Steve Harper Talks About Non-Traditional Casting & Writing for Superheroes Like Stargirl

Steve Harper is an actor, writer, and producer of the stage and screen. He shares his actor’s nightmare in a Shakespeare production in Cincinnati, but we also discuss the pivotal time when he found himself lacking a plentiful array of shows and roles he could connect with, so he began writing and producing theater, which in turn led him into television and writing for superheroes like Stargirl. He shares how through that process, he became aware of the nuances between the collaborative process of TV writing versus his singular process of writing for theater. Steve introduces a new collection of his short plays recently published that leads us into a delicate yet important conversation of race and non-traditional casting and what it means to be a black actor in theater. With a focus on inclusivity, humor, and insight, Harper brings current subjects to light in an enduring and entertaining way, much in the same way that his work does writing and producing for TV shows such as the CW’s Stargirl, God Friended Me, and ABC’s American Crime.  The plays were originally performed at theaters such as The American Airlines Theater on Broadway, The John Houseman Studio (NYC), New Jersey’s Vivid Stage, The American Theater Company (Chicago), Baltimore Playwrights Festival, Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center and The Falcon Theater in L.A. (NBC Universal) to name a few.   Buy it on Amazon or at a book shop near you. SUBSCRIBE TO WINMI Get access to Audition Stories, the Final Five questions, and other bonus content by becoming a monthly or yearly subscriber to Why I’ll Never Make It. Producing this podcast is rewarding in its own way, but I’m essentially a one-man operation. So it is both costly and time-intensive to put together each episode. By subscribing you’ll be supporting these podcasting efforts, and have access to extended conversations and other bonus content. Your financial support of this podcast is greatly appreciated! Subscribe to get access to bonus episodes and extra content   Make a one-time Donation to support transcripts and podcast production If you’d like to support WINMI but have limited funds to do so, then contact me directly for reduced-price or even free access to the bonus content. Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | YouTube ———- Why I’ll Never Make It is an award-winning, Top Theater Podcast hosted by actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media. Background music is by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices