Every other week, the editors of American Theatre curate a free-ranging discussion about the lively arts in our Offscript podcast.

At American Theatre, we don’t just report the news, sometimes we make our own. This week, editors Rob Weinert-Kendt, Diep Tran, and Russell Dembin talk about two pieces from AT that have sparked much discussion: Diep’s think piece about Miss Saigon and AT‘s new initiative to foster theatre critics of color. We also react to the news of Jesse Green‘s new hiring as co-chief theatre critic of The New York Times.

Then, in an AT first, we have a reported segment by David J. Loehr about his trip to the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville. He gives us his impressions of the festival. The segment includes interviews with ATL artistic director Les Waters and playwright Chelsea Marcantel about her play Airness, about the wild world of air guitar competitions.

Download the episode here. Subscribe via RSS, iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Diep saw Norm Lewis do Sweeney Todd at the Barrow Street Theatre, and recommends it for the interesting ways the production does cross-racial and cross-gender casting (also the singing is great).

Sweat by Lynn Nottage has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Russ recommends you see it if you haven’t (but you probably will at your local theatre before too long).

Rob hasn’t seen it yet but he trusts that John Doyle’s production of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company will be worth seeing, not least because it stars Orville Mendoza, who was phenomenal that last time he did the show (at East West Players in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago).