Advertise on podcast: American Theatre's Offscript

This month Brian talks to the 13Playwrights founding member about her journey from journalism to acting to playwriting, her definition of success, and how Lucy Thurber’s support helped her overcome imposter syndrome.

The Bridge: Building Toward re(New)ed Theatre Audiences is a new special series hosted by AT Offscript. Produced with support from the Wallace Foundation, the series debuted on March 6, 2026, exploring how theatres are innovating to engage and sustain audiences amid the shifting realities of the field.  Amid the “polycrises” of the present moment, TCG’s most recent Theatre Facts report revealed an unexpected ray of hope: In contrast to pandemic-driven declines in overall attendance and ticket revenue, subscriptions and other loyalty models have shown renewed resilience. The Bridge will take listeners inside theatres that are bucking the decades-long trend of subscription decline, offering both visionary questions and practical strategies for audience engagement. Our seventh episode features Corinna Schulenburg, Co-Lead of TCG's Research Programs, in conversation with Christopher Moses, the Jennings Hertz Artistic Director for the Alliance Theatre. Their vision from their website: "The Alliance Theatre will lead the national field by deeply engaging with its local community, modeling radical inclusion and catalytic experience on our stage, in our classrooms, and throughout Atlanta." Show notes: An Experimental Evaluation of Multiple Arts Field Trips, by NEA Research Labs The Bridge is supported by the Wallace Foundation, and grounded in their research report, "In Search of the Magic Bullet: Results from the Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative."

On this annual special episode, we announce the Top 10 Most-Produced Plays and Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights of the coming season, and are joined by 2 of the latter for a wide-ranging conversation

This month Brian talks to the playwright of 'You Are Pretty,' 'Am I White,' and 'Teen Dad' about growing up as a mixed-race adoptee in Texas and finding her voice as a Chicago sketch performer

This month Brian talks to the prolific playwright and screenwriter about religion, working-class heroes, and how he learned he's not an actor from Tom Hanks

What has he learned after leading Minneapolis's flagship theatre for the last 11 years, and what's next? Plus: a Pittsburgh check-in with Sharon Eberson

The Bridge: Building Toward re(New)ed Theatre Audiences is a new special series hosted by AT Offscript. Produced with support from the Wallace Foundation, the series debuted on March 6, 2026, exploring how theatres are innovating to engage and sustain audiences amid the shifting realities of the field.  Amid the “polycrises” of the present moment, TCG’s most recent Theatre Facts report revealed an unexpected ray of hope: In contrast to pandemic-driven declines in overall attendance and ticket revenue, subscriptions and other loyalty models have shown renewed resilience. The Bridge will take listeners inside theatres that are bucking the decades-long trend of subscription decline, offering both visionary questions and practical strategies for audience engagement. Our sixth episode features Corinna Schulenburg, Co-Lead of TCG's Research Programs, in conversation with Ariel Fristoe, founder and artistic director of Out of Hand Theater. From their website: "Out of Hand works at the intersection of art, social impact, and civic engagement. We help create a more just world through programs that combine theater and film with information and conversation." The Bridge is supported by the Wallace Foundation, and grounded in their research report, "In Search of the Magic Bullet: Results from the Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative."

This month Brian talks to the author of 'Light Switch' and 'Berrywild' about autism, mentorship, and learning to live alongside cringe

In a conversation recorded at the TCG Conference in San Juan in June, writer Miranda Purcell is joined by Puerto Rican theatremakers Sylvia Bofill and Georgina Borri

This month Brian talks to the peripatetic playwright about her craft, her sensibility, and why she's been yelled at by Jews in theatre lobbies

ACT's outgoing artistic director talks about the joys and challenges of an artistic home, and an author/critic explains how yesterday's culture wars paved the way for today's.

The playwright and director from Hawaii and Nevada discusses ‘Death Play,’ ‘Sumo,’ yearning, loneliness, and the wisdom of accepting loss.

The Bridge: Building Toward re(New)ed Theatre Audiences is a new special series hosted by AT Offscript. Produced with support from the Wallace Foundation, the series debuted on March 6, exploring how theatres are innovating to engage and sustain audiences amid the shifting realities of the field.  Amid the “polycrises” of the present moment, TCG’s most recent Theatre Facts report revealed an unexpected ray of hope: In contrast to pandemic-driven declines in overall attendance and ticket revenue, subscriptions and other loyalty models have shown renewed resilience. The Bridge will take listeners inside theatres that are bucking the decades-long trend of subscription decline, offering both visionary questions and practical strategies for audience engagement. Our fifth episode features Corinna Schulenburg, Co-Lead of TCG's Research Programs, in conversation with Chad Bauman, the Ellen & Joe Checota Executive Director of Milwaukee Repertory Theate. From their website: "Milwaukee Rep ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity." This episode was originally recorded on April 16, 2026. The Bridge is supported by the Wallace Foundation, and grounded in their research report, "In Search of the Magic Bullet: Results from the Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative."

The comic actor talks about his role in August Wilson's 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone,' director Michael Arden and designer Dane Laffrey talk vampire musicals, and Gemma Wilson gives us the Seattle 411.

The Bridge: Building Toward re(New)ed Theatre Audiences is a new special series hosted by AT Offscript. Produced with support from the Wallace Foundation, the series debuted on March 6, exploring how theatres are innovating to engage and sustain audiences amid the shifting realities of the field.  Amid the “polycrises” of the present moment, TCG’s most recent Theatre Facts report revealed an unexpected ray of hope: In contrast to pandemic-driven declines in overall attendance and ticket revenue, subscriptions and other loyalty models have shown renewed resilience. The Bridge will take listeners inside theatres that are bucking the decades-long trend of subscription decline, offering both visionary questions and practical strategies for audience engagement. Our fourth episode features Corinna Schulenburg, Co-Lead of TCG's Research Programs, in conversation with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company from Washington, DC. From their website: "Woolly Mammoth produces courageous and invigorating new work to radically redefine theatre as a catalyst for an equitable, creative, and engaged society." In this episode, you'll hear from Kimberly E. Douglas (managing director), Kristen B. Jackson (associate artistic director, director of connectivity), and Josh Feldman (former director of marketing). This episode was originally recorded on August 21, 2025. The Bridge is supported by the Wallace Foundation.