Todd London: The Challenge of Theatre Is the Challenge of the World

Podcast Interview with Todd London In this podcast episode, Todd London reflects on conflict and communion in society and the values of art as a core element for building strong communities. He reflects on his work in theatre and how he has seen the arts interact with communities. Todd London has worked in the American theatre for more than thirty years, supporting the flourishing of individual artists, advocating for best practices, creating connections between independent artists and producing theatres, and documenting the evolving field. His service has taken many shapes: artistic director, educator, arts journalist and essayist, public speaker, and theater historian. He is also a novelist, and his second novel, If You See Him, Let Me Know, was published in February 2020 (Austin Macauley). Todd is currently Director of Theatre Relations for the Dramatists Guild, Head of MFA Playwriting at the New School, and Founding Director of The Third Bohemia, an interdisciplinary retreat for artists. He received an honorary doctorate from DePaul University’s schools of Theatre and Music in 2016. Interviewers: Yvonne Chang, Master's student in Virginia Tech's MFA in Theatre program, Sarah Lyon-Hill, Associate Director for Research Development at the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development, and C. Meranda Flachs-Surmanek, an artist, cultural organizer, and Master's student in Virginia Tech’s Urban & Regional Planning and Theatre: Directing & Public Dialogue programs Presented In Partnership With Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts, Blacksburg Public Library, Virginia Tech’s Women and Minority Artists and Scholars Lecture Series, the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech, the Center for Communicating Science, and and Christiansburg Institute, Inc