James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight James Elden

Season 3, Episode 1. - If someone told me how powerful of a conversation I'd have been in store for prior to sitting down with Stan Mayer, I'm not sure I would've believed them, nor could I have prepared myself for the conversation we would have, and certainly not from a playwriting perspective. What proceeds is an in-depth and personal insight into war and how it translates to the stage where most would place it in a cinematic medium. However, Stan breaks it down beautifully and makes a strong case why war stories belong on the stage, and how not only the playwright, but the community can heal from wounds that can still be decades old. We speak about honoring truth and how trust is an important commodity when it comes to collaboration, and how letting go can lead to getting out of your own way when it comes to ego. We also touch on the flourishing of discovery when sussing out the story over a long period of time through workshop, rehearsal, and play as well as at the importance of not diluting your co-author's voice and trusting your work in someone else's hands. It's a truly lovely conversation, and I can't thank Stan enough for sharing such a personal story and process with the Playwright's Spotlight community. I hope you enjoy this first episode of the new season.

Stan Mayer is an actor, playwright, and director. In a past life, he was a US Marine infantryman and Intelligence Officer in special operations, serving five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Plays include Odysseus at Temecula and the upcoming premiere Mama, Mama, Can’t You See with co-writer Cecelia Fairchild produced by Coin & Ghost Theatre Company at Studio/Stage in Los Angeles.

To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/ECmQGdWRpl0

For tickets to Mama, Mama, Can't You See if you're in the Los Angeles area, visit -
https://www.showclix.com/event/mama-mama-2023

Links to sites mentioned in this episode - 

Arts in the Armed Forces -
https://bobwoodrufffoundation.org/bwfgrants/arts-in-the-armed-forces/

Coin & Ghost Theatre Company -
https://coinandghost.org

studio/stage -
https://www.thestagecrafts.com/studio-stage/

Contact info and socials for Stan Mayer -
IG - @stoshactually

Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions - 
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - 
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla 
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la 
FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod 
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
Support the show

FINAL EPISODE OF SEASON 2! We made it another year. In this season ending episode, we spend time speaking with Richard Vetere. Richard reached out to me on Instagram and voiced interest in being on an episode of Playwright's Spotlight. After looking over his credentials, Richard certainly had insight to offer, and as always, I learned something new. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of grants, the current state and the fate of theatre, what makes a good director, what's necessary in stage directions, obtaining flow in playwriting, his personal process when it comes to the craft, structure, and finding inspiration and generating ideas. We also reflect upon the brilliance of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, whether Shakespeare was a real person, innovation as a young playwright, whether rewriting published work is possible, Equity as a union, maturing as a playwright, producing in smaller markets, and having creative control in playwriting. It was an absolute treat to talk with Richard, and I was enthralled to have him wrap up our second season of Playwright's Spotlight. See you in Season 3.

Richard Vetere is a playwright, novelist, poet and film and TV writer, actor, director and producer.  He has over twenty plays published by Dramatic Publishing, Smith & Kraus and Applause Book and include Caravaggio, Gangster Apparel, Machiavelli, One Shot, One Kill and Bird Brain with production of the plays Off-Broadway in NYC, Chicago, Melbourne, Cyprus, Rome, Paris and London. He has received numerous grants for writing including a Mary Roberts Rinehart Grant for Playwriting and a Cultural Council Foundation for poetry and playwriting. He was a guest of the Chicago Humanities Theater Festival for his play Caravaggio. He has a Masters in Comparative English Literature from Columbia University and lectured at NYU in the master's program in playwriting and film writing and continues to lecture at Queens College. 


To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/r5gxnIpnuuA

Links to sites mentioned in this episode -

Mary Robert Rinehart Grant -
https://english.gmu.edu/awards/127

Cultural Council Foundation -
https://www.americansforthearts.org

Dramatists Guild -
https://www.dramatistsguild.com

Simon and Schuster -
https://www.simonandschuster.com

PDW -
https://www.actingstudio.com/acting-classes/playwrights/beginning-playwriting/

Actors Equity -
https://www.actorsequity.org

Websites and socials for Richard Vetere -

Website -
https://www.richardvetereauthor.com

FB - https://www.facebook.com/richard.vetere
IG - @vetererichard
Twitter - @RichardVetere

Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html


Support the show

We've dug into the vaults of Playwright's Spotlight for this episode. Originally recorded on February 8th, 2023, I interviewed playwright Brynn Thayer a few weeks before the world premiere of Let Me In. Unfortunately due to a software update, the audio was unusable and the pod-recorder used for backup was not started on time. Brynn and I tried to find a time to rerecord but were unable to due to schedule conflicts, so I've decided to release the episode without the first six minutes, which I'm glad I decided to do. I think Brynn has encouraging advice and experience that she shares in this episode. We discuss her beginnings as a soap actress and its development toward her playwriting, how she was able to learn character from soaps, her pathway from a one-woman show, to a two-person short film series, and later a full length three-person play. We also touch upon the need of validation, writing from grief, hearing the truth, conflict in questions, wearing all the hats in a production as well as the flaws of a character and writing behavior. We had a lot of fun recording it and wish I would have released it sooner. I would still love to have Brynn in to discuss Let Me In after having experienced it. I hope it makes the rounds, because it's a wonderful piece.

Brynn Thayer has been working in the industry since the 1970s. She's been nominated for a Daytime Emmy and wrote and performed her one-woman show, The Eulogy, which the Los Angeles Times called "Sardonic, Funny and Accessible.” She directed, wrote and produced the Worst Day series of short films with her partner Shahaub Roudbari, which toured the festival circuit and won many awards. Her most recent play, Let Me In, played to sold out crowds at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood.

To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/W4hG9Rc-kZE

Links to sites mentioned in this episode -

Beverly Hills Playhouse -
https://www.bhplayhouse.com/

Lenaea High School Theatre Festival -
lenaea.org

Howie Deutsch -
https://workspacehollywood.com

Theatre 68 -
https://www.theatre68.com

New Play Exchange -
https://newplayexchange.org

Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
Support the show

Another episode touching on aspects not featured in past episodes. Today playwright Anna Ouyang Moench sits in the Playwright's Spotlight and, thankfully, after botching her name twice, she was nice enough to stick around. In this interview, we discuss the benefits of writers groups, the pursuit of playwriting, and developing a play during rehearsal through a nontraditional writing approach. We also discuss the techniques of structure, working under time constraints and the the practicality and theatricality of producing, transferring from larger markets to smaller markets as well as building your network as you grow. We also talk about how playwriting helps in the arena of film and television, how to take notes and receive feedback and being mindful when receiving it, how to juggle life's responsibilities and finding discipline while writing, the mechanisms of a play, playing with the structure of timeline as well as obtaining theatrical and literary representation and so much more. Certainly a learning experience on my end which I hope you enjoy.

Anna Ouyang Moench is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her plays have been produced across the country and include Mothers, Birds of North America, and Sin Eaters. She has been supported by fellowships and residencies from The Playwrights Realm, New York Foundation of the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, the Van Lier Foundation, Yaddo, the Tofte Lake Center, the Sewanee Writers Conference, and the Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Her awards include the Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, the Gerbode Special Award in the Arts, Boulder Ensemble Theater Company’s Generations Award, and East West Players’ 2042: See Change Award. She is an alum of UCSD’s Playwriting M.F.A. program, the Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, Youngblood at Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Jam at New Georges, and writers groups at East West Players and the Echo Theater Company.

To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/HbNX6N4sPaA

For tickets to Birds of North America if you're in the Los Angeles area, visit -
https://odysseytheatre.com/whats-on/birds-of-north-america/

Links to sites mentioned in this episode -

Playwright's Realm -
https://playwrightsrealm.org/

New York Foundation for the Arts -
https://www.nyfa.org

Jerome Foundation -
https://www.jeromefdn.org

Van Lier Fellowship -
https://www.aaartsalliance.org/programs/van-lier-fellowship

