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HowlRound Journal

Essay
25 July 2024
A large whale puppet is shown above a dimly lit stage.
By
Lucy Haskell

In Plexus Polaire’s Moby Dick, the line between the performers and the puppets they control sometimes blurs. Lucy Haskell explores the way that the shifting animacy of humans and objects on stage disrupts the audience’s expectations of where life resides.

Essay
24 July 2024
A group sings into microphones onstage.
By
Al Heartley

Al Heartley believes that executive search process should leave an organization better than it was before. This, he writes, is one way to address the fieldwide issues facing theatre leadership. 

Essay
22 July 2024
Two woman sit at a crowded dinner table on stage, talking to one another.
By
Betty Shamieh

Playwright Betty Shamieh advocates for playwrights continuously applying for opportunities even after repeated rejections, and highlights why doing so is especially important for playwrights from marginalized communities.

Essay
15 July 2024
Two people stand on stage looking at one another in front of colorful lighting.
Transatlantic Muslim Voices
By
Abdul-Rehman Malik

How would our view of Othello change if we knew he were a Muslim? Abdul-Rehman Malik reflects on this question, which became a central point of exploration for his work on the English Touring Theatre production of Othello.

Essay
11 July 2024
A woman leans her head against a figure wrapped in a colorful blanket
Transatlantic Muslim Voices
By
Ifrah Mansour

Ifrah Mansour creates performance art that explores joy and healing while connecting communities. In this essay, she illuminates the connections between her work and her experiences as a Somali American, a refugee, and a Muslim woman.

Essay
10 July 2024
Three young woman sit in chairs reading scripts as a part of a workshop.
Transatlantic Muslim Voices
By
Nasima Bee

Nasima Bee discusses the creation of take back my body, which was informed by a series of workshops in which groups of Muslim women connect and share experiences on the topics of belonging, identity, and home.

Essay
08 July 2024
Pages from the oldest known Qur'an, written in Arabic.
Transatlantic Muslim Voices
By
Asif Majid

Asif Majid introduces the Transatlantic Muslim Voices series with an essay that traces histories of oral performance and migration away from oppression that continue to inform experiences of Muslimness in today’s world and theatre landscape.

Essay
03 July 2024
The Author and their collaborators stand on stage during the Lantinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio.
Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio
By
Daphnie Sicre

In the spirit of decentering directors as the sole owners of a production’s concept, Daphnie Sicre proposes a two-day pre-production gathering, or dalliance, for the creative team. The format of this dalliance is inspired by her group’s work at the Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director…

Essay
27 June 2024
Two actors stand in a dimly lit space with one shining a flashlight in the others face.
By
E. M. Lewis, Nate Cohen

Ten years after writing The Gun Show, playwright Ellen Lewis looks back at the play that tasks an actor with the delivery of a series of gun stories from Lewis’s life—typically with Ellen among the audience. Lewis sits down with Nate Cohen, who worked on the show for several runs that totaled more…

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HowlRound TV

Upcoming Video
29 July 2024
event poster for ring of keys open writing studio with kit yan and melissa yi.
A Look into the Collaborative Writing Process for Musical Theatre
With
Ring of Keys

The session will give participants a chance to watch Kit and Melissa collaborate on new material, add methods and skills to their writing toolbelt, get an intimate look at what it means to write collaboratively, learn how to support this process from other roles in the theatre, and participate in a…

Video Available
20 July 2024
Event poster for 24 Hours for Palestine.
A twenty-four hour online event featuring 100+ global artists and activists for a free Palestine
With
Golden Thread, Art2Action, MENA Theater Makers Alliance, ASHTAR Theatre, The Freedom Theatre, Zoukak Theatre Company, Noor Theatre, Donkeysaddle Projects

A twenty-four hour online event featuring 100+ global artists and activists for a free Palestine, including performances and presentations honoring the Palestinian people and their steadfastness in the face of genocide, and discussions of how to build solidarity in the global movement for…

Video Available
15 July 2024
A promotional graphic for Watch Me Work.
A Playwriting Masterclass
With
Public Theater

Watch Me Work is a communal work session for anyone eager to nurture and sustain their creative process. Facilitated by Public Theater Playwright-in-Residence Suzan-Lori Parks and the New Work Development department, Watch Me Work takes place via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams that you can…

Video Available
10 July 2024
event poster for performingborders in conversation with Rosa-Johan Uddoh and Party Office.
An Ongoing Conversation Between Artists, Thinkers, and Activists
With
performingborders

performingborders is excited to invite you to join artists Rosa-Johan Uddoh and Party Office for an open online conversation exploring their upcoming performingborders commissions: our annual performance to camera for 2024 and our guest-curated digital pamphlet, both to be published before 10 July.

