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Artwork for James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

James Elden
Los Angeles
Musical Theatre
Latino Theatre Company
June Jordan
Hey Morgan
Madlab
Parallel Process
New York City
Immersive Theatre
Theatre
Playwriting
Poetry For the People
The June Jordan Experience
Theatre Roulette
Artificial Intelligence
Playwrights Desk
Wildclaw Theatre
Literary Desk
Drama Desk
Connecticut

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.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes134Founded5 years ago
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Performing ArtsArtsEducation

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Artwork for James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

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Greg Banks is a playwright, actor, and director.

For tickets to Pinocchio at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, visit - childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/pinocchio/#book

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk M... more

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Keith Szarabajka is a playwright who on stage, in audio books, video games, film, radio and TV. Keith’s one act dark comedy, The Second Coming was produced at EST-LA's One Act Festival in 2018, and was subsequently made into a short... more

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Cameron Scott has worked with Broadway’s top producers to create brand campaigns for well over 100 productions including 17 Tony Award-winning Best Plays, Best Musicals, and Best Revivals. He has recently turned to writing plays of ... more

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Drew Larimore a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter and librettist who’s been produced in the U.S. and internationally. His plays have been developed and presented with Asolo Repertory’s Unplugged New Works Festival, The Barrow ... more

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Recent Guests

Hank Jacobs
Los Angeles-based actor, director, writer, producer, editor, and voice actor
The Great Clown Bank Show; Open Fist Theatre
Episode: Immersive Theatre, Trust, Chaos, and Catching the Vibe - Playwright's Spotlight with Hank Jacobs
Donna Scarantino
Playwright, director, costumer and set designer; longtime steward of Theatre Americana
Theatre Americana
Episode: Building the Scene, Leaning on Exposition, and 99 Years of Theatre Americana - Playwright's Spotlight with Donna Scarantino
William A. Smith
Award-winning American playwright; developer of Playwrights Desk, Literary Desk, and Drama Desk
Playwrights Desk (app)
Episode: Taking Leaps, Wearing Many Hats, and the Development of The Playwright's Desk App - Playwright's Spotlight with William Smith
Paul Webb
Playwright; author of Four Nights in Norrisboro and Warsaw, among others
Playwright
Episode: Making Characters Sound Natural, Having Control of One's Work, and Beginning a Career in Playwriting Later in Life - Playwright's Spotlight with Paul Webb
Evelina Fernandez
Playwright and founder of the Latino Theatre Company
Latino Theatre Company
Episode: "Dirty" Drafts, Creating Opportunities, and Knowing the End - Playwright's Spotlight with Evelina Fernandez
Olivia Dufault
Playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer
Playwrights Spotlight guest
Episode: "Tends to be" Structures, Crazy Spaces, and Giving Characters What They Want - Playwright's Spotlight with Olivia Dufault
Gabriel Rivas Gómez
Playwright
Latino Theatre Company, Glendale Community College
Episode: Agitating a Nerve, the Need to Overwrite, and Writing the "Impossible" - Playwright's Spotlight with Gabriel Rivas Gómez
Andy Batt
Playwrights Spotlight guest; producing/directing force behind MadLab
MadLab (Columbus, Ohio)
Episode: "Pale for Weariness", Balancing Life vs Art, and Why Today's the Day -Playwright's Spotlight with Andy Batt
Patrick Gabridge
Playwright focused on site-specific and museum collaborations
Plays in Place (owner/lead)
Episode: Site-Specific Plays, The Secret Sauce, and Opening Doors to Success - Playwright's Spotlight with Patrick Gabridge

Host

James Elden
Host of Playwrights Spotlight; guides interviews with playwrights and theatre makers.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 24 ratings
  • So good!

    The guests provide so much important information and advice about playwriting that it feels as if I were taking a course instead of listening to a podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wisecow
    United States3 years ago
  • Helpful and Interesting

    Even when I find myself disagreeing with someone being interviewed, it gets me thinking and learning! Finally a podcast that isn’t all about the host’s personality! Good questions and great discussions.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    TrumanO
    Norway3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests provide actionable craft advice that translates well to real-world production.
Questions balance theory with practical production realities, which listeners appreciate.
The format avoids host-centric monologues and keeps discussions outcome-focused.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 100! Jersey Boys, an Egg Timer, Stage Effects, and Organizing Principles - Playwright's Spotlight with Rick Elice
Q: The first question that I asked is, how does one become a Tony Award-winning playwright?
Rick explains that success came from a mix of luck, a strong point of view on material, and a willingness to collaborate across disciplines, with prior works setting the stage for Jersey Boys to gain traction.
Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin
Q: Can you break down your thoughts on magical realism and heightened language and how they show up in your work?
Griffin defines magical realism as magic coexisting within a real-world framework, using examples like Trial's afterlife as a corporate office and Snow's god of death motif. She explains how heightened language elevates the text while remaining grounded in character, and how she uses language as a tool to convey emotional truth and universal themes.
Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin
Q: What is your process for turning a concept into a playable script, especially when you have many ideas?
She explains that a piece needs a core question or theme paired with a technical challenge. She starts with where the story begins and ends, uses a road-trip analogy, and relies on a mix of muse-driven creation and concrete plotting, often writing quickly and refining later with trusted readers.
Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin
Q: How did your path to writing and performing begin, and how did those two strands develop together?
Griffin describes starting to perform at a young age, early writing of a third-grade musical, and how mentors in her life helped hone both craft areas. She highlights a lifelong pattern of learning by doing, with early experiences at Santa Monica Playhouse and with mentors shaping her approach to structure, pacing, and audience connection.
Formulas and Slow Burners, the Process of Radio Dramas, and Making Mystery Interesting - Playwright's Spotlight with John Ballentine
Q: What inspired you to move from screenwriting to radio drama and eventually to podcasting?
He felt radio offered a cinematic, audio-only canvas to tell stories and realized podcasting made it feasible to produce and distribute his work independently, using the Internet as a distribution channel.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

What is James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A show built around deep dives with a rotating roster of playwrights and theatre-makers, focusing on craft, process, and practical paths to getting work produced. Episodes mix hands-on guidance—dialogue, structure, scene-building, site-specific storytelling, and collaboration with directors and venues—with behind-the-scenes realities of running theatres, developing apps for writers, and navigating funding and production. A notable through-line is how guests adapt traditional playwriting skills to innovative formats (immersive, site-specific, multi-media) and how relationships with venues, companies, and collaborators shape opportunities for emerging writers. The format tends to surface candid career anecdotes, actionable tips for submission... more

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Which podcasts are similar to James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight?

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1. The Playwriting Podcast
2. Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited
3. American Theatre Offscript
4. Fresh Air
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight are there?

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight launched 5 years ago and published 134 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight?

Recent guests on James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight include:

1. Hank Jacobs
2. Donna Scarantino
3. William A. Smith
4. Paul Webb
5. Evelina Fernandez
6. Olivia Dufault
7. Gabriel Rivas Gómez
8. Andy Batt

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