The Play’s the Thing

This roundtable explores the nature of the stage play, and what it takes to ideate, develop, and present them. The panel will pose and examine queries surrounding both artistic philosophy and audience access: In an age of flourishing multimedia, what exactly defines a play? How does the collaborative nature of this art form impact the dynamics among creative team members? How does a playwright know that a play is “finished”? Why does watching a play live as an audience member land in our bodies differently than watching a movie on a screen, and what importance do such communal experiences hold in a post-pandemic world? Our discussion will span from the Ancient Greeks’ psychological theories surrounding the social benefits of catharsis to the current systems sustaining the American theater.