Playwriting

Ira Gamerman reports on Australian playwright David Finnigan's new play Kill Climate Deniers that has been funded through an arts grant from the Australian government and called out as a waste of government arts spending although it hasn’t premeried yet.

Mya Kagan explores the tradition of female writers using male or ambiguous pen names, and questions whether or not doing so is an empowering choice.

Playwright Alexa Derman writes about the dual pressures college-aged artists feel to both focus on their education and achieve professional success before they age out of the “emerging” classification.

Playwright Andrea Lepcio shares her experiences writing two different non-fiction scripts and offers advice for the process. 

Playwright MJ Halberstadt writes about different ways playwrights can address diverse representation in their scripts.

Translator Henning Bochert talks with playwright Andrea Stolowitz who was recently in residence in Berlin at the English Theatre Berlin.

Playwright Damon Falke discusses his play Laura, or Scenes from a Common World and how “Apollo and Daphne” from Ovid’s Metamorphoses inspired his work.

Playwright Donna Hoke discusses her play The Way It Is, which includes the rape of a male character, and the response she got from readers.

Playwright Pat Gabridge describes the experience of seeing the same production of his play in Massachusetts and Maryland.

Award-winning actor and monologuist Eric Bogosian discusses how a monologue is created: from conceptualization, to free-form vocal improv, to writing, and performance.

Mya Kagan reveals the first response to a script submitted under the name Max.

Paul Zimet on the intersection of his volunteer work as a mediator in Manhattan and Brooklyn civil and criminal courts and theatre.

Dominic Finocchiaro argues for an expanded definition of subtext and asks “Where’s my cheese-roll?”

Playwright Jordan Ramirez Puckett shares her experience submitting plays as a light-skinned Latina and questions the intention behind the phrase “playwright of color” in the industry.

Holly Derr speaks with Lynn Nottage about her new play Sweat, a co-commission of Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage, currently playing in Washington, DC.

Playwright Donna Hoke writes about the big takeaways from interviews she did with ten playwrights who don’t live in New York.

Mya Kagan continues her Submitting Like a Man series with this discussion of the logistics and emotional implications of creating a differently-gendered alter-ego.