Manhattan Theater Club has been the subject of controversy in the news recently for their lack of diversity in the upcoming season.  However, one of our New Dramatists playwrights in residence found it unsurprising in the least.  Commentary by A. Zell Williams.If you'd like to comment on what you hear in the piece, or your views on diversity in the American Theater, please tweet us: @NewDramatists.

Episode 5: A Prime Time For Change: On MTC, Equality, and the Need for Public Shaming

ND: In Depth is an ongoing series where playwrights meet the world in a variety of formats: interviews, panels, essays, and readings of new plays among other things. Join us as we celebrate the eclecticism of our community of writers and feature the topics on the forefront of their minds.

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Resident playwright Andy Bragen continues his conversation with playwrights who are creating new ways to produce their own work. In this segment, he interviews three writers, Lynn Rosen (ND resident playwright), Susan Bernfield, and Peter Gil-Sheridan, who formed a pop-up theater company/temporary consortium called The Pool.This November & December, the writers of The Pool will present one another's plays in rotating rep at the Flea’s new Siggy Theater in Tribeca.Washed Up On The Potomac by Lynn Rosen, directed by José ZayasThe Rafa Play by Peter Gil Sheridan, directed by Morgan Gould (ND resident playwright)Tania in the Getaway Van by Susan Bernfield, directed by Portia KriegerClick here to learn more and to track their progress towards production through their crowd fundraising platform.

Episode 14: Playwrights as Producers, Part 2: The Pool

In this segment, resident playwright Sam Chanse continues her conversation with three additional playwrights about their responses to the new presidential administration, and how they are navigating the terrain. What specific strategies are playwrights using to take action, what is the intersection of theater and resistance, and how can we sustain our energy going forward?Zell Williams, (ND current resident), play and television writer based in LA. He's also a co-host of The Inner Cities, a weekly comical podcast on race and politics from a black perspective.Kimber Lee, playwright.Andrea Thome, (ND alum) playwright.“Resistance loves company” is the tag line of the WAM (Weekly Action Meetings) group hosted by ND alum Liz Duffy Adams and Gus Schulenberg/Flux Theatre Ensemble, who offered the moniker while recording Part 1.

Episode 13: Resistance Loves Company, Part 3

In this segment, resident playwright Sam Chanse continues her conversation with three additional playwrights about their responses to the new presidential administration, and how they are navigating the terrain. What specific strategies are playwrights using to take action, what is the intersection of theater and resistance, and how can we sustain our energy going forward?Chisa Hutchinson, New Dramatists resident playwright and founder of The Bedrock InitiativeRehana Lew Mirza, playwright and advocate for  101 NightsMashuq Mushtaq Deen, New Dramatists resident playwright and community organizer “Resistance loves company” is the tag line of the WAM (Weekly Action Meetings) group hosted by ND alum Liz Duffy Adams and Gus Schulenberg/Flux Theatre Ensemble, who offered the moniker while recording Part 1.

Episode 12: Resistance Loves Company, Part 2

In this segment, resident playwright Sam Chanse brings together fellow writers/educators/theatre administrators to share responses to the presidential election and the new administration, and how they are navigating the terrain. What specific strategies are playwrights using to take action, what is the intersection of theater and resistance, and how can we sustain our energy going forward?Antoinette Nwandu, playwright and theatre professor http://antoinettenwandu.com/Cori Thomas, ND resident playwright http://newdramatists.org/cori-thomasCate Yu, playwright and former director of public programs at the Asian American Arts AllianceLiz Duffy Adams, ND alumna playwright and co-founder of Weekly Action Meetings group for theatre peopleGus Schulenburg, playwright, co-founder of Flux Theatre Ensemble, participant in the New Sanctuary Coalition, and associate producer of The Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project.

Episode 11: Resistance Loves Company, Part 1

In this episode, resident playwright Andy Bragen gathers playwrights who run their own theatre companies. Listen as he, Julia Jarcho, Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, Deborah Stein, and Eugenie Chan discuss the joys and challenges of taking the artistic lead. To learn more about the work of each company, please visit their websites:http://www.andybragentheatreprojects.com/http://minortheater.org/http://fulcrumtheater.org/http://steinholum.org/http://www.eugeniechantheater.org/

Episode 5: A Prime Time For Change: On MTC, Equality, and the Need for Public Shaming

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