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

This week, editors Rob Weinert-Kendt and Diep Tran are joined by Emma Halpern, our Theatre for Young Audiences columnist (and co-artistic director of New York City Children’s Theater). They talk about why American Theatre decided to dedicate another issue to politics (and about the time Diep stalked Suzan-Lori Parks). And speaking of political, they also discuss Thomas Bradshaw’s controversial history play Thomas and Sally and the protests it inspired at Marin Theatre Company. How should theatre tackle controversial subjects? They discuss.

Then Emma interviews Peter Brosius, artistic director of Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, one of the top companies for young audiences in the country. They talk about why “children’s theatre” is a misnomer (it’s actually theatre for all ages), and the rise of new work in the TYA world.

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

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Emma plugs an NYC Children’s Theater production: Interstellar Cinderella by Laurie Berkner and Barbara Zinn Krieger (Nov. 18-Dec. 17). In it, Cinderella is a space engineer who wants to revolutionize space travel, only to be thwarted by her evil stepmother.

The ’80s are back, according to Rob. On Broadway, there are two strong revivals of seminal ’80s plays: Torch Song by Harvey Feinstein and M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang. Plus, inspired by Native Guard at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta (based on Natasha Trethewey’s Pulitzer-winner poetry), Rob recommends that we all read some poetry. Totally doable!

Diep recommends this season of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” the CW comedy about mental illness and musicals. Mostly because of the musical pastiches are particularly genius, including this Les Miz riff: