Rings of Connection, Center the Work, and Building Trust and Sharing the Why - Playwright's Spotlight with Adrienne Torf and Raymond O. Caldwell
Episode Description
Playwright, pianist, and composer along with her collaborator Raymond O. Caldwell who is a director, producer, and artistic director of The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, stopped by the studio to discuss their latest project - Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience. While our conversation did have a few technical setbacks, we were able to get back on track about their budding relationship, Adrienne's personal and collaborative relationship with June, building the team that would encapsulate the life and poetry of June as well as her importance to society and her concept of the "rings of connection." We unpack the process of combining conflicting visions in collaboration, the importance of trust and sharing a vision, and centering on the work. We also discuss introducing new elements durning the last few weeks of rehearsal, the evolution of different iterations, surprise revelations, unconventional storytelling, creating a through line from unconnected sources, and the secret to smooth transitions. It's wonderful back-and-forth that becomes a little silly at the end, but the whole conversation is insightful and entertaining. Enjoy!
For tickets to Poetry for the People at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles from January 27th through March 29th, visit - https://www.fountaintheatre.com/events/poetry-for-the-people
Adrienne Torf, is a playwright, pianist, and composer. In 2022, Adrienne co-devised the theater piece Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience with Raymond O. Caldwell at Theater Alliance in Washington DC. The show was awarded the 2023 Helen Hayes Theater Washington Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation and enjoyed a second run in 2024. It is slated to run at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles in early 2026.Also set for production in 2026 is For Women Serving Time, an extended poem/opera for which she composed the score, with text by Fatemeh Keshavarz, produced by IN Series Opera in Washington, DC. Her community-collaboration performance piece The Awesome Difficult Work of Love, which was produced in Madison WI (2008), San Francisco (2012) and Sedona, AZ (2022), and will be produced in Flint, MI in Spring, 2026.
Raymond O. Caldwell has written and adapted new works for Theater Alliance and the Kennedy Center, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks from the book by 2024 MacArthur recipient Jason Reynolds. Prior to joining the Fountain Theatre he was the artistic director at Theater Alliance for six seasons where he directed, developed, and produced. He expanded the company’s digital footprint during the pandemic, developing, directing, and producing new works from emerging local artists.
Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -
www.fountaintheatre.com
Socials for Adrienne Torf and Raymond O. Caldwell -
www.adriennetorf.com
IG - @adriennetorf
FB - https://www.facebook.com/adriennetorf
www.raymondocaldwell.com
IG - @raymondocaldwell
FB - https://www.facebook.com/raymondocaldwell
Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Production,s and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight