https://simplecast.com The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers Hosted by Dan Rubins, theater critic at Slant Magazine, The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers celebrates the extraordinary playwrights (plus lyricists, librettists, and composers!) currently featured on New York stages. Each episode spotlights the writer(s) of a new play or musical running in New York City, inviting each guest to explore the genesis and development of the script, the transition from page to stage, and the questions that animate each work. With its focus on plays and musicals still running in New York, The Present Stage offers listeners a closer look at current theater and provides audience members with the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the creation of a show they've just seen. 2023 en Mon, 6 Apr 2026 03:43:06 +0000 Mon, 6 Apr 2026 03:43:18 +0000 https://thepresentstage.com The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/9bec9c64-eabf-47c6-8651-d383a79a35ff/e2ad2446-2e2b-481b-a267-286faf763614/3000x3000/chatgpt-20image-20jun-206-202025-20at-2005-38-33-20pm.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://thepresentstage.com episodic Hosted by Dan Rubins, theater critic at Slant Magazine, The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers celebrates the extraordinary playwrights (plus lyricists, librettists, and composers!) currently featured on New York stages. Each episode spotlights the writer(s) of a new play or musical running in New York City, inviting each guest to explore the genesis and development of the script, the transition from page to stage, and the questions that animate each work. With its focus on plays and musicals still running in New York, The Present Stage offers listeners a closer look at current theater and provides audience members with the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the creation of a show they've just seen. Dan Rubins false https://feeds.simplecast.com/bUg2nMtr librettist, lyricist, musical theater, playwright, theater, theatre, broadway, composer, interview Dan Rubins drubins24@gmail.com 0c58fc6a-58a7-4446-bd80-8bac9d261f55 Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty — RAGTIME Ragtime is currently playing on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater in an open-ended run.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 6 Apr 2026 03:43:06 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/lynn-ahrens-stephen-flaherty-ragtime-cKRmR_ef-rlPSZjnN Ragtime is currently playing on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater in an open-ended run.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty — RAGTIME Dan Rubins, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty 01:01:13 Episode 100 is here! And the 100th guests are breaking our hearts, opening a door, changing the world...it's Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the lyricist and composer of Ragtime, currently enjoying a triumphant Broadway revival at Lincoln Center Theater. In this epic episode, Ahrens & Flaherty break down the score of Ragtime, sharing stories about the show's initial development and exploring what makes this new revival so powerful. Find out what changes cast members suggested this time around and why the writers think "New Music" may be going viral in 2026! Join the 100th episode celebration and stream it now! Episode 100 is here! And the 100th guests are breaking our hearts, opening a door, changing the world...it's Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the lyricist and composer of Ragtime, currently enjoying a triumphant Broadway revival at Lincoln Center Theater. In this epic episode, Ahrens & Flaherty break down the score of Ragtime, sharing stories about the show's initial development and exploring what makes this new revival so powerful. Find out what changes cast members suggested this time around and why the writers think "New Music" may be going viral in 2026! Join the 100th episode celebration and stream it now! brandon uranowitz, shaina taub, the glorious ones, caissie levy, terrence mcnally, lear debessonet, rocky, peter j. friedman, ragtime, once on this island, garth drabinsky, vivian beaumont, musical, stephen flaherty, ben levi ross, lynn ahrens, theatre, theater, anastasia, nichelle lewis, lucky stiff, audra mcdonald, lincoln center, seussical, brian stokes mitchell, frank galati, broadway, joshua henry false full 100 cd925962-7e4e-46a7-bf10-ca2a98875e85 Beth Henley — BUGHOUSE Bughouse runs at the Vineyard Theatre through Sunday, April 5th. For more information, please visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 3 Apr 2026 16:51:26 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Beth Henley) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/beth-henley-bughouse-Rtf2g9ox Bughouse runs at the Vineyard Theatre through Sunday, April 5th. For more information, please visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Beth Henley — BUGHOUSE Dan Rubins, Beth Henley 00:40:11 Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley joins the podcast to talk about her new work Bughouse at the Vineyard Theatre. What excited her about joining director Martha Clarke's project to tell the story of the outsider painter Henry Darger? How did she compile Bughouse's text from the tens of thousands of pages that Darger wrote in secret? And how did creating a solo show reshape her playwriting practice? Tune in to this exciting conversation to find out! Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley joins the podcast to talk about her new work Bughouse at the Vineyard Theatre. What excited her about joining director Martha Clarke's project to tell the story of the outsider painter Henry Darger? How did she compile Bughouse's text from the tens of thousands of pages that Darger wrote in secret? And how did creating a solo show reshape her playwriting practice? Tune in to this exciting conversation to find out! beth henley, john kelly, theatre, theater, vineyard theatre, play, martha clarke, off-broadway, henry darger false full 99 3164484f-223b-4f20-b7ee-0a19fc52f303 Daniel and Patrick Lazour — NIGHT SIDE SONGS Night Side Songs runs at LCT3's Claire Tow Theatre through March 29th. For more information, visit www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:32:51 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Daniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/daniel-and-patrick-lazour-night-side-songs-u5r2snRm Night Side Songs runs at LCT3's Claire Tow Theatre through March 29th. For more information, visit www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Daniel and Patrick Lazour — NIGHT SIDE SONGS Dan Rubins, Daniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour 01:01:21 The Lazours (brothers Daniel and Patrick) join the podcast to talk about the development of their new musical Night Side Songs, currently running at LCT3. The Lazours share how they navigate their collaboration as siblings, what inspired them to explore the stories of terminal illness through song, and why they chose to invite the audience to form a sing-along choir throughout the piece. The Lazours (brothers Daniel and Patrick) join the podcast to talk about the development of their new musical Night Side Songs, currently running at LCT3. The Lazours share how they navigate their collaboration as siblings, what inspired them to explore the stories of terminal illness through song, and why they chose to invite the audience to form a sing-along choir throughout the piece. cancer, diagnosis, chronic illness, patrick lazour, musical, lct3, daniel lazour, theatre, theater, terminal illness, lincoln center, lincoln center theatre, taylor trensch, robin de jesús, off-broadway, taibi magar, mary testa false full 98 904a1ea9-6c2c-4920-af68-30f7b90cf051 Ro Reddick — COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE Cold War Choir Practice, a co-production of Clubbed Thumb, Page 73, and MCC, runs at MCC Theater through April 5th. For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:39:40 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Ro Reddick) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/ro-reddick-cold-war-choir-practice-CtdQ0gFp Cold War Choir Practice, a co-production of Clubbed Thumb, Page 73, and MCC, runs at MCC Theater through April 5th. For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Ro Reddick — COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE Dan Rubins, Ro Reddick 00:46:55 "Milkshake for a Soviet and I!" Ro Reddick sings (yes, for real!) on The Present Stage as she shares about her new play with music, Cold War Choir Practice. Hear her share about what really went down in her childhood peace choir, the dramatic possibilities for choral singing onstage, the reason why Meek has to be played by an adult, and how she designed the zany tone and built the strange world of the show. Don't miss it! "Milkshake for a Soviet and I!" Ro Reddick sings (yes, for real!) on The Present Stage as she shares about her new play with music, Cold War Choir Practice. Hear her share about what really went down in her childhood peace choir, the dramatic possibilities for choral singing onstage, the reason why Meek has to be played by an adult, and how she designed the zany tone and built the strange world of the show. Don't miss it! knud adams, music, gorbachev, ronald reagan, choral singing, musical, page 73, theatre, alana raquel bowers, theater, play with music, ro reddick, play, clubbed thumb, off-broadway, cold war choir practice, mcc theater false full 97 9048afea-1fa4-45d7-87d8-02881c840718 Ngozi Anyanwu — THE MONSTERS The Monsters, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, runs at New York City Center Stage II. For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:09:20 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Ngozi Anyanwu) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/ngozi-anyanwu-the-monsters-Fq3XpHOa The Monsters, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, runs at New York City Center Stage II. For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Ngozi Anyanwu — THE MONSTERS Dan Rubins, Ngozi Anyanwu 00:48:35 Ngozi Anyanwu joins The Present Stage to talk about writing and directing The Monsters, which she's also simultaneously starring in — in another production! — in California! How does she do it all at once? How did she find the theatrical potential of mixed martial arts? And what's so appealing about writing a play for just two actors? Check it all out — and more — on this episode of The Present Stage! Ngozi Anyanwu joins The Present Stage to talk about writing and directing The Monsters, which she's also simultaneously starring in — in another production! — in California! How does she do it all at once? How did she find the theatrical potential of mixed martial arts? And what's so appealing about writing a play for just two actors? Check it all out — and more — on this episode of The Present Stage! new york city center, ngozi anyanwu, theatre, theater, playwriting, okierete onaodowan, play, the monsters, aigner mizzelle, off-broadway, manhattan theatre club false full 96 42e0ee38-b27b-4440-8382-6162b424137f Jake Brasch — THE RESERVOIR The Reservoir is running at the Atlantic Theater Company through March 22nd. For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:30:46 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Jake Brasch) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jake-brasch-the-reservoir-YjdaHoBh The Reservoir is running at the Atlantic Theater Company through March 22nd. For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Jake Brasch — THE RESERVOIR Dan Rubins, Jake Brasch 00:51:46 Jake Brasch joins the podcast to talk all things The Reservoir, a new play running at the Atlantic Theater Company. How do you navigate writing an autobiographical-ish play? How do you strike the balance between entertaining and educating audiences when it comes to topics like recovery and memory less? What's it like to have five productions of a debut play in just over a year? (And who are some other playwrights deserving of that kind of theatrical rollout?!) Don't miss this deep dive on The Present Stage! Jake Brasch joins the podcast to talk all things The Reservoir, a new play running at the Atlantic Theater Company. How do you navigate writing an autobiographical-ish play? How do you strike the balance between entertaining and educating audiences when it comes to topics like recovery and memory less? What's it like to have five productions of a debut play in just over a year? (And who are some other playwrights deserving of that kind of theatrical rollout?!) Don't miss this deep dive on The Present Stage! the reservoir, jake brasch, theatre, theater, heidi armbruster, chip zien, play, shelley butler, atlantic theater company, noah galvin, off-broadway, caroline aaron true full 95 8b2c2d88-c36c-4676-905d-8f00b5375072 Matthew Libby — DATA Data runs at the Lucille Lortel Theater through March 29. For more information, visit www.datatheplay.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 3 Feb 2026 16:55:35 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Matthew Libby, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/matthew-libby-data-tjysyieq-ulBvOF2E Data runs at the Lucille Lortel Theater through March 29. For more information, visit www.datatheplay.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Matthew Libby — DATA Matthew Libby, Dan Rubins 01:01:11 Matthew Libby joins the podcast to uncover the world of Data, his new play that looks under the hood of the sinister side of Silicon Valley. How did Libby balance the twists and turns of a thriller with the emotional complexity of his characters? How does a shifting political and tech landscape transform audience reaction? And how exactly does a new play land a commercial off-Broadway production in today's theater ecosystem? Dive into Data in this can't-miss episode! Matthew Libby joins the podcast to uncover the world of Data, his new play that looks under the hood of the sinister side of Silicon Valley. How did Libby balance the twists and turns of a thriller with the emotional complexity of his characters? How does a shifting political and tech landscape transform audience reaction? And how exactly does a new play land a commercial off-Broadway production in today's theater ecosystem? Dive into Data in this can't-miss episode! alliance theater, matthew libby, palantir, sophia lillis, tyne rafaeli, brandon flynn, justin h. min, thriller, theatre, theater, karan brar, lucille lortel theater, drama, data, jeffrey richards, artificial intelligence, off-broadway, glengarry glen ross false full 94 7d37b0e9-3fe3-4489-b788-32722cb041bb Michael Gordon — WHAT TO WEAR What to wear runs at BAM Strong's Harvey Theater, a production of the Prototype Festival and Next Wave, through January 18th. To learn more, visit www.bam.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:24:31 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Michael Gordon, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/michael-gordon-what-to-wear-T6HoxDpJ What to wear runs at BAM Strong's Harvey Theater, a production of the Prototype Festival and Next Wave, through January 18th. To learn more, visit www.bam.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Michael Gordon — WHAT TO WEAR Michael Gordon, Dan Rubins 00:38:02 Composer Michael Gordon joins the podcast to talk about the remount of his 2006 collaboration with the late Richard Foreman, What to wear, currently playing at BAM through the Prototype Festival. What do you when an avant-garde theatrical legend gives you an incomprehensible absurdist libretto to set to music and tells you to do anything you want with it as long as you don't delete the duck? That was the challenge faced by Michael Gordon twenty years ago, and now he reflects on how he married his compositional style to Foreman's language, why he quadrupled the number of characters named Madeline X in the libretto, and what this piece has meant for him over the past two decades, duck and all. Composer Michael Gordon joins the podcast to talk about the remount of his 2006 collaboration with the late Richard Foreman, What to wear, currently playing at BAM through the Prototype Festival. What do you when an avant-garde theatrical legend gives you an incomprehensible absurdist libretto to set to music and tells you to do anything you want with it as long as you don't delete the duck? That was the challenge faced by Michael Gordon twenty years ago, and now he reflects on how he married his compositional style to Foreman's language, why he quadrupled the number of characters named Madeline X in the libretto, and what this piece has meant for him over the past two decades, duck and all. richard foreman, avant-garde, bang on a can, music theater, madeline x, what to wear, theater, prototype festival, opera, bam, next wave false full 93 453064aa-9e11-411e-a0bb-4d2b7dafcb17 Sarah Kirkland Snider — HILDEGARD Hildegard runs at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College as part of the 2026 PROTOTYPE Festival through January 14th. To learn more, please visit www.prototypefestival.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:58:05 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sarah Kirkland Snider, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sarah-kirkland-snider-hildegard-hRkJe3CB Hildegard runs at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College as part of the 2026 PROTOTYPE Festival through January 14th. To learn more, please visit www.prototypefestival.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sarah Kirkland Snider — HILDEGARD Sarah Kirkland Snider, Dan Rubins 00:59:03 We kick off 2026 with a deep-dive into Hildegard with composer-librettist Sarah Kirkland Snider whose new opera's just premiered at the Prototype Festival. The conversation explores the challenges of taking on a first opera — as both composer and librettist! — and what's so inspiring about the life and works of the medieval composer, writer, abbess, and prophet Hildegard von Bingen. This is a can't-miss episode for fans of opera, composers and music fans curious about dramatic storytelling through instrumentation and text-painting, and anyone interested in in how historical figures can spring to life on stage! We kick off 2026 with a deep-dive into Hildegard with composer-librettist Sarah Kirkland Snider whose new opera's just premiered at the Prototype Festival. The conversation explores the challenges of taking on a first opera — as both composer and librettist! — and what's so inspiring about the life and works of the medieval composer, writer, abbess, and prophet Hildegard von Bingen. This is a can't-miss episode for fans of opera, composers and music fans curious about dramatic storytelling through instrumentation and text-painting, and anyone interested in in how historical figures can spring to life on stage! instrumentation, hildegard von bingen, prototype, nola richardson, sarah kirkland snider, mikaela bennett, prototype festival, orchestration, beth morrison projects, hildegard, opera, richardis von stade, gabriel crouch, bmp, volmar false full 92 56aab050-f766-4349-a3d8-5fb6632951dc Martyna Majok — QUEENS Queens, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, runs at New York City Center Stage I through December 7th. For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 5 Dec 2025 18:52:59 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Martyna Majok, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/martyna-majok-queens-30bf7cXx Queens, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, runs at New York City Center Stage I through December 7th. For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Martyna Majok — QUEENS Martyna Majok, Dan Rubins 00:57:23 Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok joins the podcast to talk about her new(ish) play Queens. She explores what went into the major revision process for this play that first premiered off-Broadway in 2017, discusses how her work strives to bring poetry and dignity to unamplified voices, and shares what that Pulitzer did — and didn't — change about her life. Don't miss this crucial conversation with Martyna Majok! Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok joins the podcast to talk about her new(ish) play Queens. She explores what went into the major revision process for this play that first premiered off-Broadway in 2017, discusses how her work strives to bring poetry and dignity to unamplified voices, and shares what that Pulitzer did — and didn't — change about her life. Don't miss this crucial conversation with Martyna Majok! ari'el stachel, multilingual, playwright, new york city center, cost of living, other, lct3, pulitzer prize, trip cullman, theatre, julia lester, theater, ironbound, martyna majok, drama, gatsby, play, nadine malouf, lincoln center, off-broadway, marin ireland, polish, sanctuary city, manhattan theatre club true full 91 b7257b75-7dfe-4425-a0fe-168a2066a152 Else Went — INITIATIVE Initiative runs at the Public Theater through December 7th. For more information, visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 5 Dec 2025 18:47:39 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Else Went, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/else-went-initiative-ySE_mPOo Initiative runs at the Public Theater through December 7th. For more information, visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Else Went — INITIATIVE Else Went, Dan Rubins 00:41:26 Else Went joins The Present Stage to talk about her new play Initiative, a 5-hour exploration of post-millennium adolescence. We talk about Initiative's AOL Instant Messenger storytelling, how the close-knit cast helped to develop the piece over a decade, and, of course, the challenges and advantages of making a 5-hour play. No matter your roll of the dice, stream this episode! Else Went joins The Present Stage to talk about her new play Initiative, a 5-hour exploration of post-millennium adolescence. We talk about Initiative's AOL Instant Messenger storytelling, how the close-knit cast helped to develop the piece over a decade, and, of course, the challenges and advantages of making a 5-hour play. No matter your roll of the dice, stream this episode! else went, greg cuellar, public theater, playwright, theatre, emma rose went, theater, initiative, play, off-broadway, oksar eustis true full 90 7ed40284-ccfa-4ab5-9631-ed688510bc10 Anne Washburn — THE BURNING CAULDRON OF FIERY FIRE The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire runs at the Vineyard Theatre through December 7th. For more information, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 4 Dec 2025 21:06:20 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Anne Washburn, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/anne-washburn-the-burning-cauldron-of-fiery-fire-HfUZ6LUu The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire runs at the Vineyard Theatre through December 7th. For more information, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Anne Washburn — THE BURNING CAULDRON OF FIERY FIRE Anne Washburn, Dan Rubins 00:49:00 Anne Washburn joins the podcast to explore her new play, The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire. We talk about navigating audience disorientation, what's so necessary about choral singing, and why Anne Washburn's writing every play for an imaginary theater company in her mind. Listen to find out what sign she wishes could be posted outside of every theater in the country. Don't miss this electric (post-electric?) conversation with Anne Washburn. Anne Washburn joins the podcast to explore her new play, The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire. We talk about navigating audience disorientation, what's so necessary about choral singing, and why Anne Washburn's writing every play for an imaginary theater company in her mind. Listen to find out what sign she wishes could be posted outside of every theater in the country. Don't miss this electric (post-electric?) conversation with Anne Washburn. steve cosson, heather christian, theatre, theater, vineyard theatre, play, clubbed thumb, off-broadway, the civilians, mr. burns: a post-electric play, the burning cauldron of fiery fire false full 89 a63c93c5-458a-4469-871b-f8a620bfd4b0 Alex Lin — LAOWANG: A CHINATOWN KING LEAR Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear is a production of Primary Stages running at 59E59 through December 14th. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 4 Dec 2025 20:53:08 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Alex Lin, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/alex-lin-laowang-a-chinatown-king-lear-J_iGuXqv Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear is a production of Primary Stages running at 59E59 through December 14th. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Alex Lin — LAOWANG: A CHINATOWN KING LEAR Alex Lin, Dan Rubins 00:30:00 Alex Lin joins the podcast to talk all about the first of her two Off-Broadway plays this season, Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear. She shares how one great actor spurred the creation of a lead role, what it mean to take Shakespeare's tragedy as a jumping-off point, and why she chose to have several scenes performed in untranslated Cantonese. Don't miss this conversation with a playwright kicking off a two-show debut season! Alex Lin joins the podcast to talk all about the first of her two Off-Broadway plays this season, Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear. She shares how one great actor spurred the creation of a lead role, what it mean to take Shakespeare's tragedy as a jumping-off point, and why she chose to have several scenes performed in untranslated Cantonese. Don't miss this conversation with a playwright kicking off a two-show debut season! china, adapation, alex lin, asian american, dan rubins, aapi, theatre, theater, play, cantonese, shakespeare, king lear, wai ching ho, 59e59, primary stages false full 88 7140ccaf-9ccf-4754-ae7c-92cee5a024dc Morgan Lloyd Malcolm — THE WASP The Wasp runs through November 23rd, a production of Little Engine Theater Company. To learn more, visit www.littleenginetheater.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2025 13:45:54 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/morgan-lloyd-malcolm-the-wasp-xn5jf0kV The Wasp runs through November 23rd, a production of Little Engine Theater Company. To learn more, visit www.littleenginetheater.