Active Disruption with Steven Dietz (Part Two)

Tori and Mabelle talk with Dominican-American playwright, screenwriter, and director Marco Antonio Rodriguez, whose unconventional path took him from New York to Florida and Dallas, with a boost from Carmen Rivera and a pivotal reading with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre led by Miriam Colón. The conversation traces how writing in Spanish—once something he resisted—ultimately opened the doors to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and productions at Repertorio Español, The Goodman, and The Old Globe. Marco shares hard-earned wisdom about wearing many hats and trusting collaborators. He reminds us that show business is, above all, a business—one that demands grace, flexibility, and integrity, and a deep respect for the collaborative process of making theater.

In the Hey Playwright season 7 premiere, Tori and Mabelle chat with Keiko Green about how shifting power dynamics create compelling drama–and how she seeks to craft plays to keep audiences leaning in, hungry for what’s next. Keiko shares about writing juicy roles for actors, her approach to collaborating with directors and dramaturgs, and the play that opened the door to her TV writing career. She also discusses the fine line between helpful notes and creative overreach, the importance of playfulness and trust in the rehearsal room, and creating theatrical experiences that feel like unforgettable events.

Hello, playwrights! Big news—our full-length episodes are making a comeback this summer! Until then, we’re excited to bring you Thank You Five, a series of short, slice-of-life episodes. In our first segment, we’re hanging outside the Old Globe Theatre for the Powers New Voices Festival 2025 to see the staged reading of Marco Antonio Rodriguez’s adaptation of Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Plus, we dive into Sarah Greenman’s phenomenal new book and, as always, send you off with a fresh writing prompt to spark your creativity. Stay tuned, and happy writing!

In this two-part season finale, Tori and Mabelle talk with the extraordinary Steven Dietz about his 40+ years in the theater. He shares how his 11 years of directing workshops and readings of new plays served as his grad school, teaching him how the theater works in space. He shares tactics and tools of the craft, including his idea of plays as alive (The Living Play), the importance of inviting scrutiny, why inspiration is a con, how victories can be complicated, and his strategies for talkbacks.

In this two-part season finale, Tori and Mabelle talk with the extraordinary Steven Dietz about his 40+ years in the theater. He shares how his 11 years of directing workshops and readings of new plays served as his grad school, teaching him how the theater works in space. He shares tactics and tools of the craft, including his idea of plays as alive (The Living Play), the importance of inviting scrutiny, why inspiration is a con, how victories can be complicated, and his strategies for talkbacks.

Tori and Mabelle talk with accomplished storyteller Hansol Jung about her jump from politics to theater. She shares her trajectory from translating plays into Korean, to an MFA in Musical Theater Directing (at Penn State), and then to another MFA in Playwriting (Yale School of Drama).  She also shares about her experience collaborating on “Wolf Play” in the midst of the pandemic, and how it changed her artistic process. Other topics include Hansol’s new collaborative theater group (the Pack), reimagining collaboration, and The Kilroys.

Tori and Mabelle talk with multihyphenate Brian Quijada about how a production of “Cabaret” showed him the power of political theater and set him on his theatrical journey. He shares his artist’s mission and goes in depth on the inspiration and development of “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?,” “Kid Prince and Pablo,” “Somewhere Over the Border,” and his new work, “Mexodus.” Find out why Brian never takes anything for granted, why he doesn’t ask permission to create, the magic of starting with something you know, and why we say "all roads lead to Brian Quijada."

Tori and Mabelle talk with award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Anna Ouyang Moench, about grad school, motherhood, and her incredible catalog of plays. Anna shares about juggling life as an MFA Playwriting student at UCSD with teaching assistant work and parenting a newborn. The episode includes in-depth discussions of Anna’s plays “Mothers,” “Man of God,” “Birds of North America,” and her most recent play “Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again.”

Tori and Mabelle talk with playwright, director, and educator, Ramón Esquivel, about his path into theater through teaching, including the development of his first play at 30 years old. Other topics include Ramón’s quest to introduce young people to all aspects of theater, his revision strategy, key ways that theaters can uplift local playwrights, and practical tips he shares with his students.

Tori and Mabelle talk with accomplished theater artist, June Carryl, about her transition from law to theater and beyond. June shares the turning point into playwriting with Paula Vogel and how she got bit by the acting bug. June discusses why words are crucial, how theatrical stories inspire change, and the joy of working with young audiences.