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Playwright, pianist, and composer along with her collaborator Raymond O. Caldwell who is a director, producer, and artistic director of The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, stopped by the studio to discuss their latest project - Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience. While our conversation did have a few technical setbacks, we were able to get back on track about their budding relationship, Adrienne's personal and collaborative relationship with June, building the team that would encapsulate the life and poetry of June as well as her importance to society and her concept of the "rings of connection." We unpack the process of combining conflicting visions in collaboration, the importance of trust and sharing a vision, and centering on the work. We also discuss introducing new elements durning the last few weeks of rehearsal, the evolution of different iterations, surprise revelations, unconventional storytelling, creating a through line from unconnected sources, and the secret to smooth transitions. It's wonderful back-and-forth that becomes a little silly at the end, but the whole conversation is insightful and entertaining. Enjoy!

For tickets to Poetry for the People at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles from January 27th through March 29th, visit - https://www.fountaintheatre.com/events/poetry-for-the-people

Adrienne Torf, is a playwright, pianist, and composer. In 2022, Adrienne co-devised the theater piece Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience with Raymond O. Caldwell at Theater Alliance in Washington DC. The show was awarded the 2023 Helen Hayes Theater Washington Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation and enjoyed a second run in 2024. It is slated to run at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles in early 2026.Also set for production in 2026 is For Women Serving Time, an extended poem/opera for which she composed the score, with text by Fatemeh Keshavarz, produced by IN Series Opera in Washington, DC. Her community-collaboration performance piece The Awesome Difficult Work of Love, which was produced in Madison WI (2008), San Francisco (2012) and Sedona, AZ (2022), and will be produced in Flint, MI in Spring, 2026.

Raymond O. Caldwell has written and adapted new works for Theater Alliance and the Kennedy Center, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks from the book by 2024 MacArthur recipient Jason Reynolds. Prior to joining the Fountain Theatre he was the artistic director at Theater Alliance for six seasons where he directed, developed, and produced. He expanded the company’s digital footprint during the pandemic, developing, directing, and producing new works from emerging local artists.

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -

www.fountaintheatre.com

Socials for Adrienne Torf and Raymond O. Caldwell -

www.adriennetorf.com
IG - @adriennetorf
FB - https://www.facebook.com/adriennetorf

www.raymondocaldwell.com
IG - @raymondocaldwell
FB - https://www.facebook.com/raymondocaldwell

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Production,s and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -

Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Support the show

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After an excruciating knee-tweak, Catherine Butterfield streamed into the Playwright's Spotlight being laid up on the couch. Proof that playwrights will go above and beyond, so we were unable to do the originally planned in-person interview. In this episode, we breakdown layering stories in the same location throughout different eras, when it's time to share and direct one's work, and "stumbling" upon commissions and opportunities. We also delve into New York being a musical theatre bastion, the effect of AI on creativity, receiving, achieving, and the benefits of awards, and seeking out competitions. We dive into major city and smaller markets, the pros and cons of Equity Theatre, never locking decisions down, multiple drafts and plot twists, and adjusting for casting. If there are layers in playwriting, there are definitely layers to this interview. Enjoy!

Catherine Butterfield is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. Her play Joined at the Head won the George E. Oppenheimer/New York Newsday Award for outstanding play by a first-time playwright. She has also received the Kennedy Center-American Express award for outstanding promise as a playwright; the Kaufman & Hart Award for best new American comedy for her play The Sleeper; and the Davie Award for best new play in regional theater for Life in the Trees. Her play Top of the World was a semi-finalist in the 2018 Eugene O'Neill playwriting competition and has been optioned for production in New York. Other plays include Electra, Revisited, include Life Expectancy, It Has to Be You, The Sleeper, Where the Truth Lies, Snowing at Delphi and Life in the Trees published by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French and Playscripts, Inc.

Her play Brownstone opens January 24th and runs through February 28th at the Atwater Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA. For tickets, visit - https://openfisttheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#/events/calendar

Website and Socials for Catherine Butterfield -

www.catherinebutterfield.com

IG - @catherine.butterfield
FB - https://www.facebook.com/catherine.butterfield.129
Bluesky - @cbutterfield.bsky.social

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la

FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html

Support the show

Send us a text

In this episode, musical theatre playwright Isaac Laskin stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the the development and evolution of his hit L.A. musical Hey, Morgan. He dispels the rumor of being challenged to write a musical about a dear friend, how the origination started as individual standalone songs about his roommate and how it later evolved into a musical. We unpack its growth from a short-run, small-theater production into a bigger, longer running show which included a copy of the soundtrack for the audience to leave with. We discuss the logistics of the cast album, writing multilayered/tracked songs, comedy in the current climate, pushing the envelope and crossing the line, and putting it out into the public for outside production. It's an inspiring conversation, where even the most simple concepts and turn into much more ambitious projects. Enjoy!

Isaac Laskin is a musical playwright, actor, director, musician, and screenwriter. His hit musical Hey Morgan ran the LA circuit at The Attic Theater in January 2011 and made a revival at the Black Dalia Theatre from 2011 through 2012. He is a former English Teacher at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake Upper School in Los Angeles.

To watch the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/IqpqINTDCfY

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -

The Geffen - https://www.geffenplayhouse.org

Hey, Morgan on iTunes - https://music.apple.com/us/album/hey-morgan-original-cast-recording/1532877933

Hey, Morgan on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1wHV2oNiYxDpAgt68w9IYV?si=YIsPEbaVQ5WvlkbHzpsyKQ

The Lincoln Bedroom on iTunes - https://music.apple.com/us/album/broken-record/1493495387

Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html

Support the show