Yaddo -
https://yaddo.org

Sawanee Writers Conference -
https://www.sewaneewriters.org

Last Frontier -
http://www.theatreconference.org

UCSD Theatre Dept. -
https://theatre.ucsd.edu

Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
Support the show

Playwright and parodist, Dean O'Carroll, sat in the Playwright's Spotlight this week. We discuss his origins as a playwright and the knowledge gained from a Bachelor's Degree in theatre to an MFA in playwriting and the differences from learning from lecture opposed to the practicalities of writing and the challenges he overcame including pushing through doubt. We touch on the process of writing farce and parody and the benefits of drawing from popular works, the risks of publishing before production, and whether or not it's possible to write a fool (actor) proof play. We also discuss publishers requesting changes, especially without permission, juggling and compartmentalizing multiple works, writing and collaborating for and with younger playwrights and opening doors, and how writing in other mediums benefits playwriting. Another wonderful and insightful learning experience. I hope you take something away from this episode.

Dean O’Carroll is a playwright and parodist originally from Amherst, Massachusetts. His parody plays Back to the 80s: A Risky, Goonie, Breakfasty Tale of Totally Tubular Time Travel; Star Stars: The Franchise Awakens; Marvelous Squad: A Super-Heroic Tale with Avengeance; The Humor Games, and the Sally Cotter trilogy are published by Playscripts and have been staged by schools and theatres around the world. His online play Greek Gods Under Quarantine is published by YouthPLAYS. He has also written material for “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live and several children’s books about DC Comics superheroes. He holds a BA in Drama from Vassar College and an MFA in Playwriting from Brandeis University. He was taught writing at Quinnipiac University, Simmons College, CUNY, Occidental College, and Widener University.
To view the video format of this episode, visit the link below -
https://youtu.be/yZ-7U65sy70

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -

Playscripts -
https://www.playscripts.com

YouthPLAYS -
https://www.youthplays.com

Heuer Publishing -
https://www.hitplays.com/default.aspx

Pioneer Drama -
https://www.pioneerdrama.com

Brooklyn Publishing -
https://www.brookpub.com

Eldridge Publishing -
https://histage.com/

Socials for Dean O'Carroll -

IG - @deanocarrollplays
Twitter/X - @deanocarroll
DB - fb.com/deanocarrollplays

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la

FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
Support the show

Playwright Garry Michael Kluger stopped by to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight to talk about all things playwriting and also touched on its from film and television. Having been a three-time semi-finalist, we discuss the process of and when to submit for the O'neill's and whether it's ever okay to pay to submit your work. We also touch on how playwrights one has never met can serve as a mentor, conversation being spontaneous while dialogue being scripted, and how one's characters dictate the verbiage as well as the difference between humor and comedy, learning how to say no, dusting off old and incomplete work, writers having the final word, creating layered characters, the misconceptions of playwriting, and the process of editing. We unpack so much more that I can't list them all. Garry offers so much insight that I walked away with so much information. I hope you find the same for you. 

Garry Michael Kluger has written 19 plays, 3 books, 2 TV pilots, several television series, and 12 documentaries and was a writing member of Theatre West; one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious theatre companies. Three of his plays have been semi-finalists for the prestigious O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. His play The Other Half, was a part of the 2014 Pittsburgh New Works Festival and WestFest at Theatre West in Los Angeles, and Top Ten at the Sterts Playwrights Festival in London. The Homecoming, was a finalist in the Warner International Playwrights Festival, the West Hollywood Gay and Lesbian Play Reading Festival, and winner of the Chaos Theory Play Festival in 2011. In 2010 his play Brotherhood won “The Audience Favorite” as a part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival at the Tre Stage. In 2009, he was honored to receive the prestigious Red Carpet Award from Women In Theatre for his contributions, as a playwright, to Los Angeles theatre.

To view the video format of this episode, visit -
https://youtu.be/CFzEgdpHhes

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode - 

The O'neill -
https://www.theoneill.org/npc

The Pulitzer -
https://www.pulitzer.org/

Theatre West -
https://theatrewest.org

Tickets for Walking in Space -
www.wis2023.com 
or - https://ci.ovationtix.com/35048/production/1171437

Contact information and socials for Garry Michael Kluger -

Website -
www.iktproductions.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/garry.kluger
Twitter - @baroy
IG - @baroy

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight

Punk Monkey Productions - 
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - 
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla 
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la 

FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod 
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
Support the show