Episode 603. Value Of Limitations

The script for William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) has now been published in the US (after having been published in the UK earlier this year) and this week we talk about how the various limitations we’ve encountered — physical, institutional, and personal — have all required we make changes to the script, many of which improved the script and we decided to keep. Featuring the challenges of retraining muscle memory, the differences between a two-hour performance and an hour-long one, the possibly counterintuitive value of sanitizing for your comedic pleasure, the dangers of swearing even in Pig Latin, the joy of turning limitations into gold, the surprising distinction between crotches and nipples, the futility of coming up with a Timon of Athens joke, and the dismay of thinking that something’s terribly moving and discovering you’re only half right. (Length 20:12)

Episode 600! American Theatre Magazine

For this milestone episode, we talk to the journal of record for the American theatre industry: American Theatre magazine. Managing Editor Russell Dembin and Associate Editor Allison Considine discuss the magazine’s origins, its operations, its expansion, and its impact. Featuring changing publishing schedules, expanded focus, evolving trends, exciting productions, bold new work, new takes on old work, challenges facing the industry, stepping up an online presence, shout-outs to Senior Editor Diep Tran, theme issues, changing job descriptions, ideas for possible future projects, a special appearance from Most Produced Playwright Who Isn’t William Shakespeare Lauren Gunderson, and above all, creating a go-to destination for all theatre practitioners — and fans. (Length 22:21)