Offscript is American Theatre‘s occasional podcast series, now reserved mostly for special events. The TCG National Conference in Miami, which ran June 5-7, definitely fits the “special event” bill, so the editors of American Theatre convened a special live podcast to introduce us, and assembled conferencegoers, to the south Florida theatre scene. (Similar podcasts from previous conferences include Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore.; and St. Louis.)

First, longtime Miami critic Christine Dolen speaks to AT senior editor Diep Tran about criticism and how the scene has developed over the last few decades. Then editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt is joined by Joseph Adler, artistic director of GableStage, and Mario Ernesto Sanchez, artistic director of Teatro Avante and its International Hispanic Theatre Festival, now embarking on its 34th year, to talk more about how the tastes (and politics) of local audiences have changed in recent years. “The stigma of Miami being a cultural desert—it’s no longer,” says Sanchez.

Download the episode here.