Conversation Starters

Howard Sherman poses a perplexing question: where are all the Canadian plays, and why are we Americans so hesitant to produce them?

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.

Director Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez discusses his thoughts about the identity affinity groups at the 2014 TCG Conference, questioning how safe is a segregated space?

For Catherine Trieschmann, parenthood interrupted her playwriting process by taking up time that used to be spent daydreaming.

The Committee of the Jubilee makes a call to action to support a vision of every theatre in the United States of America producing work by women, people of color, artists of varied physical and cognitive abilities, and/or LGBTQIA artists in the 2020–2021 season.

In this meditation, Morgan Gould advocates for a paradigm shift in which up-and-coming directors and playwrights work toward a more mutually beneficial relationship.

Director Desdemona Chiang provides an overview of Asian American discrimination and cultural appropriation in the US and argues that there is no way to divorce The Mikado from this problematic history. 

ArtsEmerson Artisitic Director David Dower questions the competitive culture of theatre and advocates for a commitment to truth seeking and resource sharing.

P. Carl interviews Ari Roth about his recent firing from Theater J and the power of theatre in politcs. 

David Dower, the Co- Artistic Director of ArtsEmerson, on the differnece between Art and Entertainment, and the nessisity to create work that includes both.