James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

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James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

James Elden

113 episodes

1 month ago

Send us a text In this episode, musical theatre playwright Isaac Laskin stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the the development and evolution of his hit L.A. musical Hey, Morgan. He dispels the rumor of being challenged to write a musical about a dear friend, how the origination started as individual standalone songs about his roommate and how it later evolved into a musical. We unpack its growth from a short-run, small-theater production into a bigger, longer running show which i...

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Performing Arts

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Send us a text In this episode, musical theatre playwright Isaac Laskin stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the the development and evolution of his hit L.A. musical Hey, Morgan. He dispels the rumor of being challenged to write a musical about a dear friend, how the origination started as individual standalone songs about his roommate and how it later evolved into a musical. We unpack its growth from a short-run, small-theater production into a bigger, longer running show which i...

Show more...

Performing Arts

Episodes (20/113)

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Gatekeepers, Pushing the Line, Independent vs Mainstream, and the Limitations of Specificity - Playwright's Spotlight with Isaac Laskin

Send us a text In this episode, musical theatre playwright Isaac Laskin stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the the development and evolution of his hit L.A. musical Hey, Morgan. He dispels the rumor of being challenged to write a musical about a dear friend, how the origination started as individual standalone songs about his roommate and how it later evolved into a musical. We unpack its growth from a short-run, small-theater production into a bigger, longer running show which i...

1 month ago

51 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Defining Weird, Living in the Creative "World", and Letting Go of Creative Control - Playwright's Spotlight with Clara Rodriguez

Send us a text Playwright Clara Rodriguez jumped into the Playwright's Spotlight in the midst of the run of her latest play - Pointy Scissors. In this discussion, we delve into the theatre company at Theatre West in Los Angeles and their Writers in Residence program. We unpack her journey into playwriting and her motivation and inspiration, the fees and benefits of various theatre companies, her steps after production, the cautions of acquiring an agent, and resources and her process of playw...

1 month ago

50 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Writing the Absurd, Doubting Your Talent, and Recognizing Gifts and Weaknesses - Playwright's Spotlight with James Merolla

Send us a text Playwright James Merolla streamed onto Playwright's Spotlight. We had an engaging and honest conversation about his background as a director and a theatre reviewer and how that eventually led to becoming a playwright. We discuss his struggles with rejection and doubting your talent and being a late-starting and older playwright and eventual successes. We also talk about the lack of feedback in rejection, knowing what festivals your work is appropriate for, recognizing gifts and...

1 month ago

1 hour 11 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Narrative, Reversals, Mapping the Journey, and Running Away with the Circus - Playwright's Spotlight with Dietrich Smith

Send us a text Dietrich Smith jumped into the Playwright's Spotlight after the opening of his World Premiere adaptation of Franz Kafka's novel Amerika. We explore his background as the literary manager at the Open Fist Theatre Company and the trends he observed from submissions. We speak about establishing theme and whose story it is in a piece, mapping the journey, approaching adaptation, and the history of Kafka's Amerika. We delve into writing an ending to an incomplete work, cutting what ...

2 months ago

1 hour 24 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Inspirational Feedback, Weight-Bearing Walls, and Recognizing and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - Playwright's Spotlight with Sofia Streisand

Send us a text Sofia Streisand dropped into Playwright's Spotlight to discuss the U.S. premiere of her play Bluebeard's Castle (that I misspoke as Blackbeard's) November 1st through November 23rd. In this discussion, we discuss the difference between Russian, European, and American theatre, her journey from musical theatre to playwriting, writing multiple voices, and writing for specific actors and their cadence, mannerisms, and nuances. We unpack writing in a second language, the concept of ...

2 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Applied Theatre, Writing Bilingual, and Dramaturgical Playwriting - Playwright's Spotlight with Ankita Raturi

Send us a text Ankita Raturi basked under the Playwright's Spotlight for the World Premiere of her play Neha & Neel. In this discussion we break down the concept of applied theatre and being a teaching artist, how it effects character, exercises that extrude character and whether or not the practice makes it into a piece. We unpack earning a monologue, the first steps of playwriting, writing bi-lingually, dramaturgical playwriting, and the audience's experience. We also discuss finding di...

2 months ago

1 hour 21 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Writing Theatrically, Working on the Puzzle, and the Ecosystem of Theatre - Playwright's Spotlight with Crystal Skillman

Send us a text Playwright Crystal Skillman beamed into the Playwright's Spotlight from Indianapolis for the run of her World Premiere play The Rocket Men. We discuss how one becomes a 4-time NYT's Critics' Pick playwright, what it means to be a "theatrical" writer, writing design on the page and offering solutions, trusting and listening to your audience, the concept of "magic but no magic", and learning from seeing a production of your work. We also unpack the benefits (or challenges) of dir...

2 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Formulas and Slow Burners, the Process of Radio Dramas, and Making Mystery Interesting - Playwright's Spotlight with John Ballentine

Send us a text SEASON5, EPISODE 1!!! Wow. Hard to believe. This is an episode recorded months ago saved for this very occasion. Kudos to Cameron Scott for connecting me to John. This is a very special episode taking writing to a new level that every playwright can benefit from. John takes writing to levels I don't think we've ever tackled in past episodes, but you will have to listen to Campfire Radio Theater to fully grasp his approach. If you're not familiar with Campfire Radio Theate...

3 months ago

1 hour 10 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Community, Distractions, and Writing Characters You Don't See on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Israel López Reyes

Send us a text Israel López Reyes swung by the studio before the opening of his recent commission to discuss his background leading up to it and his success as an Angeleno playwright. We discuss his journey from actor to playwright, how he fell into theatre and his discovery to figuring out story and telling stories that matter. We unpack the evolution of emerging playwrights, the process and approach to character, the elements of structure, learning from the Greats, mastering the craft as we...

3 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Film to Stage, Naturalism to Realism, and Finding Courage to Write - Playwright's Spotlight with David Kohner Zuckerman

Send us a text Filmmaker turned playwright, David Kohner Zuckerman, dropped into Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the World Premiere of his play Parallel Process. In this interview, we talk unpack his journey from film to stage and how it affect his writing, his approach to naturalism and honesty to his writing, and how his acting and directing applied to his writing. We also touched on his collaborating with his cast, how rehearsals affected his structure, and being a first time playwrig...

3 months ago

58 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Implementing Twists, Writing Red Herrings, and Keeping Your Audience Engaged - Playwright's Spotlight with Stuart Brown

Send us a text Playwright Stuart Brown streamed into Playwright's Spotlight for a second time after technical difficulties with sound, but I hope delved a little deeper this time around. We discuss the Connecticut Theatre Market, being a critic and a playwright and how the former affected the latter, honesty as a critic, and advice to theatre companies on getting critics in seats. We also explore how being a critic helped his writing when he began to pursue playwriting, keeping your audience ...

4 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

The Musicality of Dialogue, the Magic of Writing, the Doorway Effect, and the Trick of Eliminating Parenthiticals - Playwright's Spotlight with Lawrence Connolly

Send us a text Playwright. Screenplay Writer, and Novelist Lawrence C. Connolly streamed into Playwright's Spotlight and, as always, we touched base on many topics not covered in previous episodes. It never ceases to amaze me. In this discussion, we delve into adapting a novel and the allegory of Frankenstein, staging multiple locations on stage, the process of outlining a five-act play, approaching cross-talk amongst multiple characters, and the musicality of dialogue. We also we unpack flow...

4 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

The Business of Playwriting, Laying Breadcrumbs, and Dramatic Truth and the Math of Human Emotion - Playwright's Spotlight with Angelica Cheri

Send us a text Angelica Cheri swung by Playwright's Spotlight after leaving the rehearsals of her Broadway play Wanted only to jump into the rehearsals for the West Coast Premiere of her play Burta Burta. She was wiling to share her insights of the craft. We delve into the rehearsal process, approaching rewrites and the importance of dramatic truth, finding opportunities and landing an agent, changes to pieces from a thesis to premieres to publication. We also touch on the trick of raising st...

