On this season finale episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak welcomes writer, director, actor, and theatre-maker John Cameron Mitchell, the co-creator of the cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, who also wrote, directed, and starred in its film adaptation. Justin and John talk about making original work that refuses to play it safe, building a creative life across theatre and film, and what it means to protect your weird, specific voice long enough for it to become the thing audiences did not realize they needed. It is an energizing, big-picture conversation for anyone teaching, studying, producing, or writing theatre right now, especially if you are trying to make something brave on a real-world timeline.

On this week’s episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak welcomes playwright Tracy Wells, whose work has become a go-to resource for schools and community theatres looking for smart, producible scripts that honor real-world constraints without shrinking the storytelling. With more than two hundred published plays and skits produced across the U.S. and internationally, Tracy writes with the practical needs of directors and educators in mind, including limited budgets, small stages, and the challenge of giving a large cast meaningful moments to shine. Justin and Tracy talk craft, writing for young performers, and what it takes to create theatre that is both achievable and artistically satisfying. It is a genuinely useful conversation for anyone teaching, directing, or writing theatre right now.

On this week’s episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak welcomes playwright, poet, actor, director, and producer Keenan Scott II. Keenan’s work has been produced at theatres including the National Black Theatre, New York Theater Workshop, Arena Stage, and Woolly Mammoth. Justin and Keenan dig into craft, collaboration, and what it means to build original work from the ground up, including the journey of Thoughts of a Colored Man from regional stages to the Golden Theatre on Broadway, where Keenan made both his writing and acting debut. It is a candid, energizing conversation for anyone teaching, studying, producing, or writing theatre right now.

On this week’s episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak welcomes acclaimed playwright Abe Koogler. Abe’s work has been seen at some of the nation’s leading theatres, including the Public Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Theater, and the Goodman Theatre. His plays include Deep Blue Sound, Staff Meal, Fulfillment Center, Kill Floor, and Blue Skies Process. He is the recipient of an Obie Award in Playwriting, the Weissberger Award, the Dramatists Guild’s Lanford Wilson Award, and the Theater Masters Standing Ovation Award. Justin and Abe talk about craft, collaboration, and what it takes to be a playwright. It is a powerful and practical episode for anyone teaching, studying, or writing theatre today.

Part 2: On this week’s special two-part episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak sits down with actor and playwright John Cariani. From writing Almost, Maine, one of the most produced plays in American high schools, to earning a Tony nomination as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, John traces a career shaped by craft, curiosity and heart. We talk about the surprising journey of Almost, Maine, his work on Broadway in Fiddler, Something Rotten and The Band’s Visit, and the many lessons learned along the way. If you appreciate artists who bring sincerity and a deep respect for humanity to every role and every page, this conversation is for you.

On this week’s special two-part episode of The Scene Podcast, host Justin Borak sits down with actor and playwright John Cariani. From writing Almost, Maine, one of the most produced plays in American high schools, to earning a Tony nomination as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, John traces a career shaped by craft, curiosity and heart. We talk about the surprising journey of Almost, Maine, his work on Broadway in Fiddler, Something Rotten and The Band’s Visit, and the many lessons learned along the way. If you appreciate artists who bring sincerity and a deep respect for humanity to every role and every page, this conversation is for you.

This week, host Justin Boark sits down with playwright and educator Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin. Their work bends time, unravels inherited systems, and insists on theatrical forms that refuse the predictable. Kaela’s plays explore identity through diaspora, queerness, power, and the ghosts that follow us into the rehearsal room. Their writing has been recognized by the Leah Ryan Prize, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and the Kennedy Center, produced by companies including the Know Theatre of Cincinnati and the Strand Theater of Baltimore, and developed at Ma-Yi, 2ST, and the Alliance. Now an Assistant Professor of Playwriting at Salem State University, Kaela brings a sharp, generous perspective on what the next generation of theatre can and should be. If you are drawn to inventive structure, big questions, and writers who challenge the rules because the rules were never big enough to hold their stories, this episode is worth your time.

This week, host Justin Boark sits down with award-winning playwright James Ijames, the creative force behind Kill Move Paradise, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham. Their conversation digs into process, purpose, and the responsibility of telling stories that reshape the American stage. If you care about bold writing, fearless storytelling, and the next wave of theatrical innovation, this episode deserves a prime spot on your playlist.

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by writer, actor, and director Ngozi Anyanwu, whose work bridges generations, continents, and artistic disciplines. From her breakout play The Homecoming Queen to the deeply personal Good Grief and her acclaimed performance in The Last of the Love Letters, Ngozi brings a fierce emotional honesty to every story she tells. In this episode, she shares her journey from performer to playwright, how she captures the specificity of memory and migration, and why she’s driven to tell Black stories that aren’t centered in trauma but in complexity, joy, and love.

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by playwright Jonathan Spector, whose work blends sharp political insight with dark humor and daring theatricality. From Eureka Day to This Much I Know, Jonathan has built a reputation for tackling polarizing subjects with nuance, empathy, and a touch of absurdity. In this conversation, recorded prior to his 2025 Tony Award win, we talk about writing satire in polarized times, the Bay Area as a creative influence, and how he builds plays that ask big questions without prescribing easy answers.

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by Madeline Sayet, playwright, director, performer, and a powerful voice in contemporary Indigenous theatre. From her solo piece Where We Belong to her advocacy for language revitalization and decolonized storytelling, Madeline invites us into a conversation about lineage, responsibility, and crafting theatre that speaks across generations. We explore how her Mohegan identity shapes her work, why Shakespeare still matters, and how storytelling can be a form of reclamation, resistance, and radical hope.

This week on The Scene Podcast, we sit down with acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler, whose work explores identity, memory, and the intimate collisions between the personal and political. From Photograph 51 to Actually and The Wanderers, Anna shares how her background in poetry shaped her voice, how she approaches ambiguity on stage, and why she’s drawn to characters who exist in tension with themselves. It’s a thoughtful, layered conversation that celebrates quiet power in theatrical storytelling.

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by the dynamic writing duo Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy, partners in both life and theatre. Known for their sharp wit and genre-blending scripts, the pair shares how their collaborative process evolved from comedy sketches to critically acclaimed plays. We talk about teaching theatre, navigating adaptations, and what it’s really like to co-write with your spouse. Plus, we debut a brand-new segment inspired by Letterboxd’s “Four Favorite Films”, but this time, it’s all about the plays that shaped us.

In this special episode of The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by theatre commentators and content creators Liz Gutridge, Ashley Hufford, and Maggie Hill for a lively roundtable breaking down the 2025 Tony Award nominations. From thrilling surprises to frustrating omissions, we dig into the major trends, record-setting shows, and rising stars shaping this year’s Broadway honors. Plus, we highlight past Scene guests who are now Tony nominees, celebrating their achievements and discussing their standout contributions to the season.

Season 3 premieres with boundary-pushing storyteller Kate Douglas—playwright, librettist, composer, and creator of The Apiary. Kate’s work spans music, immersive theatre, and environmental advocacy, making space for stories that are deeply human and defiantly unconventional. In this episode, she opens up about her early artistic journey, the personal and ecological inspirations behind The Apiary, and her recent research trip to Poland exploring physical therapy through movement. Plus, we dig into her analog immersive project Wilderness Neo, and her alt-folk-infused music that bridges chamber opera and indie soul.

The Scene Podcast is back for Season 3, and we’re raising the curtain on a brand-new lineup of bold voices, breakout talent, and behind-the-scenes brilliance. From Tony-winning writers to rising playwrights shaking up the stage, this season is packed with unfiltered conversations, career insights, and the craft behind the curtain. Whether we’re live from the International Thespian Festival or diving into the future of Broadway, this season isn’t just about what’s onstage—it’s about who’s creating the scene.

The second part of our 2024 Texas Thespians coverage! New episodes of The Scene podcast are coming soon.

It’s the first part of The Scene Texas Thespians episode. Join us for interviews with the Scene team and special guests from the conference floor. Plus, we’ll offer some plays that would be perfect for the UIL One-Act play competition!

An Exclusive Interview with Lauren Gunderson

An exclusive interview with Michael Cotey (ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence)