101 Stage Adaptations

Melissa catches up with Dr. Yining Lin, her friend from grad school, who at the time was basically the unofficial resident dramaturg of the department. For her PhD, she studied Western influences on jingju (frequently known in the West as Beijing Opera) and the adaptations created in that artform.
In this episode, we discuss:

• What dramaturgy is, and what it isn't
• An overview of jingju and Yining's experience performing it
• How some jingju companies are now incorporating Western stories into this traditional Chinese artform
• Yining's community outreach work at Cleveland Play House

And more!
Dramaturgical Resources Mentioned
Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA)
Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
Theater Folx of Color
About Our Guest
Dr. Yining Lin is the Manager of Partnerships at the Cleveland Play House and works to build partnerships around the Greater Cleveland Area for CPH’s Education and Artistic Departments. She holds a Bachelors in Theatre and Classical Studies from the College of Wooster, a Masters Degree in Drama from San Francisco State University, and PhD in Asian/Western Comparative Theatre from the University of Hawaii, Mānoa (UHM). Her dissertation focused on jingju (Beijing Opera) adaptations of Western Literature performed in the 21st Century.
As a freelance dramaturg, Yining has worked in Ohio, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Honolulu. Some of her favorite productions include Liebling (CPH), Uncle Vanya and Zombies (UHM), Wilcox’s Shot (Kumu Kahua Theatre), and Thread Hell (UHM). She is currently gearing up for a production of The Chinese Lady for Studio One in the Villages, Florida.

When not working, Yining enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, two sons, and two Newfoundland dogs. She is an avid cross-stitcher and needlepointer and takes as many classes as possible for her self-care time.

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at Cleveland Play House
on Facebook

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So why 101 stage adaptations? Join our host, Melissa Schmitz, as she shares why she started this podcast. She will share exactly who this show is for, what her vision is for future episodes, and even how to get in touch with her to share your play adaptation with her and her audience.
Follow the show to get notified every time a new episode is released.
In this episode, we discuss:

• Why I started this podcast
• Who’s on deck in the next few episodes
• How you — yes, you!— can influence the trajectory of this podcast

And more!

Learn About Our Host

Melissa Schmitz is an actor, director, playwright, script consultant, marketing strategist, aspiring literary manager, aspiring voiceover artist, and now a podcast host who has worked for theatres in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii.
Ms. Schmitz received her Bachelor's Degree with a double major in Theatre and Spanish from the College of St. Benedict. She earned her Master's Degree in Theatre from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.
Her main areas of practice are acting, writing, and directing. Her main interests of study are Greek Theatre, Shakespeare, and Costume History.

In addition to theater, Ms. Schmitz is a student of dance, particularly ballroom and Mediterranean dance. She is a lover of dance history and her specialized areas of study are Romantic Ballet, the waltz, and the German Expressionist period.

Outside of the performing arts, Melissa is a self-proclaimed domestic goddess, keeping many people happy with various from-scratch cupcake recipes and also experimenting with finding the healthiest and most delicious meals she can find. Her interests in personal development include women's health and wellness, nutrition, leadership, psychology, and communication styles. Her ideal weekend includes cupcakes and seeing at least two plays, maybe four. She has also written many blogs about theatre, food, and travel.

Connect With Melissa
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Connect o

Connect with host Melissa Schmitz
***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***
101 Stage Adaptations
Follow the Podcast on Facebook & Instagram
Read Melissa's plays on New Play Exchange
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Ways to support the show:
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!
- Give a 5-Star rating
- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts
- Send this episode to a friend
- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)
Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

The incomparable Nan Barnett graces the podcast this week with her wisdom, storytelling, and the amazing work happening at National New Play Network (NNPN) and the behemoth that is New Play Exchange (NPX).

In this episode, we discuss:

• Her various roles in 24 seasons at Florida Stage and how she built her career there
• Why she considers herself a "connector"
• What NNPN & NPX are and who they're for
• What playwrights can expect from putting their work on NPX and tips from both Nan and Melissa to make the most of it

And more!

Resources Mentioned

National New Play Network
New Play Exchange

About Our Guest

Nan Barnett is a new play developer and producer and an advocate for theater-makers and the theater they make. She is the Executive Director of National New Play Network, the country’s alliance of theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. While on NNPN’s Executive Committee she worked to create the organization’s revolutionary Rolling World Premiere and Residency programs. She came to the Network full-time in 2013 and guided it through the development and launch of its field-altering database, the New Play Exchange ®, now home to more than 40,000 plays by living writers, and its recent planning process, which resulted in the organization’s much-lauded new governance and membership structure and plan for leading the field towards a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive new play ecosystem. Nan spent 24 seasons at Florida Stage, a LORT theater producing exclusively new and developing work, was a member of the inaugural Helen Hayes Awards’ New Play Panel for the nation’s capital region and Coordinating Producer for the 2015 and 2018 iterations of DC’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival. She serves on the Artistic Council of the O’Neill Theater Center and was inducted into the National Theatre Conference in 2017.

Connect with Our Guest

National New Play Network

Connect with host Melissa Schmitz
***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***
101 Stage Adaptations
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Read Melissa's plays on New Play Exchange
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Ways to support the show:
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!
- Give a 5-Star rating
- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts
- Send this episode to a friend
- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)
Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

In this episode, we discuss:

• How panhandling as a teen directly led Vincent to his career in theatre
• His book, Page to Stage: The Craft of Adaptation, and the six building blocks of a great adaptation or any play, really
• The playwright exchange program he wishes would have a second life

And more! Ahem, listen for all those name drops - they hit hard!
All About Our Guest
For over four decades, Vincent Murphy was an artistic producing director of three acclaimed theaters, with a professional career of collaboration on more than 200 productions in the US, Canada, South America, and Europe. As a director, playwright, actor, designer, choreographer, and artistic director, he has garnered more than forty major awards in directing, acting, playwriting, and teaching.
Murphy has devoted much of his career to championing the development of new plays. At Theater Emory, where he is a full professor in the arts, he developed a biennial Brave New Works series. He created the Playwriting Center of Theater Emory where over one hundred new plays and adaptations went on to productions around the world. Murphy initiated and produced festivals with residencies by Athol Fugard, Frank Manley, Naomi Wallace and Wole Soyinka.
He has taught adaptation workshops for professionals and students at several theaters and play labs in the USA, Canada and Europe. His former students who became leaders in the field include Robert O’Hara, Lauren Gunderson, Hank Azaria, Ariel Fristoe, Adam Richmond and Justine Shapiro.
Murphy himself is a seasoned adapter and producer of new work. He began his career in 1970 by creating a well-received adaptation of the works of William Blake.
In 2013, The University Of Michigan Press published his book on adaptation for the theatre, Page to Stage: The Craft of Adaptation.
Buy Vincent's Book:
at the University of Michigan Presson Amazon

Connect with host Melissa Schmitz
***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***
101 Stage Adaptations
Follow the Podcast on Facebook & Instagram
Read Melissa's plays on New Play Exchange
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Ways to support the show:
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!
- Give a 5-Star rating
- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts
- Send this episode to a friend
- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)
Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

National Playwriting Month is approaching, and that means it's time for End of Play.®, the Dramatists Guild's annual month-long writing challenge for Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists, and Librettists. Guild staff members Lily Dwoskin and Jordan Stovall stop by to tell us about their work at the Guild and all things End of Play.®.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What End of Play.® is and who can participate (Hint: anyone and everyone!)
• How working at the Guild helped Lily become a better advocate for her own work
• How the pandemic has changed the way drag & musical theatre are created & consumed

Resources Mentioned
End of Play.®
Dramatists Guild
AWP
Follow the DG on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
About Our Guests
Lily Dwoskin is a bookwriter, lyricist, & playwright based in New York. Her bookwriter/lyricist credits include Off Broadway: Turtle On A Fencepost at Theater 555 & The Scarlet Savior at St. Luke's Theatre. Other credits include: Hyena in Petticoats and The Aviatrix. Lily works for & is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America and has worked as a director, dramaturg, teaching artist & stage manager. lilydwoskin.com | NPX | IG
Jordan Stovall is a playwright, arts administrator, & drag artist known as Wanda Whatever. They presently serve as the Director of Outreach & Institutional Partnerships for the Dramatists Guild, where they have worked since 2016. Their plays have been shortlisted & selected as Finalists for the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Festival and Relentless Award, with productions in London and the US. As a drag artist, they are the founding producer of Boulangerie; and Fussy, a series of queer community gatherings. jordanstovall.com | NPX

Connect with host Melissa Schmitz
***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***
101 Stage Adaptations
Follow the Podcast on Facebook & Instagram
Read Melissa's plays on New Play Exchange
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Ways to support the show:
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!
- Give a 5-Star rating
- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts
- Send this episode to a friend
- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)
Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).