Season 7 Premiere! Tori and Mabelle chat with Keiko Green about how shifting power dynamics create compelling drama–and how she seeks to craft plays to keep audiences leaning in, hungry for what’s next. Keiko shares about writing juicy roles for actors, her approach to collaborating with directors and dramaturgs, and the play that opened the door to her TV writing career. She also discusses the fine line between helpful notes and creative overreach, the importance of playfulness and trust in the rehearsal room, and creating theatrical experiences that feel like unforgettable events.
Writing Prompt (courtesy of Keiko Green)
WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR? Keiko says her career blew wide open when she stopped writing for artistic directors or literary managers. What limitations do we put on ourselves when we are writing plays? Make a list of all of the things you think you need to do in order to make a play producible (to an artistic director, playhouse, lit manager, etc.)… e.g. “Small cast, single location, have to write a play about my racial identity, have to write a play about my neurodivergence or my queerness, or only write plays about my own experience. Choose three things from your list that you are going to break as you approach your next play.
Connect with Keiko:
Website: www.keikogreen.com
IG: @ keikothegreen
Keiko’s bio:
Keiko Green is an award-winning playwright/screenwriter/performer. Plays include: You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! (South Coast Rep; Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Empty Ride (Old Globe), Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play (Old Globe; San Francisco Playhouse; Pork Filled/SIS Productions), Hells Canyon (Theater Mu; Washington Ensemble Theatre), The Bed Trick (Seattle Shakespeare Company; Artists Repertory Theatre).
Link to Comic-con schedule can be found here: https://www.comic-con.org/cc/things-to-do/programming-schedule/
Reservations for “Shuuluk Wechuwvi: Where Lightning Was Born” can be made here: Shuuluk Wechuwvi – Eyaay Ahuun Foundation
Purchase Jacqueline Goldfinger’s “Playwriting With Purpose” here