The Dramatists Guild Presents: TALKBACK, sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Foundation cover art

The Dramatists Guild Presents: TALKBACK, sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Foundation

The Dramatists Guild Presents: TALKBACK, sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Foundation

By: Broadway Podcast Network
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 The Dramatists Guild Presents: TALKBACK, sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Foundation - Where Art, Community, and Inclusion Meet. After a 2-year hiatus, we're back! Welcome to Season 6! Over the course of seven episodes, host Christine Toy Johnson and special industry guests explore the many ways they are navigating the current moment, reinventing their relationship to financial literacy, the state of new play development, longevity in the field, and more.147695 Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • S6 Ep 1: "It's Time to Talk About Money - part 1" / Amanda Green and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

    S6 Ep 1: "It's Time to Talk About Money - part 1" / Amanda Green and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
    Oct 20 2025
    We're back! This season is all about "Reinvention". With so much change going on in our industry and our country, host Christine Toy Johnson wanted to sit down with some of her fellow writers who also serve on the Dramatists Guild Council, and ask them about the many ways they are thriving and writing in and about this moment we’re in. In this 2-part episode, Christine spends time with 2 of her fellow officers, Amanda Green and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, for some real talk about how writers get paid (or not), remembering what we offer to the field, advice about renewing our approach to marketing, and how we’re aiming to reawaken to the power of being together in community at the Guild. *Note: when Amanda and Branden refer to "minimums" being paid to writers on Broadway, they are referring to what's known as "minimum weekly guarantees"; a fee that's been stipulated in our Approved Production Contracts to be (guaranteed to be) earned once the show begins performances. Amanda Green is a 2-time Tony nominated, Grammy nominated, multiple-award winning lyricist, composer and the first female President of the Dramatists Guild. Her Broadway shows include “Mr. Saturday Night”, “Hands on a Hard Body”, “Bring it On”, and “High Fidelity”. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a Pulitzer Prize and 2-time Tony award winning playwright and Vice President of the Dramatists Guild. He’s also the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant and too many other accolades to list in one episode! The Dramatists Guild of America is the national, professional membership trade association of theatre writers including playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists, whose mission is to protect the economic, legal, and creative interests of professional writers in the American Theater. Visit www.dramatistsguild.com to learn more. This podcast is supported by the Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF), a national charity that fuels the future of American theater by supporting the writers who create it. DGF fosters playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists at all stages of their careers through educational programs; awards, grants, and stipends; free space to create new works; and emergency aid to writers in need of immediate support. DGF is a 2024 recipient of a Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. By supporting and nurturing the creators of today, we protect the stories of tomorrow. Visit www.dgf.org or follow @DGFound to learn more about DGF's grants and programs or ways to donate. Talkback is executive produced by Christine Toy Johnson and edited and recorded by Bruce Johnson. Our theme music is by Andrea Daly. Distributed by the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Special Episode! Danny Burstein at BroadwayCon

    Special Episode! Danny Burstein at BroadwayCon
    Dec 11 2023
    We're giving you a special gift for the holidays. A never before released live episode that we did at BroadwayCon in New York City in July of 2023. I had the great joy of sitting down with my longtime pal and colleague, Danny Burstein. Danny is a treasured and prolific actor on film, television, and Broadway. He's been in 19 Broadway shows, with the latest being Pictures from Home by Char White. Which he was starring in at the time of this recording. In this special episode, Danny and I talk about how his career as an artist intersects with his passion for activism. He also shares lots of stories from behind the scenes of some of his most famous roles. In the fifth season of The Dramatists Guild Presents: Talkback, we examine how we can expand the canon and challenge the status quo. How can we be intentional in the ways that we make space for diverse, and inclusive stories, while also reimagining the often produced ones, so that the American landscape of storytelling is truly reflective of the gorgeous tapestry of people who inhabit it? Talkback was produced by Amy VonMacek and Christine Toy Johnson, with postproduction by John Marshall Media. The music is composed by Andrea Daly. Talkback is a production of the Dramatists Guild of America and is distributed by The Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • S5 E6: “That insatiable desire to be seen and be heard.” The Future of our Canon

    S5 E6: “That insatiable desire to be seen and be heard.” The Future of our Canon
    Nov 27 2023
    This season's final episode features a conversation with two of the most produced playwrights in America: Lauren Gunderson and Lynn Nottage. The two women writers speak with host (and fellow woman writer) Christine Toy Johnson about how they were motivated to start telling stories in order to create roles that were missing from the narrative. They also address the importance of bringing theatre to communities- especially marginalized communities- instead of expecting them to come to the theatre. At the time of this recording, Lynn and Lauren were among the most produced playwrights in the country; since then, Lynn has officially been named the most produced playwright of this past theatre season. In the fifth season of The Dramatists Guild Presents: Talkback, we examine how we can expand the canon and challenge the status quo. How can we be intentional in the ways that we make space for diverse, and inclusive stories, while also reimagining the often produced ones, so that the American landscape of storytelling is truly reflective of the gorgeous tapestry of people who inhabit it? Talkback was produced by Amy VonMacek and Christine Toy Johnson, with postproduction by John Marshall Media. The music is composed by Andrea Daly. Talkback is a production of the Dramatists Guild of America and is distributed by The Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
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