An Interview with Playwright: C.A. Johnson

07/02/20 • 51 min

Upstage Left | Intimate Conversations with New York Theater

In this episode, Rachel speaks with C.A. Johnson - the playwright of All the Natalie Portmans, which premiered at MCC this February. C.A.'s play The Climb was part of the 2019 Cherry Lane Mentor Project, and her work has also been produced at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, and Strawdog Theatre in Chicago.
C.A. and Rachel speak about life during COVID, and the state of the American Theater during this long overdue uprising. C.A. talks about the experience of her first New York run - what it was like to be in the room, the ups, and the downs. We talk about the uncertain future of theater, and what she wishes she had known before starting out on the journey of being a playwright.
More information about C.A. HERE.
Mentioned in this episode:
MCC Theatre
American Contemporary Play Festival
Strawdog Theatre
C.A. also writes for T.V.
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Intro music by: David Hilowitz

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Previous Episode

An Interview with Associate Artistic Director: Erin Daley

In this episode, Rachel chats with Erin Daley, the associate artistic director of Primary Stages. They recorded this episode on March 25th (two months ago), when New York City was only two weeks into quarantine. While things were much less certain then, it might have also been easier to be more optimistic. With this in mind, listen in, as the two discuss what the realities of the industry might look like on the other side of this pandemic and what organizations are thinking about as they navigate the current state of affairs.
Having met almost a decade ago at the Flea theater, Rachel was excited to chat with Erin about organization structure, and what it takes to run a theater. They talk about her roles and responsibilities as associate artistic director, her experience working with emerging artists, and what she's thinking about when reading new scripts.
Mentioned in this episode:
Dorothy Strelsin New Writers Group
Primary Stages
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Music by David Hilowitz

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Next Episode

An Interview with Playwright Monet Hurst-Mendoza & Actor Ugo Chukwu

Monet Hurst-Mendoza and Ugo Chukwu are #relationshipgoals. They also happen to both be fantastic theater artists in their own right.
Monet's play Torera was slated for production at the Long Wharf Theatre this fall, pre-pandemic. She is former Emerging Writers Group member, current member of the Kilroys, and a staff writer for Law & Order: SVU. She also has her own Wikipedia page.
And you've probably seen Ugo in a play at one of the many Downtown Theater Establishments. In fact, Helen Shaw dubbed him "one of our best downtown actors." Most recently spotted in: House Plant by Sarah Einspanier at NYTW Next Door, and was in rehearsals for Lunch Bunch, also by Einspanier before the City shut down. Other recent work includes: Do You Feel Anger?, [Porto], and What To Send Up When It Goes Down.

I miss the theater. I miss seeing plays. I miss seeing friends in plays, and seeing friends at the plays we're seeing friends in. Chatting with Monet & Ugo felt (almost) like old times. We talk about astrology, what we hope to see change in our industry, and why Ugo is always talking about quitting acting.
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Music by: David Hilowitz