The Scene Podcast

Guest: Kaela Mei-Shing GarvinOfficial Website - https://www.kaelameishinggarvin.com/Playwright of Tiger Beat, Ping Pong, Corners Grove, High School Coven, do this in [x] of, you know that feeling, Cap’s Last, Harpers Ferry, Call Out Culture: or, the unbearable whiteness of being, Pride and Prejudice, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and The Bakunawa.Guest Bio – Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin (they/she) is a playwright, theatermaker, educator and new work advocate drawn to messy truths, slippery timelines, and theatrical forms that refuse the expected. Kaela's plays distort time, poke at power, and explore identity through diaspora, queerness, and quick changes. Their work questions norms at the heart of the theatrical form — weaving nonlinear structure, questioning inherited systems, conjuring ghosts, magic, and 雲吞麵. Their plays have been published by DPS; honored by the Leah Ryan Prize, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, & the Kennedy Center; produced at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati & Strand Theater of Baltimore; and developed by theaters like Ma-Yi, 2ST, & the Alliance. They are currently Assistant Professor of Playwriting at Salem State University.The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - EditorAdditional music and sound effects licensed through Envato ElementsLINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene NewsletterSpecial ThanksJennifer IsaacsonLauren KardosJeffery KeilholtzShow ContributorsLeah BarkerJustin BorakJim ColleranZach DulliKJ LamparKaela Mei-Shing Garvin The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

Episode SummaryThis week, host Justin Boark sits down with award-winning playwright, director, and educator James Ijames, the creative force behind plays including Kill Move Paradise, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony-nominated Fat Ham. Their conversation digs into process, purpose, and the responsibility of telling stories that reshape the American stage. If you care about bold writing, fearless storytelling, and the next wave of theatrical innovationEpisode NotesGuestJames Ijames – @jwijames  | Official Website - https://www.jamesijames.com/Playwright of Abandon, Good Bones, Reverie, Youth, History of Walking, Matter Out of Place, Kill Move Paradise, White, Moon Man Walk, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, The Threshing Floor, Fat Ham, and TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever.Topics Covered• Acting, directing, and writing• Philadelphia, PA• The work of playwright August Wilson• Finding the comedy in Hamlet James Ijames Bio – James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago IL) Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright's Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. James is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. James is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for ....Miz Martha, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise, a 2020 and 2022 Steinberg Prize, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama recipient and a 2023 Tony nominee for Best Play for Fat HamJames was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a BA in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and an MFA in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - EditorAdditional music and sound effects licensed through Envato ElementsLinksBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene NewsletterSpecial ThanksJennifer IsaacsonLauren KardosJeffery KeilholtzShow ContributorsLeah BarkerJustin BorakJim ColleranZach DulliJames IjamesKJ Lampar The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by writer, actor, and director Ngozi Anyanwu, whose work bridges generations, continents, and artistic disciplines. From her breakout play The Homecoming Queen to the deeply personal Good Grief and her acclaimed performance in The Last of the Love Letters, Ngozi brings a fierce emotional honesty to every story she tells. In this episode, she shares her journey from performer to playwright, how she captures the specificity of memory and migration, and why she’s driven to tell Black stories that aren’t centered in trauma but in complexity, joy, and love.Episode NotesGuestNgozi Anyanwu – @gozefacePlaywright of The Homecoming Queen, Good Grief, Nike or We Don’t Need Another HeroTopics Covered• From acting to writing: finding agency through authorship• Capturing the Nigerian American experience through character and rhythm• Emotional honesty and vulnerability in storytelling• Centering joy and nuance in Black narratives• Creating new pathways for Black women in theatre• Working across mediums: stage, screen, and beyondReferenced WorksThe Homecoming QueenGood GriefNike or We Don’t Need Another HeroThe Last of the Love Letters The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by playwright Jonathan Spector, whose work blends sharp political insight with dark humor and daring theatricality. From Eureka Day to This Much I Know, Jonathan has built a reputation for tackling polarizing subjects with nuance, empathy, and a touch of absurdity. In this conversation, recorded prior to his 2025 Tony Award win, we talk about writing satire in polarized times, the Bay Area as a creative influence, and how he builds plays that ask big questions without prescribing easy answers. Episode NotesGuest - Jonathan Spector – @spectoramaPlaywright - Eureka Day, This Much I Know, and Good. Better. Best. Bested.Special Note: This episode was recorded prior to Jonathan’s Tony Award win, so it is not discussed in the interview.Topics CoveredSatire, sensitivity, and writing in the age of disinformationHow the Bay Area informs his aesthetic and political lensThe development journey of Eureka Day from regional theater to Off-Broadway to LondonWriting characters with clashing ideologies but shared humanityThe value of ambiguity and open-ended storytellingCreating work that meets audiences halfway without moralizing The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by Madeline Sayet, playwright, director, performer, and a powerful voice in contemporary Indigenous theatre. From her solo piece Where We Belong to her advocacy for language revitalization and decolonized storytelling, Madeline invites us into a conversation about lineage, responsibility, and crafting theatre that speaks across generations. We explore how her Mohegan identity shapes her work, why Shakespeare still matters, and how storytelling can be a form of reclamation, resistance, and radical hope. The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

This week on The Scene Podcast, we sit down with acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler, whose work explores identity, memory, and the intimate collisions between the personal and political. From Photograph 51 to Actually and The Wanderers, Anna shares how her background in poetry shaped her voice, how she approaches ambiguity on stage, and why she’s drawn to characters who exist in tension with themselves. It’s a thoughtful, layered conversation that celebrates quiet power in theatrical storytelling. Episode NotesGuest:Anna Ziegler – @icanbakecakesTopics Covered:The evolution of Anna’s writing from poetry to playwritingCrafting morally complex charactersThe resonance of silence, subtext, and restraintThe journey of Photograph 51 and portraying Rosalind FranklinBalancing emotional intimacy with large thematic questionsHow The Wanderers wrestles with faith, authorship, and connectionAnna Ziegler Plays :Photograph 51ActuallyThe WanderersA Delicate ShipBoy The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

This week on The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by the dynamic writing duo Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy, partners in both life and theatre. Known for their sharp wit and genre-blending scripts, the pair shares how their collaborative process evolved from comedy sketches to critically acclaimed plays. We talk about teaching theatre, navigating adaptations, and what it’s really like to co-write with your spouse. Plus, we debut a brand-new segment inspired by Letterboxd’s “Four Favorite Films”, but this time, it’s all about the plays that shaped us.Episode NotesGuests:Carrie McCrossen – @carriemccrossenIan McWethy – @ianmcwethyRelease Date: May 17, 2025Topics Covered:Writing as a duo: humor, compromise, and creative alignmentTheir approach to youth theatre and educational licensingNavigating tone in farce, satire, and social commentaryThoughts on adaptations and writing for the stage todayDebut segment: “Four Favorite Plays”—inspiration, nostalgia, and chaosWorks Referenced:Bad Auditions by Bad ActorsThe Ten Best Worst Things About High School#CensoredPlus, selections from their “Four Favorite Plays” listListen: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platformsFollow Us: @thescene_news on Instagram and TikTok The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

In this special bonus episode of The Scene Podcast, we’re joined by theatre commentators and content creators Liz Gutridge, Ashley Hufford, and Maggie Hill for a lively roundtable breaking down the 2025 Tony Award nominations. From thrilling surprises to frustrating omissions, we dig into the major trends, record-setting shows, and rising stars shaping this year’s Broadway honors. Plus, we highlight past Scene guests who are now Tony nominees, celebrating their achievements and discussing their standout contributions to the season. Episode NotesTopic: The 2025 Tony Award NominationsRelease Date: May 3, 2025 Guests:Liz Gutridge – @lizgutridgeAshley Hufford – @ashley_huffordMaggie Hill – @themaggiehill Official 2025 Tony Nominees – tonyawards.comFollow Us: @thescene_news on Instagram and TikTok The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

Season 3 premieres with boundary-pushing storyteller Kate Douglas—playwright, librettist, composer, and creator of The Apiary. Kate’s work spans music, immersive theatre, and environmental advocacy, making space for stories that are deeply human and defiantly unconventional. In this episode, she opens up about her early artistic journey, the personal and ecological inspirations behind The Apiary, and her recent research trip to Poland exploring physical therapy through movement. Plus, we dig into her analog immersive project Wilderness Neo, and her alt-folk-infused music that bridges chamber opera and indie soul. Episode NotesGuest: Kate Douglas (Playwright, Librettist, Creator of The Apiary, The Ninth Hour)Topics Covered:The evolution from musician to multidisciplinary theatre-makerWriting The Apiary and its journey to Off-BroadwayHow environmentalism shapes Kate’s creative lensWilderness Neo: blending analog mystery with youth engagementStudying physical therapy through movement in PolandKate’s genre-fluid music across theatre and solo workReferenced Works:The Apiary (Off-Broadway, 2024)Wilderness NeoThe Ninth HourThe Lucky Few Centuries The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

The Scene Podcast is back for Season 3, and we’re raising the curtain on a brand-new lineup of bold voices, breakout talent, and behind-the-scenes brilliance. From Tony-winning writers to rising playwrights shaking up the stage, this season is packed with unfiltered conversations, career insights, and the craft behind the curtain. Whether we’re live from the International Thespian Festival or diving into the future of Broadway, this season isn’t just about what’s onstage—it’s about who’s creating the scene.Season Premiere: April 19, 2025Guests this Season: Kate Douglas, James Ijames, John Cameron Mitchell, Anna Ziegler, Ngozi Anyanwu, and many moreSpecial Episodes:The 2025 Tonys RoundtableLive from the International Thespian FestivalBonus episode with John CarianiRelease Schedule: Bi-weeklySubscribe now so you don’t miss a single conversation – tell your scene partners! The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

The second part of our 2024 Texas Thespians coverage! New episodes of The Scene podcast are coming soon. The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

It’s the first part of The Scene Texas Thespians episode. Join us for interviews with the Scene team and special guests from the conference floor. Plus, we’ll offer some plays that would be perfect for the UIL One-Act play competition! The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An Exclusive Interview with Lauren Gunderson The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Michael Cotey (ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence) The Scene TeamJustin Borak - Host Zach Dulli - Executive Producer KJ Lampar - Producer Leah Barker - Producer & Talent CoordinatorJim Colleran - Editor Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements LINKSBe sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTubeSubscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Candrice Jones The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Kate Hamill The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Jaclyn Backhaus The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Alvaro Saar Rios. The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Sandy Rustin The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter

An exclusive interview with Brooke Maxwell & Jacob Richmond (Ride the Cyclone Team) The Scene Team Justin Borak - Host  Zach Dulli - Executive Producer  KJ Lampar - Producer  Leah Barker - Producer & Talent Coordinator Jim Colleran - Editor   Additional music and sound effects licensed through Envato Elements   LINKS Be sure to follow The Scene Podcast on Instagram and YouTube Subscribe to The Scene Newsletter