P. Carl (he/him) is a senior distinguished artist-in-residence, Department of Performing Arts, at Emerson College in Boston and the author of the memoir Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition, published by Simon & Schuster in 2020.
Kamilah Forbes, artistic director of the Apollo Theater, speaks with Wes Jackson and P. Carl about the American theatre being a very slow-moving ship, genre-crossing for artists and organizations, systemic racism in the field, and more.
Essay
The Art in the Room
P Carl Talks with Taylor Mac
24 September 2017
P Carl talks with Taylor Mac about drag, aesthetics, gender, performance, and politics.
Essay
Becoming a White Man in the Theatre
11 July 2017
After a comment storm on a recent HowlRound post about bias in criticism in the American Theatre, P. Carl addresses how the democratization of the arts is a form of inclusion.
Essay
P. Carl In Conversation with Martha Lavey
26 April 2017
P. Carl talks with former Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey who passed away on April 25, 2017. This interview was originally published on February 15, 2015.
Essay
Teaching in the First Three Weeks
16 February 2017
P. Carl considers how to teach theatre in the time of Trump.
Essay
The Battle Series
Dr. P. Carl
2 November 2016
Corey Ruzicano interviews Dr. P. Carl on how he picks his battles as part of the Battle Series.
Essay
Taking Responsibility for the Plot
27 July 2016
P. Carl on transitioning, frames of whiteness, and taking control of the plot.
Essay
Democratizing the Arts, Aesthetic Practice, and the Relationship to Community Change
A Conversation with Roberta Uno
14 April 2016
An interview with Roberta Uno, director of Arts in a Changing America, by P. Carl.
Essay
Five Years
22 January 2016
On the five-year anniversary of HowlRound, P. Carl looks back with a grateful eye to the future.
Essay
The Risk of Shared Leadership
16 August 2015
P. Carl asks if a shared leadership model can make a dent in the problem of diversity in our institutions.
Essay
Carnaval 2015 Opening Remarks
24 July 2015
Lisa Portes, P. Carl, and José Luis Valenzuela offer opening remarks on Carnaval 2015 at the Theatre School at DePaul University.
Essay
An Interview
Tanya in TV-Land
19 July 2015
P. Carl interviews playwright Tanya Saracho on how writing for television has affected her work and life in the theatre.
Essay
P. Carl In Conversation with Martha Lavey
15 February 2015
P. Carl and outgoing artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre, Martha Lavey, in conversation.
Essay
Interview with Boston’s New Chief of Arts and Culture
Julie Burros
11 January 2015
Boston’s new Chief of Arts and Culture, Julie Burros, took time recently to talk with P. Carl about her new role and the significance of being chief.
Essay
An Interview With Former Theater J Artistic Director Ari Roth
21 December 2014
P. Carl interviews Ari Roth about his recent firing from Theater J and the power of theatre in politcs.
Essay
Unlocking the Mystery of Writing a Musical
A Conversation with Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould
26 October 2014
P. Carl interviews Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould about their journey creating the new musical, Lempicka.
Essay
The Trans Artistic Body
23 October 2014
I’m at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the women’s restroom washing my hands. A woman walks in, “I must be in the wrong place,” she says and walks out. Then she walks back in, “No, you’re in the wrong place,” she says, seething with confidence. I walk out, not sure of my place.
Essay
An Interview with 7 Fingers’ Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll
28 September 2014
P. Carl interviews 7 Fingers' Gypsy Snider and Shana Carrol.
Essay
Sarah Ruhl in Conversation with P. Carl
7 September 2014
P. Carl interviews playwright Sarah Ruhl on her collection of short essays titled "100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater."
Essay
Interview with Michael Garcés
3 September 2014
P. Carl interviews Michael Garcés, Artistic Director of Cornerstone Theater, about their touring production California: The Tempest, which revisits ten California communities that were part of ten year’s of Institute Summer Residencies.
Essay
Your Brain on Creativity
10 August 2014
P. Carl reflects on the power of the brain and how it relates to creativity.
Essay
Women, Leadership, and Parity
Interview with Julie Crosby
1 July 2014
P. Carl interviews Julie Crosby on leadership, gender parity, and Women’s Project Theater.
Essay
The Kilroys Were Here
Moving Female Playwrights into Production
22 June 2014
P. Carl interviews Joy Meads, Carla Ching, Annah Feinberg, and Kelly Miller on how THE LIST was produced and responses since its release.
Podcast
Friday Phone Call #60
Gender Identity in Theater—Jess Barbagallo and P. Carl
16 May 2014
Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week's guests: Jess Barbagallo and P. Carl.
Essay
The Anxiety of Generosity and the Abundance of the Commons
1 May 2014
A Keynote speech delivered by P. Carl at North Dakota State University “Playing on Common Ground: Theatre and the Complex Communities of the 21st Century.”