
James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight
Playwright Spotlight features a new playwright every episode to discuss the tools of the trade and solutions to the obstacles we face as writers in hopes of making us all better and more successful playwrights.
Episodes
102 episodes
The Musicality of Dialogue, the Magic of Writing, the Doorway Effect, and the Trick of Eliminating Parenthiticals - Playwright's Spotlight with Lawrence Connolly
Playwright. Screenplay Writer, and Novelist Lawrence C. Connolly streamed into Playwright's Spotlight and, as always, we touched base on many topics not covered in previous episodes. It never ceases to amaze me. In this discussion, we delve int...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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1:14:58

The Business of Playwriting, Laying Breadcrumbs, and Dramatic Truth and the Math of Human Emotion - Playwright's Spotlight with Angelica Cheri
Angelica Cheri swung by Playwright's Spotlight after leaving the rehearsals of her Broadway play Wanted only to jump into the rehearsals for the West Coast Premiere of her play Burta Burta. She was wiling to share her insights of the craft. We ...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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1:06:49

Episode 100! Jersey Boys, an Egg Timer, Stage Effects, and Organizing Principles - Playwright's Spotlight with Rick Elice
Episode 100! Thanks for supporting us on this journey. We would love to hear how this podcast may have helped you with your creative endeavors.To celebrate this milestone, Rick Elice of Jersey Boys, Peter and the Star Catcher, Water for ...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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1:14:13

Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin
Playwright and performer, Ashley Griffin, swung by the studio to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight before her West Coast Premiere of her Off-Broadway play The Opposite of Love. It's a compelling conversation that tackles so many aspects of play...
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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1:08:18

Artistic Visas, Defining Success, and Networking to Find Opportunities - Playwright's Spotlight with Joel Trinidad
I invited Joel Trinidad onto the Playwright's Spotlight after reading about his journey. He streamed in while on tour for his acting performance of Romeo and Juliet as part of a fringe fest in South Dakota. In our conversation, we discussed acq...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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57:32

Plays as Living Things, Staging in Unconventional Locations, and the Definition of Being a Writer - Playwright's Spotlight with Cameron Scott
Broadway marketer turned playwright Cameron Scott came onto Playwright's Spotlight after I received his submission to PLAY Noir to talk about his later-in-life start to playwriting. In this conversation, we delve into what the definition of a w...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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1:16:02

Writing a Play in Real Time, Necessity Breeding Creativity, and Journey to the Hollywood Fringe - Playwright's Spotlight with Faye Widjaja and Sohani Sawant
Returning playwright Faye Widjaja and her cohort, Sohoni Sawant, dropped by the studio after having streamed in from her original interview just over two years ago to discuss the journey and evolution of her play A Minor Inconvenience from the ...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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54:42

Adaptations, Archetypes, Writing Whimsy, and A Quantum Fantasia - Playwright's Spotlight with John Farmanesh-Bocca
John Farmanesh-Bocca swung by The Playwright's Spotlight to talk about his latest Shakespeare adaptation Lear Redux: A Quantum Fantasia. Throughout this conversation we discuss his journey into becoming an adaptive playwrights of the Classics, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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1:22:00

Rhythm in Dialogue, Playing with Different Structures, and the Flaws of Rewriting on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Brad McEntire
Longtime-listening playwright Brad McEntire streamed into the Spotlight to discuss his experience and approach to the craft. We discuss the exercises and lessons from studying under Will Power at Southern Methodist University and the Dallas The...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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1:22:24

Vomit, Unwritten Dialogue, Hip Hop Theatre, and the Delusions of Learning the Craft - Playwright's Spotlight with Rickerby Hinds
Rickerby Hinds swung by the Playwright's Spotlight prior to the premiere of his "last' play. We unpack various topics including Hip Hop Theatre, being a self-taught playwright, writing without arrogance, earning your audience, and the use of po...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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1:23:15

Painting a Room, Masterclasses vs Academia, and the Perils of Liking Your Own Writing - Playwright's Spotlight with June Thomson Morris
Just over the week before the World Premiere of her first play celebrating the Centennial celebration of Coral Gables, Florida, multiple Emmy-winning journalist June Thomson Morris beamed into the Playwright's Spotlight. In this interview, we d...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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55:04

Voices, Overwriting, Stage Directions in Dialogue, and Infusing Your Writing with Heart - Playwright's Spotlight with Lisa Rosenbaum and Ronda Spinak
Playwrights Lisa Rosenbaum and Ronda Spinak sat in the Playwright's Spotlight to discuss the evolution of their play The Violin Maker from its Sydney, Australia production to its US premiere from its origin from The Violins of Hope through its ...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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1:02:16

London, N.Y., and L.A. Markets, Great Hooks and Good Stories, and Stealing from the Greats - Playwright's Spotlight with Stephen Laughton
British L.A.-based playwright Stephen Laughton came sat in-house in the Playwright's Spotlight before the West Coast Premiere of his play One Jewish Boy. In this interview, we discuss the differences in the London, New York, and Los Angeles mar...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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1:10:41

Deadlines, Storytelling Through Post-Its, and Working with Sensitive Subject Matter - Playwright's Spotlight with Judson Jones
Before the World Premiere of his very first play, Judson Jones streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight. We discussed his background in theatre, film, and television and his journey to writing his first play and any challenges he overcame. We d...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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1:01:57

Two Ideas That Collide, Having a Wise, Magical Woman, and Selling Widgets and Building a Market - Playwright's Spotlight with Megan Gogerty
Playwright Megan Gogerty streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight right before the opening of her one-woman show and reimagining of the story of Beowulf. It's a fascinating episode with tons of wisdom to take in, unpack, and apply. We discuss o...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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1:11:39

Hypnotic Language, the Rules of the Card Game, and Asking Big Questions - Playwright's Spotlight with Audrey Cefaly
Audrey Cefaly streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight after I had the pleasure of seeing the production of her play Alabaster at The Fountain Theatre in Los Angles. This is first time I've had the opportunity to talk to the playwright after se...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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1:16:09

Overcoming Disability, the Benefits of Distractions, and the Ramifications of a Character's Actions - Playwright's Spotlight with Peter Anthony Fields
This is a very important episode shining light onto a subject a lot of us don't realize our fellow creatives are struggling with and how it may affect their craft - disabilities. Peter Anthony Fields sat in the Playwright's Spotlight and shared...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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49:06

Collaborating with Your Characters, Resting Your Cards, and the Structure of Bernard Gerbanier - Playwright's Spotlight with Carolyn Gage
Before the World Premiere of her play, Georgia and the Butch, playwright Carolyn Gage streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight. As happens with most episodes lately we explore something new about the craft and delve into the documentary play, i...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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57:36

Julliard, Monologues as a Marketing Tool, and the Math of Playwriting - Playwright's Spotlight with Adam Szymkowicz
This interview is a long time coming. I am extremely grateful for Adam taking the time to come on to share his knowledge. I'm sure if time allotted, we could easily could've had a three hour conversation, and I promise we will do at least one m...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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1:25:12

Capturing the Audience, Archetypes & Character Flaws, and Being Done When You're Dead - Playwright's Spotlight with Laura Annawyn Shamas
Happy New Year! It's amazing how things come full circle. After having Steven Dietz' wife, Allison Gregory, on last episode, we were privileged enough to have Laura Annawyn Shamas on Playwright's Spotlight, who happened to work them both in Min...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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1:00:30

Stealing from the Best, Letting the Story Find You, and the Approach of "When Are We?" - Playwright's Spotlight with Allison Gregory
This week I had the pleasure of having a fascinating conversation with Allison Gregory on this recent episode of Playwright's Spotlight and her approach of writing about historical and mythological characters and exploring outside their known s...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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1:39:16

Prize Money vs Publication, Avoiding Scams, and the Effects of Changing Location - Playwright's Spotlight with Nick Amatuzio
Before I get in to the breakdown of this episode, I have to correct a few things that are bit embarrassing for one hosting a playwriting podcast. 1) Black Comedy was written by Peter Schaefer (Black Comedy, Equis, Amadeus). 2) After "Matisse"&n...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:02:13

Self Publishing, Offending Your Audience, Unconventional Marketing, and One Truth a Day - Playwright's Spotlight with Sharisse Zeroonian
Playwright and filmmaker Sharisse Zeroonian streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight this week. Forgive a few moments of choppy audio on my end, but Sharisse's audio is clear, and she gives some great insight into taking your fate as a creative...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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1:16:20

From Lawyer to Playwright, Finding the Engine, and Working Backwards to Move Forward - Playwright's Spotlight with June Carryl
A MUST LISTEN! This in far from a dismissal of past guests and interviews. This is a personal and human conversation that is insightful and inspiring from struggle to achievement and perhaps a pathway to the later. June and I had a mishap in sc...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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1:20:56

Taking the Leap, Intention, and the Play is the Thing - Playwright's Spotlight with Ethan Crystal and Garrett Poladian
Bonus episode between our usual schedule! In order to align our guest's upcoming shows with their interview, we're sneaking an additional episode during what would normally be a break. However, we skipped an week earlier in the season, so we ho...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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1:19:51
