James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight
Playwright Spotlight features a new playwright every episode to discuss the tools of the trade and solutions to the obstacles we face as writers in hopes of making us all better and more successful playwrights.
Episodes
Ben Steinfeld is a playwright, director, teacher, musician, and co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater. He wrote the family musical Twelve Kinds of Ice (book/music/lyrics) and the book for the new musical Diamond Alice and holds awards from L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle, Helen Hayes, and Lucille Lortel. He has an MFA from Brown/Trinity Rep and is a professor at Brown, NYU, and Middlebury College’s Brea and ...
Kevin Allen Jackson and Kristine Dickson are a playwright and producing power couple. Their immersive, audience-interactive murder-mystery play A Killer Night in Studio City opened September 15th and runs through October 31st at Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City with Dinner, Drinks, and Deadly Secrets.
For tickets to A Killer Night in Studio City, September 15 through October 31st, at Vitello's restaurant in ...
Douglas Goodhart is an actor, comedian, musician, influencer, cofounder and writer for the sketch group - Uncle Function, and playwright. He is also the frontman for the super-soul group Douglas and the Goodharts, and his Instagram account @thedouglasg has over 55,000 subscribers.
For tickets to Master It! The Musical, The Class, The Hair at The Green Room 42 and Live Stream, September 18th at 7p...
Janine Nabers is a playwright, Emmy-nominated writer, show runner, and producer. She first made her mark as a playwright, becoming the first Black woman to win the Yale Drama Series Prize for her play Serial Black Face. Her plays have been produced across the United States and internationally. She is a graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard.
For tickets to The Peterson Show a...
Greg Banks is a playwright, actor, and director.
For tickets to Pinocchio at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, visit - https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/pinocchio/#book
Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir An...
Keith Szarabajkais a playwright who on stage, in audio books, video games, film, radio and TV. Keith’s one act dark comedy, The Second Coming was produced at EST-LA's One Act Festival in 2018, and was subsequently made into a short film in 2020, which is currently garnering awards at film festivals around the world. Keith conceived, co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced EST/LA’s space soap opera sp...
Cameron Scott has worked with Broadway’s top producers to create brand campaigns for well over 100 productions including 17 Tony Award-winning Best Plays, Best Musicals, and Best Revivals. He has recently turned to writing plays of his own. Since the fall of 2022, he has had plays produced from the coasts of California to Connecticut, among them a Best in Festival winner at Wilmington Drama League and the winn...
Drew Larimore a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter and librettist who’s been produced in the U.S. and internationally. His plays have been developed and presented with Asolo Repertory’s Unplugged New Works Festival, The Barrow Group, Denizen Theatre’s New Play Development Series, ANDTheatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Short & Sweet New Play Festival (Sydney & Melbourne). He’...
Ann Noble is a playwright/new media writer, director, teacher, and private coach. She trained at Northwestern University and at the British American Drama Academy via Yale School of Drama, and co-founded the Irish Theatre of Chicago (formally Seanachai). Plays include, Little Parts Hunts a Baby Daddy, A Bella Incarceration, 52 Pick Up, And Neither Have I Wings to Fly and 90262 Lynwood, Blue Like You. Her Play Dead M...
Brian S. Brijbag is an award-winning playwright, author, and actor whose work has been produced across New York City, Florida, and beyond.
His plays — among them Love, Lysol, and Other Delusions, On the Likelihood of Elephants, Fireflies & Fault Lines, and Funeral of god — are written in his signature Elegant Anarchy style and have been staged at festivals from the Players Theatre and Br...
Amanda Stamm is a playwright and actress. She is an alumnus of Atlantic Acting School, the Summer Program at Stella Adler, and has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She a founding member of Bluebird Theatre Company and currently serves as Director of Finance.
For tickets to Significant Contacts at The Maker's Space in Brooklyn, New York from July 13th through July 16th, visit - https...
Erik Patterson dropped into Playwright's Spotlight before the opening of his upcoming play - Fucking Strangers. In this discussion, Erik shares his start into playwriting, what makes a bad play, the definition of "spectacle", achieving reversal, and pushing forward as a playwright. We also unpack developing ideas, using prompts, expectations from feedback, the disdain for "The Play That Goes Bad" series, what can be...
Playwright Marc Mantell stopped by Playwright's Spotlight after directing the production of Dr. Freud, I Presume written by recent Spotlight guest - Donna Scarantino. Marc's playwriting journey is nothing short of fascinating, and this discussion is unlike anything any past interview or any episode down the road. While I tried to unpack Marc's process, I was met with stories of a journey ill-remembered, as if the Mu...
Playwright Hank Jacobs sat in the Playwright's Spotlight to unpack the concept of Immersive Theatre. In this conversation, we discuss the its definition, the development of his immersive piece The Great Clown Bank Show, what immersive theatre looks like on the page, the release of ego towards the audience, the covid and lockdowns affected theatre as well as how AI may affect it in the future. We also talk about the ...
Two weeks before the opening of her latest piece in the Bellevue Escapades, Donna Scarantino took the time to come sit in the Playwright's Spotlight. We discuss the origins of the Bellevue series and its evolution over the years, her involvement and eventual takeover of Theatre Americana and how playwrights can submit their work, or how actors can become involved in the theatre company. We delve into her growth as a...
Playwright William A. Smith streamed into Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the recent release of his app The Playwright's Desk and its features to assist in the management of the playwriting business. It's a fascinating resource that will help playwrights of all levels looking to track their submissions as well as streamline the process. We also discuss his other apps The Literary Desk, designed for theatre comp...
Playwright and screenwriter Paul Webb streamed onto Playwright's Spotlight all the way from outside London just a week away rehearsal were about to end for his play Warsaw. Paul is a charming Brit with a background in writing that makes everything sound so easy. That's not to say we don't discuss obstacles and struggles, especially considering entering playwriting at a late stage in life. In a addition, we discuss h...
Apologies for the delayed show notes. Had a few hiccups. Evelina Fernandez took time away from rehearsals to slip into the Playwright's Spotlight. We opened with discussing the founding of the Latino Theatre Company and her journey of learning structure, acting out voices, and writing an ongoing six hour story within a trilogy. We unpacked writing stories out of order and how it may effect the other acts and knowing...
Olivia Dufault took time to sit under the Playwright's Spotlight before the opening of her latest play - "For Want of a Horse." In this discussion, we unpack her introduction and journey into playwriting, learning from past influencers, learning through evolution and gaining focus yet learning from lack of collaboration. We explore her path of starting new work, entering the flow state and giving characters what the...
Gabriel Rivas Gómez dropped into the Playwright's Spotlight a week before the opening of his latest play Level Up! We discussed his origin story falling into playwriting, his journey into finding his voice and telling a story, and the lessons of agitating a nerve. We also dove into overcoming obstacles and elemental struggles, the need to overwrite and cutting scenes, character driven vs plot driven pieces as well a...
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