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P. Carl

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.

Interview with Lear deBessonet
Essay

Interview with Lear deBessonet

23 February 2014

P. Carl interviews Director Lear deBessonet on her influences, inspirations, and current work.

A list of resolutions.
A New Year’s Diet for the Theater
Essay

A New Year’s Diet for the Theater

6 January 2014

In hopes that 2014 will be a fruitful year for the whole theatre community, P. Carl asks for a healthy diet of positive inquiry and generosity to create three-dimensional conversations.

Portrait of P. Carl.
Not Planning to Cross Dress This Time…
Essay

Not Planning to Cross Dress This Time…

7 October 2013

P. Carl writes about his experience cross-dressing to fundraise for HowlRound, and makes an appeal to help us continue our mission of highlighting the dissonances of the theater industry.

The Beauty of Complexity
Essay

The Beauty of Complexity

Or the Death of the Pure Aesthetic

15 September 2013

P. Carl's speech delivered at ArtsCrush in Seattle, Washington on September 10, 2013.

A Conversation with Paula Vogel, Teo Castellanos, and Will Power
Essay

A Conversation with Paula Vogel, Teo Castellanos, and Will Power

8 September 2013

P. Carl talks to Paula Vogel, Teo Castellanos, and Will Power about politics, diplomacy as artists, and the lines they will or will not cross

Howlround logo.
An Apology
Essay

An Apology

19 July 2013

P. Carl issues an apology on behalf of HowlRound and Lily Janiak in regards to a NewCrit piece.

P Carl with a bike.
Summer Dreaming
Essay

Summer Dreaming

7 July 2013

A refection on the power of dreaming by P Carl.

Portrait of P Carl.
Why the Crowd? Why a Culture Coin?
Essay

Why the Crowd? Why a Culture Coin?

27 May 2013

In this essay, P. Carl gives insight on promoting cultural exchanges and uplifting communities of artists.

Video
Essay

Video

Culture Coin—Watch, Share, Vote Daily!

23 May 2013

HowlRound presents a video on Culture Coin, a peer-to-peer digital currence and resource sharing economy for all

Criticism, Vitriol, and Announcing Our NewCrit Critics
Essay

Criticism, Vitriol, and Announcing Our NewCrit Critics

20 April 2013

P. Carl introduces the New Crit Critics, and reflects on thier place on HowlRound.

Poster for Cohen New Works Festival.
This Is It!
Essay

This Is It!

7 April 2013

A transcription of P. Carl's keynote address on March 25, 2013 at The Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-op at University of Texas-Austin.

Book cover for Michel Foucault's "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison".
Docile Bodies
Essay

Docile Bodies

Disciplining the Imagination

4 March 2013

In this meditation, P. Carl examines the effectiveness of discipline when influencing creativity and promoting critical thought.

Call for Final NewCrit Critic!
Essay

Call for Final NewCrit Critic!

27 February 2013

A huge thank you to everyone who applied. We are opening up the call for critics nationwide to determine our final city.

The H logo for HowlRound.
Modeling a Theatre Commons
Essay

Modeling a Theatre Commons

14 February 2013

P. Carl, David Dower, Jamie Gahlon, and Vijay Mathew define their visions of HowlRound as a not-for-profit theatre commons.

Call for Critics!
Essay

Call for Critics!

30 January 2013

A call to bring the art of criticism to HowlRound, utilizing respectful dialogue to foster more in-depth conversations about the theatre we work hard to make.

Portrait of P Carl.
This Year, Let’s Redefine Success
Essay

This Year, Let’s Redefine Success

7 January 2013

In this meditation, P. Carl reflects on the meaning of success in theatre.

Landscape photo of mountains and a lake.
Should I Get an MFA? Or, What Should I do Now That I Have My MFA?
Essay

Should I Get an MFA? Or, What Should I do Now That I Have My MFA?

13 December 2012

P. Carl offers practical advice for theatremakers trying to find their place in the industry.

Portrait of president John Adams.
The Lessons of History
Essay

The Lessons of History

Some Post-Election Thoughts

19 November 2012

In light of the 2012 presidential election, P. Carl reflects on the importance of public service.

Cover of the Venetian Golden Book.
Beauty and the Decline of the Theater Professional
Essay

Beauty and the Decline of the Theater Professional

29 October 2012

P. Carl affirms our need to democratize the theatre field, in the battle to define what constitutes good art.

A hoodie with a pirate on it.
The Un-read
Essay

The Un-read

18 September 2012

Fall is back, and that means it's time to mull over how to keep new and undiscovered stories up front.

Portrait of P Carl.
Truthiness in the Politics of Theater
Essay

Truthiness in the Politics of Theater

10 September 2012

P. Carl on the process, and consequences, of defining the insitutional truth in Non-for-Profit Theaters in the United States.

The Value of Rhythms
Essay

The Value of Rhythms

30 July 2012

P. Carl compares and constrasts the rhythms of institutions and artists.

P Carl giving a speech at a podium.
Finding the Gift and Making Theater for Everyone
Essay

Finding the Gift and Making Theater for Everyone

18 June 2012

P. Carl's keynote from the 2012 CityWrights: Weekend for Playwrights enbolden artists to focus on making good art, rather than being overwhelmed by transactions.

Portrait of P Carl.
A Boy in a Man's Theater
Essay

A Boy in a Man's Theater

25 April 2012

P. Carl on why the lack of stories on American Stages about those who do not identify with a single gender, and the need to change it.

How Can We Do It Better?
Essay

How Can We Do It Better?

21 April 2012

As HowlRound moves forward with the same mission of crowdsourcing, P. Carl asks us: what can we do better?