Hey Playwright

Hey Playwright

By Hey PlaywrightArtsPerforming Arts
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Hey Playwright episodes

  • Full Circle Moments with James Vásquez

    Tori and Mabelle talk with James Vásquez, Resident Artist of The Old Globe Theatre, about trading in his baseball glove for tap shoes at 12 years old. He talks about how his father deeply influenced his love of both the arts and baseball, and he shares his full circle moments from childhood to director at The Old Globe. He reveals why he loves being told “no,” why the tech process is his favorite part of directing, and his belief that artists should also be activists.

    1 hr 18 min
  • Real Spark with Hope Villanueva

    Tori and Mabelle talk with Hope Villanueva about her launch into theater as a stage manager to her stint touring with the circus and beyond. Hope shares her strategies for balancing her various gigs–from writing, grad school, stage managing, dramaturgy, and her third season as the Literary Manager at Bay Street Theatre. Other topics include vomit drafts, toggling between stage and screen, and receiving feedback.

    1 hr 13 min
  • Generations to Come with Larissa FastHorse

    Tori and Mabelle talk with Larissa FastHorse about her path from ballet to the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis to “The Thanksgiving Play” on Broadway. Larissa shares the details of her heart work with Indigenous communities and her radical inclusion process. Other topics include the Lakota Way, Indigenous Direction, writing for multigenerational audiences, and Larissa’s upcoming productions of “Peter Pan” and “For the People.”

    1 hr 10 min
  • Process Over Product with Keiko Green

    Tori and Mabelle talk with Keiko Green about her two origin stories, as well as her journey from the NYU Experimental Theatre Wing to Seattle to UCSD. She shares how her musical about feral bunnies helped her land a writer’s residency at Seattle Rep and how “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” opened up doors in Hollywood. Keiko shares her process, why she values process over product, and how she includes emerging playwrights in development workshops of her plays. She also includes a detailed breakdown of why and how she wrote her thriller farce “Sharon.”

    1 hr 14 min
  • Forming Families with Gary Garrison

    Tori and Mabelle talk with Gary Garrison about his triumphs and missteps on his journey into theater. He talks about the importance of saying “yes” to every opportunity, the protective armor of theater, and the lovely theatrical families that form during productions. He also shares a short history of 10-minute play festivals, his work as an educator and author, tips for play analysis and writing, and assigning each draft a task.

    1 hr 19 min
  • Civilization Building with Lauren Gunderson

    In the Season 5 finale, Tori and Mabelle talk with Lauren Gunderson about finding her playwriting voice, the catalyst for her free online playwriting classes, and why she writes one impossible thing into every play. She also shares how theater helps people practice living and that “theater at its best reminds us how to be good in this world.”

    1 hr 20 min
  • Andy Lowe: Storyteller for Social Change

    Tori and Mabelle talk with Andy Lowe, the Director of Production and Casting for East West Players, the longest running professional theater of color in the United States. Andy talks about his beginnings as a storyteller towards social change and how his volunteer activism with nonprofits led to his stint as Artistic Director of Asian American Rep Theatre at 19 years old. Other topics include anti-racism, his full-circle journey with the Plays by Young Writers contest, his career journey of building platforms to uplift fellow artists, and his role as a podcaster for Pod Squadron.

    1 hr 18 min
  • Franky D. Gonzalez Moves Forward with Hope

    In their first episode of 2023, Tori and Mabelle talk with Franky D. Gonzalez about his writing rituals, the importance of community, and how a chance bus ride and kindness led to his writing stint on “13 Reasons Why.” He also shares his shift from writing plays to please others to writing plays for his son and introduces us to the people and stories that shaped his award-winning play, “Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes.”

    1 hr 21 min
  • Playwriting From the Inside Out with Jacqueline Goldfinger

    In the final episode of 2022, Tori and Mabelle recap the year and then talk with Jacqueline Goldfinger about their work as a playwright and educator. Jacqueline drops serious knowledge about writing without limits, finding a community that embraces and lifts up your voice, and interrogating your WHY when approaching adaptations.

    1 hr 17 min

About Hey Playwright

From the publisher's feed

Have you ever thought about writing a play but had no idea where to start? Each week, join playwrights and teaching artist pals Tori and Mabelle as they discuss playwriting and life, and leave you…