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Artwork for The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers

Dan Rubins
Theater
New York City
The Trojans
Sound Design
Musical Theater
Bess Wohl
Iliad
Loading Dock Theatre
Shakespeare
Identity
Puppetry
MCC Theater
Holocaust
Women's Liberation Movement
Nostalgia
Synthwave
Redeemed
I'm Almost There
The Lonely Few
The Fake Husband

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, t... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes105Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Performing ArtsArts

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Artwork for The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers

Latest Episodes

||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :|| runs at the Vineyard Theatre through June 21st. To learn more, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is ho... more

Well, I'll Let You Go runs at Studio Seaview through June 20th. For more information, please visit www.studioseaview.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by D... more

About Time ran at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater through April 5th. For more information, visit www.abouttimemusical.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hoste... more

Schmigadoon! is running at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, currently scheduled through September 6, 2026. For more information, visit www.schmigadoonbroadway.com.

Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstage

The Present Stage: Con... more

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Recent Guests

Eisa Davis
Playwright, actor, composer; involved in Girls, Girls, Chance, Chance, Music, Music
The Present Stage / Vineyard Theatre production context
Episode: Eisa Davis — ||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||
Bubba Weiler
Playwright of Well, I'll Let You Go
Playwright
Episode: Bubba Weiler — WELL, I'LL LET YOU GO
Richard Maltby, Jr.
Lyricist, director; longtime collaboration with David Shire; Tony Award-winning director
Freelance/theatre industry
Episode: Richard Maltby, Jr. — ABOUT TIME
Cinco Paul
Book writer, lyricist, and composer of Schmigadoon!
Schmigadoon! (Broadway musical)
Episode: Cinco Paul — SCHMIGADOON!
Elysa Gardner
Theater critic, longtime contributor for The New York Sun and New York Stage Review
The New York Sun; New York Stage Review
Episode: SPECIAL EPISODE: 2026 Tony Award Picks w/ Elysa Gardner and Joe Weinberg
Joe Weinberg
Theatre critic and historian, creator/host of Overthinking Theater content
Overthinking Theater
Episode: SPECIAL EPISODE: 2026 Tony Award Picks w/ Elysa Gardner and Joe Weinberg
Lynn Ahrens
Lyricist for Ragtime
Ragtime (Broadway composer/lyricist collaboration)
Episode: Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty — RAGTIME
Stephen Flaherty
Composer for Ragtime
Ragtime (Broadway composer/lyricist collaboration)
Episode: Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty — RAGTIME
Beth Henley
Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright known for Crimes of the Heart
Episode: Beth Henley — BUGHOUSE

Host

Dan Rubins
Host and theater critic; contributes to The Present Stage and Slant Magazine; co-founder of Hear Your Song.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 17 ratings
  • Super smart and engaging!

    This is such a great podcast! Dan Rubin’s asks really smart questions that prompt great conversations. It’s also so wonderful for playwrights to get a chance to talk on the record about their work—most of them don’t get to do that, and it’s so helpful to hear them talk and reflect.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Zusu15
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Smart, probing questions that prompt great conversations.
Excellent for playwrights to discuss their work on the record.
The host keeps discussions accessible while staying intellectually rigorous.
Deep insight into development and staging decisions comes through clearly.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Eisa Davis — ||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||
Q: Has collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda influenced how you write collaborations between Margot and Fax in the play?
Davis discusses the tension between page-driven discipline and in-the-moment creation, noting Lin-Manuel's dual emphasis on structure and spontaneity and how that dynamic informs the characters' collaboration and the overall writing process.
Eisa Davis — ||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||
Q: How did you approach language and poetry for the teenage characters, balancing smartness with natural teen speech?
She describes crafting a sonic language that sounds like real speech yet is built from musical blocks, allowing characters to convey meaning through rhythm and syllables while still feeling authentic to teen voices.
Eisa Davis — ||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||
Q: I'm curious why you chose to not depict any of those teacher figures on stage and have them be off stage presences for the teen characters.
Davis explains she wanted the learning to be embodied in the students' relationships and collaborations, showing how the class environment and mentors impact the students indirectly, with the real energy and learning arising from peer interactions and personal experimentation.
James Ijames — SATURDAY CHURCH
Q: What was the collaboration with Sia like in terms of lyric changes and the dramatic needs of the songs, and how much input did Sia have in shaping where songs went and how they functioned within the book?
The process was a back-and-forth where proposals were presented to Sia, she would respond, and they refined lyrics together; this education in the dramatic action of a song helped redefine how the musical uses music to advance plot and character, while remaining a joint, iterative process.
James Ijames — SATURDAY CHURCH
Q: How did the Goddess experience inform the final polishing of Saturday Church at New York Theater Workshop, and what specific lessons carried over from one project to the other?
He explains how watching book work evolve in rehearsal, tech, and previews during Goddess prepared him to handle big structural changes in Saturday Church, including song cuts and scene rewrites, and how gut instinct and collaborative trust carried over.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Sharp, in-depth conversations with current NY theater writers, playwrights, composers, and critics. Each episode centers on a recent or running production, unpacking genesis, development from page to stage, and the practical choices behind casting, staging, and design. Guests range from playwrights and lyricists to critics and educators, offering technical insight, personal storytelling, and historical perspective on contemporary theater. A notable strength is the host's ability to elicit behind-the-scenes detail and craft stories that illuminate how a show becomes live experience, making it valuable for listeners who want a deeper understanding of modern stage work and for potential guests seeking to align with thoughtful, dramaturgically ... more

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this podcast launched 3 years ago and published 105 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 this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Eisa Davis
2. Bubba Weiler
3. Richard Maltby, Jr.
4. Cinco Paul
5. Elysa Gardner
6. Joe Weinberg
7. Lynn Ahrens
8. Stephen Flaherty

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