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Morgan Lloyd Malcolm — THE WASP Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Dan Rubins 00:37:01 Morgan Lloyd Malcolm joins the podcast to talk about her thriller "The Wasp," a 2015 play making its U.S. debut. We dive into how Malcolm created this twisty plot; how she interweaves themes of violence, gender, and class into the two characters' taut dynamic; how she navigated the play's adaptation into a film; and what it's like to watch audiences discover the play's shocking turns for the first time. Also, I reveal the silly reason why I spent ten years avoiding her work altogether — and we bond over it! Morgan Lloyd Malcolm joins the podcast to talk about her thriller "The Wasp," a 2015 play making its U.S. debut. We dive into how Malcolm created this twisty plot; how she interweaves themes of violence, gender, and class into the two characters' taut dynamic; how she navigated the play's adaptation into a film; and what it's like to watch audiences discover the play's shocking turns for the first time. Also, I reveal the silly reason why I spent ten years avoiding her work altogether — and we bond over it! rory mcgregor, laura donnelly, emilia, musical, theatre, theater, offbroadway, play, little engine theater, morgan lloyd malcolm, the wasp, off-broadawy false full 87 e1dd0eb1-fbf5-4f5b-9989-a0bfe777bc7a James Ijames — SATURDAY CHURCH Saturday Church is running at New York Theater Workshop through October 24th. To learn more, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 8 Oct 2025 14:08:32 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (James Ijames, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/james-ijames-saturday-church-9zppTzGz Saturday Church is running at New York Theater Workshop through October 24th. To learn more, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> James Ijames — SATURDAY CHURCH James Ijames, Dan Rubins 00:44:02 Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames returns to the podcast to talk about his new musical Saturday Church, based on the 2017 film of the same title. What was it like to reimagine the film alongside the original screenwriter and director Damon Cardasis? How did he incorporate the musical's all-Sia playlist in collaboration with the pop star? And how does it feel to be the fifth most produced playwright in America? Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames returns to the podcast to talk about his new musical Saturday Church, based on the 2017 film of the same title. What was it like to reimagine the film alongside the original screenwriter and director Damon Cardasis? How did he incorporate the musical's all-Sia playlist in collaboration with the pop star? And how does it feel to be the fifth most produced playwright in America? whitney white, james ijames, ballroom, vogue, honey dijon, trans, damon cardasis, theatre, theater, american theatre, musicals, sia, saturday church, fat ham, new york theater workshop, queer, august wilson false full 86 2644f69b-6331-4ff3-b8df-705281b7bde8 SPECIAL EPISODE: A Giant Broadway and Off-Broadway 2025-2026 Season Preview (w/ Joe Weinberg) Follow Joe Weinberg @OverthinkingTheatre on TikTok and Instagram.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:12:10 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Joe Weinberg, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/special-episode-a-giant-broadway-and-off-broadway-2025-2026-season-preview-w-joe-weinberg-rEzYyG0I Follow Joe Weinberg @OverthinkingTheatre on TikTok and Instagram.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> SPECIAL EPISODE: A Giant Broadway and Off-Broadway 2025-2026 Season Preview (w/ Joe Weinberg) Joe Weinberg, Dan Rubins 02:32:12 HERE SHE IS, BOYS! HERE SHE IS, WORLD! TikTok theater critic Joe Weinberg rejoins the podcast to preview dozens of upcoming shows both on Broadway and off in the 2025-2026 season! Follow this current/upcoming theater season from south to north in a geographic tour of New York City's theater venues! It's an epic journey through NYC theater large and small — who knows what you'll discover? HERE SHE IS, BOYS! HERE SHE IS, WORLD! TikTok theater critic Joe Weinberg rejoins the podcast to preview dozens of upcoming shows both on Broadway and off in the 2025-2026 season! Follow this current/upcoming theater season from south to north in a geographic tour of New York City's theater venues! It's an epic journey through NYC theater large and small — who knows what you'll discover? new musical, season preview, lesley manville, the queen of versailles, public theater, james corden, proof, ayo edibiri, james ijames, little bear ridge road, braodway, musical, ariana debose, theatre, theater, playwriting, oedipus, sia, kristin chenoweth, play, saturday church, neil patrick harris, composer, stephen schwartz, off-broadway, mark strong, scott rudin, broadway, bobby cannavale true full 85 f7bc5b13-b001-41cb-b427-887e68fb157e Sophie McIntosh — ROAD KILLS Road Kills runs at The Paradise Factory through September 6th. To learn more, visit www.goodapplescollective.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 2 Sep 2025 13:41:08 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sophie McIntosh, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sophie-mcintosh-road-kills-Q_lGGOSj Road Kills runs at The Paradise Factory through September 6th. To learn more, visit www.goodapplescollective.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sophie McIntosh — ROAD KILLS Sophie McIntosh, Dan Rubins 00:41:21 Playwright Sophie McIntosh joins the podcast to talk about her new plays Road Kills. Hear why she co-founded The Good Apples Collective, how she strikes a balance with introducing an audience to shockingly gory stagecraft, and what she thinks about the theater critics who are Sophie McIntosh super-fans. Don't miss this episode! Playwright Sophie McIntosh joins the podcast to talk about her new plays Road Kills. Hear why she co-founded The Good Apples Collective, how she strikes a balance with introducing an audience to shockingly gory stagecraft, and what she thinks about the theater critics who are Sophie McIntosh super-fans. Don't miss this episode! macbitches, sophie mcintosh, juan a. ramirez, paradise factory, road kills, theatre, theater, helen shaw, play, good apples collective, nina goodheart, off-broadway true full 84 fcdc281f-d463-42cd-8efd-41ad8b0978f2 Troy Anthony — PERICLES Pericles runs at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine through September 2nd. To learn more, visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sun, 31 Aug 2025 11:16:07 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Troy Anthony, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/troy-anthony-pericles-VOCRiGOJ Pericles runs at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine through September 2nd. To learn more, visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Troy Anthony — PERICLES Troy Anthony, Dan Rubins 00:42:39 Hours after the world premiere of his musical adaptation of Pericles, Troy Anthony joins the podcast to share how he adapted one of Shakespeare's knottiest plays for the Public Theater's community-centered Public Works program. Hear about his unique journey through the Public Works experience, why this story resonates with the gospel tradition, and what it feels like to hear your music sung in a sold-out crowd at the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Don't miss this episode! Hours after the world premiere of his musical adaptation of Pericles, Troy Anthony joins the podcast to share how he adapted one of Shakespeare's knottiest plays for the Public Theater's community-centered Public Works program. Hear about his unique journey through the Public Works experience, why this story resonates with the gospel tradition, and what it feels like to hear your music sung in a sold-out crowd at the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Don't miss this episode! pericles, gospel, shaina taub, william shakespeare, music, public works, dreamyard, public theater, troy anthony, the fire ensemble, delacorte, cathedral of st. john the divine, ato blankson-wood, carl cofield, musical, denee benton, theatre, the gospel at colonus, theater, black church, amina faye, alex newell, crystal lucas-perry, concert, shakespeare, oskar eustis false full 83 747082d9-a14f-4591-bfee-ed7957dca2f0 Douglas Lyons — BEAU THE MUSICAL Beau the Musical, a production of Out of the Box Theatrics, runs at Theater 154 through August 3rd.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 2 Aug 2025 14:09:24 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Douglas Lyons) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/douglas-lyons-beau-the-musical-AldooKHO Beau the Musical, a production of Out of the Box Theatrics, runs at Theater 154 through August 3rd.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Douglas Lyons — BEAU THE MUSICAL Dan Rubins, Douglas Lyons 00:32:03 Douglas Lyons returns to the podcast to talk about his new show Beau the Musical. How can theater especially help to amplify queer voices and stories in 2025? What drew the writer-composer to a Nashville sound and setting for this story? And how did this show journey over nearly a decade to its present iteration? Don't miss this conversation! Douglas Lyons returns to the podcast to talk about his new show Beau the Musical. How can theater especially help to amplify queer voices and stories in 2025? What drew the writer-composer to a Nashville sound and setting for this story? And how did this show journey over nearly a decade to its present iteration? Don't miss this conversation! beau the musical, chicken and biscuits, out of the box, musical, out of the box theatrics, theatre, theater, christopher street, table 17, ethan d. pakchar, off-broadway, queer false full 82 e6e01fea-0844-4844-bfb8-bbf95a6a2c3b Donald Margulies — LUNAR ECLIPSE Lunar Eclipse is a production of Second Stage running at The Pershing Square Signature Theater through June 22nd. For more information, please visit www.2st.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 21 Jun 2025 16:26:53 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Donald Margulies, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/donald-margulies-lunar-eclipse-I4edHfje Lunar Eclipse is a production of Second Stage running at The Pershing Square Signature Theater through June 22nd. For more information, please visit www.2st.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Donald Margulies — LUNAR ECLIPSE Donald Margulies, Dan Rubins 00:36:40 Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (and Dan's college playwriting professor!) Donald Margulies joins the podcast to talk about his new play Lunar Eclipse. How does the play pay tribute to the playwright's father-in-law? How do you keep the ball in the air in writing a two-hander? And what would have happened to Our Town's George and Emily if they'd gotten to grow old together? Don't miss this exciting conversation about a new celestial work of theater. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (and Dan's college playwriting professor!) Donald Margulies joins the podcast to talk about his new play Lunar Eclipse. How does the play pay tribute to the playwright's father-in-law? How do you keep the ball in the air in writing a two-hander? And what would have happened to Our Town's George and Emily if they'd gotten to grow old together? Don't miss this exciting conversation about a new celestial work of theater. yale, professor, reed birney, lunar eclipse, playwriting, kate whoriskey, signature, dementia, off-broadway, second stage, thornton wilder false full 81 c05fac6b-d277-4be0-8934-c62a7c376d9d Mara Nelson-Greenberg — NOT NOT JANE'S Not Not Jane's runs as part of Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks 2025 at the Wild Project. To learn more, visit www.clubbedthumb.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 13 Jun 2025 14:18:08 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Mara Nelson-Greenberg, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/mara-nelson-greenberg-not-not-janes-GUzD0bNt Not Not Jane's runs as part of Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks 2025 at the Wild Project. To learn more, visit www.clubbedthumb.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mara Nelson-Greenberg — NOT NOT JANE'S Mara Nelson-Greenberg, Dan Rubins 00:39:19 Mara Nelson-Greenberg hops on to the podcast to talk about her new play Not Not Jane's, one off three productions in Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks 2025. We start off with a heavy-hitting question: Why are fart jokes still so funny? But then we dive deeper into the challenges of finding moving meaning in the absurd and carving believable human characters out of the silliest circumstances. If you've always wanted to learn more about Clubbed Thumb's new play development process — or if you've never heard of Clubbed Thumb before — then this is the episode for you! Mara Nelson-Greenberg hops on to the podcast to talk about her new play Not Not Jane's, one off three productions in Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks 2025. We start off with a heavy-hitting question: Why are fart jokes still so funny? But then we dive deeper into the challenges of finding moving meaning in the absurd and carving believable human characters out of the silliest circumstances. If you've always wanted to learn more about Clubbed Thumb's new play development process — or if you've never heard of Clubbed Thumb before — then this is the episode for you! grief hotel, summerworks, maria striar, theatre, theater, absurd, mara nelson-greenberg, liza birkenmeier, clubbed thumb, off-broadway, not not jane's, christopher durang false full 80 5140904a-d48e-43a6-9895-8113eeaeaa75 Jen Silverman — CREDITORS Creditors runs at  Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre, a co-production of Audible x Together, through June 18th. To learn more, please visit www.audiblexminetta.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 2 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Jen Silverman, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jen-silverman-creditors-_N4uShdj Creditors runs at  Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre, a co-production of Audible x Together, through June 18th. To learn more, please visit www.audiblexminetta.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Jen Silverman — CREDITORS Jen Silverman, Dan Rubins 00:59:41 How do you make a new version of an old play? That's the central question posed to Jen Silverman, adaptor of August Strindberg's 1889 Creditors, currently starring Liev Schreiber, Justice Smith, and Maggie Siff, in this riveting conversation about what it means to reimagine classic drama. Don't miss this dramaturgical deep dive as Silverman explores how they both upheld and upended Strindberg's original. How do you make a new version of an old play? That's the central question posed to Jen Silverman, adaptor of August Strindberg's 1889 Creditors, currently starring Liev Schreiber, Justice Smith, and Maggie Siff, in this riveting conversation about what it means to reimagine classic drama. Don't miss this dramaturgical deep dive as Silverman explores how they both upheld and upended Strindberg's original. ian rickson, adi, hugh jackman, liev schreiber, august strindberg, jen silverman, tekla, sonia friedman, maggie siff, justice smith, minetta lane theatre, audible x together, gustav, liev schrieber false full 79 85af7a59-f232-40fa-99e7-67fb13cf6899 Itamar Moses — DEAD OUTLAW Dead Outlaw is playing on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in an open-ended run. To learn more, please visit www.deadoutlawmusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 30 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Itamar Moses, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/itamar-moses-dead-outlaw-vYQnyljV Dead Outlaw is playing on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in an open-ended run. To learn more, please visit www.deadoutlawmusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Itamar Moses — DEAD OUTLAW Itamar Moses, Dan Rubins 00:49:47 Pulitzer Prize finalist Itamar Moses joins the podcast to talk all things DEAD OUTLAW, his new Broadway musical about the life, death, and after-death of the very real scofflaw Elmer McCurdy. How did writing the show for Audible impact the storytelling? How did he decide which extraordinary facts of Elmer's unbelievable story to leave on the cutting-room floor? Why did he make Andrew Durand play dead for half the show? And what kind of people write a musical all about the inevitability of death? For answers to all those and more, don't miss this essential episode of The Present Stage! Pulitzer Prize finalist Itamar Moses joins the podcast to talk all things DEAD OUTLAW, his new Broadway musical about the life, death, and after-death of the very real scofflaw Elmer McCurdy. How did writing the show for Audible impact the storytelling? How did he decide which extraordinary facts of Elmer's unbelievable story to leave on the cutting-room floor? Why did he make Andrew Durand play dead for half the show? And what kind of people write a musical all about the inevitability of death? For answers to all those and more, don't miss this essential episode of The Present Stage! audible theater, erik della penna, david yazbek, itamar moses, the ally, dead outlaw, minetta lane theater, musical, andrew durand, theatre, theater, tony, pulitzer, elmer mccurdy false full 78 1a6dad8c-5007-40a6-a2f8-4f587052a89b Patrick Foley and Michael Breslin — THE LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCALYPSE The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse, a production of The New Group, runs at the Pershing Square Signature Center through June 1st. For moe information, please visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 26 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Michael Breslin, Patrick Foley, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/patrick-foley-and-michael-breslin-the-last-bimbo-of-the-apocalypse-oi6G_YLn The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse, a production of The New Group, runs at the Pershing Square Signature Center through June 1st. For moe information, please visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Patrick Foley and Michael Breslin — THE LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCALYPSE Michael Breslin, Patrick Foley, Dan Rubins 00:28:54 Whatever happened to Coco? Patrick Foley and Michael Breslin, co-founders of the Fake Friends theater company and Pulitzer Prize finalists for Circle Jerk, join the podcast to talk about their new musical The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse. How do you write a stage show that takes place almost entirely online? What is it like for two millennial writers to create a trio of Gen-Z protagonists who are obsessed with millennial culture? And just how cool is Natalie Walker? For answers to these and more, don't miss this episode. Whatever happened to Coco? Patrick Foley and Michael Breslin, co-founders of the Fake Friends theater company and Pulitzer Prize finalists for Circle Jerk, join the podcast to talk about their new musical The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse. How do you write a stage show that takes place almost entirely online? What is it like for two millennial writers to create a trio of Gen-Z protagonists who are obsessed with millennial culture? And just how cool is Natalie Walker? For answers to these and more, don't miss this episode. natalie walker, paris hilton, fake friends, michael breslin, emil weinstein, britney spears, musical, jeremy o. harris, dan schlosberg, patrick foley, the last bimbo of the apocalypse, lindsay lohan true full 77 55bf5952-f301-4600-88d7-635a541857da Adam Guettel — FLOYD COLLINS Floyd Collins runs on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater through June 22nd. To learn more, please visit www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 23 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Adam Guettel) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/adam-guettel-floyd-collins-s9BHQfWL Floyd Collins runs on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater through June 22nd. To learn more, please visit www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Adam Guettel — FLOYD COLLINS Dan Rubins, Adam Guettel 01:01:21 Tony winner Adam Guettel returns to the podcast to celebrate the revival of Floyd Collins, his 1996 off-Broadway musical making its Broadway debut. Don't miss this electric conversation that goes deep into the score of Floyd Collins and Adam Guettel's compositional process. You might even hear some exclusive snippets of cut material! If you want to go spelunking into the staves of Guettel's score, there's no better cavern to explore than this conversation on The Present Stage! Tony winner Adam Guettel returns to the podcast to celebrate the revival of Floyd Collins, his 1996 off-Broadway musical making its Broadway debut. Don't miss this electric conversation that goes deep into the score of Floyd Collins and Adam Guettel's compositional process. You might even hear some exclusive snippets of cut material! If you want to go spelunking into the staves of Guettel's score, there's no better cavern to explore than this conversation on The Present Stage! richard rodgers, cave, lincoln center theater, floyd collins, yodeling, lizzy mcalpine, musical, tina landau, digital delay, adam guettel, broadway, harmonica, mary rodgers false full 76 92bf674f-2293-46f6-8647-a2e0c8fcc122 Benjamin Velez — REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Real Women Have Curves is currently playing on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre in an open-ended run. To learn more, visit www.realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 21 May 2025 20:38:29 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Benjamin Velez) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/benjamin-velez-real-women-have-curves-M_bbiBot Real Women Have Curves is currently playing on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre in an open-ended run. To learn more, visit www.realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Benjamin Velez — REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Dan Rubins, Benjamin Velez 00:36:46 Benjamin Velez is back on The Present Stage to talk about his new musical Real Women Have Curves, his Broadway debut as co-composer and co-lyricist! What was it like to collaborate on a new musical over Zoom with Mexican American pop star Joy Huerta? How did the collaborators approach adapting a well-known film for a contemporary audience? And how did Velez incorporate the music of the factory sewing machine into this Tony-nominated score? Benjamin Velez is back on The Present Stage to talk about his new musical Real Women Have Curves, his Broadway debut as co-composer and co-lyricist! What was it like to collaborate on a new musical over Zoom with Mexican American pop star Joy Huerta? How did the collaborators approach adapting a well-known film for a contemporary audience? And how did Velez incorporate the music of the factory sewing machine into this Tony-nominated score? underscoring, joy huerta, nell benjamin, real women have curves, josefina lópez, musical, lisa loomer, orchestration, tony, lyricist, composer, broadway, sergio trujillo true full 75 76a25816-2f44-4bba-91ef-fa2b0c2a2549 Adam Gwon — ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE All the World's A Stage, a Keen Company production, runs at Theater Row through May 10th. To learn more, visit www.keencompany.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 8 May 2025 14:54:55 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Adam Gwon, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/adam-gwon-all-the-worlds-a-stage-bTOSQ9ia All the World's A Stage, a Keen Company production, runs at Theater Row through May 10th. To learn more, visit www.keencompany.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Adam Gwon — ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE Adam Gwon, Dan Rubins 00:37:43 Composer-lyricist-bookwriter Adam Gwon joins the podcast to talk about his new musical All the World's A Stage. What are the challenges and opportunities in crafting a musical for only four performers? What is it like to return to writing a musical on your own after decades of collaboration? And how can theater amplify empathy and community? (BONUS: Are you superfan enough to catch the Ordinary Days Easter egg in this latest show?) Composer-lyricist-bookwriter Adam Gwon joins the podcast to talk about his new musical All the World's A Stage. What are the challenges and opportunities in crafting a musical for only four performers? What is it like to return to writing a musical on your own after decades of collaboration? And how can theater amplify empathy and community? (BONUS: Are you superfan enough to catch the Ordinary Days Easter egg in this latest show?) adam gwon, ordinary days, theater row, musical, theatre, theater, all the world's a stage, keen company, off-broadway false full 74 9aec10dc-2500-4b4e-8f77-3cd46588fd5b Ryan J. Haddad — HOLD ME IN THE WATER Hold Me in the Water runs at Playwrights Horizons through May 7. To learn more, visit www.playwrighthorizons.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 7 May 2025 17:30:05 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Ryan J. Haddad, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/ryan-j-haddad-cpiG40I5 Hold Me in the Water runs at Playwrights Horizons through May 7. To learn more, visit www.playwrighthorizons.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Ryan J. Haddad — HOLD ME IN THE WATER Ryan J. Haddad, Dan Rubins 01:06:56 Ryan J. Haddad to talk all things solo performance, creating accessible theater experiences, and the concept of "access intimacy" in his new one-man play Hold Me in the Water. Don't miss this powerful chat with a leading playwright-performer voice. Ryan J. Haddad to talk all things solo performance, creating accessible theater experiences, and the concept of "access intimacy" in his new one-man play Hold Me in the Water. Don't miss this powerful chat with a leading playwright-performer voice. solo, theatre, gay, theater, playwrights horizons, play, access dramaturgy, disability, queer true full 73 ff790002-4ea6-4924-952c-f56c38a38ebc SPECIAL EPISODE: 2025 Tony and Pulitzer Picks w/ Brittani Samuel and Joe Weinberg You can catch Brittani's theater criticism all over the Internet, including at www.broadwaynews.com and www.3viewstheater.com.

You can catch Joe's theater criticism all over social media, especially at @overthinkingtheatre2 on TikTok.

You can catch Dan's theater criticism by visiting Slant Magazine and Theatermania. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 29 Apr 2025 03:41:48 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Brittani Samuel, Joe Weinberg, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/special-episode-2025-tony-and-pulitzer-picks-w-brittani-samuel-and-joe-weinberg-CF6h33lU You can catch Brittani's theater criticism all over the Internet, including at www.broadwaynews.com and www.3viewstheater.com.

You can catch Joe's theater criticism all over social media, especially at @overthinkingtheatre2 on TikTok.

You can catch Dan's theater criticism by visiting Slant Magazine and Theatermania. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> SPECIAL EPISODE: 2025 Tony and Pulitzer Picks w/ Brittani Samuel and Joe Weinberg Brittani Samuel, Joe Weinberg, Dan Rubins 01:53:04 It's time for a SPECIAL AWARDS EPISODE! Esteemed critics Brittani Samuel and Joe Weinberg join Dan for an epic conversation about the best theater of the season in preparation for the upcoming announcements of the 2025 Tony nominations and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Oh, Mary or English? Audra or Nicole? Pudgy the Dog or Hwaboon? (Ok, we don't actually debate that last one.) Don't miss this insightful, fun-filled tour through the Pulitzer-contending slate and through the 2024-2025 Broadway season! It's time for a SPECIAL AWARDS EPISODE! Esteemed critics Brittani Samuel and Joe Weinberg join Dan for an epic conversation about the best theater of the season in preparation for the upcoming announcements of the 2025 Tony nominations and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Oh, Mary or English? Audra or Nicole? Pudgy the Dog or Hwaboon? (Ok, we don't actually debate that last one.) Don't miss this insightful, fun-filled tour through the Pulitzer-contending slate and through the 2024-2025 Broadway season! pick, dan rubins, musical, pulitzer prize, joe weinberg, comedy, theatre, tony award, theater, drama, tony predictions, play, off-broadway, brittani samuel, broadway, prediction false full 72 79f08521-a860-48cb-a947-023697c35d49 Mona Pirnot — I'M ASSUMING YOU KNOW DAVID GREENSPAN I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan runs off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater's Stage 2 through April 30th. To learn more, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:36:36 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Mona Pirnot, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/mona-pirnot-im-assuming-you-know-david-greenspan-3aWRrCq1 I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan runs off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater's Stage 2 through April 30th. To learn more, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mona Pirnot — I'M ASSUMING YOU KNOW DAVID GREENSPAN Mona Pirnot, Dan Rubins 01:00:24 Mona Pirnot is BACK on the podcast and this time, she's written a solo play performed by the playwright-performer David Greenspan about a playwright named Mona writing a play to be performed by the playwright-performer David Greenspan. This is the ultimate playwright's play that digs into what it means to dedicate yourself to writing for the stage and whether that's ultimately an act of self-sacrifice or self-aggrandizement or both or something in between. We get into all of it (and more!) this week on The Present Stage!! Mona Pirnot is BACK on the podcast and this time, she's written a solo play performed by the playwright-performer David Greenspan about a playwright named Mona writing a play to be performed by the playwright-performer David Greenspan. This is the ultimate playwright's play that digs into what it means to dedicate yourself to writing for the stage and whether that's ultimately an act of self-sacrifice or self-aggrandizement or both or something in between. We get into all of it (and more!) this week on The Present Stage!! mona pirnot, lucas hnath, solo, theatre, theater, david greenspan, atlantic theater, play, off-broadway false full 71 8761cf0e-d6ec-4ec0-a058-ed71821c2b5d Emil Weinstein — BECOMING EVE Becoming Eve, a New York Theater Workshop production, runs at the Abrons Arts Center through April 27th. To learn more, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:40:43 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Emil Weinstein, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/emil-weinstein-becoming-eve-r9NdiO2p Becoming Eve, a New York Theater Workshop production, runs at the Abrons Arts Center through April 27th. To learn more, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Emil Weinstein — BECOMING EVE Emil Weinstein, Dan Rubins 00:46:36 Emil Weinstein joins the podcast to share about the creation of Becoming Eve, a theatrical adaptation of a memoir by Abby Chava Stein, once a Hasidic rabbi, that charts her journey towards coming out as a transgender woman. We explore the unexpected obstacles to getting the play staged after the Archdiocese that ran the Connelly Theater blocked the production, as well as the intricacies of how playwright and memoirist became friends as he adapted her story and how that friendship impacted the writing and rehearsal process. We also dive into the use of puppetry in the play, the challenge of engaging audiences in a conversation about rabbinical scholarship, and the significance of telling trans stories in 2025. Emil Weinstein joins the podcast to share about the creation of Becoming Eve, a theatrical adaptation of a memoir by Abby Chava Stein, once a Hasidic rabbi, that charts her journey towards coming out as a transgender woman. We explore the unexpected obstacles to getting the play staged after the Archdiocese that ran the Connelly Theater blocked the production, as well as the intricacies of how playwright and memoirist became friends as he adapted her story and how that friendship impacted the writing and rehearsal process. We also dive into the use of puppetry in the play, the challenge of engaging audiences in a conversation about rabbinical scholarship, and the significance of telling trans stories in 2025. tommy dorfman, theatre, theater, becoming eve, abby chava stein, play, new york theater workshopa, off-broadway, abrons arts center false full 70 7f32e40b-0c9a-4f04-951b-3cdbb7bee334 Leegrid Stevens — THE TROJANS The Trojans runs at the cell through April 26th. To learn more, visit thecelltheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2025 22:46:04 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Leegrid Stevens, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/leegrid-stevens-the-trojans-b0tk8Pjj The Trojans runs at the cell through April 26th. To learn more, visit thecelltheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Leegrid Stevens — THE TROJANS Leegrid Stevens, Dan Rubins 00:39:09 Leegrid Stevens, writer and composer of the Trojans and Co-Artistic Director of Loading Dock Theatre, joins the podcast to talk about how he built this new synth-wave pop, Homeric memory musical. He delves into how his background as a sound designer influences his storytelling as a writer and explores how he fused ancient myth and 80s adolescent lore. Leegrid Stevens, writer and composer of the Trojans and Co-Artistic Director of Loading Dock Theatre, joins the podcast to talk about how he built this new synth-wave pop, Homeric memory musical. He delves into how his background as a sound designer influences his storytelling as a writer and explores how he fused ancient myth and 80s adolescent lore. iliad, theatre, theater, synth-wave, erin treadway, the cell theatre, play, the trojans, homer, the cell, leegrid stevens, loading dock false full 69 a7c27add-b91a-4bcc-9b87-63cb5ded2858 Ken Urban — Danger and Opportunity Danger and Opportunity is currently running at The East Village Basement through April 25th. For more information, please visit www.dangerandopportunity.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 18 Apr 2025 22:13:09 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Ken Urban, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/ken-urban-danger-and-opportunity-dpIOH6Km Danger and Opportunity is currently running at The East Village Basement through April 25th. For more information, please visit www.dangerandopportunity.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Ken Urban — Danger and Opportunity Ken Urban, Dan Rubins 00:41:38 Ken Urban joins the podcast to discuss his new play Danger and Opportunity, premiering in an intimate production at The East Village Basement. He shares how a unique venue and Jack Serio's distinct directorial vision helped to shape the play, what it means to write a piece of theater set during the pandemic, and what it's like to watch the audience watch Danger and Opportunity in such close quarters. Don't miss this exciting conversation about an intriguing new play! Ken Urban joins the podcast to discuss his new play Danger and Opportunity, premiering in an intimate production at The East Village Basement. He shares how a unique venue and Jack Serio's distinct directorial vision helped to shape the play, what it means to write a piece of theater set during the pandemic, and what it's like to watch the audience watch Danger and Opportunity in such close quarters. Don't miss this exciting conversation about an intriguing new play! ken urban, threeway, theatre, theater, throuple, play, east village basement, off-broadway, danger and opportunity, pandemic false full 68 d6c323f8-21fb-4925-8bd7-df05a2dd804c Caragh Donley — HE SAID, SHE SAYS He Said, She Says runs at wild project, a NYC Fringe production, through April 19th. Please visit www.frigid.nyc for more information.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 17 Apr 2025 03:00:20 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Caragh Donley, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/caragh-donley-he-said-she-says-b2JYM4LQ He Said, She Says runs at wild project, a NYC Fringe production, through April 19th. Please visit www.frigid.nyc for more information.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Caragh Donley — HE SAID, SHE SAYS Caragh Donley, Dan Rubins 00:38:39 Caragh Donley joins the podcast after her second public performance, "He Said, She Says," her solo show about coming out as transgender in her 60s, to share her journey to the stage. In this conversation, Donley, a Senior Producer for the Kelly Clarkson Show, shares why telling her story has become a central part of her mission and identity, how she made the leap to theater-making, and which jokes in the show are in the script just to make her laugh. Caragh Donley joins the podcast after her second public performance, "He Said, She Says," her solo show about coming out as transgender in her 60s, to share her journey to the stage. In this conversation, Donley, a Senior Producer for the Kelly Clarkson Show, shares why telling her story has become a central part of her mission and identity, how she made the leap to theater-making, and which jokes in the show are in the script just to make her laugh. caragh donley, transgender, theatre, theater, nyc fringe festival, kelly clarkson show, play, solo show, fringe festival, he said she says true full 67 5acd9a4f-92ff-49ac-ac05-1408f72e9127 Adil Mansoor — AMM(I)GONE amm(i)gone plays at the Flea Theater through April 14th. For more information, please visit www.playco.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 9 Apr 2025 15:55:36 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Adil Mansoor, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/adil-mansoor-ammigone-DzQCtZoL amm(i)gone plays at the Flea Theater through April 14th. For more information, please visit www.playco.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Adil Mansoor — AMM(I)GONE Adil Mansoor, Dan Rubins 00:44:46 Adil Mansoor joins the podcast to talk about his solo show amm(i)gone, a play that tells the story of his collaboration with his mother to translate Sophocles' Antigone into Urdu while navigating the unaddressed minefield in their relationship: his queerness. The conversation is a deep-dive into the craft of solo theater, how Mansoor navigates stepping outside of his normal directorial role to perform in his own piece, and the stakes of telling your own story onstage. Don't miss this episode! Adil Mansoor joins the podcast to talk about his solo show amm(i)gone, a play that tells the story of his collaboration with his mother to translate Sophocles' Antigone into Urdu while navigating the unaddressed minefield in their relationship: his queerness. The conversation is a deep-dive into the craft of solo theater, how Mansoor navigates stepping outside of his normal directorial role to perform in his own piece, and the stakes of telling your own story onstage. Don't miss this episode! sophocles, adil mansoor, theatre, theater, amm(i)gone, play, antigone, urdu, solo show, off-broadway, queer false full 66 6e0696a4-b449-4ab5-9933-08c2814ced10 Chisa Hutchinson — AMERIKIN Amerikin runs at 59E59 Theater A through April 13th. For more information about this Primary Stages production, please visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 2 Apr 2025 16:47:57 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Chisa Hutchinson) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/china-hutchinson-amerikin-Z15QA7kq Amerikin runs at 59E59 Theater A through April 13th. For more information about this Primary Stages production, please visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Chisa Hutchinson — AMERIKIN Dan Rubins, Chisa Hutchinson 00:45:40 Chisa Hutchinson is BACK on The Present Stage to discuss her third play in 59E59's Amplify season, Amerikin. At the heart of her work on this play is a question: Is it worth it to try to understand the humanity of people who don't respect or recognize the humanity of others? Don't miss this conversation about making a play that challenges audiences to engage on a human level with the very worst forces in our nation. Chisa Hutchinson is BACK on The Present Stage to discuss her third play in 59E59's Amplify season, Amerikin. At the heart of her work on this play is a question: Is it worth it to try to understand the humanity of people who don't respect or recognize the humanity of others? Don't miss this conversation about making a play that challenges audiences to engage on a human level with the very worst forces in our nation. amerikin, chisa hutchinson, the bleeding class, theatre, theater, play, off-broadway, 59e59, primary stages, redeemed true full 65 8ecf377d-63a8-425b-beaa-90eae83e451a Hue Park & Will Aronson — MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Maybe Happy Ending is currently running on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre. For more information, please visit www.maybehappyending.com. The album is now out through Ghostlight Records with a CD (May 16th) and vinyl (June 13th) forthcoming.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 28 Mar 2025 21:25:37 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Will Aronson, Hue Park, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/hue-park-will-aronson-maybe-happy-ending-inpRCghD Maybe Happy Ending is currently running on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre. For more information, please visit www.maybehappyending.com. The album is now out through Ghostlight Records with a CD (May 16th) and vinyl (June 13th) forthcoming.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Hue Park & Will Aronson — MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Will Aronson, Hue Park, Dan Rubins 01:21:29 Ready for a little robot love? Don't miss this conversation with Hue Park and Will Aronson, creators of the new hit Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending. The conversation dives deep (very deep!) into the lyrics, music, and orchestration of the score as explore how the collaborators worked together to write a show in two languages, Korean and English, at the same time. We'll also discuss the show's journey to Broadway and critical reception, the intricacies of using strings and brass to tell a story, and the challenges of pitching an unlikely show to a global audience. It's the most in-depth episode yet about one of the most original musicals in years — stream it now! Ready for a little robot love? Don't miss this conversation with Hue Park and Will Aronson, creators of the new hit Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending. The conversation dives deep (very deep!) into the lyrics, music, and orchestration of the score as explore how the collaborators worked together to write a show in two languages, Korean and English, at the same time. We'll also discuss the show's journey to Broadway and critical reception, the intricacies of using strings and brass to tell a story, and the challenges of pitching an unlikely show to a global audience. It's the most in-depth episode yet about one of the most original musicals in years — stream it now! love, maybe happy ending, musical theater, korean, michael arden, hue park, robots, michael starobin, will aronson, musical, helen j. shen, theatre, translation, theater, orchestration, darren criss, broadway false full 64 42c48866-d608-413e-baca-45fe84922084 Eliya Smith — DEADCLASS, OHIO Deadclass, Ohio runs at The Tank until March 23rd. For more information, visit www.thetanknyc.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:06:22 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Eliya Smith, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/eliya-smith-deadclass-ohio-BR9ZO9ja Deadclass, Ohio runs at The Tank until March 23rd. For more information, visit www.thetanknyc.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Eliya Smith — DEADCLASS, OHIO Eliya Smith, Dan Rubins 00:36:26 Eliya Smith joins the podcast to discuss her work on Deadclass, Ohio at The Tank. The conversation dives into experimental, abstract theater: how is making a show like this different from traditional playwriting? How can an unfamiliar audience navigate experimental works? Don't miss this exciting excavation of the creation of a unique theater work about grief and memory. Eliya Smith joins the podcast to discuss her work on Deadclass, Ohio at The Tank. The conversation dives into experimental, abstract theater: how is making a show like this different from traditional playwriting? How can an unfamiliar audience navigate experimental works? Don't miss this exciting excavation of the creation of a unique theater work about grief and memory. the dead class, off-off-broadway, grief, eliya smith, chloe claudel, deadclass, tadeusz kantor, holocaust survivors, theatre, theater, play, mitchell polonsky, dementia, off-broadway, the goat exchange, the tank, deadclass ohio false full 63 f5993db3-6222-469c-896b-785963ad8303 Bess Wohl — LIBERATION Liberation runs off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre through April 6th. For more information, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:32:48 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Bess Wohl, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/bess-wohl-liberation-KopylVw7 Liberation runs off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre through April 6th. For more information, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Bess Wohl — LIBERATION Bess Wohl, Dan Rubins 00:54:14 Bess Wohl joins the podcast to dive into the politics and metatheatrical playfulness of her new work, Liberation. The conversation explores Liberation's new approach to the memory play, how the play is impacting audiences across generations, and the experience of building a community of women in the rehearsal room for a play about building a community of women. Don't miss this exciting episode! Bess Wohl joins the podcast to dive into the politics and metatheatrical playfulness of her new work, Liberation. The conversation explores Liberation's new approach to the memory play, how the play is impacting audiences across generations, and the experience of building a community of women in the rehearsal room for a play about building a community of women. Don't miss this exciting episode! whitney white, bess wohl, women's liberation, laura pels theatre, theatre, theater, feminism, play, roundabout, movement, off-broadway, susannah flood false full 62 6fecf1a8-b21a-4076-8a0c-cc4d36922ff2 Samuel D. Hunter — GRANGEVILLE Grangeville is running off-Broadway at Signature Theatre through March 23rd. For more information, visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:28:56 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Samuel D. Hunter, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/samuel-d-hunter-grangeville-A3RPM9Gv Grangeville is running off-Broadway at Signature Theatre through March 23rd. For more information, visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Samuel D. Hunter — GRANGEVILLE Samuel D. Hunter, Dan Rubins 00:34:49 MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter joins the podcast to talk about his latest play Grangeville. In this conversation, we tackle the playwright's distinctive style and tempo, how he finds the right director for a new work, why a "small" play can fill a big space, and how — like his artist character Arnie — his depictions of rural Idaho have been misread or misunderstood in the past. Don't miss this exciting chat with a prolific playwright! MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter joins the podcast to talk about his latest play Grangeville. In this conversation, we tackle the playwright's distinctive style and tempo, how he finds the right director for a new work, why a "small" play can fill a big space, and how — like his artist character Arnie — his depictions of rural Idaho have been misread or misunderstood in the past. Don't miss this exciting chat with a prolific playwright! jack serio, signature theatre, playwright, paul sparks, a case for the existence of god, little bear ridge road, theatre, theater, david cromer, play, samuel d. hunter, grangeville, joe mantello false full 61 20caea4e-144d-4286-85c4-f6161d09b51e Rajiv Joseph – DAKAR 2000 Dakar 2000 runs off-Broadway at New York City Center Stage I through March 23rd. For more information, please visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 4 Mar 2025 01:54:34 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rajiv-joseph-dakar-2000-P20uM1QE Dakar 2000 runs off-Broadway at New York City Center Stage I through March 23rd. For more information, please visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rajiv Joseph – DAKAR 2000 Dan Rubins 00:38:26 Rajiv Joseph REJOINS The Present Stage to discuss his new thriller Dakar 2000. How do you keep the tension building in a 2-person play? How did his own experience in the Peace Corps in Senegal influence this autobiographically-inspired tale? How can theater slow down the apocalypse? And what is it like to have written the most produced play in the United States? Rajiv Joseph REJOINS The Present Stage to discuss his new thriller Dakar 2000. How do you keep the tension building in a 2-person play? How did his own experience in the Peace Corps in Senegal influence this autobiographically-inspired tale? How can theater slow down the apocalypse? And what is it like to have written the most produced play in the United States? false full 60 d06b6ab4-d3c3-43e7-aaa1-dd7e7471d881 Sam Kissajukian — 300 PAINTINGS 300 Paintings is running at the Vineyard Theatre through February 23. For more information, please visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:55:41 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sam Kissajukian, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sam-kissajukian-300-paintings-jNxUvg78 300 Paintings is running at the Vineyard Theatre through February 23. For more information, please visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sam Kissajukian — 300 PAINTINGS Sam Kissajukian, Dan Rubins 00:37:50 Australian comedian and visual artist Sam Kissajukian joins the podcast to talk about 300 Paintings, his solo show detailing six months of dual self-discovery as a guy who loves painting and a guy who lives with bipolar disorder. The conversation explores what it's like (and why it's essential) to perform this show without a script, how theater and comedy can help to destigmatize mental illness, and which kind of weighted blanket is the best on the market. Don't miss this powerful and funny chat! Australian comedian and visual artist Sam Kissajukian joins the podcast to talk about 300 Paintings, his solo show detailing six months of dual self-discovery as a guy who loves painting and a guy who lives with bipolar disorder. The conversation explores what it's like (and why it's essential) to perform this show without a script, how theater and comedy can help to destigmatize mental illness, and which kind of weighted blanket is the best on the market. Don't miss this powerful and funny chat! manic episode, sam kissajukian, art, comedy, theatre, theater, gallery, vineyard theatre, play, 300 paintings, painting, off-broadway, bipolar disorder false full 59 4606ed2f-8833-4410-ac5d-2244e7f7096f Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann — URINETOWN Urinetown runs at New York City Center through February 16th. For more information, visit www.nycitycenter.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 10 Feb 2025 04:28:52 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Greg Kotis, Mark Hollmann, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/greg-kotis-and-mark-hollmann-urinetown-7xri5WDq Urinetown runs at New York City Center through February 16th. For more information, visit www.nycitycenter.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann — URINETOWN Greg Kotis, Mark Hollmann, Dan Rubins 01:15:41 Don't walk — run, freedom, run to this epic interview with Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, the Tony-winning creators of Urinetown, the 2001 Broadway hit currently playing as part of the Encores! season at New York City Center. The show's writers share how Urinetown's unlikely success has shaped their lives since, reminisce about the musical's madcap creation, and ruminate on the ways that the show's incisive political message hits differently in 2025. (And if you've ever wondered about that peculiar ending line, all will be explained!) Follow your heart to stream this must-listen conversation! Don't walk — run, freedom, run to this epic interview with Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, the Tony-winning creators of Urinetown, the 2001 Broadway hit currently playing as part of the Encores! season at New York City Center. The show's writers share how Urinetown's unlikely success has shaped their lives since, reminisce about the musical's madcap creation, and ruminate on the ways that the show's incisive political message hits differently in 2025. (And if you've ever wondered about that peculiar ending line, all will be explained!) Follow your heart to stream this must-listen conversation! keala settle, new york city center, encores!, musical, greg kotis, revival, urinetown, jordan fisher, mark hollmann false full 58 d8a42463-9fba-46b2-9c5a-a046452ecd43 Andrea Thome — CYMBELINE Cymbeline is running off-Broadway at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater through February 15. To learn more, visit www.naatco.