Playwright Archive

Headshot of Richard Willis. He wears a blue shirt and stands in front of a grey-blue background.

Writing a Play is Like Watching a Film: Richard Sheridan Willis on ‘Boy Beatle’

  • Interview
  • Playwright
  • Theatre Kingston

The classic saying is, “The show must go on!” Well, so must the review… sort of.  With our small team at the KTA, unfortunately when one of us is struck with sickness, there’s a bit of reworking to be done. This was the case last week, just as we were about to review Theatre Kingston’s production of Boy Beatle. However, we luckily managed to work out a short interview through […]

Read More About Writing a Play is Like Watching a Film: Richard Sheridan Willis on ‘Boy Beatle’
Poster for Theatre Kingston's production of 'Blood Rover'. A woman is standing at the end of a dock on the poster. The title, showtimes, cast, director, wardrobe, lighting, and design are listed on the poster.

It’s Not About Abortion: Chloë Whitehorn on Writing ‘Blood River’

  • Artist
  • Interview
  • Playwright
  • Theatre Kingston

Chloë Whitehorn’s new play, Blood River, is set in a world where Roe v. Wade has been overturned and abortion is illegal. The play follows three women—a mother, a daughter, and a reproductive rights activist—as they navigate life where the lines between law and religion have become dangerously blurred.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity. So yes, okay. It is about abortion. But to call Blood River […]

Read More About It’s Not About Abortion: Chloë Whitehorn on Writing ‘Blood River’
Brandon Zang is speaking into a microphone.

Science Fiction Takes the Stage with Playwright Brandon Zang

  • Artist
  • Interview
  • Playwright

Steampunk, solarpunk, cyberpunk, and sci-fi—when you think of live theatre, these probably aren’t the first words that come to mind. Well, tether your top hats and hold on to your cybernetic limbs: award-winning playwright Brandon Zang is on a science fiction kick, and he’s taking us with him. Zang is the 2023 winner of the Voaden Prize Playwriting Competition, a biennial award presented to Canadian playwrights by Queen’s University. This […]

Read More About Science Fiction Takes the Stage with Playwright Brandon Zang
Photo of Sarah Waisvisz typing on her laptop while holding a baby.

Work that Matters: An Interview with Sarah Waisvisz

  • Artist
  • Interview
  • Playwright

Sarah Waisvisz is a playwright, dramaturge, multi-disciplinary performer, and professor at the Dan School of Drama and Music. Her plays include Monstrous, a solo script about the Afro-Caribbean-diaspora experience and mixed-race identity, and Heartlines, a two-act play about queer-Jewish activists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. I reached Waisvisz over Zoom recently for a short but lively conversation. We spoke about her upcoming play Double Helix, her work as a professor, […]

Read More About Work that Matters: An Interview with Sarah Waisvisz
Photo of Rosemary Doyle.

“Like having a perfect conversation,” Rosemary Doyle on Playwriting

  • Artist
  • Interview
  • Playwright
  • Theatre Kingston

Last weekend, I sat down with playwright Rosemary Doyle to learn about her writing process. We were joined at the kitchen table by a vivacious three-year-old who had endless questions for me (who am I, why did I ring the doorbell, why does my skirt have sparkles, can I twirl, can I watch her twirl, too?!). Faced with this hard-hitting preschool journalism, my conversation with Doyle was conducted in quick […]

Read More About “Like having a perfect conversation,” Rosemary Doyle on Playwriting