Interview Guidelines and Best Practices

Interview Protocol:

• We prefer that you submit your idea for a conversation piece before conducting the interview. That way, we can provide useful feedback that you can incorporate into the conversation.
• HowlRound can set up a Zoom call, record, and transcribe your interview, which we will return to you for you to cut and edit. If you would prefer to conduct your interview in person, over the phone, or using other software, you will record, transcribe, and edit it before sending it to us. We do not accept email interviews except in very select circumstances.
• Make sure you set aside time to complete an initial cut of the interview. A forty-five-minute conversation can be upwards of 7,000 words, and your first draft should cut the conversation down to no more than 3,000 words.
• Some notes on formatting:
  • Start with an introduction that gives context about the subject(s) and your connection to them, what drew you to want to conduct this interview, and any other relevant or interesting background. Don’t be afraid to speak personally—readers care about who you are, too.
  • Names should be set in bold and dialogue should not. For example:
    Carlyle Brown: You've always been the interpreter of my work, the director, and I've always been the guy who created the thing. Now we want to do something different, which is making something together.
    Noel Raymond: Yes. We're both finding it difficult to find a place to start. The way that we would generally be working together is a path we know. We're trying to find a whole new path.
• In the editing process, you will be asked to connect the interview subject(s) with our editors and producers. All conversation participants are required to create a HowlRound author profile prior to publication.

Interview Best Practices:

• The best interviews are true conversations, not Q and As. Don’t be afraid to offer context for your questions and put yourself in the discussion.
• Avoid basic questions like “What are you working on?” or “How did you get into theatre?” We’re looking for content that goes beyond a traditional artist profile to reach greater depth.
• Include links to all companies, pieces, and people (if they have a website, HowlRound profile, or Wikipedia page) the first time they’re mentioned.

Outstanding examples:

• “Recovery, Witness, and Peer-to-Peer Support”
• “Amplifiers and Takers: Approaches to Interview-Based Playmaking”
• “Playwright Caregivers”

We love all these pieces because the interviewers are asking sweeping career and life questions. While they might still center specific shows, projects, or themes, that focus serves as a gateway to broader discussions of artistic practice. They all touch on various aspects of the artists’ identities and work. Also, these pieces all started from very personal places for the interviewers, and that comes through in the questions, reactions, and conversational tone that they all share.