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 3 Feb 2025 23:10:21 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Andrea Thome, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/andrea-thome-cymbeline-4Fupv7Ud Cymbeline is running off-Broadway at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater through February 15. To learn more, visit www.naatco.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Andrea Thome — CYMBELINE Andrea Thome, Dan Rubins 00:52:33 Translate Shakespeare into "modern-day" English. Preserve as much as the original text as you can. Oh, and, make it work in performance, too. That's the daunting challenge for playwrights commissioned as part of the Play On Shakespeare project. Andrea Thome joins the podcast to discuss her translation of Cymbeline, now running in its first professional iteration off-Broadway in a production by the National Asian American Theatre Company. Don't miss this fascinating conversation about what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare, how to adapt Shakespeare's verse for modern actors and modern audiences, and what it's like to collaborate with a 450-year-old icon. Translate Shakespeare into "modern-day" English. Preserve as much as the original text as you can. Oh, and, make it work in performance, too. That's the daunting challenge for playwrights commissioned as part of the Play On Shakespeare project. Andrea Thome joins the podcast to discuss her translation of Cymbeline, now running in its first professional iteration off-Broadway in a production by the National Asian American Theatre Company. Don't miss this fascinating conversation about what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare, how to adapt Shakespeare's verse for modern actors and modern audiences, and what it's like to collaborate with a 450-year-old icon. modern day translation, andrea thome, iambic pentameter, theatre, iachimo, translation, theater, verse, stephen brown-fried, play, shakespeare, cymbeline, national asian american theater company, naatco, imogen false full 57 a2e3f6a7-5930-46cb-95fe-3fc5834a91b7 Khawla Ibraheem — A KNOCK ON THE ROOF A Knock On The Roof runs at New York Theater Workshop through February 16th. It is presented by the Under the Radar Festival. For more information, please visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 29 Jan 2025 22:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Khawla Ibraheem, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/khawla-ibraheem-a-knock-on-the-roof-dUzjV7Fg A Knock On The Roof runs at New York Theater Workshop through February 16th. It is presented by the Under the Radar Festival. For more information, please visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Khawla Ibraheem — A KNOCK ON THE ROOF Khawla Ibraheem, Dan Rubins 00:38:01 Playwright-performer Khawla Ibraheem joins the podcast to share the story of creating the character of Mariam, the narrator of A Knock the Roof, a play that charts the terror of a mother living in Gaza at the outbreak of war. The conversation explores the power of theater to demonstrate the humanity of Palestinians living under war conditions, the experience of developing this play in front of audiences around the world, and the responsibility of telling one woman's story. Don't miss this riveting episode with Khawla Ibraheem. Playwright-performer Khawla Ibraheem joins the podcast to share the story of creating the character of Mariam, the narrator of A Knock the Roof, a play that charts the terror of a mother living in Gaza at the outbreak of war. The conversation explores the power of theater to demonstrate the humanity of Palestinians living under war conditions, the experience of developing this play in front of audiences around the world, and the responsibility of telling one woman's story. Don't miss this riveting episode with Khawla Ibraheem. oliver butler, under the radar, a knock on the roof, theater, gaza, israel, play, solo show, new york theater workshop, palestine false full 56 f84df4b1-1905-4cbc-aac6-2b8342b4d434 Gwendolyn Warnock & Kirjan Waage — DEAD AS A DODO Dead As A Dodo runs at the Baruch Performing Arts Center through February 9th. Dead As A Dodo is presented with the Under the Radar Festival. For more information, please visit https://bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:08:15 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Gwendolyn Warnock, Kirjan Waage, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/gwendolyn-warnock-kirjan-waage-A3ZdhlRO Dead As A Dodo runs at the Baruch Performing Arts Center through February 9th. Dead As A Dodo is presented with the Under the Radar Festival. For more information, please visit https://bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Gwendolyn Warnock & Kirjan Waage — DEAD AS A DODO Gwendolyn Warnock, Kirjan Waage, Dan Rubins 00:34:25 It's Festival season! Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage are the co-writers, co-directors, co-designers, and co-star of Dead As A Dodo, a puppet music theater spectacle currently running as part of the Under the Radar Festival. This dynamic duo (and married couple) join the podcast to talk all things puppetry, theatrical storytelling, and creative collaboration as they share the story of how they brought the underworld whimsically and emotionally to life. It's Festival season! Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage are the co-writers, co-directors, co-designers, and co-star of Dead As A Dodo, a puppet music theater spectacle currently running as part of the Under the Radar Festival. This dynamic duo (and married couple) join the podcast to talk all things puppetry, theatrical storytelling, and creative collaboration as they share the story of how they brought the underworld whimsically and emotionally to life. kirjan waage, under the radar, gwendolyn warnock, storytelling, theater, dead as a dodo, puppetry, baruch performing arts center, wakka wakka false full 55 45e68944-9140-417f-83af-95a26a195885 Sol Ruiz – POSITIVE VIBRATION NATION Positive Vibration Nation ran at the HERE Arts Center as a production of the Prototype Festival in January 2025.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:03:24 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sol Ruiz, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sol-ruiz-positive-vibration-nation-OQe6eNWN Positive Vibration Nation ran at the HERE Arts Center as a production of the Prototype Festival in January 2025.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sol Ruiz – POSITIVE VIBRATION NATION Sol Ruiz, Dan Rubins 00:29:42 It's festival season! Sol Ruiz joins the podcast to talk about her rock-guaguancó opera Positive Vibration Nation which played as part of the Prototype Festival earlier in January. Hear all about how she's spreading the power of the Miami music scene through an operatic structure with themes of self-empowerment. It's festival season! Sol Ruiz joins the podcast to talk about her rock-guaguancó opera Positive Vibration Nation which played as part of the Prototype Festival earlier in January. Hear all about how she's spreading the power of the Miami music scene through an operatic structure with themes of self-empowerment. here arts center, miami, positive vibration nation, guaguancó, prototype festival, opera, sol ruiz false full 54 35cf2c48-85f0-4fb9-ba27-f67c0fedfdb3 Jonathan Spector — EUREKA DAY Eureka Day is running on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through February 16th. Visit www.manhattantheatreclub.org for more information.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 14 Jan 2025 21:30:13 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Jonathan Spector, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jonathan-spector-eureka-day-RFcyeNXK Eureka Day is running on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through February 16th. Visit www.manhattantheatreclub.org for more information.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Jonathan Spector — EUREKA DAY Jonathan Spector, Dan Rubins 00:49:55 Kicking off Season 3, Jonathan Spector makes his Broadway — and The Present Stage — debut with Eureka Day. How has this 5-year-old play about a school community embroiled in a vaccine debate changed since the pandemic? How does a changing director and cast affect the playwright's relationship to the work? And how did Eureka Day play for audiences in its German-language premiere? Hear all this and more on The Present Stage! Kicking off Season 3, Jonathan Spector makes his Broadway — and The Present Stage — debut with Eureka Day. How has this 5-year-old play about a school community embroiled in a vaccine debate changed since the pandemic? How does a changing director and cast affect the playwright's relationship to the work? And how did Eureka Day play for audiences in its German-language premiere? Hear all this and more on The Present Stage! anna d. shapiro, jessica hecht, eureka day, theatre, theater, vaccines, play, jonathan spector, broadway, manhattan theatre club false full 53 d7bbd301-2dad-41af-acd9-8b47180f395c Robert O'Hara — SHIT. MEET. FAN. Shit. Meet. Fan. is running at MCC Theater through December 15th. To learn more, visit www.mcctheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:17:56 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Robert O'Hara, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/robert-ohara-shit-meet-fan-wIfr07Or Shit. Meet. Fan. is running at MCC Theater through December 15th. To learn more, visit www.mcctheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Robert O'Hara — SHIT. MEET. FAN. Robert O'Hara, Dan Rubins 00:34:09 Join Tony-nominated director and playwright Robert O'Hara talking about his new play Shit. Meet. Fan. What is it like to write the first English-language adaptation of the most-adapted film of all time? How do you put your own personal voice into a story that's been adapted so many times in the past decade? What's with all the celebrities in the cast? And how does the 2024 presidential election shape audience's understanding of a play about the secrets — and the secret hatreds — that friends hide? Join Tony-nominated director and playwright Robert O'Hara talking about his new play Shit. Meet. Fan. What is it like to write the first English-language adaptation of the most-adapted film of all time? How do you put your own personal voice into a story that's been adapted so many times in the past decade? What's with all the celebrities in the cast? And how does the 2024 presidential election shape audience's understanding of a play about the secrets — and the secret hatreds — that friends hide? jane krakowski, election, theatre, theater, play, constance wu, neil patrick harris, shit. meet. fan., robert o'hara, mcc true full 52 35f68542-e55f-44d0-9e31-ee8d7f415e60 Manuel Oliver — GUAC Guac is playing at the Public Theater through November 3rd. For more information, please visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 29 Oct 2024 16:42:55 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Manuel Oliver, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/manuel-oliver-guac-TFj333__ Guac is playing at the Public Theater through November 3rd. For more information, please visit www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Manuel Oliver — GUAC Manuel Oliver, Dan Rubins 00:35:54 In his powerful theater piece Guac, Manuel Oliver honors the life and legacy of his son, Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, who died in the Parkland shooting in 2018. Manuel Oliver joins the podcast to share why he turned to theater to tell his family's story, what he's hoping audiences will take away from the work, and how he and his wife Patricia have found new ways as activists and artists to continue to be caring parents to their late son Joaquin. In his powerful theater piece Guac, Manuel Oliver honors the life and legacy of his son, Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, who died in the Parkland shooting in 2018. Manuel Oliver joins the podcast to share why he turned to theater to tell his family's story, what he's hoping audiences will take away from the work, and how he and his wife Patricia have found new ways as activists and artists to continue to be caring parents to their late son Joaquin. patricia oliver, gun reform, election, dan rubins, gun control, parkland, theatre, theater, gun violence, the present stage, politics, joaquin oliver, manuel oliver, off-broadway, activism false full 51 6b8c9fbe-2108-4827-83ef-2bcee1ee6c3a Douglas Lyons — TABLE 17 Table 17 played at MCC through September 29th. For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 4 Oct 2024 22:11:02 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Douglas Lyons, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/douglas-lyons-table-17-9ql4ke2h Table 17 played at MCC through September 29th. For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Douglas Lyons — TABLE 17 Douglas Lyons, Dan Rubins 00:28:46 Meet Douglas Lyons, the playwright of Table 17, a playful homage to Black rom-coms of the 90s and early 2000s like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Love and Basketball. In this discussion, we explore the impact of those films on the play, the impact of a queer lens on shaping this romantic comedy, and the star power of Kara Young. Don't miss it! Meet Douglas Lyons, the playwright of Table 17, a playful homage to Black rom-coms of the 90s and early 2000s like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Love and Basketball. In this discussion, we explore the impact of those films on the play, the impact of a queer lens on shaping this romantic comedy, and the star power of Kara Young. Don't miss it! i'm every woman, morris chestnut, michael rishawn, chicken and biscuits, kara young, roberta flack, theatre, theater, vivica a. fox, table 17, douglas lyons, two can play at that game, mcc false full 50 e1e351e4-50c4-49c6-8eb6-de11558c5eac Chisa Hutchinson — REDEEMED Redeemed plays at 59E59's Theater B through October 5th. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 2 Oct 2024 13:23:06 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Chisa Hutchinson, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/chisa-hutchinson-redeemed-cGEBn30v Redeemed plays at 59E59's Theater B through October 5th. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Chisa Hutchinson — REDEEMED Chisa Hutchinson, Dan Rubins 00:52:21 Chisa Hutchinson joins the podcast to talk about her three plays featured in this season's AMPLIFY Festival at 59E59, especially Redeemed, currently running in Theater B. What's it like to develop three productions with three directors for one venue at the same time? How are these plays in conversation with each other? And listen to the end for Chisa Hutchinson's own list of playwrights whose work she'd love to see programmed in a three-play season! Chisa Hutchinson joins the podcast to talk about her three plays featured in this season's AMPLIFY Festival at 59E59, especially Redeemed, currently running in Theater B. What's it like to develop three productions with three directors for one venue at the same time? How are these plays in conversation with each other? And listen to the end for Chisa Hutchinson's own list of playwrights whose work she'd love to see programmed in a three-play season! val day, chisa hutchinson, theatre, theater, off-broadway, 59e59, redeemed, amplify festival true full 49 88c3a2e4-814f-4cf2-a0ae-193ac75ea97f Todd Almond — I'M ALMOST HERE I'm Almost Here runs at Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre through October 5th. For more information, visit www.imalmosttheremusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 2 Oct 2024 12:56:37 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Todd Almond, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/todd-almond-im-almost-here-uuVVw_21 I'm Almost Here runs at Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre through October 5th. For more information, visit www.imalmosttheremusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Todd Almond — I'M ALMOST HERE Todd Almond, Dan Rubins 00:40:53 Todd Almond joins the podcast to chat about why he's adapted The Odyssey for the stage four times, how living inside Bob Dylan's catalog while starring in Girl From the North Country impacted his own songwriting, and what it's like to write a musical commissioned by Audible for both stage and audio. Don't miss this conversation about his new musical I'm Almost There. Todd Almond joins the podcast to chat about why he's adapted The Odyssey for the stage four times, how living inside Bob Dylan's catalog while starring in Girl From the North Country impacted his own songwriting, and what it's like to write a musical commissioned by Audible for both stage and audio. Don't miss this conversation about his new musical I'm Almost There. piano, lear debessonet, odyssey, harp, musical, i'm almost there, theatre, bob dylan, theater, todd almond, girl from the north country, david cromer false full 48 cfbb2b56-8b7b-4fb0-8c81-22958aabed9c Matthew Freeman — THE ASK The Ask is running at The Wild Project through September 28th. For more information, please visit www.thewildproject.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:39:48 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Matthew Freeman, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/matthew-freeman-the-ask-97R1tgae The Ask is running at The Wild Project through September 28th. For more information, please visit www.thewildproject.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Matthew Freeman — THE ASK Matthew Freeman, Dan Rubins 00:39:48 Playwright and real-life ACLU Associate Director of Planned Giving Matthew Freeman joins the podcast to talk turning the donor-fundraiser dynamic into drama in his new play The Ask. The conversation delves into the theater of fundraising, the challenges of building a two-person play, and the importance of typing in a font that captures the spirit of your play. Playwright and real-life ACLU Associate Director of Planned Giving Matthew Freeman joins the podcast to talk turning the donor-fundraiser dynamic into drama in his new play The Ask. The conversation delves into the theater of fundraising, the challenges of building a two-person play, and the importance of typing in a font that captures the spirit of your play. fundraising, donor, theatre, theater, aclu, nonprofit, play, the ask, the wild project false full 47 743956fe-9c75-4601-8051-ab87ecf4522a Basil Twist — DOGUGAESHI Dogugaeshi plays at the Japan Society through September 19th. For more information, visit www.japansociety.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 13 Sep 2024 18:09:08 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Basil Twist, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/basil-twist-dogugaeshi-ganhC5n1 Dogugaeshi plays at the Japan Society through September 19th. For more information, visit www.japansociety.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Basil Twist — DOGUGAESHI Basil Twist, Dan Rubins 00:46:45 We're adventuring beyond the written word this week! Legendary puppeteer Basil Twist joins the podcast to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his work Dogugaeshi, back home at New York's Japan Society this month. Twist shares how he happened upon a dormant tradition of Japanese puppetry and how he collaborated to bring the art of sliding screens back to life in this surprising, non-narrative piece. Open the screen and see what's behind it! We're adventuring beyond the written word this week! Legendary puppeteer Basil Twist joins the podcast to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his work Dogugaeshi, back home at New York's Japan Society this month. Twist shares how he happened upon a dormant tradition of Japanese puppetry and how he collaborated to bring the art of sliding screens back to life in this surprising, non-narrative piece. Open the screen and see what's behind it! japan, japan society, dogugaeshi, yumiko tanaka, art, fox, theatre, theater, screens, puppetry, puppet false full 46 e819be0b-d5b6-4925-b241-cf60519fa8be S. Shakthidharan — COUNTING AND CRACKING Counting and Cracking, a co-production of The Public Theater and NYU Skirball runs at NYU Skirball through September 22nd. You can learn more information at www.nyuskirball.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:23:14 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (S. Shakthidharan, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/s-shakthidharan-counting-and-cracking-zOZOyZcJ Counting and Cracking, a co-production of The Public Theater and NYU Skirball runs at NYU Skirball through September 22nd. You can learn more information at www.nyuskirball.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> S. Shakthidharan — COUNTING AND CRACKING S. Shakthidharan, Dan Rubins 00:57:51 Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan joins The Present Stage to talk about the North American premiere of his play Counting and Cracking which offers an epic exploration of the recent history of Sri Lanka through the lens of an undergraduate in Australia delving into his Tamil heritage. The conversation features discussion of the playwright's journey to telling a version of his family's story that transformed his mother's own relationship with her past, the challenges of telling a gigantic story onstage, and the pleasures and opportunities of staging the act of translation. Don't miss this deep dive with a powerful international voice new to New York audiences. Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan joins The Present Stage to talk about the North American premiere of his play Counting and Cracking which offers an epic exploration of the recent history of Sri Lanka through the lens of an undergraduate in Australia delving into his Tamil heritage. The conversation features discussion of the playwright's journey to telling a version of his family's story that transformed his mother's own relationship with her past, the challenges of telling a gigantic story onstage, and the pleasures and opportunities of staging the act of translation. Don't miss this deep dive with a powerful international voice new to New York audiences. s. shakthidharan, public theater, eamon flack, theatre, theater, australia, play, nyu skirball, sri lanka, tamil false full 45 6fecb7ba-83d1-477f-b5b9-4e4db767e217 Neil Berg — THE SABBATH GIRL The Sabbath Girl  is running at 59E59 through September 1st. For more information, please visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 28 Aug 2024 22:36:50 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Neil Berg, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/neil-berg-the-sabbath-girl-SjOK5pc0 The Sabbath Girl  is running at 59E59 through September 1st. For more information, please visit www.59e59.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Neil Berg — THE SABBATH GIRL Neil Berg, Dan Rubins 00:41:10 Composer-lyricist Neil Berg joins the podcast to talk about adapting his new musical The Sabbath Girl from his co-lyricist and bookwriter Cary Gitter's play of the same title. You won't want to miss this chat that ranges from discussions of how to find the right spots in the story that sing to a roundup of the musicals that come closest to perfect. And host Dan Rubins waxes nostalgic about a Neil Berg musical that inspired him in childhood way back in 2002! Composer-lyricist Neil Berg joins the podcast to talk about adapting his new musical The Sabbath Girl from his co-lyricist and bookwriter Cary Gitter's play of the same title. You won't want to miss this chat that ranges from discussions of how to find the right spots in the story that sing to a roundup of the musicals that come closest to perfect. And host Dan Rubins waxes nostalgic about a Neil Berg musical that inspired him in childhood way back in 2002! new musical, neil berg, musical, joe brancato, cary gitter, the prince and the pauper, the sabbath girl, 59e59 false full 44 a47ba351-de45-46f5-bac1-d9cbcd0fd347 Phillip Howze — SIX CHARACTERS Six Characters is currently running at the Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center through August 25th. Find out more information at www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Thu, 22 Aug 2024 18:19:47 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Phillip Howze, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/phillip-howze-six-characters-wJTRTL_8 Six Characters is currently running at the Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center through August 25th. Find out more information at www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Phillip Howze — SIX CHARACTERS Phillip Howze, Dan Rubins 00:54:53 What does it mean to participate as an audience member or as a performer or as a human being? Phillip Howze joins the podcast to talk about his new play Six Characters and the ways he plays with the notion of participation in bringing this metatheatrical exploration to life. Don't miss this thoughtful conversation about the costs of participation — for both actor and audience — and the need to center artists' humanity onstage. What does it mean to participate as an audience member or as a performer or as a human being? Phillip Howze joins the podcast to talk about his new play Six Characters and the ways he plays with the notion of participation in bringing this metatheatrical exploration to life. Don't miss this thoughtful conversation about the costs of participation — for both actor and audience — and the need to center artists' humanity onstage. phillip howze, lincoln center theater, lct3, theater, claire tow, dustin wills, play, six characters, pirandello, off-broadway false full 43 394a8687-56fd-4d68-9259-f720b5942770 Mario Correa — N/A & Catherine Gropper — THE MEETING: THE INTERPRETER N/A runs at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center Theater through September 1st. Find out more at www.natheplay.com.

