant hair that went out to here.5 (38m 37s):And yeah. And so he was like, he was great. Like, and but it really gave you the experience, it makes a lot of people crazy because he was like not interested in their process. What he was interested in was like results and like hitting your marks and like, you know, like he had sent me away and he was like, come up with 16 beats to that end I'm gonna see something funny. And so I came back in and did it and he was like, yes. You know, like it was, it was awesome. Like he would, he would really was a real collaborator.2 (39m 3s):That's fantastic. And, and actually I'm so glad you told that story because, and I, I won't, I wanted you to get back to launching and everything, but the thing about the Andre Des Shield story that you just told, I can see why you like that because that seems like you a person who has the training and the gravitas and whatever to like take their craft very seriously, but at the end of the day, you're there to entertain and get the job done, right? Like you don't, you're not so precious about your own self. Yeah. Which is really interesting.5 (39m 30s):No, and I mean it was, it was so important I think just because, you know, like everywhere you, everywhere you go like, you know, you don't always work at the same place and everybody's process and everybody's way of rehearsal or whatever's wildly, wildly different. And so I thought it was great because you know, you're not going to go always walk into some place where they're gonna coddle you or, or, or take the time or whatever, you know, like it's different.1 (39m 56s):The other thing is that like we, what I just hit me is that we've interviewed a ton of people and I'm trying to like think about like what does a conservatory do wrong is I think they forget that it's about entertainment. Like there becomes such a focus on process and inner work. What about the fucking entertainment value of like entertaining the audience? Like that goes out the window, which is why the shit is not funny most of the time. Cause it's like so serious, you're like, no, this is a fucking farse. Like make people laugh. Yeah. And it's like, I love that, that you're, you remind me of like an entertainer and I, I feel like I needed entertainment Conservatory.5 (40m 35s):Not, well I would say that, I mean I still use a lot of the training that I used at SMU like, like at Kitchen Dog. I mean this was founded by SMU grads. So you know, a lot of the doing table work and talking about what you want and all that kinda stuff like that is definitely part of what we do. But what was cool about Andre and I love and Des Shields with all my heart like was that you found a way to make your process work in his framework and, and he got results. Like the, our show was funny as hell, like in the singing was great, the dancing was great and it looked great cuz the Eckhart's did the costumes and all the sets and it felt like we were in a professional show.5 (41m 15s):Like it was, it was exciting and fun to do. So I thought it was a great way to kind of get ready for what it was gonna be like. Cuz I remember auditioning for the show and he was like, Where's your headshot? And we're like, nobody told us. And he's like, This is an audition, why don't you have, I don't understand why you don't have a headshot. And you're just, just like, oh God. Like, and it was embarrassing, you know? And then he was like, All right, I wanna do the, he's doing some improvy things in that in the thing and people couldn't get like, people were like, and he is like, just jump in man. And he was like fantastic. And you know, you get a call back and you're like, okay, I see how this works. So that was great. And we also had a lady named Eve Roberts, same thing. She was pretty brutal too in that, you know, if you weren't ready to go, she wasn't gonna baby you.5 (42m 1s):So she would just basically like you're oh, so you don't know your lines. Sit the fuck down, Sit down, who's ready to work? Cuz it was an audition class and she was a film actor with a lot of experience and it was auditions for both film and and stage. But she, if you weren't ready, but if you were ready, she would work you out. Like you would get a great workout, you'd leave with a great monologue. And so I was like, always be prepared for that, you know, cuz she will, she will, she will get you if you're not,2 (42m 27s):Honestly it really sounds like SMU did a much better job than most, most of what we hear about in terms of like getting real working actors and, and it's a tough thing. I I, you know, I don't really blame any school that doesn't, It's a tough thing if it's a working actor, then they're working, they don't have time to like commit to the, the, the school teaching schedule. But at the same time, like if you don't have any of that, then you are really, you're experiencing all that on the job. Which, you know, which is fine too. But it sounds like SMU did a better job of preparing for you, preparing you for a career.5 (42m 57s):I would say somewhat. Yeah. I mean there are things that I, you know, as, as I entered life because I was of the mind when I, when I graduated, I was really torn about whether or not to go to grad school or not. And I really didn't know cuz I really, I, and I still to this day have a split focus. Like I act and direct both in the, you know, in the theater. Like I do both. So I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go and you really had to decide to go to grad school. So I was like, you know, I'm gonna take a year off is what I decided. And I waited tables, lived life, you know, whatever, didn't even really do any theater or stuff.5 (43m 39s):But I tended to like work back at smu. So like they would have me come back and like I would sub in and cover like Del Moffitt who was the man who was the auditioner who auditioned me originally and his improv class. Like I'd come in and do cover him for a month if he went on sabbatical, you know, stuff like that. Or like, and I directed a couple main stages there. That was it. So I just decided end up, I started working more in Dallas and ended up just staying in Dallas. Dallas was not what I plan where I planned to stay. Like I kept in my mind, you know, thinking like I'm gonna move to Chicago. Like that was my dream was living in Chicago and because I guess I'm a tourist and stubborn and lazy, I don't know, sometimes you just start working and you're like, nah, just stay here.5 (44m 26s):I'm working and I can kind of do what I want. And then I got an agent and I was like, oh there's this part of the, you know, like I think in 95 or whatever, you know, cause I graduated in 91, so you just start working and then it's like, why do I want to go and start over? And it was just kind of a hard thing to do. Do I have regrets sometime about not doing Absolutely. Like sometimes I look back and I'm like, oh man. But as far as just preparing, I think it's just hard to get prepared. Cuz I think, like, I wish I left with like, and they're doing this now, which is great, but like left with more of like what's, you know, good, what's a good headshot? What's what, what, you know, how do you walking into a room, how do you handle it?5 (45m 7s):You know, like there's certain things that I feel like they could train and give you a little bit more experience, life experience in it. But I think they have some new, I know they have, I know they have film acting now, a little bit of film acting stuff there, which is always good just cuz that's how a lot of people make money.2 (45m 26s):I, I am, I'm happy to say because we've had, we've had this conversation so many times with people about the way that schools didn't prepare you. Somebody's been getting the message about this. My son is in high school and he goes to this like auxiliary performing arts program. It's like half day his regular high school and half day this and he does a seminar once a week on the business of music. And you know, what, what kind of jobs you're gonna have to do to keep, you know, to pay the rent while you're waiting between gigs, like is very brass tack. So, so the message has gotten through, thankfully.5 (45m 58s):Yeah, the business is important, man. That's how you survive. I mean, let's be real. I mean like that's, and it's not easy. Like if you're, like, if you're going to, I mean there's, sure there's two or three unicorns every so often, but for the most part you're gonna have to wait tables or cobble together bunch of odd jobs or cobble you know, like all these little, like, I'm a, I'm gonna do the Asop Fs in the, in the elementary schools for three weeks or whatever, you know, like, and how do you make rent? You know, like that's, it's not glamorous for sure.2 (46m 27s):So what was the journey from graduating to founding Kitchen Dog with your classmates?5 (46m 33s):I actually am not a founder. So Kitchen Dog was founded by five SMU MFA students who were in the MFA program when I was an undergrad. So I, so I ate that old, thank God, but they founded it in 90, did their first show in 91, which I saw it was above a, it was above a pawn shop in deep with no air conditioner in May. It was very hot and fantastic, you know, Maria Ford has his mud, it was great. And so I did my first show with them in 93. So a few years after I graduated, which Tim, my classmate directed, he had come back, he was in Minnesota at the time and then I've just worked with Kitchen Dog ever since.5 (47m 15s):So I became a company member in 96, started working for the company as like an admin producer type person in 99 and then became co-artistic director when the founding ad left in 2005. So I've been here forever. I do not have children. I say that Kitchen dog is my grown mean child. You're1 (47m 36s):Grown mean, did you say mean?5 (47m 38s):Yeah, I did say mean sometimes. Yeah, sometimes it's very, you know, temperamental.1 (47m 42s):Yeah, that's fine. That's, I mean, yeah, it's probably still better than kids, I'm just saying. Anyway. I mean, I don't have any, so, but okay, so what do you, this is what I always wanna ask people who have longstanding careers in theater and especially when they are co-artistic director or artistic director, why do you do it and why do you love it?5 (48m 6s):That's a really good question. I mean, it varies from time to time. I mean, I think that I, you know, Kitchen Dog has one of its tenants has always been about asking, you know, we do, we do, I hate the word edgy, but we do edgier plays, we do plays that are very much talking about the world around us. Challenging, you know, and we're in Texas, it's, you know, sort of purple state now, kind of exciting purple parts. At least Dallas is hopefully this election goes that way. So, you know, it's, we, I feel like our place in the Dallas Zeki is important because, you know, we're not doing, there are a lot of people that do traditional plays and do them well, you know, like straight ahead, you know, musicals or you know, the odd couple or whatever.5 (48m 53s):Notice this gesture, the odd couple and doing great. But we do new, we do newer plays. We're a founding member of the National New Play Network. And so that's kind of kept it relevant and kept it exciting. The work exciting to me. I love working with new plays and new ideas and we have a company of artists, some of which went to smu and I, I think I've stayed here this long because, you know, I feel like I can, I, I do, I am able to do the kind of work I wanna do. I'm able to choose the plays I wanna be in or direct and I feel like they're important for my community. And when it becomes that, it's not that then I need to leave or step downs is my feeling.5 (49m 37s):I mean, you know. Yeah, yeah. I dunno.2 (49m 40s):Yeah. So many people say that, that they, that they, they keep their allegiances to theater companies because it's, it's often the work that they really, you know, f feel moves them is very, you know, is very inspiring. But then you also got the opportunity to do a very good part in something that was commercial, which is breaking bad. So could you tell us anything about your, how you were born into that project?5 (50m 8s):Sure, sure. The, I, you know, I got an agent, did you know, I had no experience, no resume. So you did the couple of walk on, you know, like, I'm in the back of a bank commercial, fantastic. Or whatever, $50. I love it. Did that and Lucked into Robert Altman. Came to town and did a very terrible movie called Dr. T and the Women. But it was a fantastic experience and I was one of the nurses and I was on set every day pretty much. So he's told me, he told us, he's like, I'll make you a lot of money. You're not gonna be seen a lot. You'll be here every day. And we got out by five and I was