Off Stage Conversations

Hello. I'm Andie Arthur, executive director of the South Florida Theatre League, and this is Off Stage Conversations, where I take a look at what discussions are going on in the national and international theatre community.

More On Female Playwrights and Stories

Last week, I posted this blog post by Melissa Hillman, on how early career female playwrights often don't give their characters agency. This article sparked a lot of debate (some in the comments of the original piece) and caused two interesting follow ups. Playwright Lauren Gunderson (who wrote Exit, Pursued by a Bear) points out that the act of writing is activism and playwrights need to be aware of the worlds they are creating. Hillman also has a follow up with her reaction to the reactions.

Other Kinds of Activism

Feministing interviews Jax Jackson, a transgender performer in the Goodman Theatre Company's upcoming Teddy Ferrera.

The piece mentions that "the few mainstream stories that are being told about people of color, women, LGBT folks, etc. leave these very same people out of the picture." This is why that it's exciting that a major regional theatre is casting a transgender actor in a transgender role.

Personal Advisory Board

Marisela Treviño Orta and Lois Dawson both take a quick look at a personal career advisory board. These articles are about a year old, but I love the idea so much that I'm posting them anyway. I think it makes sense for creators to have not only personal cheerleaders, but people who can help them navigate tricky situations. It's so important as an artist to surround yourself with people who get you, your work, and who challenge you to be better at what you do.

More Plays to Read

Original Works Publishing offers a Free Play Monday promotion with Amazon, where there is a free kindle play download every Monday. So while it is Wednesday, mark down in your calendar to check them out on Monday.

Another way to read more plays on the cheap is Indie Theater Now, which offers various subscriptions, including 25 plays for $20.99.

Both of these are cheap (and sometimes free) ways to check out new work happening around the rest of the country.

New 2amt Series on Dramaturgy

2amtheatre has started an interview with dramaturgs series (in addition to their director interview series run by Thinking Cap Artistic Director Nicole Stoddard).

Can 13P be recreated?

Alex Barron writes for HowlRound on the difficulties for playwrights trying to recreate the 13P model. There are some really great comments here so unlike the rest of the internet, I highly recommend reading the comments. Even if you aren't a playwright, there's some great discussion on the artist as producer that I think is addressed here.

Swag

Most of our South Florida theatres don't sell merchandise. (And I'm sure that many more would be horrified at the thought.) But for Mad Cat and any other theatre thinking about getting into that scene, Phil Johnson has a look at why people buy and how to appropriately price things.

Interview with NEA Chief of Staff Jamie Bennett

Jamie Bennett, NEA Chief of Staff, discusses Rocco Landesman, creative placemaking, and behind the scenes at the NEA.

Our Town Over the Years

Kate Powers takes a look at how different directors have approached Wilder's Our Town.