• John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, writer/director/actor, “Left Field”
    Feb 15 2026
    John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, and writer/dictor/actor in “Left Field,” which runs at Theatre Rhino from February 19th to March 15th , in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Recorded February 4, 2026. Theatre Rhino is the longest running LGBTQ+ theatre company in America, and John Fisher has been its Artistic Director since 2002. His latest show, “Left Field” is about a gay man from San Francisco who, through a bizarre series of events, winds up as President of the United States. Written as a response to the Trump regime and its fascist agenda, “Left Field” is a comedy with serious overtones about a man who finds himself in the presidency with a completely opposite series of priorities. In this interview, John Fisher discusses the process of working on “Left Field,” and goes into detail about what an actor perceives on stage, and the changing Bay Area theatre audience. The post John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, writer/director/actor, “Left Field” appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 7 Min.
  • John Sayles, Film-maker and Novelist, “Crucible,” 2026
    Feb 8 2026
    John Sayles and Maggie Renzi. Photo: Richard Wolinsky John Sayles, author of the novel “Crucible” and director of eighteen independent films, including “Lone Star,” Eight Men Out” and “The Secret of Roan Inish” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. They are joined by Maggie Renzi, John Sayles’ producer on fourteen of his eighteen films. John Sayles is best known for his work as a director, screenwriter and actor, though this is his sixth novel. Among the films he directed are Lone Star, Sunshine State, Eight Men Out, Matewan, The Brother from Another Planet, Baby It’s You and Passion Fish. His acting credits include small roles in several films, and he wrote the screenplay for the films he directed. Maggie Renzi, his wife, produced fourteen of his eighteen films, and acted in several of them. She is currently producing John’s upcoming western film, to be shot in Spain in Summer, 2026. In the first part of the interview, John Sayles discusses the real-life events behind his novel, “Crucible,” set between the 1920s and 1940s in Detroit and Brazil and focusing on Henry Ford, and the workers at his plants, and his attempt to create a rubber plantation and city in the jungles of Brazil. In the second part, he and Maggie Renzi talk about the making of his films, from his early days as a screenwriter to some of his later work, including the three films mentioned above and “Matewan,” along with difficulties in streaming rights. The post John Sayles, Film-maker and Novelist, “Crucible,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
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    2 Std. und 5 Min.
  • Delroy Lindo, Actor and Director, 2008
    Feb 1 2026
    Delroy Lindo, actor and theatre director, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky in the KPFA studios in November 2008 while directing August Wilson’s play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Berkeley Rep. Actor and director Delroy Lindo was born in London and moved to the United States at the age of 16, eventually coming to San Francisco where he studied acting at ACT at the age of 24. In his early career, he focused on the stage, winning a Tony nomination in 1988 his role in the original Broadway production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. From there, he moved toward television and film, and performed in three Spike Lee films, including Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, along with Get Shorty, Romeo Must Die and other films. More recently, he received acclaim for his role in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods in 2018 and has been nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Delta Slim in the Ryan Coogler film, Sinners. In the interview, he discusses his work directing Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, as well as his views on directing and acting, and the work of August Wilson. First posted September 27, 2020. The post Delroy Lindo, Actor and Director, 2008 appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 19 Min.
  • Hershey Felder: “The Piano and Me,” 2026
    Jan 25 2026
    Hershey Felder discusses his world premiere stage show, “The PIano and Me,” playing at TheatreWorks Mountain View through February 8, 2026, with host Richard Wolinsky. Over the past three decades, Hershey Felder has been performing one-person plays with his piano accompaniment, focusing on a variety of different composers, including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Tschaikovsky, Beethoven, Chopin and others. He has also created film versions of these and others, which can be found at his website, hersheyfelder.net. “The Piano and Me” focuses on Hershey Felder’s own life, looking at his immigrant family who came to Canada after surviving the Holocaust, and his own education at the piano, from his first teachers to his more formal schooling, to the advent of his very first show, “George Gershwin Alone.” In the interview, Hershey Felder talks about how this show came into being, his preparation for each performance, his work in film, and his view of live theatre today. The post Hershey Felder: “The Piano and Me,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 2 Min.
  • John Varley (1947-2025), Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Science Fiction Author
    Jan 18 2026
    John Varley (1947-2025), Hugo and Nebula Award winning science fiction novelist, who died on December 10, 2025 at the age of 78, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios July 17, 1992 while on tour for the novel “Steel Beach.” John Varley hit the ground running with his first short story, “Picnic on Nearside,” published in 1974 in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He was already considered the logical heir to Robert Heinlein by the time his novel, The Ophiuchi Hotline was published in 1977 and his short story collection, The Persistence of Vision a year later. He followed those books with a trilogy that included Titan, Wizard and Demon, then went to Hollywood for seven years. This Probabilities interview was recorded on July 17, 1992 when he returned to the field with his novel, Steel Dreams, first of two novels set in the Eight Worlds universe of his earlier work; the sequel, The Golden Globe, was published in 1998.. By the time of this interview, John Varley’s history with Hollywood would be over. You can find a PBS version of Overdrawn at the Memory Bank on Pluto TV, and two episodes from the TV show Paradox on You Tube. The film Millennium is not streaming. After The Golden Globe, John Varley wrote seven novels, most in a new series titled Thunder and Lightning. He returned to the Eight Worlds for his final novel, Irontown Blues, published in 2018. There would also be The John Varley Reader in 2004 and another collection in 2013. The post John Varley (1947-2025), Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Science Fiction Author appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 14 Min.
  • Laura Truffaut: The Films of Francois Truffaut (1932-1984)
    Jan 11 2026
    Laura Truffaut, daughter of the great French New Wave film-maker Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, discussing her father’s films and her memories of his film shoots. Berkeley Art Museum & Pacifc Film Archive is presenting a retrospective of nine films of Francois Truffaut, beginning with his first film, “The 400 Blows” and continuing to his final film, “Confidentially Yours,” from January 17 to February 28th, all introduced by Laura Truffaut. Francois Truffaut began his career as a critic for the influential French film magazine, “Cahiers du Cinema”, but within four years, following his article in the publication discussing his auteur theory of film criticism, he moved on to his first film, “The 400 Blows,” which blew everyone away at the Cannes Film Festival. Twenty-one films followed, until his untimely death from a brain tumor at the age of 52. Along the way he made several masterpieces, including Jules et Jim, Day for Night, Small Change, The Wild Child, and The Soft Skin, to name a handful which will be at BAMPFA. The post Laura Truffaut: The Films of Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 52 Min.
  • Alan Furst, Master Spy Novelist, 2002
    Jan 4 2026
    Alan Furst, historical spy novelist, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios during the book tour for “Blood of Victory, September 26, 2002. This is a first-time podcast. In this interview, he discusses his early career, resistance during World War II, and creating the unique atmosphere and characters in his books.His latest novel, Under Occupation, was published in 2019. Alan Furst’s career took off with his novel Kingdom of Shadows in 2000, the sixth book in his series of stand-alone novels about heros and villains in Europe in the years leading up to, and including World War II. Suffused with atmosphere, his books feel as if you’re living with the characters in those haunted times. Of course, there is added resonance as we live through what might be similar times today. This is the second of five Bookwaves interviews with Alan Furst. The post Alan Furst, Master Spy Novelist, 2002 appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 28 Min.
  • Azar Nafisi: Best-selling Author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” 2009
    Dec 28 2025
    Azar Nafisi,author of the best-selling memoir, “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios on January 12, 2009 while on tour for the memoir, “Things I’ve Been Silent About.” Azar Nafisi burst on the literary scene in 2003 with her memoir, Reading Lolita in Tehran in 2003, which remained on the New York Times best seller list for 117 weeks. Born in Tehran, Iran, she came to the United States in 1997 and became an American citizen in 2008. A professor of literature, she’d previously written a critical study of the works of Vladimir Nabokov. There would be a second interview with Azar Nafisi in 2015 for her book about the importance of literature, The Republic of the Imagination. The post Azar Nafisi: Best-selling Author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” 2009 appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 Std. und 19 Min.