5 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Episode 100! Jersey Boys, an Egg Timer, Stage Effects, and Organizing Principles - Playwright's Spotlight with Rick Elice

Send us a text Episode 100! Thanks for supporting us on this journey. We would love to hear how this podcast may have helped you with your creative endeavors. To celebrate this milestone, Rick Elice of Jersey Boys, Peter and the Star Catcher, Water for Elephants, The Addams Family, The Cher Show, and the upcoming Princess Bride Musical, was gracious enough sit in the Spotlight (TWICE) after a botched first recording. We owe this opportunity to Cameron Scott who put this entire thing into moti...

5 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin

Send us a text Playwright and performer, Ashley Griffin, swung by the studio to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight before her West Coast Premiere of her Off-Broadway play The Opposite of Love. It's a compelling conversation that tackles so many aspects of playwriting, that the title of the thumbnail became a struggle. In this discussion, we breakdown her playwriting origins, learning lessons from mentors, overcoming technical challenges, magical realism and heightened language, and achieving t...

5 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Artistic Visas, Defining Success, and Networking to Find Opportunities - Playwright's Spotlight with Joel Trinidad

Send us a text I invited Joel Trinidad onto the Playwright's Spotlight after reading about his journey. He streamed in while on tour for his acting performance of Romeo and Juliet as part of a fringe fest in South Dakota. In our conversation, we discussed acquiring an artist visa, producing your own work, the definition of success, the structure of a musical, and the importance of networking and finding opportunities. We also discussed using your cast to fill seats, imposter syndrome, submiss...

6 months ago

57 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Plays as Living Things, Staging in Unconventional Locations, and the Definition of Being a Writer - Playwright's Spotlight with Cameron Scott

Send us a text Broadway marketer turned playwright Cameron Scott came onto Playwright's Spotlight after I received his submission to PLAY Noir to talk about his later-in-life start to playwriting. In this conversation, we delve into what the definition of a writer is, a play being a living thing, audio plays vs stage plays and a play's transition from audio to stage, and setting time aside and finding opportunities to write. We also discuss staging in unconventional locations, being a minimal...

6 months ago

1 hour 16 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Writing a Play in Real Time, Necessity Breeding Creativity, and Journey to the Hollywood Fringe - Playwright's Spotlight with Faye Widjaja and Sohani Sawant

Send us a text Returning playwright Faye Widjaja and her cohort, Sohoni Sawant, dropped by the studio after having streamed in from her original interview just over two years ago to discuss the journey and evolution of her play A Minor Inconvenience from the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival to the Hollywood Fringe. It's an insightful journey I hope every playwright at any stage can pull a nugget of knowledge. We explore their journey from the original production and obstacles at Lena...

7 months ago

54 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Adaptations, Archetypes, Writing Whimsy, and A Quantum Fantasia - Playwright's Spotlight with John Farmanesh-Bocca

Send us a text John Farmanesh-Bocca swung by The Playwright's Spotlight to talk about his latest Shakespeare adaptation Lear Redux: A Quantum Fantasia. Throughout this conversation we discuss his journey into becoming an adaptive playwrights of the Classics, how he breaks them down, unpacks them, and the puts them back together to serve a modern audience without losing the original story and, sometimes, the original language. We discuss how much preparation he does before moving into collabor...

7 months ago

1 hour 22 minutes

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Rhythm in Dialogue, Playing with Different Structures, and the Flaws of Rewriting on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Brad McEntire

Send us a text Longtime-listening playwright Brad McEntire streamed into the Spotlight to discuss his experience and approach to the craft. We discuss the exercises and lessons from studying under Will Power at Southern Methodist University and the Dallas Theatre Center, playing with the rhythm of dialogue, what beginning playwrights don't do or practice, and whether or not you can achieve impossible stage directions with a small budget. We also delve into his background as a literary manager...

8 months ago

1 hour 22 minutes