American Theatre's Offscript
182 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★★ - 52 ratingsThe official podcast of AMERICAN THEATRE, the national publication for the American not-for-profit theatre. Range of topics include playwright interviews, critical roundtable discussions and the latest shows coming up as recommended by our staff.
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Episodes
Offscript: Michael R. Jackson & Anna K. Jacobs Write With Bite
March 11, 2024 19:33On this episode, Rob talks to the writer-composer team about their new horror-comedy musical 'Teeth' and checks in with Bay Area critic David John Chávez.
Offscript: Kendeda at 20 With Tarell Alvin McCraney, Madhuri Shekar, and a.k. payne
February 21, 2024 15:57On this episode, 3 playwrights discuss their development experience as past winners of the Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition.
Offscript: Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury Feel the ‘Illinoise’
January 17, 2024 00:00On this episode, the playwright and director-choreographer team discuss their new 'Illinoise' musical, and New Yorker critic Helen Shaw surveys the theatre festival lineup.
Offscript: Merry Y’allmark with Topher Payne
December 18, 2023 20:14On this episode, Rob and J.R. talk to Topher Payne about Hallmark and holiday traditions, plus Kelundra interviews longtime critic Linda Armstrong.
Offscript: David Adjmi in Stereo and 3 Dimensions
November 17, 2023 21:38The writer of 'Stereophonic' talks about his obsessions with detail and destruction, and North Carolina correspondent Lauren Van Hemert fills us in on the Research Triangle theatre scene.
Offscript: Heidi Schreck and Selina Fillinger, Women on Top
October 20, 2023 20:55On this episode, Rob and Gabriela celebrate this season's most-produced plays and playwrights with surprise guests Heidi Schreck and Selina Fillinger.
Offscript: Pearl Cleage Speaks Her Truth
September 19, 2023 13:40On this episode Kelundra and J.R. talk to the Atlanta playwright about Chicago's month-long celebration in her honor, the value of community-driven storytelling, and her new play 'Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard.'
Offscript: Revisiting the NICU with Mike Lew and Moritz von Stuelpnagel
August 15, 2023 22:35On this episode we talk to playwright Mike Lew and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel about taking 'tiny father' from audio to audience and catch up with critic J. Wynn Rousuck about the Contemporary American Theater Festival.
Offscript: Searching for the Future
July 25, 2023 22:21This month we host a special conversation about the search process that led NYC's Rattlestick Theatre to hire its new artistic director, Will Davis.
Offscript: Will Martyna Majok & Stephen Adly Guirgis Go to the Tonys?
June 11, 2023 12:48On this special pre-Tony Awards edition, we talk to the playwrights nominated for 'Cost of Living' and 'Between Riverside and Crazy,' and to Playbill's Diep Tran.
Offscript: Ty Defoe Is Planting the Seeds
May 15, 2023 23:26We talk to writer/director/trickster Ty Defoe about directing 'Rent' for the next generation, building community ties, and moving beyond land acknowledgements. Plus: a check-in with Denver reporter John Moore.
Offscript: How Is This Time for Jews Onstage Different From All Others?
November 18, 2022 20:59A conversation with Joel Grey, Tovah Feldshuh, Caissie Levy, Michael Arden, and Bess Wohl about portrayals of Jewishness and antisemitism on New York stages.
Offscript: Most-Produced With Lynn Nottage & Lauren Gunderson
September 27, 2022 20:02On this episode we broke the news that Nottage's 'Clyde's' will be the most-produced play of the season, then welcomed her and fellow prolific scribe Gunderson on to talk shop.
Offscript: Molly Smith and the Next Revolution
September 12, 2022 21:06On this episode we talk to the outgoing (in all senses) artistic director of Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage as she enters her 25th and final season.
Offscript: Daniel K. Isaac and the Tales We Tell
August 29, 2022 17:39On this episode we talk to actor/playwright Daniel K. Isaac about his epic new play 'Once Upon a (Korean) Time' and about the untold histories that inspired it.
The Subtext: Where Madeline Sayet Belongs
August 22, 2022 18:18This month Brian talks to the writer/performer of 'Where We Belong,' inspired by her experiences as a Native person loving, studying, then questioning Shakespeare.
Offscript: How Aya Ogawa Writes on Bodies in Space
August 15, 2022 23:26After our July break, we return for an interview with the writer-director-performer of 'The Nosebleed.'
The Subtext: More Than 10 Minutes With Gary Garrison
July 26, 2022 18:20This month Brian talks to the former NYU playwriting professor about growing up in Texas, intuition vs. intellect, and the elusive art of the 10-minute play.
Offscript: Live From Pittsburgh
June 22, 2022 16:59This week, we share our live TCG conference session with arts journalist Sharon Eberson, City Theatre co-artistic director Monteze Freeland, and Quantum Theatre founder Karla Boos.
The Subtext: Dipika Guha Is a Seeker
June 21, 2022 20:30This month Brian talks to the 'Yoga Play' author about the absurdism of real life and how her globally forged voice meets contemporary American life.
Theatrical Mustang: John Jarboe’s Genderful Performances
June 17, 2022 15:35This month Woodzick talks to the founder of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret about her origin story, gender cannibals, and the fine art of hosting.
Offscript: Benjamin Benne’s Questions of Faith
June 07, 2022 17:48This week we talk to the playwright of 'Alma' and 'In His Hands' about intimacy, religion, poetic realism, and Mario Kart.
The Subtext: Lynn Nottage, Learning From Every Job
May 31, 2022 15:01This month Brian talks to the prolific and decorated playwright about her early struggles and triumphs, and that time she got stuck in the Lincoln Center bathroom.
Offscript: What We Talk About When We Talk About Abortion
May 23, 2022 18:20This week the editors discuss theatre's role in dispelling the fears and misconceptions surrounding abortion with Alison Leiby and Justice Hehir.
Theatrical Mustang: Ada Karamanyan Would Like More, Please
May 16, 2022 17:29This month we talk to the administrator, activist, and casting professional about amplifying trans talent, rethinking the canon, and prioritizing mental health.
The Subtext: Jeremy Cohen’s Magical Gifts
May 10, 2022 21:50This month Brian talks to the producing artistic director of Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis about supporting writers, following a unicorn, and teaching doctors to write.
Offscript: Karen Hartman’s Triple Feature
May 10, 2022 15:15For this episode we talk to playwright Karen Hartman, who currently has 3 plays making NYC premieres in 59E59's first VOLT Festival.
The Subtext: In the Middle With Heather Raffo
April 27, 2022 12:00For this special reported episode, Brian goes deep on the actor-writer and her very personal new play, 'Tomorrow Will Be Sunday.'
Offscript: Tim Bond’s Healing Journey Through the American Century Cycle
April 26, 2022 18:57This week our guest is TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's artistic director Tim Bond, now directing August Wilson's 'Gem of the Ocean' there.
Theatrical Mustang: How Sara Porkalob Builds Power
April 13, 2022 16:41In this reboot of their podcast for AT magazine, Woodzick talks to Seattle-based writer-performer Sara Porkalob, who will next appear in '1776.'
Offscript: Mixed Blood Is in Good Hands
April 12, 2022 14:01On this episode, the editors talk to the founding artistic director of Mixed Blood Theatre, Jack Reuler, and his soon-to-be successor Mark Valdez about leadership, social justice, and the future of theatre.
The Subtext: Tracy Letts’s Moments of Recognition
April 11, 2022 16:42This month the author of 'August: Osage County' and 'The Minutes' talks about acting, writing, the mystique of Chicago, and the heartbreak of Oklahoma.
The Subtext: Live With Amy Quan Barry
March 29, 2022 12:00In this special episode, recorded live in Madison, Wisc., Brian interviews the poet/playwright who wrote 'The Mytilenean Debate' for Forward Theater.
Offscript: Mei Ann Teo Finds Strength in the Collective
March 25, 2022 19:03On this episode the editors talk to the director of the drama '7 Minutes' about labor, management, and new-play development .
The Subtext: Voices of Ukraine
March 17, 2022 16:49For this special episode in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Brian compiles messages from theatre artists in the U.S., the U.K., Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.
Offscript: Eliana Pipes’s 3-Theatre ‘Dream Hou$e’
March 14, 2022 18:58The editors speak to the playwright of ‘Dream Hou$e,’ a new play about gentrification, sisterhood, and reality TV, now onstage at Long Wharf Theatre.
Offscript: Chisa Hutchinson Is Paying Attention
February 28, 2022 17:32The editors speak to the playwright of 'Amerikin,' a new play about white supremacy, now onstage Houston's Alley Theatre after repeated pandemic delays.
The Subtext: Class With Kari Bentley-Quinn
February 22, 2022 21:11Brian talks to the Queens-based playwright about her New England roots and her approach to balancing work and mental health.
Offscript: Jim Nicola’s Workshop Ethic
February 15, 2022 15:07This week the editors talk to the artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop about his long and influential tenure there, which will end in June.
Offscript: Debra Ann Byrd’s Bard
January 31, 2022 18:03The editors speak to the new artistic director of Southwest Shakespeare in Arizona about claiming the classics for all people everywhere.
The Subtext: Daniel Alexander Jones’s Library
January 25, 2022 15:48This month Brian talks to the creator of Jomama Jones about the books and music that saved him as a child, and how they led to the books and music he's making now.
Three on the Aisle: One More for Terry
January 19, 2022 14:51Peter Marks and Elisabeth Vincentelli gather one more time to remember their recently departed co-host, Terry Teachout.
Offscript: Steppenwolf’s Next Steps
January 18, 2022 18:05This week we say farewell to associate editor Jerald Raymond Pierce and talk to Steppenwolf Theatre's new co-artistic directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis.
The Subtext: Toward Liberation With Haruna Lee
December 21, 2021 03:46For the final episode of 2021, Brian talks to the writer of 'Suicide Forest' about roles that are different than, and closer to, their true self.
Offscript: Ringing Out 2021 With Lily Janiak and Jesse Green
December 20, 2021 04:04For the final podcast of the year, the editors plumb the year-end thoughts and feelings of critics from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Three on the Aisle: Move On
December 07, 2021 14:37For the critics' final episode, they consider the life and legacy of Sondheim and reflect on how theatre has grown and changed in the 4 years they've been podcasting.
The Subtext: John Patrick Shanley’s Dreams and Schemes
November 23, 2021 13:50This month Brian talks to the author of 'Doubt' and 'Moonstruck' about the struggles of his early years and the hard-won wisdom of his later ones.
Offscript: Real Talk With Deirdre O’Connell and Emily Davis
November 22, 2021 20:17The stars of 'Dana H.' and 'Is This A Room' talk about their approach to 2 very different but similarly challenging real-life characters.
The Subtext: What Makes Gina Femia Run
October 27, 2021 13:00This month Brian talks to the Brooklyn-based playwright about fighting back against abuse, hustling past gatekeepers, and finding her authentic voice.
Offscript: Jamil Jude Wants Playwrights to Come Home
October 25, 2021 16:31For this episode, the editors talk to the artistic director of Atlanta's True Colors Theatre about the city, the theatre, and the art form.