able to do plays at night. Like it was, it was Chef's kiss the best, like you just kind of learned from the master.5 (50m 52s):Like he is a, he truly was a master god rest his soul. Anyway, so I started auditioning more, did some walkers cuz everybody does did Walker back in the time Walker, Texas Ranger. It's like1 (51m 2s):The er we'd all did the ER and the early ion in Chicago. That was my so walker, same thing. I love a good walker by the way, Texas Ranger.5 (51m 13s):So ridiculous. Yeah, I think one of my lines in one of the episodes I was in was like, you won't put this on your lighty friends tabs. Like it was so country. Anyway, it terrible. But so with the breaking bad thing, I, I read the sides. It actually was the, the person who was casting locals or whatever, not locals cuz it was shooting in New Mexico, but it was a woman in Tony Cobb Brock who was casting in Dallas. And so we got the sides, I got the call to come in and audition for it. I read it and I was like, you know, and this is the story I've told a lot, but it's the truth, which is I read it and I was like, It's gonna be a blonde, big boobs woman. Like that's what I thought when I read it, I was like, it's gonna be this.5 (51m 54s):That's what it's gonna be. Cuz there were a lot of jokes about boobs and you're killing me with that booty. Like there was a lot more to that scene. My first scene there was a lot more. So I was like, whatever. I was like, it's not, I'm, you know, I'm a plus size lady, I have brown hair, I have a, you know, deep voice. Like, oh well. So I was like, why do I feel good in, So I just wore, I remember I wore this Betsy Johnson dress that, cause I was kind of into Rocky Billy Swing at the time. This Betsy Johnson little dress with apples was real sexy and this little shrug and had my hair kind of fancy. And I was like, I'm wearing this. I don't give a shit. So I, I was like, I feel good in this, Who cares? So I walked in and there were a bunch of ladies that were blonde and had professional lady outfits on and I was like, Oh shit, I should have dressed like a secretary.5 (52m 38s):Why did I dress like this? Oh damn. And I was like, Okay, well whatever. It's, you're not, you're not gonna book this so who cares? Went in, I had a great audition, made Tony laugh and you know, it was what it was. And so I went away and I didn't hear anything for a while. So I was like, oh, I didn't book that. Oh well. And I was sitting in an audition for some commercial and I never booked commercials. I just don't, cuz I look one way and then my voice comes out and they're like, Oh, you can't play the young mom because you seem like Jeanine Garofalo or something. So your bite and smile is scary, ma'am. So I was waiting in the, waiting in the waiting room and my agent calls, or I got paged or, you know, cause it was that so long ago.5 (53m 23s):And she was like, Can you be on a plane in three hours? And luckily I wasn't doing a play at the time. And I said, Yeah, I can. And she's like, Well you booked it. You, you should go and so you should go home and pack and go to Southwests. And that was the story. And so I get there and you know, whatever found out that, you know, it's Bob and Kirk and start losing my mind and all this stuff. But what's crazy is, it's a crazy story. And then on when in season four finale, breaking bad spoiler alert, if you haven't watched it, but you're,2 (53m 52s):You're late if you haven't watched it. Like5 (53m 54s):It's, that's2 (53m 55s):On you.5 (53m 56s):Please watch it cuz I need, Mama needs to keep getting residuals. Cause she's, you know, not Yeah. But that final episode where I have a great scene with Brian Cranston. There's a, there was a podcast, Insider podcast, which I wasn't aware of, but they talked to Vince about, you know, Oh, who's she and how did you cast her? You know, cause this was my first like, actual scene, you know, like, boy, I don't, I have more than two lines. And he tells the story of like, and this, I just love this story, which is like, basically he had seen a lot of people that he didn't think was right. He wanted something. They kept showing him the same type and he was like, no, I I it needs to be something different. He's a different kind of guy. I wanted somebody who'd challenge him, you know, different looking. And the casting woman who had Kira, I can't remember her last name, but she had, you know, I'd auditioned for her a few times, been put on tape.5 (54m 43s):I don't know that it necessarily booked anything. She's like, Well there is this one girl, I think she's great. She's probably not right. I physically, she's prob I don't think she's right, but do you wanna see? And so he showed her and he was like, That's exactly what I want. And then I booked it. And so it's crazy. So you just never know. I mean I think that's the, I think that's the walkaway.1 (55m 2s):Okay. This is the,5 (55m 3s):This1 (55m 4s):Is the craziest thing. This is crazy. So I booked a show in New Mexico called Perpetual Grace. Kira cast it and Kira showed me to Steve Conrad, who's the showrunner in James Whitaker who was directing the episode. I looked nothing like the other people. My agent Casey called me and said, Can you get on a plane in three hours? You5 (55m 29s):Gonna1 (55m 29s):New Mexico? Same casting director, St. Kira,2 (55m 34s):The Kira, all these people, Kira,1 (55m 38s):Kira talk5 (55m 39s):Me. Well, and it's like that thing, you know, like you, you know, I think that's always the big takeaway, right? Is, is, and you know, and I, I think I read this not to feel like I'm fucking namedropping I'm not. But like, I read this I think in Brian's book too. But like, the thing is, is like all you can do is just like, just, they're calling you in for a reason. So you just have to say like, what is it in me? What's unique about me? That's this role? And lean into it and go for it in that regard because that's all you got. Like as soon as you start and I find myself doing this, I have to keep reminding myself, you know, to do this. Which is I'll read something like, oh it's this and try to play to what I think it is. Versus like, no, what is it in me?5 (56m 19s):That's this. And that's the thing I book when I do that, when I try to do the other other thing, you know? Totally. And start getting your own head.2 (56m 28s):The time5 (56m 28s):On here, God,2 (56m 30s):By the way, regarding name dropping, I never understand why anybody gets upset about that. I, it's like, well they're people that, you know, the people that you work with, they're people in your life. I mean, you're just saying their name. It's, it's not like you're cloud chasing. But anyway, that, that's insight. Girl. Walk me back to this day where you take three hours to get on the airplane. I wanna know how fast did you have to rush home to pack? What did you do? Did you have enough stuff? What was it like when you were on the airplane? Did you order a drink because you felt so fancy? Tell us everything.5 (56m 57s):Well, all I know is I had a bag and I got, I ran home, I had a roommate at the time, thank God. And I just said, Can you feed my cat? Cause I, I had a cat at the time. I was like, Please feed Loretta. And so I got this bag and just threw, it was really like, just stuff thrown in and I was like, do I need to bring the dress and shoes that I wore that, So I brought the whole outfit cuz I was like, cuz the jobs, some of the jobs I'd been on, I had to bring my own shit or whatever, you know, you have to bring your whole wardrobe and be like, Oh you want none of this? Great, I'll put it all back in my car. So I just threw that in there and then I just threw some random, I don't even know what I packed and, you know, ran to the airport, got on the plane, I think I did have a jack and coat cuz I was just like, I'm so freaked out in the plane.5 (57m 43s):Of course you know, you're going to New Mexico, so you're going over those mountains and you're just like, okay, I'm gonna die also great, but I don't wanna die. I just booked a big job or whatever. And then I remember the landing and getting in the van thing and they took me straight to the hotel and I, I remember opening cuz they, back then they, you know, you would get like your sides in an envelope like that in the, in the later years. That shit never, you never got printed stuff ever because people would steal it and whatever else. So I remember pulling it out and seeing Bob's name and freaking, oh, cause I was a huge Mr.5 (58m 23s):Show fan and I was just like, oh my god, oh my god. And I just remember calling my fr I have a friend Aaron Ginsburg, who's kind of an LA Hollywood dude or whatever. And I was like, Oh my god, oh my god. And he was like, Thanks for this spoiler. And I was like, Oh shit, I'm not supposed to tell people. And I was like, but I'm freaking out. And he was like, No, no, it's okay. I will tell no one. I was like, don't tell anyone I don't wanna get fired. But yeah, so I just remember sitting there and freaking out and trying to look at my lines and, you know, what am I, oh God. And then going there with my clo my little bag of dresses or whatever and they're like, we don't want any of this crap.2 (58m 57s):They're like, this is a high budget show. We got, we got costumes covered5 (59m 1s):Back then. I don't, I know back then, I don't know if they were that high budget, but it was interesting to me. The one thing is, is just how involved the showrunners of that show Peter and or Vince at the time, and then later Peter and Vince. But like, they have a color palette they have where they want the characters to go. Like I had, you know, that it got really paired down. I ended up having like, you know, just a few lines. But they took so many pictures, different outfits, different setups and like different color tones, like just setting what they wanted for my character. And I was like, holy shit or whatever. And they were, everybody was so, and everybody was so nice and friendly.5 (59m 43s):It's really remember your name to hear1 (59m 45s):And I'm glad you talked about it. Oh, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm in the rainstorm. So sorry. But like, it's so weird to be, I'm in the Midwest right now and I live in la so coming back here, I'm like, what is that noise? It's fucking fucked up and it's the fucking rain. Anyway, so what is so beautiful about this story to me is that even if we feel small, right? Like whatever, these people who are creating these iconic shows have such vision. There is literally no small character. Like these are their children and they have arcs they have. So it just makes me appreciate as creators, as artists, how much time love, energy goes into characters and storylines.1 (1h 0m 31s):And then we see maybe, maybe if we're lucky one eighth of it, but just know like the shit matters. Right? Like a5 (1h 0m 39s):Thousand percent. And that's the same thing with like, the same thing with Robert Altman. I mean like we were, you know, he, you know, I got to be part of one of those ma his signature long tracking shots, right? He, he would walk in the room and be like, Okay, what's going on in here? So what are you guys doing? What are you, what's happening? And I was like, Well where this, that? And he's like, Great, keep that. And when I come across I want you to be in this moment. You know? So like, and he's like, Teen are things like where he's following on my shoulder and Tina, I need you to do this and this is what's happening. And I've tried, I want, I'm just gonna think about some lines, just throw these out. You know? It was just, I don't know. And that's the same thing with Vince and with Peter. Like, they were really like, what is she wearing? Why is she wearing this? Where are you? Like, you know, what's going on?5 (1h 1m 19s):And like they were like, the scripts were so good. It was like you had to be letter perfect. Barry's like, oh it's a lot of improv. And I'm like, no,1 (1h 1m 26s):No. But2 (1h 1m 26s):Also it sounded like theater, the attention to, to detail and the, and the sort of like the vision and the way that, and you, that just comes through in the best series. The A tours you, you know, that they've thought about and5 (1h 1m 38s):They all love2 (1h 1m 38s):Theater, right? Yeah, right.5 (1h 1m 39s):They all love theater. They all do.2 (1h 1m 41s):So a bit ago you said something about how the, like lustiness that Saul, you know, Jimmy feels for Francesca didn't, you know, necessarily a lot of that didn't necessarily make it into at least your first episode, but it got revisited and Better Call Saul. And I really appreciated that because I was like, Oh yeah, I, I would've wanted to see more of that. You know, I, I wanted to see more of that like lush stage dynamic. But you had,5

