The Drama Book Show!

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Hoehler to discuss his book Acting Out: How a Prison Theatre Workshop Broke Free. He shares stories from decades of leading theatre workshops with incarcerated men, mounting full productions, and creating transformative spaces for expression, connection, and growth. The episode also features a live performance by members of the Acting Out company.

Richard Hoehler is an award-winning playwright and educator whose work has run Off-Broadway, regionally, and abroad. He founded Acting Out, teaches at HB Studio and Stella Adler, and has led theatre workshops in prisons for over 30 years.

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In this episode, we sit down with Eric Simonson to discuss his memoir Between the Lines: Steppenwolf's Seagull and A Reluctant Actor's Journey Back to the Stage. The book chronicles Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s bold return from the Covid-19 shutdown with a $43 million new theater and a fresh adaptation of The Seagull. For Simonson—an acclaimed writer, director, and longtime Steppenwolf ensemble member—it meant stepping back onstage after 33 years away. Part diary and part history of the Chicago Theatre Renaissance, the memoir takes us behind the scenes of this landmark production while tracing Simonson’s personal battle with stage fright, self-doubt, and rediscovery of the joy of acting.

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Barry M. Putt, Jr. is a playwright and screenwriter whose work centers on identity, resilience, and human connection. His plays and scripts, produced both nationally and internationally, often amplify marginalized voices and explore urgent social themes. Joining the conversation are director Robert Liebowitz, who has helmed more than 100 productions over the course of his career, and cultural consultant Asal Abasian, an Iran-born writer, journalist, and queer feminist activist whose work focuses on exile, gender, and resistance.

Omeed’s Tapestries follows an Iranian shopkeeper and his partner as they prepare to flee their homeland in hopes of living openly as a same-sex couple. When a devout neighbor uncovers their secret, their future is suddenly threatened. Inspired by extensive firsthand accounts and research, the play examines love, fear, and survival under oppression, while highlighting the universal human desire for freedom and dignity.

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Emmy- and Artios-nominated casting director Wendy S. Kurtzman joins us to discuss her book, Acting is Your Business: How to Take Charge of Your Creative Career. With over 35 years of experience in film, television, and theater, Wendy shares actionable strategies to help actors take control of their careers, position themselves as CEOs of their own creative businesses, and build lasting professional relationships.

This episode offers practical insights into navigating the entertainment industry, from connecting with working professionals worldwide to leveraging tools, worksheets, and insider advice for emerging and seasoned actors alike.

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In this episode, we explore This is Not a Dream, a collection of nine ten-minute plays by emerging Ukrainian playwrights capturing stories of connection, resilience, and hope during war. From a soldier reconnecting with his daughter to a young woman navigating life amid conflict, these plays reveal the human cost and courage of everyday lives.

We speak with contributors Karina Syrota, Taya Fedorenko, Uliana Klimchuk, and Laura Cahill, founder of Young Playwrights Ukraine, about creating theatre under extraordinary circumstances, mentoring young writers, and sharing Ukrainian voices with the world.

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In this episode, we explore the legacy of Zelda Fichandler through The Long Revolution: Sixty Years on the Frontlines of a New American Theater and To Repair the World: Zelda Fichandler and the Transformation of American Theater by Mary B. Robinson. The conversation delves into Fichandler’s pioneering work founding Arena Stage, her role in the regional theater movement, and her decades-long impact as an educator at NYU’s Graduate Acting Program.

Joining the discussion are theater historian and advocate Todd London, and biographer Mary B. Robinson, offering insights into Fichandler’s visionary leadership, her collaborations with artists, and her enduring influence on American theater.

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Khalid Y. Long, Associate Dean of Research and Creative Endeavors in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, is a scholar, dramaturg, and author of August Wilson in Context. Aviva Neff, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Denison University, is a director, intimacy coordinator, and scholar whose work explores devised theatre, pedagogy, and equitable rehearsal practices.

Their book, Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance: Acts of Rebellion, Activism, and Solidarity, examines how Black artists and activists use performance to engage questions of identity, history, and social change. Featuring essays and conversations with leading scholars and theatre-makers, the collection explores topics such as Black queer identity in playwriting, antiracist pedagogy, and contemporary works by artists including Lynn Nottage and Tarell Alvin McCraney.

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Join us for a live podcast recording, talkback, and book signing with playwright and novelist Matthew Greene as he discusses his debut novel, There's No Murder Like Show Murder. Set in the charming Eastbrook Playhouse, the story follows costume shop head Tasha Weaver as she navigates backstage drama, a theater star’s shocking murder, and the challenge of saving her beloved theater from financial ruin—all while trying to catch the killer.

Matthew Greene brings a wealth of theater experience to the story, with plays developed and performed from coast to coast, including Thousand Pines, Good Standing, and Gregorian. His insider perspective infuses this cozy yet thrilling murder mystery with authenticity, humor, and heart.

Moderator: Geneva Carr, Tony-nominated Broadway and television actress known for Hand to God and CBS’s Bull, leads the conversation.

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For our 100th Episode, award-winning playwright and director David Rigano joins us to discuss his play What We Deserve. Rigano's work includes the award-winning musical You Heard It Here, as well as We Were Wild, Get the Duchess, and Awaken: A Sleeping Beauty Musical, written with his longtime collaborator and brother, Paul Rigano. He also co-created the long-running Ides of March Extravaganza and co-wrote The Holy Cows of Credence South Dakota with Mark-Eugene Garcia. The conversation will be moderated by writer, director, and performer Catie Carlisle, whose plays include 100 Days, That Night, and The Overlap.

What We Deserve follows six strangers whose chance encounters repeatedly bring them together in unexpected ways. As relationships form and shift, they grapple with questions of love, fulfillment, and whether the lives they're living are truly the ones they deserve.

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In this episode, legendary playwright Migdalia Cruz discusses her new anthology The Impossible Plays, which features three previously unpublished works alongside reflections from theater luminaries Virginia Grise, Todd London, and David Henry Hwang. The conversation explores Cruz’s provocative, essential plays, her creative process, and her insights for emerging playwrights seeking to build a career in the theater.

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