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James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

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James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight is a arts podcast hosted by James Elden. It has 120 episodes, with the latest published April 2026.

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.

arts ·en-us ·120 episodes

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1

"Tends to be" Structures, Crazy Spaces, and Giving Characters What They Want - Playwright's Spotlight with Olivia Dufault

2

Agitating a Nerve, the Need to Overwrite, and Writing the "Impossible" - Playwright's Spotlight with Gabriel Rivas Gómez

3

"Pale for Weariness", Balancing Life vs Art, and Why Today's the Day -Playwright's Spotlight with Andy Batt

4

Site-Specific Plays, The Secret Sauce, and Opening Doors to Success - Playwright's Spotlight with Patrick Gabridge

5

Pansters and Plotters, Establishing Suspense Through Language, and the Secret of the First 25 Pages - Playwright's Spotlight with Travis Williams

6

Rings of Connection, Center the Work, and Building Trust and Sharing the Why - Playwright's Spotlight with Adrienne Torf and Raymond O. Caldwell

7

Awards, AI, Adjusting for Casting, and Always Maybe - Playwright's Spotlight with Catherine Butterfield

8

Gatekeepers, Pushing the Line, Independent vs Mainstream, and the Limitations of Specificity - Playwright's Spotlight with Isaac Laskin

9

Defining Weird, Living in the Creative "World", and Letting Go of Creative Control - Playwright's Spotlight with Clara Rodriguez

10

Writing the Absurd, Doubting Your Talent, and Recognizing Gifts and Weaknesses - Playwright's Spotlight with James Merolla

11

Narrative, Reversals, Mapping the Journey, and Running Away with the Circus - Playwright's Spotlight with Dietrich Smith

12

Inspirational Feedback, Weight-Bearing Walls, and Recognizing and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - Playwright's Spotlight with Sofia Streisand

13

Applied Theatre, Writing Bilingual, and Dramaturgical Playwriting - Playwright's Spotlight with Ankita Raturi

14

Writing Theatrically, Working on the Puzzle, and the Ecosystem of Theatre - Playwright's Spotlight with Crystal Skillman

15

Formulas and Slow Burners, the Process of Radio Dramas, and Making Mystery Interesting - Playwright's Spotlight with John Ballentine

16

Community, Distractions, and Writing Characters You Don't See on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Israel López Reyes

17

Film to Stage, Naturalism to Realism, and Finding Courage to Write - Playwright's Spotlight with David Kohner Zuckerman

18

Implementing Twists, Writing Red Herrings, and Keeping Your Audience Engaged - Playwright's Spotlight with Stuart Brown

19

The Musicality of Dialogue, the Magic of Writing, the Doorway Effect, and the Trick of Eliminating Parenthiticals - Playwright's Spotlight with Lawrence Connolly

20

The Business of Playwriting, Laying Breadcrumbs, and Dramatic Truth and the Math of Human Emotion - Playwright's Spotlight with Angelica Cheri

21

Episode 100! Jersey Boys, an Egg Timer, Stage Effects, and Organizing Principles - Playwright's Spotlight with Rick Elice

22

Magical Realism and Heightened Language, Punctuation as Sheet Music, and Locking Opposite Characters in a Room - Playwright's Spotlight with Ashley Griffin

23

Artistic Visas, Defining Success, and Networking to Find Opportunities - Playwright's Spotlight with Joel Trinidad

24

Plays as Living Things, Staging in Unconventional Locations, and the Definition of Being a Writer - Playwright's Spotlight with Cameron Scott

25

Writing a Play in Real Time, Necessity Breeding Creativity, and Journey to the Hollywood Fringe - Playwright's Spotlight with Faye Widjaja and Sohani Sawant

26

Adaptations, Archetypes, Writing Whimsy, and A Quantum Fantasia - Playwright's Spotlight with John Farmanesh-Bocca

27

Rhythm in Dialogue, Playing with Different Structures, and the Flaws of Rewriting on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Brad McEntire

28

Vomit, Unwritten Dialogue, Hip Hop Theatre, and the Delusions of Learning the Craft - Playwright's Spotlight with Rickerby Hinds

29

Painting a Room, Masterclasses vs Academia, and the Perils of Liking Your Own Writing - Playwright's Spotlight with June Thomson Morris

30

Voices, Overwriting, Stage Directions in Dialogue, and Infusing Your Writing with Heart - Playwright's Spotlight with Lisa Rosenbaum and Ronda Spinak

31

London, N.Y., and L.A. Markets, Great Hooks and Good Stories, and Stealing from the Greats - Playwright's Spotlight with Stephen Laughton

32

Deadlines, Storytelling Through Post-Its, and Working with Sensitive Subject Matter - Playwright's Spotlight with Judson Jones

33

Two Ideas That Collide, Having a Wise, Magical Woman, and Selling Widgets and Building a Market - Playwright's Spotlight with Megan Gogerty

34

Hypnotic Language, the Rules of the Card Game, and Asking Big Questions - Playwright's Spotlight with Audrey Cefaly

35

Overcoming Disability, the Benefits of Distractions, and the Ramifications of a Character's Actions - Playwright's Spotlight with Peter Anthony Fields

36

Collaborating with Your Characters, Resting Your Cards, and the Structure of Bernard Gerbanier - Playwright's Spotlight with Carolyn Gage

37

Julliard, Monologues as a Marketing Tool, and the Math of Playwriting - Playwright's Spotlight with Adam Szymkowicz

38

Capturing the Audience, Archetypes & Character Flaws, and Being Done When You're Dead - Playwright's Spotlight with Laura Annawyn Shamas

39

Stealing from the Best, Letting the Story Find You, and the Approach of "When Are We?" - Playwright's Spotlight with Allison Gregory

40

Prize Money vs Publication, Avoiding Scams, and the Effects of Changing Location - Playwright's Spotlight with Nick Amatuzio

41

Self Publishing, Offending Your Audience, Unconventional Marketing, and One Truth a Day - Playwright's Spotlight with Sharisse Zeroonian

42

From Lawyer to Playwright, Finding the Engine, and Working Backwards to Move Forward - Playwright's Spotlight with June Carryl

43

Taking the Leap, Intention, and the Play is the Thing - Playwright's Spotlight with Ethan Crystal and Garrett Poladian

44

Living Voices, Loving Language, Pushing Boundaries, and Earning the Moment - Playwright's Spotlight with Jennie Webb

45

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, the Deadline Draft, and Learning from Classic Greek Playwrights - Playwright's Spotlight with Michi Barall

46

Developing Premise, Breaking a Story, and Assembling the Team - Playwright's Spotlight with Ben Edlin and Deborah Aquila

47

Lying and Hiding, Writing Distinct Voices, and An Actual Formula to Success - Playwright's Spotlight with Nicholas Pilapil

48

Confidence, Gatekeepers, Theatricum Botanicum, and Life on the Blacklist - Playwright's Spotlight with Ellen Geer

49

Cliffhangers, Stage Magic, Relationships and Landing Productions - Playwright's Spotlight with Tom Jacobson

50

Dramatic Questions, Shaping Your Play, and What Every Playwright Should Be Doing - Playwright's Spotlight with Catherine Filloux

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