Clara Harris, may be familiar to you as she was my guest, in what seems like ages ago, for Episode 20.   She is an actor, writer, and artist educator with over two decades' of experience on stage, screen and behind the mic in the world of audio drama & as a fellow podcaster and voice actor.   She recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; the world's largest arts & media festival where she produced and performed her solo show, This Moment in America, a live recorded audio drama and sonic collage of the American psyche.  Clara makes This Moment in America workshops and live performances available for touring here in the U.S. She is also the creative force behind Swamp Witch Studio and producer of its audio drama podcast, Night Owl Theater.  My other guest, Sandy Maxx, is joining 19Stories for the first time and is definitely giving this host a run for her money as she is a multimedia broadcast professional with extensive experience in radio, television, and content creation. She's the  two-time Emmy-nominated and award winning host and producer of The Arts Page, which airs on Milwaukee PBS and  is now in its 10th season.  Sandy spends her afternoons on the air at 96.5 WKLH-FM and is involved in a variety of live event productions.  As a fellow podcaster, she hosts ‘Downton Blabbey; a podcast for Downton Abbey fans to share all things Downton.  Sandy is an arts enthusiast who believes in the power of creativity to connect people, build community and create important conversations of which Sandy has hosted 1,000's of during her illustrious career. Several of these conversations happened during her jaunt across the pond to the Edinbrugh Fringe Festival to attend This Moment in America and to also meet up with her life-long friend Vince Gatten to chat about his starring role in the show The Golfer.  Then as any self described “incurable Anglophile” would do, she and Clara headed over to Highclere Castle for a 1920s-themed cocktail party before landing in London, England just as the passing of Queen Elizabeth was announced. Although this was a different kind of story for Sandy, she seized this historic moment and reached back to her audience stateside via a live report from Buckingham Palace with the production expertise of Clara Harris as her producer. Listen in as these two dynamic women share about their individual projects and their most recent trips to the UK, performing and attending at The Fringe Festival and being in London during the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. If you enjoyed this episode, remember to Like, Share and Review. It is much appreciated. You may contact Clara via the following avenues: thismomentinamerica.org (project website) swampwitchstudio.com  For script/performance rights to Monster in Me: https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?PC=MONSTERINM&src=def National New Play Network profile: https://newplayexchange.org/users/1395/clara-harris Podcast (Night Owl Theatre) https://podfollow.com/nightowltheatre/home YouTube “ugly” link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVBug4WDu83PNVZLRK9rImg IG @swampwitchstudio FB @swampwitchstudio TW @swampwitchst To watch the news story on Queen Elizabeth II as referenced in this episode: https://youtu.be/GekB45ap73o To contact Sandy: Business email Address: info@sandymaxx.com Business website(s): https://www.sandymaxx.com Milwaukee PBS: https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/local-programs/the-arts-page/ 96.5 WKLH: https://wklh.com/profile/sandy-maxx Throwback 102.3: https://throwback1023.com/on-air/sandy-maxx Downton Blabbey: https://www.sandymaxx.com/downton-abbey Instagram: @sandymaxx  https://www.instagram.com/sandymaxx/ Twitter: @sandymaxx  https://twitter.com/sandymaxx Downton Blabbey Facebook: DowntonBlabbey https://www.facebook.com/DowntonBlabbey Instagram: @downtonblabbey https://www.instagram.com/downtonblabbey/ Twitter: @downton_blabbey https://twitter.com/Downton_Blabbey To contact Cheryl Holling for a story idea or for voice work: www.cherylholling.com 19stories@soundsatchelstudios.com  