Video Available
01 July 2024
A promotional graphic for Watch Me Work.
A Playwriting Masterclass
With
Public Theater

Watch Me Work is a communal work session for anyone eager to nurture and sustain their creative process. Facilitated by Public Theater Playwright-in-Residence Suzan-Lori Parks and the New Work Development department, Watch Me Work takes place via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams that you can…

Video Available
28 June 2024
two actors in aprons sit on stage next to an actor standing with his back to them.
Panels and Keynotes from Indigenous Directors and Playwrights
With
Geva Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, The Friends Of Ganondagan, National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)

The Indigenous Theatre Symposium will feature keynote remarks from Santee Smith (Kahnyen’kehàka Nation, Turtle Clan), artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre; an Indigenous Playwrights Panel Conversation with creatives such as DeLanna Studi (Cherokee) who Geva audiences got to know through her…

Video Available
26 June 2024
Digital poster image for NIDEC event.
A Panel from the 2024 National Institute for Directing & Ensemble Creation Professional Peer Exchange
With
Pangea World Theater, Art2Action

This panel, moderated by Liz Foster-Shaner, will include stories, examples, and reflections on how the panelists, as artists or as leaders of theatres or collectives/ensembles, have navigated, shifted focus, changed practices, re-prioritized, or evolved leadership in times of crisis—whether…

Video Available
26 June 2024
Still of curtain call for the live performance of SAY GAY PLAYS.
How Theatremakers and Educators Can Engage Local Communities Through Storytelling
With
Voyage Theater Company

This Pride Month, join SAY GAY PLAYS collaborators as they discuss how you can use these LGBTQ+ stories of courage, triumph, and pride as a tool for change in your community—and how the project’s collective impact can help change hearts, minds, and legislation.

Video Available
24 June 2024
event poster for on the rise.
A Panel Discussion and Industry Reception
With
MAESTRA

In the past year, Maestra’s reach has continued to grow through a partnership Directory with MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity) and with the launch of the RISE Theatre Directory, built in partnership with Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Miranda Family Fund and created for backstage, administrative…

View upcoming livestreams View video archive

HowlRound Podcasts

Podcast
23 July 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson, Fidaa Ataya

Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson are joined by Fidaa Ataya, a Palestinian storyteller who talks with us about the tradition of the hakawati and how she and her work are looking at different forms of storytelling from ancient traditions to new ways of storytelling in Palestine.

Podcast
09 July 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay featuring Mazen Alaa.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson, Mazen Alaa

Nubia has a long history of theatre, both before and after the displacement of the 1960s. In this episode, hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson highlight Nubian theatre, including the only Nubian opera, Opera El Aml by Mohy El Din Sherif. With special guest Mazen Alaa from Nubian Geographic, this…

Podcast
02 July 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay featuring Sarah Fahmy
Kunafa and Shay
With
Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson, Sarah Fahmy

Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson look at MENA and SWANA puppetry traditions with guest artivist Dr. Sarah Fahmy. They talk about her production of the first recorded full play in English of Ibn Daniyal, The Shadow Spirit; the Aragoz Puppet; and, coming more into current puppetry practice by…

Podcast
25 June 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay featuring Ottoman Art.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson

Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson discuss Ottoman theatre, emphasizing its significance in global theatre history. They highlight the Ottoman Empire as a pivotal point of cultural exchange comparable to the Greek and Roman empires. They focus on three major forms of traditional theatre—Ortaoyunu…

Podcast
18 June 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay featuring ancient architecture.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson

Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson talk about Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim and his “unstageable” classic play People of the Cave. They provide historical context of the play, al-Hakim’s career, and the Christian and Islamic stories that served as al-Hakim’s inspiration.

