Recent Essays

Matthew Clinton Sekellick discusses the work of David Mamet and Neil LaBute, challenging the theatre community to be more inclusive and to not produce work that reinforces the dominant narrative. 

Elaine Ávila's address to the LEAP Playwriting Program at Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre on November 14, 2016.

Ramona Ostrowski speaks with director Gary Hynes about Druid Theatre Company, revisiting Beauty Queen of Leenane twenty years after its first production, and new political movements within Irish theatre.

In light of a recent controversy at a New Jersey high school, Jonathan Mandell talks to theatre artists about their views on using or not using the n-word in shows.

Tiffany Antone makes a case for why we have to reconsider how/why we engage audiences, and why it is now every artist’s job to be out on the frontlines, cultivating radical empathy and civil discourse.

Artistic Director Josh Hecht reports on the first year of Profile Theatre’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, and shares insight from the process. 

In this installment, Ricky Young-Howze discusses the importance of having archival footage of new work, which serves as a historical document.

Harvey Young, chair of Northwestern University’s theatre department, looks at how American theatre has responded to a rise in conservativism to forecast not only what may appear on the horizon but also to anticipate a renewed attention to political/activist theatre following the 2016 election.

Jamil Khoury writes about curating a series of six staged readings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that power of theatre to speak to controversial issues.

Bryn Boice writes about how a rift with her father led her to begin work on a devised piece called I, Snowflake.