Natalie Moore is an award-winning journalist based in Chicago, whose reporting tackles race, housing, economic development, food injustice and violence. Her work has helped shift the way Chicagoans today think about segregation in the region. Natalie's acclaimed book The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation received the 2016 Chicago Review of Books award for nonfiction and was Buzzfeed's best nonfiction book of 2016. She is also co-author of The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of an American Gang and Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation. Haymarket Books published her play “The Billboard” in March 2022. The play is part of the 2021 Bridge Program of the National New Play Network. It was performed by 16th Street Theater in June of 2022.

About the guestPaige Hernandez is a multidisciplinary artist who is critically acclaimed as a performer, director, choreographer and playwright.  As an AEA equity actress, Paige has performed on many stages throughout the country. She has collaborated with the Lincoln Center and has been commissioned by several companies including the National New Play Network, the Smithsonian, The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse and the Glimmerglass Festival. She is the recipient of an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council as well as four Helen Hayes nominations for choreography, directing and performance.  Paige has also been named a “classroom hero” by The Huffington Post, a “Citizen Artist Fellow” with the Kennedy Center, “40 under 40” by the Washington Post and one of “Six Theatre Workers You Should Know” by American Theatre Magazine. She is elated to be the Associate Artistic Director of Everyman Theatre in her hometown of Baltimore, MD. With her company B-FLY ENTERTAINMENT, Paige continues to develop and tour original work internationally.ses. The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture.Mentioned in this episode:B-FLY ENTERTAINMENTTo find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory.★ Support this podcast ★

Support the Echo Offstage Podcast by making a tax-deductible donation to our PayPal!  Or you can sponsor an episode (or a season) of Echo Offstage.Find out more about Echo Theatre!FB: https://www.facebook.com/echotheatredallasTwitter: @echodallasInsta: @echotheatredallasKeep up with Tina's work at Kitchen Dog Theater!Mentioned in the episode:Southern Methodist UniversityDr. Alessandra Comini Andre De ShieldsUndermain TheatreWaterTower Theatre (Stone Cottage Theatre)The McKinney Avenue ContemporarySecond Thought TheatreClare DeVriesNational New Play NetworkJonathan NortonJames IjamesElaine RomeroMixed Blood TheatreJack ReulerBreaking BadBetter Call SaulBreaking Bad PodcastA Life in Parts: Bryan CranstonSAG-AFTRAMinariLee Isaac ChungSally Vahle-----------------------------------Echo Offstage is a production of Echo Theatre Dallas, a non-profit theatre dedicated to solely producing work by women+ playwrights.Host: Catherine WhitemanExecutive Producer: Kateri Cale, Managing Artistic DirectorPodcast Manager: Eric BergProducer & Social Media Manager: Lauren FloydEditor & Audio Engineer: Jonathan VillalobosTheme Music: Len Barnett with Brent Nance

After a months-long hiatus, Directions and Dialogue returns. Join host David McKibbin as he interviews Rebecca Kane. Rebecca is a playwright, stage manager, indie theatre producer, merch girl, and oat milk enthusiast. Her works have been staged by the Rising Sun Performance Company, Naked Angels Tuesdays@9, New York Theater Festival, The Tank, and the Rouge Theater Festival, among others. Some of her plays include Almost Maimed, Tight (haha nice), and I Name You. She is one of 500 New York City-based artists to receive $5000 through the City Artists Corps Grants, presented by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) with support from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Queens Theatre. Her latest play, Crawlspaceblog will be presented in a staged reading on Sunday, October 17 at The Tank, located at 312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018. Tickets are Free.Read Rebecca's Tumblr Blog for Crawlspaceblog here. https://crawlspaceplayblog.tumblr.comRead Rebecca's Plays at the National New Play Network's New Play Exchange.

Directed by Brett Ashley RobinsonFeaturing Kimie Muroya, Nathan Alford-Tate, Pax Ressler, Eleni Delopoulos, and Cathy SimpsonThe Ever Present, a fantastical, family-friendly new play written by award-winning playwright and author R. Eric Thomas, centers on a South Philly vacant lot that turns out to be more than meets the eye. Enter Pashmina Paredes (Kimie Muroya), a neighborhood resident collecting signatures for a petition to prevent the city from selling the lot to a devious developer, Vernal Belch (Pax Ressler). She quickly learns her neighbors all have a special connection to the house that once stood there. Follow a cast of hilarious, Philadelphia-inspired characters for a mystery adventure that spans decades and spins a constellation of awe-inspiring stories. The Ever Present asks the question: “How can we share and preserve our collective history as the world continues to change?”For each show, guests are invited to bring blankets and lawn seating. The Ever Present was made possible thanks to funding from The William Penn Foundation's New Audiences New Places Grant, and National New Play Network's Bridge Program Grant.Show Dates, Times, & Locations*: September 11-19, 2021Saturday, September 11, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Columbus Square (1200 Wharton St)Sunday, September 12, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Dickinson Square (1600 E. Moyamensing Ave)Wednesday, September 15, 5:30 p.m. at Wharton Square (2300 Wharton St)Friday, September 17, 5:30 p.m. at Stephen Girard Park (2101 Shunk St)Saturday, September 18, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. – Columbus Square (1200 Wharton St)Sunday, September 19, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. – Hawthorne Park (750 S 12th St)FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://theatreexile.org