Podcast
13 June 2024
Promotional graphic for building our own tables featuring Malia'Kekia Nicolini
Building Our Own Tables
With
Yura Sapi, malia'kekia nicolini

In this final episode of season four, ​​Malia'Kekia, co-founder of B4 The Other Creations, explores how play and vulnerability drive transformational breakthroughs. Malia'Kekia shares their journey as an educator and leader, emphasizing the power of releasing perfectionism and embracing the unknown…

Podcast
11 June 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Nabra Nelson, Marina Johnson

Audiences pack houses to see stories about forbidden love. Romeo and Juliet is a famous Western example of this phenomenon, but the trope goes back much further, to a poem that likely inspired even inadvertently Shakespeare's famous play. In this episode, we look at the timeless tale of Layla and…

Podcast
06 June 2024
Promotional graphic for building our own tables featuring Murielle Borst Tarrant
Building Our Own Tables
With
Yura Sapi, Murielle Borst Tarrant

In this episode, Native theatremaker and founder of Safe Harbors NYC, Murielle Borst Tarrant shares her journey and vision. Safe Harbors NYC supports Indigenous performing arts, providing a creative sanctuary and advocating for cultural equity. Discover strategies to overcome industry frustrations…

Podcast
04 June 2024
A promotional graphic for Kunafa and Shay.
Kunafa and Shay
With
Nabra Nelson, Marina Johnson

​​In this episode, hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson discuss the oldest surviving play, The Triumph of Horus. The play is an Ancient Egyptian script from the thirteenth century BCE that tells the story of the triumph of the god Horus over Set. Nabra and Marina go through the plot of the play…

View more podcasts

HowlRound Recommends

If you liked “We Can’t Build an Equitable Theatre While Ignoring COVID” by Taylor Leigh Lamb, check out other essays that discuss disability, accessibility, and the impact of the COVID pandemic on the theatre field:

Essay
14 December 2021
Ten people on a Zoom call.
By
E. M. Lewis

E.M. Lewis and a group of theatre artists connected with Artists Repertory Theatre come together to mark the ways they make it through the strange, dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite prolonged uncertainty across the theatre industry and the world, they find community in one another and…

Essay
21 March 2024
A woman performs in front of audience members wearing masks.
By
Taylor Leigh Lamb

Taylor Leigh Lamb argues that building the equitable theatre industry requires robust COVID precautions with steps like masking, air filtration, and advocacy within our theatrical spaces.

Essay
29 April 2024
Two people in stage blacks wearing masks stand backstage.
By
Ezra Tozian, Claudia Alick, Jon Jon Johnson

Ezra Tozian, Claudia Alick, and Jon Jon Johnson discuss the need to challenge the status quo of ignoring COVID within the theatre industry and the impact that the lack of care is having on them and other disabled theatremakers. 

Essay
08 December 2020
a group of actors onstage
By
Allie Marotta

Allie Marotta discusses how a new realm of accessibility opened up with remote performances but argues that the rush to return to in-person events is leaving disabled and high-risk populations behind.

Essay
27 April 2020
two actors on stage
Theatre in the Age of Climate Change
By
Thomas Peterson

Thomas Peterson urges theatremakers to focus on creating work about the climate crisis specifically for their local communities, drawing on lessons from the current response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Essay
20 October 2022
A performer in a wheelchair suspended in midair by a wire.
By
Morgan Skolnik

Morgan Skolnik argues for theatre that goes beyond physical accessibility and disability representation to actively center disabled artists and the creative potential the disability community holds.

Essay
28 May 2019
a person in front of a colorful angel wings mural
The Future of Theatre is Accessible
By
Claudia Alick

Claudia Alick talks about growing up as an abled youth and her sudden onset illness as an adult, how areas of inaccessibility in the theatre suddenly became hypervisible to her, “crip time,” and more.

Essay
28 March 2023
An illustration of a clothesline with a film strip in front of it.
Parallel Tracks 2.0
By
Julia Hune-Brown, Keira Loughran

Julia Hune-Brown and Keira Loughran discuss crafting Then Is Now, a concept album/video playlist they created through conversations with Chinese Canadian women who grew up in Toronto’s Chinatown during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Essay
01 February 2022
Three people on stage, one standing directly under a spotlight.
By
Nicolette Bethel

Nicolette Bethel reflects on the creation and significance of Competent Authority, a play that focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic in The Bahamas.

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