The Meeting: The Interpreter runs at the Theater at St. Clements through August 25th. Find out more at www.meetinginterpreterplay.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 13 Aug 2024 04:00:06 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Mario Correa, Catherine Gropper, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/mario-correa-n-a-catherine-gropper-the-meeting-the-interpreter-HKDcCJsK N/A runs at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center Theater through September 1st. Find out more at www.natheplay.com.

The Meeting: The Interpreter runs at the Theater at St. Clements through August 25th. Find out more at www.meetinginterpreterplay.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mario Correa — N/A & Catherine Gropper — THE MEETING: THE INTERPRETER Mario Correa, Catherine Gropper, Dan Rubins 00:56:32 Two playwrights, two political plays, one podcast episode: Mario Correa, author of N/A, and Catherine Gropper, author of The Meeting: The Interpreter, join The Present Stage together to talk about what it means to create political theater in an election year. It's a can't-miss conversation that explores how to put current events — and the figures who shape them — onstage. Two playwrights, two political plays, one podcast episode: Mario Correa, author of N/A, and Catherine Gropper, author of The Meeting: The Interpreter, join The Present Stage together to talk about what it means to create political theater in an election year. It's a can't-miss conversation that explores how to put current events — and the figures who shape them — onstage. catherine gropper, election, nancy pelosi, alexandria ocasio-cortez, mario correa, political, theatre, n/a, theater, play, off-broadway, donald trump false full 42 8a8e08bf-af61-4299-9d8d-2fc18c396a4e Rebecca Martínez and Julián Mesri — THE COMEDY OF ERRORS/LA COMEDIA DE ERRORES Find out more about this Mobile Unit production of The Comedy of Errors/La Comedia de Errors at www.publictheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 22 Jun 2024 00:40:19 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Julián Mesri, Rebecca Martínez, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rebecca-martinez-and-julian-mesri-the-comedy-of-errors-la-comedia-de-errores-_2hDr5zD Find out more about this Mobile Unit production of The Comedy of Errors/La Comedia de Errors at www.publictheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rebecca Martínez and Julián Mesri — THE COMEDY OF ERRORS/LA COMEDIA DE ERRORES Julián Mesri, Rebecca Martínez, Dan Rubins 00:58:19 Adapter/lyricist/director/choreographer Rebecca Martínez and adapter/composer/lyricist/music director/translator Julián Mesri hop aboard the podcast to share about their bilingual musical adaptation of The Comedy of Errors for the Public Theater's Mobile Unit. Hear from this multi-hyphenate pair about what it means to write for community, how they approached creating an adaptation that would be fully bilingual, and where they found musical inspiration in Shakespeare's text. It's a fascinating deep-dive into a uniquely powerful process! Adapter/lyricist/director/choreographer Rebecca Martínez and adapter/composer/lyricist/music director/translator Julián Mesri hop aboard the podcast to share about their bilingual musical adaptation of The Comedy of Errors for the Public Theater's Mobile Unit. Hear from this multi-hyphenate pair about what it means to write for community, how they approached creating an adaptation that would be fully bilingual, and where they found musical inspiration in Shakespeare's text. It's a fascinating deep-dive into a uniquely powerful process! spanish, la comedia de errores, julián mesri, mobile unit, musical, theater, the comedy of errors, the public theater, shakespeare, rebecca martínez, bilingual false full 41 cbcfda35-7c9b-4d32-85c2-420c3c03d97a Rachel Bonds and Zoe Sarnak — THE LONELY FEW The Lonely Few runs off-Broadway at MCC through June 9th. For more information, visit mcctheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 3 Jun 2024 11:35:25 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Zoe Sarnak, Rachel Bonds, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rachel-bonds-and-zoe-sarnak-the-lonely-few-fi2M_Xef The Lonely Few runs off-Broadway at MCC through June 9th. For more information, visit mcctheater.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rachel Bonds and Zoe Sarnak — THE LONELY FEW Zoe Sarnak, Rachel Bonds, Dan Rubins 00:54:44 Rachel Bonds RETURNS to the podcast, alongside composer-lyricist Zoe Sarnak, to discuss their new musical The Lonely Few. In this episode, the collaborators share what it means to write queer musical theater love songs for two women and nerd out with Dan about the creative, complex use of "diegesis" — music that takes place within the reality of the characters — throughout the musical. Musical theater fans won't want to miss this one! Rachel Bonds RETURNS to the podcast, alongside composer-lyricist Zoe Sarnak, to discuss their new musical The Lonely Few. In this episode, the collaborators share what it means to write queer musical theater love songs for two women and nerd out with Dan about the creative, complex use of "diegesis" — music that takes place within the reality of the characters — throughout the musical. Musical theater fans won't want to miss this one! rachel bonds, diegetic, songs, lempicka, new, lesbian, musical, rent, theatre, theater, rock, zoe sarnak, diegesis, off-broadway, the lonely few, mcc, broadway, queer, sapphic false full 40 77c9457a-7737-4c6d-98ed-1311ff56da76 José Rivera — THE HOURS ARE FEMININE The Hours Are Feminine runs off-Broadway at INTAR through June 9th. Find out more information at www.intartheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 27 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (José Rivera, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jose-rivera-the-hours-are-feminine-NjJ7CqlW The Hours Are Feminine runs off-Broadway at INTAR through June 9th. Find out more information at www.intartheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> José Rivera — THE HOURS ARE FEMININE José Rivera, Dan Rubins 00:53:35 José Rivera joins the podcast to talk about excavating his childhood memories in The Hours Are Feminine, the possibilities of translation onstage, and the distance between this play and the magic realism for which he is best known. (He also shares a bit about his upcoming adaptation of A Hundred Years of Solitude for Netflix!) Don't miss this enchanting episode. José Rivera joins the podcast to talk about excavating his childhood memories in The Hours Are Feminine, the possibilities of translation onstage, and the distance between this play and the magic realism for which he is best known. (He also shares a bit about his upcoming adaptation of A Hundred Years of Solitude for Netflix!) Don't miss this enchanting episode. brian friel, english, puerto rico, gabriel garcia márquez, memory, sanaz toossi, the hours are feminine, intar, translations, josé rivera, theatre, translation, theater, play, immigration, off-broadway, cloud tectonics false full 39 39eb6e12-35e7-499f-a320-c03ef8b5a35b Laura Winters — ALL OF ME All Of Me runs off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Theater, a production of The New Group, through June 16th. For more information, visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 20 May 2024 04:24:54 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Laura Winters, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/laura-winters-all-of-me-jkXNFIPO All Of Me runs off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Theater, a production of The New Group, through June 16th. For more information, visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Laura Winters — ALL OF ME Laura Winters, Dan Rubins 00:49:23 Laura Winters joins the podcast to talk all things All Of Me, her new play with The New Group. The conversation explores the impact of her protagonists' use of AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) devices on playwriting process, the challenges of staging accessible stories, and her approach to the responsibility of bringing representing disabled experiences in a theatrical rom-com. Don't miss this delightful discussion! Laura Winters joins the podcast to talk all things All Of Me, her new play with The New Group. The conversation explores the impact of her protagonists' use of AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) devices on playwriting process, the challenges of staging accessible stories, and her approach to the responsibility of bringing representing disabled experiences in a theatrical rom-com. Don't miss this delightful discussion! pershing square signature theater, laura winters, madison ferris, aac devices, augmentative and alternative communication, all of me, the new group, kyra sedgwick, theatre, theater, play, disability, signature theater, danny j. gomez false full 38 a6d11e4c-47fc-4af4-aeb7-f911f4668a7b Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich — HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES Here There Are Blueberries runs off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop through June 16th. For more information, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 13 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Moisés Kaufman, Amanda Gronich, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/moises-kaufman-and-amanda-gronich-here-there-are-blueberries-Mtk45s3x Here There Are Blueberries runs off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop through June 16th. For more information, visit www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich — HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES Moisés Kaufman, Amanda Gronich, Dan Rubins 00:54:42 Three days after becoming Pulitzer Prize finalists for Here There Are Blueberries, Tectonic Theater Project's Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich join the podcast to talk about the rich theater of archival research and what it means to dramatize and animate a story of archival detective work onstage. Don't miss this essential discussion about the boundaries of documentary theater, the ethics of centering the perspectives of perpetrators, and the power of paying attention to what's just outside the storyteller's frame. Three days after becoming Pulitzer Prize finalists for Here There Are Blueberries, Tectonic Theater Project's Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich join the podcast to talk about the rich theater of archival research and what it means to dramatize and animate a story of archival detective work onstage. Don't miss this essential discussion about the boundaries of documentary theater, the ethics of centering the perspectives of perpetrators, and the power of paying attention to what's just outside the storyteller's frame. here there are blueberries, amanda gronich, pulitzer prize for drama, tectonic theater project, united states holocaust memorial museum, pulitzer prize, theatre, theater, photo album, pulitzer, play, moment work, moisés kaufman, new york theater workshop false full 37 2918f2d0-1004-4b59-9778-481afd512ae0 Peregrine Teng Heard – REDEMPTION STORY Redemption Story, a production of The Associates Theater Ensemble, runs Off-Broadway at the the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres through May 19. For more information, visit www.theassociatestheater.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mon, 13 May 2024 03:51:48 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Peregrine Teng Heard, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/peregrine-teng-heard-redemption-story-aTbw5C_5 Redemption Story, a production of The Associates Theater Ensemble, runs Off-Broadway at the the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres through May 19. For more information, visit www.theassociatestheater.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Peregrine Teng Heard – REDEMPTION STORY Peregrine Teng Heard, Dan Rubins 00:40:45 Peregrine Teng Heard, Artistic Director of The Associates Theater Ensemble, joins the podcast to talk about her new play Redemption Story. Check out this wide-ranging conversation focused on how the playwright navigates the surreal ambiguities of the story, negotiates the play's multi-layered themes of representation in Hollywood, and constructs characters who are themselves performers. Peregrine Teng Heard, Artistic Director of The Associates Theater Ensemble, joins the podcast to talk about her new play Redemption Story. Check out this wide-ranging conversation focused on how the playwright navigates the surreal ambiguities of the story, negotiates the play's multi-layered themes of representation in Hollywood, and constructs characters who are themselves performers. a.r.t./new york theatres, josé espinosa, representation, redemption story, movies, talk radio, hollywood, theatre, theater, christine toy johnson, race, play, off-broadway, peregrine teng heard, associates theater ensemble false full 36 72f9e688-1dfc-4f1f-9400-174c5657f492 Oliver Richman — THE FAKE HUSBAND: A MUSICAL COMEDY The Fake Husband: A Musical Comedy, a production of Soft Brain Theatre Company, runs at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater through May 19th. For more information, visit www.softbraintheatrecompany.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 11 May 2024 02:36:13 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Oliver Richman, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/oliver-richman-the-fake-husband-CaYd9hhk The Fake Husband: A Musical Comedy, a production of Soft Brain Theatre Company, runs at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater through May 19th. For more information, visit www.softbraintheatrecompany.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Oliver Richman — THE FAKE HUSBAND: A MUSICAL COMEDY Oliver Richman, Dan Rubins 00:31:28 "You can have the fame, Phyllis," and you can also have this podcast episode! TikTok songwriting star Oliver Richman, creator of the viral groundhog musical, joins the podcast to talk about his score for Soft Brain Theatre Company's musical adaptation of the commedia dell'arte play The Fake Husband. We investigate the craft of rhyming, the quest to find a contemporary sound to musicalize a 400-year-old theatrical art form, and the pressures and pleasures of a musical theater writing career buoyed by a social media community. "You can have the fame, Phyllis," and you can also have this podcast episode! TikTok songwriting star Oliver Richman, creator of the viral groundhog musical, joins the podcast to talk about his score for Soft Brain Theatre Company's musical adaptation of the commedia dell'arte play The Fake Husband. We investigate the craft of rhyming, the quest to find a contemporary sound to musicalize a 400-year-old theatrical art form, and the pressures and pleasures of a musical theater writing career buoyed by a social media community. commedia dell'arte, groundhog musical, soft brain theatre company, oliver richman, musical, theater, tiktok, flaminio scala, the fake husband, sondheim false full 35 2c757232-155f-43a8-8850-54df62e34bbc Angelica Chéri — GUN AND POWDER Gun and Powder is running at the Paper Mill Playhouse through May 5th. Find out more at www.papermill.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:51:41 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Angelica Chéri, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/angelica-cheri-gun-and-powder-5xnQkspx Gun and Powder is running at the Paper Mill Playhouse through May 5th. Find out more at www.papermill.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Angelica Chéri — GUN AND POWDER Angelica Chéri, Dan Rubins 00:40:53 We're traveling this week out of New York City to the wild west (of New Jersey) for Paper Mill Playhouse's premiere of Gun and Powder. Bookwriter and lyricist Angelica Chéri joins the podcast to talk about drawing on her own family's lore and legends to bring the story of her outlaw ancestors Martha and Mary Clarke to life. She guides listeners through the ten-year developmental process and explores what it means to represent Black women in the white male-dominated western genre. Don't miss this episode — who knows where the Clarke sisters will turn up next? We're traveling this week out of New York City to the wild west (of New Jersey) for Paper Mill Playhouse's premiere of Gun and Powder. Bookwriter and lyricist Angelica Chéri joins the podcast to talk about drawing on her own family's lore and legends to bring the story of her outlaw ancestors Martha and Mary Clarke to life. She guides listeners through the ten-year developmental process and explores what it means to represent Black women in the white male-dominated western genre. Don't miss this episode — who knows where the Clarke sisters will turn up next? new musical, paper mill playhouse, ross baum, mary clarke, western, musical, angelica chéri, lyricist, martha clarke, outlaws, gun and powder false full 34 3687bbc7-28f6-4d15-b720-92441a84d5a1 Kia Corthron — FISH Fish ran at Theater Row, a co-production of Keen Company and the Working Theater, through April 20th. Learn more about Fish at www.keencompany.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sun, 21 Apr 2024 13:49:20 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Kia Corthron, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/kia-corthron-fish-mh34EGKh Fish ran at Theater Row, a co-production of Keen Company and the Working Theater, through April 20th. Learn more about Fish at www.keencompany.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Kia Corthron — FISH Kia Corthron, Dan Rubins 00:39:19 De-funded arts programs, school buildings without nurses, school closures based on test scores: these are some of the challenges facing both public school teachers and students that Kia Corthron tackles in her new play Fish. In this episode, we explore how theater can advocate for social justice and how Corthron hopes her work will empower audiences. De-funded arts programs, school buildings without nurses, school closures based on test scores: these are some of the challenges facing both public school teachers and students that Kia Corthron tackles in her new play Fish. In this episode, we explore how theater can advocate for social justice and how Corthron hopes her work will empower audiences. social justice, kia corthron, fish, working theater, arts, theater, teachers, education, public school, play, students, keen company false full 33 a2ac0d75-1f81-4cd4-9d4a-486cecfd02ea JT Rogers — CORRUPTION Corruption runs at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse Theater Off-Broadway until April 14. Find out more at www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 13 Apr 2024 17:29:51 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (JT Rogers, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jt-rogers-corruption-02N8wzf4 Corruption runs at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse Theater Off-Broadway until April 14. Find out more at www.lct.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> JT Rogers — CORRUPTION JT Rogers, Dan Rubins 00:44:44 Is this, to quote JT Rogers on this episode, "the last podcast of recorded history of all mankind"? Probably not, but this IS the first episode of The Present Stage to be recorded during an earthquake. Hear Tony winner JT Rogers react to that geological incident plus share more about his own earthquake of a play Corruption on this episode. You won't want to miss this *groundbreaking* conversation about a decade of research, a powerful creative collaboration, and an inventive way to tell a gargantuan story onstage. Is this, to quote JT Rogers on this episode, "the last podcast of recorded history of all mankind"? Probably not, but this IS the first episode of The Present Stage to be recorded during an earthquake. Hear Tony winner JT Rogers react to that geological incident plus share more about his own earthquake of a play Corruption on this episode. You won't want to miss this *groundbreaking* conversation about a decade of research, a powerful creative collaboration, and an inventive way to tell a gargantuan story onstage. bartlett sher, off broadway, murdoch, rupert murdoch, corruption, oslo, lincoln center, jt rogers, parliament true full 32 62573b5b-2fe6-4f04-bc35-cff71f4ba524 Liza Birkenmeier — GRIEF HOTEL Grief Hotel is a production of Clubbed Thumb in partnership with New Georges. Clubbed Thumb is in residence at the Public Theater where the play runs through April 27th. Find out more at www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 6 Apr 2024 16:49:18 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Liza Birkenmeier, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/liza-birkenmeier-grief-hotel-5NJlePMm Grief Hotel is a production of Clubbed Thumb in partnership with New Georges. Clubbed Thumb is in residence at the Public Theater where the play runs through April 27th. Find out more at www.publictheater.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Liza Birkenmeier — GRIEF HOTEL Liza Birkenmeier, Dan Rubins 00:51:15 Liza Birkenmeier joins the podcast with some questions of her own about her play Grief Hotel. This exciting conversation explores how playwrights think about their audiences as they write, why an inventively formatted script can invite adventuresome staging and performances, and just what Liza Birkenmeier's always wondered about her play. Don't miss this scintillating episode! Liza Birkenmeier joins the podcast with some questions of her own about her play Grief Hotel. This exciting conversation explores how playwrights think about their audiences as they write, why an inventively formatted script can invite adventuresome staging and performances, and just what Liza Birkenmeier's always wondered about her play. Don't miss this scintillating episode! grief hotel, tara ahmadinejad, public theater, theatre, theater, new georges, play, clubbed thumb, shiva theater false full 31 ba8bdd18-1770-4645-9ef7-def086223569 John Patrick Shanley — DOUBT and BROOKLYN LAUNDRY Doubt runs at the Todd Haimes Theatre on Broadway until April 21st. Find out more at www.roundabouttheatre.org.

Brooklyn Laundry runs off-Broadway at City Center Stage I until April 14th. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 23 Mar 2024 15:14:50 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (John Patrick Shanley, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/john-patrick-shanley-doubt-and-brooklyn-laundry-2BsmV4_Q Doubt runs at the Todd Haimes Theatre on Broadway until April 21st. Find out more at www.roundabouttheatre.org.

Brooklyn Laundry runs off-Broadway at City Center Stage I until April 14th. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.com. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> John Patrick Shanley — DOUBT and BROOKLYN LAUNDRY John Patrick Shanley, Dan Rubins 00:52:42 Join Pulitzer, Tony, and Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley on The Present Stage for a delightful conversation about his two plays currently running concurrently in New York: the off-Broadway premiere of Brooklyn Laundry and the Broadway revival of Doubt. We'll dive into how it feels to have to two shows open in NYC in the same week, what these two plays written twenty years apart might have in common, and why Shanley invited readers of Doubt's published script to email him their reactions and feedback. Join Pulitzer, Tony, and Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley on The Present Stage for a delightful conversation about his two plays currently running concurrently in New York: the off-Broadway premiere of Brooklyn Laundry and the Broadway revival of Doubt. We'll dive into how it feels to have to two shows open in NYC in the same week, what these two plays written twenty years apart might have in common, and why Shanley invited readers of Doubt's published script to email him their reactions and feedback. andrea syglowski, florencia lozano, prodigal son, quincy tyler berstine, oscar, tyne daly, new york city center stage i, cecily strong, moonstruck, brooklyn laundry, john patrick shanley, roundabout theatre company, david zayas, amy ryan, theatre, theater, zoe kazan, tony, pulitzer, viola davis, play, meryl streep, defiance, doubt, roundabout, todd haimes theatre, off-broadway, scott ellis, broadway, phillip seymour hoffman, liev schrieber, manhattan theatre club false full 30 37d89947-65d7-45a4-9389-f2ad418e3de4 Adam Guettel — DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES Days of Wine and Roses runs on Broadway at Studio 54 through March 31st. Find out more at www.daysofwineandrosesbroadway.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 16 Mar 2024 13:30:44 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Adam Guettel, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/adam-guettel-days-of-wine-and-roses-yOsTqQKP Days of Wine and Roses runs on Broadway at Studio 54 through March 31st. Find out more at www.daysofwineandrosesbroadway.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Adam Guettel — DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES Adam Guettel, Dan Rubins 01:04:11 Tony winner Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza) joins the podcast to talk about his latest musical Days of Wines and Roses, currently running on Broadway. This conversation is a song-by-song deep-dive into Guettel's score, featuring fascinating insight into how he builds character through song, interweaves orchestration throughout the composition process, writes for specific voices (stars Kelli O'Hara and Brian D'Arcy James), and so much more! Don't miss this one! Tony winner Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza) joins the podcast to talk about his latest musical Days of Wines and Roses, currently running on Broadway. This conversation is a song-by-song deep-dive into Guettel's score, featuring fascinating insight into how he builds character through song, interweaves orchestration throughout the composition process, writes for specific voices (stars Kelli O'Hara and Brian D'Arcy James), and so much more! Don't miss this one! harmony, myths and hymns, piano, music, alcoholism, composition, studio 54, michael greif, floyd collins, addiction, musical, marimba, theatre, theater, orchestration, the light in the piazza, composing, adam guettel, craig lucas, mallets, vibraphone, kelli o'hara, brian d'arcy james, broadway, days of wine and roses true full 29 941b335a-f4b7-490c-8658-d3495b2b1907 Mona Pirnot — I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE Tickets for I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, running at New York Theater Workshop through March 9th, are available at www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 2 Mar 2024 14:12:54 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Mona Pirnot, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/mona-pirnot-i-love-you-so-much-i-could-die-SshBdGP8 Tickets for I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, running at New York Theater Workshop through March 9th, are available at www.nytw.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Mona Pirnot — I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE Mona Pirnot, Dan Rubins 00:44:34 Mona Pirnot joins the podcast to talk about her solo play I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, in which she performs original songs in between stories spoken by a text-to-speech digital voice. The interview explores the intersections of trauma and performance, the varied responses to the play's challenges to traditional theatrical storytelling form, and Pirnot's collaboration with her director and husband Lucas Hnath. Mona Pirnot joins the podcast to talk about her solo play I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, in which she performs original songs in between stories spoken by a text-to-speech digital voice. The interview explores the intersections of trauma and performance, the varied responses to the play's challenges to traditional theatrical storytelling form, and Pirnot's collaboration with her director and husband Lucas Hnath. mona pirnot, lucas hnath, patricia mcgregor, i love you so much i could die, theatre, theater, play, text-to-speech, off-broadway, new york theater workshop, microsoft david false full 28 07e8f345-b156-4e33-98a5-3cad55e4ec6e Rachel Bonds — JONAH Jonah is running off-Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre through March 10th. Find tickets at www.roundabouttheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:26:10 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Rachel Bonds, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rachel-bonds-jonah-AIZ03e_B Jonah is running off-Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre through March 10th. Find tickets at www.roundabouttheatre.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rachel Bonds — JONAH Rachel Bonds, Dan Rubins 00:42:32 Rachel Bonds joins The Present Stage to share about the creation of her new play Jonah. The conversation explores writing bodies onstage, navigating how audiences respond to a twist, and collaborating with the play's star Gabby Beans in the rehearsal room. Rachel Bonds joins The Present Stage to share about the creation of her new play Jonah. The conversation explores writing bodies onstage, navigating how audiences respond to a twist, and collaborating with the play's star Gabby Beans in the rehearsal room. rachel bonds, gabby beans, laura pels theatre, roundabout theatre company, jonah, off-broadway, the lonely few false full 27 94cf96bc-f666-459e-9004-e1ebdda31665 Shayok Misha Chowdhury — PUBLIC OBSCENITIES Public Obscenities runs at Theater for A New Audience through February 25th. Find tickets at www.tfana.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:06:37 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/shayok-misha-chowdhury-public-obscenities-LGb01Bhv Public Obscenities runs at Theater for A New Audience through February 25th. Find tickets at www.tfana.org. 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Shayok Misha Chowdhury — PUBLIC OBSCENITIES Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Dan Rubins 00:59:25 Shayok Misha Chowdhury joins The Present Stage for a fascinating exploration of his play Public Obscenities. Our conversation delves into creating hyper-realism onstage, constructing a bilingual English/Bengali play, and the intersection between queerness and language in the work. Our guest also reveals how approaching the writing process as a director informs the creation of a new play. Shayok Misha Chowdhury joins The Present Stage for a fascinating exploration of his play Public Obscenities. Our conversation delves into creating hyper-realism onstage, constructing a bilingual English/Bengali play, and the intersection between queerness and language in the work. Our guest also reveals how approaching the writing process as a director informs the creation of a new play. public obscenities, grindr, bengali, under the radar festival, theater for a new audience, india, brooklyn, bilingual, bangla, off-broadway, queerness false full 26 d63b5790-3d6b-4db3-b306-3733d019ba1c Rebekah Greer Melocik & Jacob Yandura — HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO How to Dance In Ohio runs at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway through February 11th. Find tickets at www.howtodanceinohiomusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 2 Feb 2024 12:50:09 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Rebekah Greer Melocik, Jacob Yandura, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rebekah-greer-melocik-jacob-yandura-how-to-dance-in-ohio-faMyAoUh How to Dance In Ohio runs at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway through February 11th. Find tickets at www.howtodanceinohiomusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rebekah Greer Melocik & Jacob Yandura — HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Rebekah Greer Melocik, Jacob Yandura, Dan Rubins 00:57:53 For The Present Stage's 25th episode, Rebekah Greer Melocik and Jacob Yandura join the podcast to dive into their Broadway debut, How to Dance In Ohio, a groundbreaking new musical that focuses on seven autistic characters, all played by autistic performers also making their Broadway debuts. The conversation explores the collaborators' journey adapting the show from a 2015 documentary, working with the late director Hal Prince, navigating their own responsibilities as non-autistic creators, and embracing a feverish Broadway preview period of cuts and rewrites. For The Present Stage's 25th episode, Rebekah Greer Melocik and Jacob Yandura join the podcast to dive into their Broadway debut, How to Dance In Ohio, a groundbreaking new musical that focuses on seven autistic characters, all played by autistic performers also making their Broadway debuts. The conversation explores the collaborators' journey adapting the show from a 2015 documentary, working with the late director Hal Prince, navigating their own responsibilities as non-autistic creators, and embracing a feverish Broadway preview period of cuts and rewrites. new musical, representation, adaptation, documentary, how to dance in ohio, musical, liam pearce, sammi cannold, neurodivergent, autism, the present stage, nothing about us without us, jacob yandura, broadway, autistic, rebekah greer melocik false full 25 7dafc403-f022-458b-86b4-54cca6212f8d Sophie Swithinbank — BACON Bacon is running at the Soho Playhouse as part of the International Fringe Encore Play Series through January 28th. Find out more at www.sohoplayhouse.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:49:37 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sophie Swithinbank, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sophie-swithinbank-bacon-xLbsGjzL Bacon is running at the Soho Playhouse as part of the International Fringe Encore Play Series through January 28th. Find out more at www.sohoplayhouse.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sophie Swithinbank — BACON Sophie Swithinbank, Dan Rubins 00:38:01 UK playwright Sophie Swithinbank joins the podcast to share the journey of her play Bacon from Soho to Soho, from the early development at London's Soho Theatre to the current production at New York's Soho Playhouse. The conversation delves into the play's unusual structure of dual narrators and overlapping memories, the evolution of the play's themes throughout its dozen drafts, and the contrasts between UK and US new play development. Please note that this episode contains references to sexual violence. UK playwright Sophie Swithinbank joins the podcast to share the journey of her play Bacon from Soho to Soho, from the early development at London's Soho Theatre to the current production at New York's Soho Playhouse. The conversation delves into the play's unusual structure of dual narrators and overlapping memories, the evolution of the play's themes throughout its dozen drafts, and the contrasts between UK and US new play development. Please note that this episode contains references to sexual violence. sophie swithinbank, tour, soho playhouse, theatre, theater, international fringe encore play series, drama, play, finborough theatre, edinburgh fringe festival, fringe festival, bacon false full 24 5182b2a0-93be-42eb-b92f-b278bcde827f Heather Christian — TERCE: A PRACTICAL BREVIARY Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Terce: A Practical Breviary is running at the Prototype Festival through February 4th at The Space at Irondale. Terce: A Practical Breviary is a production by HERE. Find out more at www.prototypefestival.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 18:03:07 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Heather Christian, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/heather-christian-terce-a-practical-breviary-r9wCkysj Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Terce: A Practical Breviary is running at the Prototype Festival through February 4th at The Space at Irondale. Terce: A Practical Breviary is a production by HERE. Find out more at www.prototypefestival.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Heather Christian — TERCE: A PRACTICAL BREVIARY Heather Christian, Dan Rubins 00:59:28 "I have no artistic restraint/Everything I see I paint/In the image of myself/I am the vine." Composer and librettist Heather Christian joins The Present Stage to talk about her latest choral stage work, Terce: A Practical Breviary at the 2024 Prototype Festival. Tune in to hear her talk about the nature of bliss, her composing and artistic community-building process, and the female mystics whose words inspired this work. "I have no artistic restraint/Everything I see I paint/In the image of myself/I am the vine." Composer and librettist Heather Christian joins The Present Stage to talk about her latest choral stage work, Terce: A Practical Breviary at the 2024 Prototype Festival. Tune in to hear her talk about the nature of bliss, her composing and artistic community-building process, and the female mystics whose words inspired this work. the space at irondale, terce: a practical breviary, mass, here, oratorio for living things, heather christian, breviary, prototype festival, a wrinkle in time, kimmerer, julian of norwich true full 23 bf0da0c2-1f76-4ec8-857e-a7ae89a5d4b0 Gordon Greenberg — DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is running at New World Stages through January 7th. Find out more at www.draculacomedy.com.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sun, 7 Jan 2024 21:50:25 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Gordon Greenberg, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/gordon-greenberg-dracula-a-comedy-of-terrors-un7cE5mU Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is running at New World Stages through January 7th. Find out more at www.draculacomedy.com.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Gordon Greenberg — DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS Gordon Greenberg, Dan Rubins 00:37:56 Dive into Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors with Gordon Greenberg, the show's director and co-playwright. What were the myriad comedy influences that inspired this madcap adaptation? What did the creators learn from re-imagining their work as an audio play in the early months of the pandemic? And what's so funny about bloodthirsty vampires? Dive into Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors with Gordon Greenberg, the show's director and co-playwright. What were the myriad comedy influences that inspired this madcap adaptation? What did the creators learn from re-imagining their work as an audio play in the early months of the pandemic? And what's so funny about bloodthirsty vampires? new world stages, bram stoker, a comedy of terrors, dracula, off-broadway, gordon greenburg false full 22 94e81ac4-a543-40eb-9133-e2ec09d3cb4c Hansol Jung — MERRY ME Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Merry Me is running at New York Theater Workshop through November 19th. Find out more at www.nytw.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 18 Nov 2023 15:33:52 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Hansol Jung, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/hansol-jung-merry-me-_SBZ2kZe Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Merry Me is running at New York Theater Workshop through November 19th. Find out more at www.nytw.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Hansol Jung — MERRY ME Hansol Jung, Dan Rubins 00:34:22 When director Leigh Silverman asked playwright Hansol Jung to write her a lesbian sex farce, Jung turned first to Restoration comedy for inspiration. Jung joins the podcast to share her multiplicity of sources for Merry Me, what's special about dedicating a play-in-progress to its future director, and how she's built a community of performers who continue to interpret her work. When director Leigh Silverman asked playwright Hansol Jung to write her a lesbian sex farce, Jung turned first to Restoration comedy for inspiration. Jung joins the podcast to share her multiplicity of sources for Merry Me, what's special about dedicating a play-in-progress to its future director, and how she's built a community of performers who continue to interpret her work. the country wife, merry me, leigh silverman, comedy, theatre, theater, esco jouléy, nicole villamil, drama, play, hansol jung, restoration, wycherley, new york theatre workshop, off-broadway, queer false full 21 decaef5a-6b8d-4556-913f-cc5ebf8e3e33 Kait Kerrigan — THE GREAT GATSBY Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Great Gatsby is running at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ through November 12th. Find out more at www.papermill.org. 

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 8 Nov 2023 14:55:10 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Kait Kerrigan, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/the-great-gatsby-kait-kerrigan-J_upBnkx Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Great Gatsby is running at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ through November 12th. Find out more at www.papermill.org. 

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Kait Kerrigan — THE GREAT GATSBY Kait Kerrigan, Dan Rubins 00:39:28 The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in 2021: two years later, a new musical adaptation storms into New Jersey, premiering at Paper Mill Playhouse. In this episode, bookwriter Kait Kerrigan sits down with The Present Stage to explain the origin story of this production, the inner workings of her collaboration with lyricist Nathan Tysen and composer Jason Howland, the challenges and freedoms of writing on commission, and the lens she brings to retelling this classic 20th century American story. The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in 2021: two years later, a new musical adaptation storms into New Jersey, premiering at Paper Mill Playhouse. In this episode, bookwriter Kait Kerrigan sits down with The Present Stage to explain the origin story of this production, the inner workings of her collaboration with lyricist Nathan Tysen and composer Jason Howland, the challenges and freedoms of writing on commission, and the lens she brings to retelling this classic 20th century American story. paper mill playhouse, jay gatsby, adaptation, the great gatsby, kait kerrigan, daisy buchanan, musical, jason howland, theatre, theater, nathan tysen, nick carraway, new jersey, jordan baker false full 20 312383f5-4e57-41d9-bb34-333329ac5fcf Nathan Alan Davis — THE REFUGE PLAYS Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Refuge Plays, a production of Roundabout Theatre Company, is running off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre until November 12th. Find out more at www.roundabouttheatre.org. 

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Wed, 8 Nov 2023 14:02:23 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Nathan Alan Davis, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/nathan-alan-davis-the-refuge-plays-xjh6Q4eL Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Refuge Plays, a production of Roundabout Theatre Company, is running off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre until November 12th. Find out more at www.roundabouttheatre.org. 

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Nathan Alan Davis — THE REFUGE PLAYS Nathan Alan Davis, Dan Rubins 00:34:07 Nathan Alan Davis joins the podcast to go behind the scenes at The Refuge Plays, the epic trilogy that opens Roundabout's 2023-2024 season. Tune in to hear about what it's like to sustain story and characters over three and a half hours of theater and how Davis came to tell this multi-generational, surrealist tale. Nathan Alan Davis joins the podcast to go behind the scenes at The Refuge Plays, the epic trilogy that opens Roundabout's 2023-2024 season. Tune in to hear about what it's like to sustain story and characters over three and a half hours of theater and how Davis came to tell this multi-generational, surrealist tale. the refuge plays, theatre, theater, play, roundabout, off-broadway false full 19 3d6b7ebf-d056-4c56-81e9-60c32a927750 Jeremy Tiang — SALESMAN 之死 Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Salesman 之死, a production of Yangtze Repertory Theatre and Gung Ho Projects, is running off-Broadway at the Connelly Theater until October 28th. Find out more at www.yzrep.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Jeremy Tiang, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jeremy-tiang-salesman-d0hvfmmb Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Salesman 之死, a production of Yangtze Repertory Theatre and Gung Ho Projects, is running off-Broadway at the Connelly Theater until October 28th. Find out more at www.yzrep.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Jeremy Tiang — SALESMAN 之死 Jeremy Tiang, Dan Rubins 00:55:30 Playwright, novelist, and translator Jeremy Tiang joins the podcast to talk about his new play Salesman 之死, which tells the story of Arthur Miller's 1983 directorial debut: a Chinese-language production of Death of A Salesman in Beijing. The conversation explores the the play's creative twists on translation and multilingualism, the deep research that revitalized the stories of the real-life characters onstage, and the possibilities and limitations of cross-cultural theater-making. Playwright, novelist, and translator Jeremy Tiang joins the podcast to talk about his new play Salesman 之死, which tells the story of Arthur Miller's 1983 directorial debut: a Chinese-language production of Death of A Salesman in Beijing. The conversation explores the the play's creative twists on translation and multilingualism, the deep research that revitalized the stories of the real-life characters onstage, and the possibilities and limitations of cross-cultural theater-making. china, singapore, connelly theater, surtitles, supertitles, salesman, subtitles, theatre, theater, gung ho projects, jeremy tiang, renyi, chinese, play, arthur miller, bilingual, off-broadway, mandarin, yangtze repertory theatre, death of a salesman false full 18 71356832-afbe-494f-98f8-c01b155c53b2 Jocelyn Bioh — JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, is running on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman  Theatre until November 5th. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:51:16 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Jocelyn Bioh, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/jocelyn-bioh-jajas-african-hair-braiding-4cY8He8W Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, is running on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman  Theatre until November 5th. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.org.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Jocelyn Bioh — JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING Jocelyn Bioh, Dan Rubins 00:51:39 Making her Broadway debut as a playwright, Jocelyn Bioh joins the podcast to talk about bringing the women of a Harlem braiding shop to the stage in Jaja's African Hair Braiding. What's the secret to revision? What do we really mean when we talk about the value of representation onstage? How can a collaboration with hair and wig designers shape a script's development? (And what's the latest on the Once On This Island movie?) In a wide-ranging conversation, Jocelyn Bioh answers all these questions — and more — on The Present Stage. Making her Broadway debut as a playwright, Jocelyn Bioh joins the podcast to talk about bringing the women of a Harlem braiding shop to the stage in Jaja's African Hair Braiding. What's the secret to revision? What do we really mean when we talk about the value of representation onstage? How can a collaboration with hair and wig designers shape a script's development? (And what's the latest on the Once On This Island movie?) In a wide-ranging conversation, Jocelyn Bioh answers all these questions — and more — on The Present Stage. school girls, jaja's african hair braiding, merry wives, braiding, once on this island, theatre, theater, jocelyn bioh, play, nollywood dreams, branden jacobs-jenkins, broadway, manhattan theatre club false full 17 7cd4821b-ad9c-4e37-9a02-2d4cda307010 Emma Horwitz — MARY GETS HERS Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Mary Gets Hers, a production of The Playwrights Realm, is running off-Broadway at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space until October 14th. Find out more at www.mcctheater.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Emma Horwitz, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/emma-horwitz-mary-gets-hers-2JVqNpwg Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Mary Gets Hers, a production of The Playwrights Realm, is running off-Broadway at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space until October 14th. Find out more at www.mcctheater.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Emma Horwitz — MARY GETS HERS Emma Horwitz, Dan Rubins 00:31:19 In Mary Gets Hers, Emma Horwitz reinvents Abraham, a 10th-century play by the little-known canoness Hrosvitha of Gandersheim. Horwitz talks about discovering and adapting Hrosvitha's complex work, putting the play in conversation with queerness, and adding smiley face emoticons to dialogue. In Mary Gets Hers, Emma Horwitz reinvents Abraham, a 10th-century play by the little-known canoness Hrosvitha of Gandersheim. Horwitz talks about discovering and adapting Hrosvitha's complex work, putting the play in conversation with queerness, and adding smiley face emoticons to dialogue. queer theater, adaptation, tenth century, the playwrights realm, medieval, bad gandersheim, theatre, hrosvitha, theater, mary gets hers, play, 10th century, off-broadway, mcc, emma horwitz false full 16 0eafab8f-667b-4558-86b4-5f852e1e9cd3 Benjamin Velez — THE TEMPEST Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Tempest is running off-Broadway at the Delacorte Theatre through September 3rd. Find out more at www.publictheater.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 1 Sep 2023 12:57:03 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Benjamin Velez, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/benjamin-velez-the-tempest-AVKSxFXV Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Tempest is running off-Broadway at the Delacorte Theatre through September 3rd. Find out more at www.publictheater.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Benjamin Velez — THE TEMPEST Benjamin Velez, Dan Rubins 00:40:58 Writing the score of a new musical is never an easy task, especially when your book writer is William Shakespeare. Hear from Benjamin Velez what it was like to craft the songs for his new adaptation of The Tempest, write for Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry in the role of Prospero, and learn from the members of the community who make up the dozens-strong ensemble of Shakespeare in the Park's free Public Works summer programming. The isle is full of noises — so stream ours on The Present Stage! Writing the score of a new musical is never an easy task, especially when your book writer is William Shakespeare. Hear from Benjamin Velez what it was like to craft the songs for his new adaptation of The Tempest, write for Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry in the role of Prospero, and learn from the members of the community who make up the dozens-strong ensemble of Shakespeare in the Park's free Public Works summer programming. The isle is full of noises — so stream ours on The Present Stage! renee elise goldsberryb, shakespeare in the park, tempest, public works, prospero, adaptation, delacorte, musical, miranda, benjamin velez, laurie woolery, the public theater, ariel, shakespeare, caliban, ferdinand false full 15 d0dc2bad-4ec8-45a5-9e49-24ee60431ef3 Sandy Rustin — THE COTTAGE Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Cottage is running on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre through October 29th. Find out more at www.thecottageonbroadway.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Sandy Rustin, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/sandy-rustin-the-cottage-itAZ3X2m Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Cottage is running on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre through October 29th. Find out more at www.thecottageonbroadway.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sandy Rustin — THE COTTAGE Sandy Rustin, Dan Rubins 00:32:35 From Noel Coward to Mel Brooks, Sandy Rustin shares the comedic influences that she and her collaborators have channeled in shepherding The Cottage to Broadway. The discussion dives deep into the experience of watching directors and actors re-imagine the physical comedy on the page for the stage. Listen to discover how Sandy Rustin brings her acting background to the creation of each character she writes and what it's like to see her play land on Broadway after a decade of regional productions. From Noel Coward to Mel Brooks, Sandy Rustin shares the comedic influences that she and her collaborators have channeled in shepherding The Cottage to Broadway. The discussion dives deep into the experience of watching directors and actors re-imagine the physical comedy on the page for the stage. Listen to discover how Sandy Rustin brings her acting background to the creation of each character she writes and what it's like to see her play land on Broadway after a decade of regional productions. jason alexander, mel brooks, noel coward, laura bell bundy, oscar wilde, comedy, theatre, theater, the importance of being earnest, farce, hay fever, play, farts, helen hayes theater, broadway, second stage false full 14 2705f1ac-bd82-454e-b707-9c4dacfd7ced Richard Hellesen — EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is running off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Clement's through August 20th. Find out more at www.eisenhowertheplay.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Sat, 12 Aug 2023 02:01:46 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Richard Hellesen, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/richard-hellesen-eisenhower-this-piece-of-ground-Aso9Utyv Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is running off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Clement's through August 20th. Find out more at www.eisenhowertheplay.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Richard Hellesen — EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND Richard Hellesen, Dan Rubins 00:59:58 Bringing President Dwight D. Eisenhower to life through a two-hour, one-man play was no easy challenge: playwright Richard Hellesen breaks down his research, his process of writing and rewriting, and the collaborations that contributed to bringing Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground to the stage. It's a riveting conversation about how we remember and retell history and why the dramatization of historical figures still matters. Bringing President Dwight D. Eisenhower to life through a two-hour, one-man play was no easy challenge: playwright Richard Hellesen breaks down his research, his process of writing and rewriting, and the collaborations that contributed to bringing Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground to the stage. It's a riveting conversation about how we remember and retell history and why the dramatization of historical figures still matters. playwright, richard hellesen, theatre, theater, mccarthy, eisenhower, dramaturg, play, john rubenstein, one-man-show, off-broadway, history true full 13 74e0d1c7-4868-4e9e-a7d8-1d46c48cc1ff Inua Ellams — THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Half-God of Rainfall is running off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop through August 20th. Find out more at www.nytw.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:16:46 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Inua Ellams, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/inua-ellams-the-half-god-of-rainfall-aoYjT9ht Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Half-God of Rainfall is running off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop through August 20th. Find out more at www.nytw.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Inua Ellams — THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL Inua Ellams, Dan Rubins 00:31:54 How does a one-man poem become a seven-actor play? In this fascinating conversation with playwright and poet Inua Ellams about The Half-God of Rainfall, we'll dive into the expansive possibilities of text in performance, what it means to create myth, and why Ellams claims poetry is the "most pathetic" (yet still godly) of all the arts. Please note that this episode contains discussion of sexual assault, one of the central themes of the play. How does a one-man poem become a seven-actor play? In this fascinating conversation with playwright and poet Inua Ellams about The Half-God of Rainfall, we'll dive into the expansive possibilities of text in performance, what it means to create myth, and why Ellams claims poetry is the "most pathetic" (yet still godly) of all the arts. Please note that this episode contains discussion of sexual assault, one of the central themes of the play. zeus, yoruba, basketball, gods, orisha, the half-god of rainfall, chango, theatre, theater, greek, poetry, play, kiln theatre, new york theatre workshop, demigods, hera, the barbershop chronicles, inua ellams false full 12 07737a9e-8744-4073-abbb-1d6b3edebd3d Tye Blue & Constantine Rousouli — TITANIQUE Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Titanique is running off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre through January 7th, 2024. Find out more at www.titaniquemusical.com. 

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 14 Jul 2023 12:39:17 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Tye Blue, Constantine Rousouli, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/tye-blue-constantine-rousouli-titanique-aJXkQtcs Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Titanique is running off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre through January 7th, 2024. Find out more at www.titaniquemusical.com. 

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tye Blue & Constantine Rousouli — TITANIQUE Tye Blue, Constantine Rousouli, Dan Rubins 00:40:06 Shall we go for it? For the first time ever, writer-director Tye Blue and writer-star Constantine Rousouli retell the origin story of Titanique: Une Parodie Musicale from EACH OTHER'S perspectives! Discover the kooky crazy path that Titanique took to its extended run off-Broadway. (And good news: Marla Mindelle's still alive!) Shall we go for it? For the first time ever, writer-director Tye Blue and writer-star Constantine Rousouli retell the origin story of Titanique: Une Parodie Musicale from EACH OTHER'S perspectives! Discover the kooky crazy path that Titanique took to its extended run off-Broadway. (And good news: Marla Mindelle's still alive!) aida, drag defense fund, titanique, drag, who let the dogs out, tye blue, titanic, celine dion, musical, jack dawson, the present stage, marla mindelle, beauty and the beast, caesar's palace, constantine rousouli, kung fu panda 2, drag race true full 11 f567fb5a-bd1a-4086-9a99-9d8b6de459dd Dexter Flanders — FOXES Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Foxes is playing at 59E59 Theaters until July 2. Find out more at https://www.59e59.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:47:09 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dexter Flanders, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/dexter-flanders-foxes-Mznk9A3J Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Foxes is playing at 59E59 Theaters until July 2. Find out more at https://www.59e59.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Dexter Flanders — FOXES Dexter Flanders, Dan Rubins 00:44:12 How can you sensitively tell a story that's not your own? Dexter Flanders joins the podcast to talk about Foxes, his play about closeted queerness in London's Black community. Flanders shares how he navigated the responsibility of crafting a narrative outside of his own experience and what he hopes audiences will take away from this love story. How can you sensitively tell a story that's not your own? Dexter Flanders joins the podcast to talk about Foxes, his play about closeted queerness in London's Black community. Flanders shares how he navigated the responsibility of crafting a narrative outside of his own experience and what he hopes audiences will take away from this love story. dexter flanders, britain, theater, foxes, pride, london, 59e59, west end true full 10 65040814-d493-4890-ace7-1c99b69f05dc James Ijames — FAT HAM Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Fat Ham is playing on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre until July 2. Find out more at https://www.fathambroadway.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 22:37:37 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (James Ijames, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/james-ijames-fat-ham-fEQ_swFB Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Fat Ham is playing on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre until July 2. Find out more at https://www.fathambroadway.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> James Ijames — FAT HAM James Ijames, Dan Rubins 00:57:13 To stream or not to stream? Hint: Stream this one to hear this fascinating exploration with playwright James Ijames of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham, now playing on Broadway. From adapting Shakespeare's Hamlet into a story of Southern, queer, Black identity to revising the play for Broadway, Ijames breaks down this sizzling new work for listeners. To stream or not to stream? Hint: Stream this one to hear this fascinating exploration with playwright James Ijames of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham, now playing on Broadway. From adapting Shakespeare's Hamlet into a story of Southern, queer, Black identity to revising the play for Broadway, Ijames breaks down this sizzling new work for listeners. juicy, public theater, father's day, james ijames, fairview, theater, shakespeare, juneteenth, pride month, hamlet, marcel spears, fat ham, broadway, twelfth night false full 9 0e44835b-40ce-413b-8e7b-1258c9d7c8f0 David Lindsay-Abaire — KIMBERLY AKIMBO Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Kimberly Akimbo is playing on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. Find out more at https://www.kimberlyakimbothemusical.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 09:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (David Lindsay-Abaire, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/david-lindsay-abaire-kimberly-akimbo-_pmDnobN Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Kimberly Akimbo is playing on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. Find out more at https://www.kimberlyakimbothemusical.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> David Lindsay-Abaire — KIMBERLY AKIMBO David Lindsay-Abaire, Dan Rubins 00:56:49 Join playwright and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire for a "Great Adventure" through the process of adapting his play 2001 play Kimberly Akimbo into the 5-time Tony-winning Broadway musical! Lindsay-Abaire breaks down his acclaimed collaboration with composer Jeanine Tesori, his evolving approach to depicting chronic illness onstage, and his personal passion for anagrams. Don't miss The Present Stage "This Time" around! Join playwright and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire for a "Great Adventure" through the process of adapting his play 2001 play Kimberly Akimbo into the 5-time Tony-winning Broadway musical! Lindsay-Abaire breaks down his acclaimed collaboration with composer Jeanine Tesori, his evolving approach to depicting chronic illness onstage, and his personal passion for anagrams. Don't miss The Present Stage "This Time" around! jason robert brown, musical theater, adaptation, book, fuddy meers, lyrics, victoria clark, booth theater, musical, theatre, tony award, meghan o'rourke, broadway, kimberly akimbo, david lindsay-abaire false full 8 86833fa9-3c46-44ba-8f8c-20e37eeee699 Edward Einhorn — THE SHYLOCK AND THE SHAKESPEAREANS Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Shylock and The Shakespeareans is playing off-Broadway at the New Ohio Theatre. Find out more at https://newohiotheatre.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 9 Jun 2023 09:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Edward Einhorn, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/edward-einhorn-the-shylock-and-the-shakespeareans-eN3stLD7 Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Shylock and The Shakespeareans is playing off-Broadway at the New Ohio Theatre. Find out more at https://newohiotheatre.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Edward Einhorn — THE SHYLOCK AND THE SHAKESPEAREANS Edward Einhorn, Dan Rubins 00:53:32 What is Shylock's legacy? Edward Einhorn joins the podcast to talk about his new play, "The Shylock and the Shakespeareans," a dramatic response to Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Is Shakespeare's original play antisemitic or an indictment of antisemitism? Einhorn takes a strong stance in his play, and he gamely enters into a wide-ranging conversation (and a little bit of debate) about the historical impact of Shakespeare's play and the process of reanimating Shakespeare's characters through a Jewish lens. What is Shylock's legacy? Edward Einhorn joins the podcast to talk about his new play, "The Shylock and the Shakespeareans," a dramatic response to Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Is Shakespeare's original play antisemitic or an indictment of antisemitism? Einhorn takes a strong stance in his play, and he gamely enters into a wide-ranging conversation (and a little bit of debate) about the historical impact of Shakespeare's play and the process of reanimating Shakespeare's characters through a Jewish lens. the merchant of venice, william shakespeare, the shylock and the shakespeareans, playwright, portia, theatre, theater, playwriting, the present stage, edward einhorn, shakespeare, antonio, antisemitism, shylock, nerissa, new ohio theatre false full 7 89ea33ee-2a1d-4cf5-9dc2-b0618a53df4a Tori Sampson — THIS LAND WAS MADE Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

This Land Was Made is playing off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Find out more at https://vineyardtheatre.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 2 Jun 2023 11:42:15 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Tori Sampson, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/tori-sampson-this-land-was-made-4_0XmuJU Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

This Land Was Made is playing off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Find out more at https://vineyardtheatre.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Tori Sampson — THIS LAND WAS MADE Tori Sampson, Dan Rubins 00:44:05 How do you crack open an moment of American history onstage? Tori Sampson joins the podcast to talk about This Land Was Made, her play that offers a solution to a 50-year-old mystery involving Huey Newton, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, in late-60s Oakland. Don't miss this fascinating deep dive into Sampson's creative process, from how she developed This Land Was Made as a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama to why she always watches her play from a seat with an obstructed view. How do you crack open an moment of American history onstage? Tori Sampson joins the podcast to talk about This Land Was Made, her play that offers a solution to a 50-year-old mystery involving Huey Newton, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, in late-60s Oakland. Don't miss this fascinating deep dive into Sampson's creative process, from how she developed This Land Was Made as a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama to why she always watches her play from a seat with an obstructed view. cadillac crew, tori sampson, black panther party, playwright, vineyard theater, conversations with theater writers, theatre, revolution, yale school of drama, theater, vineyard theatre, taylor reynolds, stage directions, play, the present stage, huey newton, gene mckinney, leland fowler, if pretty hurts, off-broadway, rehearsal false full 6 a7f99a70-7bdd-45eb-8907-3585f4ba2334 Rajiv Joseph — KING JAMES Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

King James is playing off-Broadway at New York City Center Stage I, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 11:18:52 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Rajiv Joseph, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/rajiv-joseph-king-james-v_8vcPzy Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

King James is playing off-Broadway at New York City Center Stage I, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.org.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Rajiv Joseph — KING JAMES Rajiv Joseph, Dan Rubins 00:44:32 Where do sports and theater intersect? Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph joins the podcast to talk about these two world in this wide-ranging conversation about his new basketball-focused play King James. From exploring craft — how to write a two-hander, how to navigate a six-year time jump, how to imbue stage directions with emotional power — to reflecting on life as a Cavs fan, Joseph weaves together two of his great passions throughout the episode. Where do sports and theater intersect? Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph joins the podcast to talk about these two world in this wide-ranging conversation about his new basketball-focused play King James. From exploring craft — how to write a two-hander, how to navigate a six-year time jump, how to imbue stage directions with emotional power — to reflecting on life as a Cavs fan, Joseph weaves together two of his great passions throughout the episode. rajiv joseph, chris perfetti, manhattan theater club, king james, basektball, kenny leon, theatre, theater, lebron james, cleveland cavaliers, the north pool, stage directions, play, the present stage, guards at the taj, robert o'hara, off-broadway, friendship, rehearsal, benghal tiger at the baghdad zoo, glenn davis, manhattan theatre club false full 5 5e1173d1-6b8f-4247-b85b-614bd48a5499 Diane Exavier — BERNARDA'S DAUGHTERS Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Bernarda's Daughters is playing off-Broadway at The Pershing  Square Signature Center, a co-production of The New Group and National Black Theatre. Find out more at www.thenewgroup.org. To learn more about Diane Exavier's inspirations for Bernarda's Daughters, check out https://bernardasdaughters.club/.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Diane Exavier, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/diane-exavier-bernardas-daughters-F1gp_gLP Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Bernarda's Daughters is playing off-Broadway at The Pershing  Square Signature Center, a co-production of The New Group and National Black Theatre. Find out more at www.thenewgroup.org. To learn more about Diane Exavier's inspirations for Bernarda's Daughters, check out https://bernardasdaughters.club/.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Diane Exavier — BERNARDA'S DAUGHTERS Diane Exavier, Dan Rubins 00:51:12 What's in a name? Diane Exavier joins the podcast to talk about the web of inspirations behind her new play Bernarda's Daughters. On the eve of a special performance for Haitian Flag Day, our conversation delves into the play's explorations of grief, home & homeland, and the power of naming to remember the dead. Listen to learn more about the play's circuitous pandemic-era pathway to the stage: before you book your tickets, you can still call the Bernarda's Daughters hotline! What's in a name? Diane Exavier joins the podcast to talk about the web of inspirations behind her new play Bernarda's Daughters. On the eve of a special performance for Haitian Flag Day, our conversation delves into the play's explorations of grief, home & homeland, and the power of naming to remember the dead. Listen to learn more about the play's circuitous pandemic-era pathway to the stage: before you book your tickets, you can still call the Bernarda's Daughters hotline! louise gluck, grief, lorca, bernarda's daughters, the new group, sylvia wynter, theater, poetry, play, the present stage, citation, national black theatre, diane exavier, off-broadway, rehearsal false full 4 72fe4e2b-81cd-4c40-bf78-39cba2efe68d David Auburn — SUMMER, 1976 Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Summer, 1976 is playing on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.com

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 12 May 2023 10:13:34 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (David Auburn, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/david-auburn-summer-1976-PZOMdLXV Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Summer, 1976 is playing on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Find out more at www.manhattantheatreclub.com

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

 

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> David Auburn — SUMMER, 1976 David Auburn, Dan Rubins 00:32:42 On the third episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner David Auburn (Proof) joins the podcast to dive into Summer, 1976, his third Broadway production with Manhattan Theatre Club and a meditation on friendship. We explore where this play fits into Auburn's larger body of work, how collaborations with actors Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht and director Daniel Sullivan bring a script with no stage directions to life, and which playwright's influence Auburn has come to embrace over the course of his career. On the third episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner David Auburn (Proof) joins the podcast to dive into Summer, 1976, his third Broadway production with Manhattan Theatre Club and a meditation on friendship. We explore where this play fits into Auburn's larger body of work, how collaborations with actors Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht and director Daniel Sullivan bring a script with no stage directions to life, and which playwright's influence Auburn has come to embrace over the course of his career. laura linney, monologue, summer, jessica hecht, playwright, david auburn, proof, 1976, pulitzer prize, theatre, tony award, theater, playwriting, stage directions, play, the columnist, daniel sullivan, summer 1976, babysitting co-op, manhattan theatre club false full 3 edcb531a-af44-49eb-b216-d1df89140462 Suzie Miller — PRIMA FACIE Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Prima Facie is playing on Broadway at the Golden Theatre. Find out more at www.primafacieplay.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 5 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Suzie Miller, Dan Rubins) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/suzie-miller-prima-facie-DSH96fBr Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Prima Facie is playing on Broadway at the Golden Theatre. Find out more at www.primafacieplay.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Suzie Miller — PRIMA FACIE Suzie Miller, Dan Rubins 00:42:42 Can a work of theater inspire real societal change? On the second episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Olivier winner Suzie Miller joins the podcast to share the story behind Prima Facie, the Australian play that has already made major impact on the British legal system in the wake of its celebrated West End run. Miller shares how casting Jodie Comer in this solo show transformed the text, why she formats her scripts in a unique way, and what she hopes audiences will take away from this blistering indictment of the justice system. Please note that this episode contains discussions of sexual violence. Can a work of theater inspire real societal change? On the second episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Olivier winner Suzie Miller joins the podcast to share the story behind Prima Facie, the Australian play that has already made major impact on the British legal system in the wake of its celebrated West End run. Miller shares how casting Jodie Comer in this solo show transformed the text, why she formats her scripts in a unique way, and what she hopes audiences will take away from this blistering indictment of the justice system. Please note that this episode contains discussions of sexual violence. playwright, suzie miller, golden theatre, drama desk, theatre, justin martin, theater, prima facie, tony, australia, london, barrister, law, jodie comer, olivier, new play, broadway, west end false full 2 0960c2f6-bd4b-4a32-bcc8-d8e086e16efc Robert Horn — SHUCKED Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Shucked is playing on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre. Find out more at www.shuckedmusical.com

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Fri, 5 May 2023 04:10:04 +0000 drubins24@gmail.com (Dan Rubins, Robert Horn) https://thepresentstage.com/episodes/robert-horn-shucked-8O9nyx26 Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

Shucked is playing on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre. Find out more at www.shuckedmusical.com

If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews  and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.

The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

]]> Robert Horn — SHUCKED Dan Rubins, Robert Horn 00:48:29 It's corn! On the premiere episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Tony winner Robert Horn joins the podcast to talk about all things Shucked, the new pun-tastic, corn-centric musical that opened on Broadway in April 2023. What's the secret of comedy? Which joke did he steal from his own screenplay for Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure? And what was it like to observe viral Corn Kid sensation Tariq watch Shucked on opening night? Robert Horn will answer all these questions—and many more—while celebrating the extraordinary community of collaborators who brought this original musical to life. It's corn! On the premiere episode of The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers, Tony winner Robert Horn joins the podcast to talk about all things Shucked, the new pun-tastic, corn-centric musical that opened on Broadway in April 2023. What's the secret of comedy? Which joke did he steal from his own screenplay for Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure? And what was it like to observe viral Corn Kid sensation Tariq watch Shucked on opening night? Robert Horn will answer all these questions—and many more—while celebrating the extraordinary community of collaborators who brought this original musical to life. robert horn, chris jones, new musical, librettist, nederlander, kevin cahoon, tariq, shucked, musical, andrew durand, theatre, shane mcanally, theater, corn kid, alex newell, jack o'brien, brandy clark, bookwriter, broadway, corn false full 1