See Echo Theatre's virtual production of Reina Hardy's The Other Felix:  stream the play at home any time from 4/1 - 4/30 or attend our FREE live screenings on 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, & 4/24 in Dallas.Support the Echo Offstage Podcast by making a tax-deductible donation to our PayPal! Find out more about Echo Theatre!FB: https://www.facebook.com/echotheatredallasTwitter: @echodallasInsta: @echotheatredallasFind out more about Reina's work on National New Play Network or on her website.Mentioned in the episode:The Viola Project (Chicago)Rorschach Theatre (D.C.)The Vortex (Austin)Annie BakerMoisés KaufmanThe Neo-Futurists (Chicago)The House Theatre (Chicago)Qui NguyenSarah KaneRenaissance Theatreworks (Milwaukee)Lynn NottageYoung Jean Lee-----------------------------------Echo Offstage is a production of Echo Theatre Dallas, a non-profit theatre dedicated to solely producing work by women+ playwrights.Host: Catherine WhitemanExecutive Producer: Kateri Cale, Managing Artistic DirectorProducer & Podcast Manager: Eric BergEditor & Audio Engineer: Jonathan VillalobosTheme Music: Len Barnett with Brent Nance

Listen in as Liz Ellis chats with Keiko Green eight years after they first met on the set of a webseries. The two Amy Award winners and BPA alums cover Keiko's acting and playwriting career before diving into craft, the theater biz, and how to go to grad school for free. Here is a link to Keiko's play, WAD at ACT Theatre. You can follow her on Instagram or visit her website for more updates. Keiko Green is a 2nd-year MFA Playwriting student at University of California San Diego. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia to a bilingual household (Japanese and English). She received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School with a focus on Experimental Theatre. Keiko lived in Seattle for six years, where she is still a Core Company Member at ACT Theatre and a former member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Writers’ Group. Her play “Nadeshiko” won the Gregory Award for Outstanding New Play, as well as landing on the Honorable Mentions for the national Kilroys List. Her plays have been developed and/or produced by ACT Theatre, the Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Playwrights Realm. She was a finalist for both the Many Voices and Jerome Fellowships at the Playwrights Center and the Leah Ryan Fund, as well as the Recipient of Bainbridge Island’s Amy Award. As an actor, Keiko has performed at the Denver Center of Performing Arts, Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre, and the National Asian American Theatre Company among others. Keiko is represented as a playwright and screenwriter by the Gersh Agency and Anonymous Content.   Liz Ellis was Director of Education at BPA until 2018, when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television. She currently works on Law & Order: Organized Crime, premiering April 1st. Liz previously interviewed Jesse Smith for this podcast.    

Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with director Reginald Douglas and playwright Brian Quijada Reginald Douglas is a director, producer, and advocate dedicated to creating new work and supporting new voices. He has worked at theaters across the country, including directing work at Eugene O’Neill Center, TheaterWorks Hartford, CATF, Everyman Theatre, Weston Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Theatre Squared, Playwrights Center, Profile Theatre, Kennedy Center, The Lark, New York Theatre Workshop, and City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, where he served as the Artistic Producer from 2015-2020. Reginald currently works as the Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC and serves on the Board of Directors of the National New Play Network. www.reginalddouglas.com Brian Quijada is an actor, playwright, and composer who’s original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, and City Theatre Pittsburgh. His plays have been developed at The Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, Victory Gardens’ Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Festival, and The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theatre Conference. Commissioning institutions include Seattle Repertory Theater, A.R.T., and The Kennedy Center. #ATC #ArizonaTheatreCompany #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocuslive #HangandFocus #ATCSomwhereOvertheBorder #SomewhereOvertheBorder #ATCDigitalSeason #ATCEducation Student registration: https://arizona-theatre-company.coursestorm.com/ #ATCGivingCorner Have your donation matched through January 29, 2021: https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/give/305704/#!/donation/checkout #ATCGhostlight

When the resident theatre at a Jewish Community Center commissions a new play about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a half-Jewish/half-Jordanian playwright, the Center finds itself pulled in several directions. The playwright was sent on a trip to Israel and came back with a story that only explored one side of the Westbank conflict. The playwright's narrative, told to them by a Palestinian family. Questioning the premise of the story and the balance of it becomes a point of conflict within the organization. One of the Center’s major donors, the Center’s Board President, the theatre’s Artistic Director, and the playwright each fight for a different outcome, while the Center’s Executive Director tries to keep the institution from falling off its foundation. SETTLEMENTS examines conflicts inside the Jewish community, the radicalization of young people's thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how existing Jewish institutions are coping with these new realities. To see a video of this production: https://youtu.be/nnygZz3U3HE Playbill: https://www.playbillder.com/show/vip/Quarantine_Players_A_Virtual_Theater_Company/2020/SETTLEMENTS_85144 Website: QuarantinePlayers.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuarantinePlayers/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/q_players Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quarantineplayers/ Genre: drama, political Subject Matter Keywords: Jewish, Israel-Palestine, Israel, theatre, Politics, artist, art Age Appropriateness: ages 18 and up Narrative Attributes: Centers Female Characters Directed by Leslie Ross Produced by A. J. Campbell, Quarantine Players Characters: NOAH 44, (Timothy Lynch) Jewish; Artistic Director of the theatre JUDITH 52, (Lori Muhlstein) Jewish, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center that houses the theatre YASMIN 28, (Tarnim Bybee) half-Jewish/half-Jordanian, playwright MARION 65, (Barrie Alguire) Jewish, President of the Board of the Jewish Community Center CAESAR: 76, (D. Scott Graham) Jewish, a retired opthalmologist-turned-major-philanthropist Seth Rozin Seth is the author of numerous plays, including SETTLEMENTS, HUMAN RITES (produced at Phoenix Theatre, 2017; InterAct Theatre Company, 2018), THE THREE CHRISTS OF MANHATTAN (InterAct, 2015), TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR... (National New Play Network rolling world premieres at Florida Stage, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and New Jersey Rep, plus productions at Shadowlands Theater, Merrimack Rep, Unicorn Theatre, InterAct, Florida Studio Theatre, GEVA Theater, Barter Theater, Jewish Theatre of Grand Rapids and New Repertory Theatre; published by Playscripts.com), BLACK GOLD (NNPN rolling world premieres at InterAct, Phoenix Theatre, PROP Thr, Arts West Playhouse), REINVENTING EDEN (InterAct), MISSING LINK (InterAct, Civic Theatre of Schenectady), THE SPACE BETWEEN US (readings at Abington Theatre, Philadelphia Art Alliance) and MEN OF STONE (Theater Catalyst; published by Playscripts.com). He is also the composer, lyricist and book writer of A PASSING WIND a musical about history's greatest "fartiste" that premiered at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts' inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in 2011. Seth is the winner of two playwriting fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the 2006 Smith Prize (awarded by the National New Play Network), a 2002 Commission from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, and two Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding New Play. https://newplayexchange.org/users/226/seth-rozin Representation, Susan Gurman, susan@gurmanagency.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/qplayers/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/qplayers/support

As a part of our 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival, American Stage's Producing Artistic Director, Stephanie Gularte sits down with Nan Barnett, the Executive Director of the National New Play Network for a live panel discussion.  The conversation delves into the importance of new play development, what the New Play Exchange is, and the blossoming world of theatre right here in Florida. Produced by: Sadie Lockhart

A talking stork, lesbian moms, and the power to build your own baby.In this version of a near future society, prospective parents learn within the first weeks of conception which traits their child will have and what behaviors it is likely to exhibit. With rapid advances in reproductive technology today, modern eugenics is science’s Wild West.BABEL is produced at Theatre Exile as a part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other partnering theaters are Unicorn Theatre (Missouri), Contemporary American Theater Festival (West Virginia), Passage Theatre Company (New Jersey), and Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL). For more information please visit www.nnpn.org.BABEL was commissioned by National New Play Network with funding from The Smith Prize for Political Theater.FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: http://theatreexile.org

Today's edition of Pittsburgh City Theatre's CitySpeaks podcast features Reginald L. Douglas, who joined City Theatre as director in March 2015. At City, Reginald line-produces, helps curate, and directs in the theater’s six-show season and new play development activities; builds artistic initiatives and partnerships; and represents City on the Board of the National New Play Network. Reginald has directed extensively throughout the country. He has developed and directed new work by many acclaimed writers, and has assistant-directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. Reginald regularly serves on the selection committees for local and national fellowships and grants; has spoken at several national conferences and festivals; and is a guest lecturer at the O’Neill’s National Theatre Institute. He is a proud graduate of Georgetown University. Read more about him here: reginalddouglas.com

“We are all healthier when we live in a culturally diverse world. When there are more stories that are accessible to us when every voice is part of every cultural conversation. It's not about excluding traditional voices. It's about expanding the range of what people know is there.” If you are a playwright or someone who is just starting to write plays, then you must know the New Play Exchange. We had the pleasure of interviewing writer, innovator, and arts advocate, Gwydion Suilebhan. He serves as both the Executive Director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and the chief architect and evangelist of the New Play Exchange for the National New Play Network. He is also a co-founder of The Welders, award-winning playwrights collective in Washington DC. He's the author of several plays, and he has a Master of Arts in poetry from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. His forthcoming series All Souls is currently in post-production. To learn more about Gwydion and his work, you can visit the following links Website: www.suilebhan.com NPX Profile: newplayexchange.org/users/104/gwydion-suilebhan Or follow him on Twitter @GwydionS RELATED LINKS: Gwydion's New Series “For All Souls” www.forallsouls.com/ Tanuja Jagernauth's “Public Newsroom 124: Creating A World Beyond Racism and Fascism" on Nov 7th at City Bureau in Chicago. www.facebook.com/events/2446259125645248/ _____________________________________________ Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com38. Interview with Gwydion Suilebhan --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/support

“We are all healthier when we live in a culturally diverse world. When there are more stories that are accessible to us when every voice is part of every cultural conversation. It’s not about excluding traditional voices. It’s about expanding the range of what people know is there." If you are a playwright or someone who is just starting to write plays, then you must know the New Play Exchange. We had the pleasure of interviewing writer, innovator, and arts advocate, Gwydion Suilebhan. He serves as both the Executive Director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and the chief architect and evangelist of the New Play Exchange for the National New Play Network. He is also a co-founder of The Welders, award-winning playwrights collective in Washington DC. He’s the author of several plays, and he has a Master of Arts in poetry from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. His forthcoming series All Souls is currently in post-production. To learn more about Gwydion and his work, you can visit the following links Website: http://www.suilebhan.com NPX Profile: https://newplayexchange.org/users/104/gwydion-suilebhan Or follow him on Twitter @GwydionS LINKS: Gwydion’s New Series “For All Souls” http://www.forallsouls.com/ Tanuja Jagernauth’s “Public Newsroom 124: Creating A World Beyond Racism and Fascism" on Nov 7th at City Bureau in Chicago. https://www.facebook.com/events/2446259125645248/ _____________________________________________ Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com

Catching up with two playwrights at the National New Play Network showcase.

Charly Evon Simpson is the playwright behind the thrice extended Behind The Sheet at Ensemble Studio Theater. A New York Times' critic pick, Behind The Sheet is based on the true story of a group of enslaved black women, and their (uncredited) contributions to modern gynecology.Her new play Jump is premiering at four theaters across the country with the National New Play Network's rolling world premiere program, including: Playmaker’s Rep (Chapel Hill, NC), Actor’s Express (Atlanta), Shrewd Productions (Austin, TX), and Milagro Theatre (Portland, OR) in 2019-20.In this episode she speaks with Rachel about what she chooses to write about, the scariest part of the process, and the history teacher who once told her "she wasn't that great of a writer."Listen through to the end to catch her reading a brief excerpt from Two Glimpses, a piece created for the Oneness Project, Vol III.For more news & info about Charly at: www.charlyevonsimpson.comTo support Upstage Left, visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/upstageleft-----CREDIT: Intro music by David HilowitzSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/upstageleft)

Charly Evon Simpson's play Jump explores the themes of grief, suicide, mental illness and how we connect with each other. PlayMakers’ Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch calls Playwright Charly Evon Simpson and Director Whitney White a dynamic duo, part of an amazing pipeline of women’s voices in theatre. Towards the end of this episode, you’ll hear what Playwright Charly Evon Simpson has to say about her writing process and the process of bringing a new play from page to stage. But first, I sat down with Director Whitney White to talk about the joys and challenges of directing a new play, the theatricality of Jump, and the importance of gender parity in the theatre. About the Guests Charly Evon Simpson’s plays include Jump, Scratching the Surface, form of a girl unknown, it’s not a trip it’s a journey, and more. Her work has been seen and/or developed with Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ars Nova, The Lark, Page 73, Chautauqua Theater Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, National New Play Network through its NNPN/Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop and National Showcase of New Plays, and others. Jump is receiving a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere with productions at PlayMakers Repertory Company (Chapel Hill, NC), Milagro Theatre in a co-production with Confrontation Theatre (Portland, OR), Shrewd Productions (Austin, TX), and Actor’s Express (Atlanta, GA) in 2019. Behind the Sheet is premiering at Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City this month. She’s currently a member of WP Theater’s 2018-2020 Lab, The New Georges Jam, The Amoralists 18/19 ‘Wright Club and she’s The Pack’s current playwright-in-residence. Charly is a former member of SPACE on Ryder Farm’s The Working Farm, Clubbed Thumb’s Early Career Writers’ Group, Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Youngblood, and Pipeline Theatre Company’s PlayLab. She is currently an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Purchase. For more information visit, http://www.charlyevonsimpson.com/ (http://www.charlyevonsimpson.com.) Whitney White is 2018 recipient of the Susan Stroman Directing Award. She is currently in residency with Ars Nova as part of their 2018 Makers Lab, where she is developing Definition an original concert-play, and The Drama League as part of their Next Wave Residency where she is developing an original adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters, with music. She is an Associate Artist at Roundabout Theatre Company and was a 2050 fellow at New York Theatre Workshop. White directed the critically acclaimed What to Send Up When it Goes Down by Aleshea Harris (The Movement) last fall. For more information visit: https://whitney-white.com/ (https://whitney-white.com/). Connect with RDU on Stage: Facebook – www.facebook.com/rduonstage Twitter – www.twitter.com/rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

Michelle Kholos Brooks is an award-winning playwright with productions across the U.S. and Canada. Her new play Hostage, based on a true story of a Midwestern mother who traveled to Tehran in 1979 to negotiate the release of her hostage son, was selected as a finalist for the 2016/17 Woodward/Newman Drama Award, the Fratti Newman Political Play Contest, and was a 2017 Showcase finalist for the National New Play Network. Other plays include Hitler’s Tasters and Kalamazoo. On the episode, she talks candidly about why she writes, how she comes up with ideas, and what it was like meeting the real-life version of one of her characters. A former journalist and producer for public radio programs such as Marketplace and The Savvy Traveler, Brooks earned a B.A. from Emerson College and an M.F.A. in Fiction from Otis College of Art and Design. She is currently nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council within the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security, where she is working on a series of monologues with veterans.

Hosted by M. Graham Smith, we are delighted to bring you the sixth episode of our podcast series – Masters of the Stage: Regional Originals with M. Graham Smith – a series of interviews with some of the most exciting Directors and Choreographers working in America’s regional theatres today. Today Graham is with Seth Rozin from InterAct Theatre. They talk about new play development and Seth's work with National New Play Network and the importance of directors getting in a room together, connecting, and working on how to make our theatres more inclusive and representative of the world we live in.

Recorded several months back, this conversation with theatre artist and singer Martha Stuckey and playwright, storyteller, and humorist R. Eric Thomas covers everything from Stuckey's clown-funk alter-ego Red 40 and Thomas' popular online humor column for Elle, to pitching reality shows and the therapeutic nature of baking (both the act of, and watching The Great British Bake Off). Martha Stuckey is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist by way of Minnesota. She has performed and devised work with Pig Iron Theatre Company, Team Sunshine Performance Group, Bearded Ladies, and BRAT Productions and performed at such venues as Joe's Pub. Red 40 and the Last Groovement is a clown funk outfit that graces stages such as FringeArts, Union Transfer, Trocadero, and L'Etage with The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret. The band released their first album, "She's Keen To Feed," in October of 2016. R. Eric Thomas is a Barrymore Award-winning playwright and humorist. He is the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelphia. He is a Senior Staff Writer for Elle.com where he writes “Eric Reads the News,” a daily current events and culture column. He is the recipient of a 2017 National New Play Network commission and is at work on his debut memoir-in-essays, entitled "Here For It," which will be published by Ballantine Books in 2019. His forthcoming play "Mrs. Harrison" will have its premiere at Azuka Theatre in May 2018.

Determined Women Host Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger Interviews Nan Barnett.Nan Barnett is a new play developer and producer, and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is currently the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country's alliance of more than 100 theaters with a dedication to the development, production, and continued life of new plays and the pioneering of programs and innovations for the new play sector.

Determined Women Host Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger Interviews Nan Barnett.Nan Barnett is a new play developer and producer, and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is currently the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country's alliance of more than 100 theaters with a dedication to the development, production, and continued life of new plays and the pioneering of programs and innovations for the new play sector.

Jojo Ruf was gracious enough to sit down with my to talk about her new job as the Managing Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, as well as her time with the National New Play Network, her time with the Welders, and weird career paths in theatre.