Playwright's Spotlight with Barry Kornhauser

In this episode I have a inspirational conversation with playwright Barry Kornhauser about the commissioning and adapting plays from children's books, development, creative freedom and licensing, and breaking down and building a story around stage directions and minimal dialogue. We also discuss working with underprivileged as well as individuals with disabilities, writing for age appropriate casting, and relating to younger audiences in your work. In addition, we cover what can be learned about playwriting from the technical aspects of theatre, the opportunities in children's theatre, advice in that arena, and whether or not playwriting can be taught and if there is such thing as bad play when it comes to writing. There's a lot of subjective material in this episode that I'd love to hear where you all stand, so be sure to share your thoughts, and as always... Enjoy!!!

Barry Kornhauser’s have been commissioned and produced by Tony Award-winning stages such as the Children’s Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, the Shakespeare Theatre and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His honors include the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America’s Orlin Corey Medallion, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Play, Bonderman Playwriting Prize, and three AATE Distinguished Play Awards. In 2017, he was named Artist of the Year from Pennsylvania Governor's Awards and his youth theatre program for teens living with disabilities and other life challenges was honored at the White House as one of the nation's top arts-education initiatives. He served for over 30 years as Playwright-In-Residence, TYA Director, and other positions at the National Historic Landmark - Fulton Theatre and currently works for the Millersville University Office of Visual & Performing Arts.

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) -
https://childrenstheatre.org

Plays for New Audiences -
https://playsfornewaudiences.org

Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind -
https://tlc4blind.org

Na Laga'at -
https://aicf.org

National Endowments for the Arts -
https://www.arts.gov/grants/grants-for-arts-projects/theater

The Blank Theatre -
https://www.theblank.com/

Lenaea High School Theatre Festival -
https://lenaea.org

To contact Barry, you can email him at -
barry.kornhauser@millersville.edu

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight

Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la

FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html