Playwriting

In this last installment, Rick Stemm shares the production process—from idea to execution—for Heroes Must Die.

Playwright Catherine Weingarten writes about her fatigue with the Strong Female Character, and pushes playwrights to strive for real nuance.

Peter Nachtrieb talks to nine other Bay Area-based playwrights about their connection to where they live.

Paco José Madden presents fifteen points for a play or other theatrical work to be considered feminist.

Playwright Carolyn Kras discusses The Subject Project, in which her period play, The Subject, serves as a tool for addressing sexual assault in both past and contemporary society and culture.

Mya Kagan announces a new project: the Future Is Female Festival.

Catherine Castellani continues her exploration of what it means for a play to be considered “feminist.”

Playwright Abbey Fenbert on the new mandate for theatre artists.

Robert Ruffin considers how Aristotelian construction can be viewed through the lens of the laws of thermodynamic exchange, or the marriage of physics and dramaturgy.

Playwright Mia McCullough discusses how teaching classic plays in high school alienates future young audiences, and advocates for contemporary playwrights to craft comprehensive anthologies of their work. 

Todd London’s ode to Sarah Ruhl, on the occasion of her winning the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award.

Playwright Jacob Juntunen remembers Edward Albee’s generosity toward other playwrights.

Allison Raynor talks with playwright Melinda Lopez about women on stage: who she writes, how she writes them, and who she’d like to see.

Charlotte Canning discusses gun violence in theatre, and film, taking a close look at safety policies and regulations for firearms on set.

David Dudley interviews playwright Howard Barker about writing for live actors versus marionettes.

In this first installment, Playwright Maggie Sulc shares her experience working and living in Canada, reflecting on successes and challenges.

Katie Pearl interviews Michelle Memran about María Irene Fornés and The Rest I Make Up, a documentary that captures the legendary playwright’s creativity as she ages.