Episode 5: Samuel D. Hunter

Samuel D. Hunter is the MacArthur genius award-winning playwright who may have started small — as a teenager growing up in Idaho — but has since assembled a deep roster of plays set there. And that’s the point: small towns, all the better to explore big ideas. A Bright New Boise, Lewiston/Clarkston, Pocatello. For his latest, Greater Clements, he mines new territory, and he says it's both his most personal and his most ambitious attempt yet.  This is the first of our one-on-one, writer-to-writer conversations about not just a play, but the full backdrop on what it takes to create theater, and a full body of work. We’re calling them the our “backdrop eavesdrops." Greater Clements is currently playing at Lincoln Center Theater through January 19, 2020. For tickets and information, visit www.lct.org See a montage from the show at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGU_RfSApvE Learn more about the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cEKBVZyj2A Visit Lincoln Center Theater on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Connect with us Follow Kevin Bleyer and Nella Vera on Twitter: @kevinbleyer / @spinstripes The Backdrop on Twitter and Instagram: @backdroppodcast  https://www.facebook.com/TheBackdropPodcast Email us with story ideas or feedback: BackdropPodcast@gmail.com Credits The Backdrop is hosted by Kevin Bleyer and produced by Nella Vera. The Backdrop artwork is by Philip Romano. Special thanks to Lincoln Center Theater and Nick Buchholz.

Om Podcasten

So the show’s a smash. But why? And why now? THE BACKDROP puts theater's biggest hits and most compelling productions in context — featuring interviews with the creators and cast, punctuated by a punchy, deeply researched dive into the reasons why this particular production is relevant at this particular moment. Join host Emmy and Writers Guild Award winner Kevin Bleyer (The Daily Show) and producer Nella Vera for this thoughtful mix of historical scene-setting and related current events — the full backdrop. Oh, and it’s also funny.