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StinkyLulu Says

StinkyLulu Says

By Brian Herrera

An Irregular Podcast about Contemporary Theatre
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SS4E8: How Are We to Keep Going When the Rules Keep Changing?

StinkyLulu SaysMar 28, 2021

00:00
44:35
SS6E7: On Politics, On Pulitzers, On Performance Art

SS6E7: On Politics, On Pulitzers, On Performance Art

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) reflects on eight plays in four pairings that together ask what makes a political play, what makes a Pulitzer-worthy play, what makes something performance art and not a play (and vice versa), and what happens when a big new celebrity shows up in your big old play…. Productions discussed in this episode include: the live-streamed Broadway production of Stephen Daly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY and Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre’s production of Katori Hall’s HOT WING KING; the long-running Broadway revival of Kander & Ebb’s CHICAGO, currently starring drag artist Jinkx Monsoon, and BAM’s buzzy revisitation of Lorraine Hansberry’s THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’s WINDOW, with Oscar Isaac starring as Sidney; TwoRiver Theatre’s production of Mando Alvarado’s LIVING AND BREATHING and Princeton Theater Program’s staging of student Reed Leventis’s immersive and interactive work DISORDER; and Amalia Oliva Rojas’s How to Melt ICE or How the Coyote Fell in Love with the Butterfly who Tried to Be a Lizard — as presented by Boundless Theatre Company in partnership with New Perspectives Theatre at the JuliaDeBurgos Cultural Center in East Harlem —  and Guillermo Calderón’s Kiss by the Wilma Theater in Center City Philadelphia.

https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu


Feb 26, 202301:00:32
SS6E6: On Form, On Content, On Confronting Expectations Regarding Both Form and Content

SS6E6: On Form, On Content, On Confronting Expectations Regarding Both Form and Content

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) continues this experiment in building a theatre-going audio diary with reflections on how each of the seven shows engaged since our last episode confront particular conventions and expectations of theatrical form. Productions discussed in this episode include two remote performances — Woolly Mammoth’s digital film capture of Madeline Sayet’s WHERE WE BELONG and Bard at the Gate’s enhanced reading of Majkin Holmquist’s TENT REVIVAL; two touring presentations of devised productions — THE APPOINTMENT from the Philadelphia-based devised performance company Lightning Rod Special and BETWEEN TWO KNEES from the indigenous comedy ensemble The1491s; two new musicals — Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel’s CORNELIA STREET and David Lindsay Abaire and Jeanine Tesori’s KIMBERLY AKIMBO; and finally one new/ish play, Hansol Jung’s WOLF PLAY. 

https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Feb 05, 202301:09:30
SS6E5: On New Voices, On Familiar Stories, On THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS in Philly…

SS6E5: On New Voices, On Familiar Stories, On THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS in Philly…

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) starts a new year of theatregoing with five very different shows. At center of this episode is an extended discussion of the original immersive theatrical staging of THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS by Langston Hughes, a co-presentation by two Philadelphia theatre companies: EgoPo and Theatre in the X. With brief comment on recent encounters with the Jeffrey L. Page & Diane Paulus revisal of 1776 on Broadway; Bruce Norris’s DOWNSTATE at NYC’s Playwrights Horizons; ClubbedThumb’s WINTERWORKS festival; and Salty Brine’s BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN at Joe’s Pub in NYC.


https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Jan 22, 202356:52
SS6E4: Only 87 Plays in 365 Days, or My 2022 in Review

SS6E4: Only 87 Plays in 365 Days, or My 2022 in Review

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) reflects on what felt familiar and what felt so very different in what turned out to be a halting return to theatregoing in 2022. With brief comment on recent encounters with Maria Friedman’s production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at New York Theatre Workshop; Lloyd Suh’s THE FAR COUNTRY at NYC’s Atlantic Theatre Company; and Dennis Johnson’s DES MOINES at Theatre for a New Audience.


https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Jan 01, 202353:48
SS6E3: On “Bad Auditions” — A Special GLIMMEROUS Episode of StinkyLuluSays

SS6E3: On “Bad Auditions” — A Special GLIMMEROUS Episode of StinkyLuluSays

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) reads the full text of “Bad Auditions,” their plenary paper presentation at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society for Theater Research, while also offering a brief comment on the emergence of “glimmerous” as a new keyword in their research and writing practice.

https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Dec 25, 202239:18
SS6E2: On Trauma, On Theatre, On OHIO STATE MURDERS by Adrienne Kennedy…

SS6E2: On Trauma, On Theatre, On OHIO STATE MURDERS by Adrienne Kennedy…

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) gathers some reflective ruminations on how this week's shows theatrically engage traumas of the recent past (and the immanent future) in unexpected, even existential ways. At center of this episode is an extended discussion of the Broadway production of Adrienne Kennedy’s OHIO STATE MURDERS alongside additional glancing observations about this week’s theatergoing, which includes extended asides on LifeJacket Theatre Company’s workshop presentation of THE GORGEOUS NOTHINGS, Jordan E. Cooper’s AIN’T NO MO’, Will Arbery’s EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING and DESPARECIDAS by Jaime Lozano, Florencia Cuenca and Georgina Escobar.


https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Dec 18, 202250:08
SS6E1: On Horror, On Haunting, and On YOU WILL GET SICK by Noah Diaz…

SS6E1: On Horror, On Haunting, and On YOU WILL GET SICK by Noah Diaz…

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) reactivates the podcast with some reflective impressions on the question of horror and haunting in theatre, as well as insights and takeaways from the recent production of Noah Diaz’s YOU WILL GET SICK as staged by NYC’s Roundabout Theatre Company. With additional brief commentary on SEX VARIANTS, Asher Muldoon’s MINE and Lauren Keating’s adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at McCarter.

https://linktr.ee/stinkylulu

Dec 11, 202245:26
SS5E2: Reflecting on ACT-SF’s 2022 production of FEFU & HER FRIENDS with guest commentators Gwendolyn Alker, Anne García-Romero and Nicole Stodard…

SS5E2: Reflecting on ACT-SF’s 2022 production of FEFU & HER FRIENDS with guest commentators Gwendolyn Alker, Anne García-Romero and Nicole Stodard…

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) welcomes artists/scholars Gwendolyn Alker, Anne García-Romero and Nicole Stodard to join in a reflective conversation about their respective impressions, insights and takeaways from the recent production of María Irene Fornés’s FEFU AND HER FRIENDS as staged by San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre.



Jun 02, 202201:09:36
SS5E1: This American Wife
May 30, 202138:07
SS4E11: We’re still “remote” but where are we actually — at the end of the “remote moment,” the middle of the “remote turn” or the beginning of the “remote era”?
Apr 25, 202152:54
SS4E10: What Does It Mean to Publicly Announce that You Are “Stepping Away”?
Apr 18, 202148:19
SS4E9: What’s with All the Manifestos Lately?
Apr 04, 202151:05
SS4E8: How Are We to Keep Going When the Rules Keep Changing?

SS4E8: How Are We to Keep Going When the Rules Keep Changing?

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) reflects on a recent essay by memoirist Tanya Ward Goodman and on what this 13th month of shutdown seems to be stirring up for folks in the theatre, for folks in academia and for folks everywhere, as I also ask: How Are We to Keep Going When the Rules Keep Changing?

Transcripts for Season4 of StinkyLulu Says are typically available within 24-48 hours of each episode's release. Links to those transcripts are available here.

Mar 28, 202144:35
SS4E7: What Makes for a Memorable Remote Theatre Experience?
Mar 21, 202144:01
SS4E6: How Do You Measure a Year of Theatre without Theatres?
Mar 07, 202152:51
SS4E5: What Does Reality TV Have to Teach a Performance Historian?
Feb 28, 202155:12
SS4E4: In Defense of “Remote Performance”
Feb 21, 202132:16
SS4E3: So What Is it about Performance on Social Media Platforms that Stirs So Much Stuff?
Feb 14, 202154:34
SS4E2: Why Do We Keep Asking the Question — But Is It Theatre?
Feb 07, 202157:18
SS4E1: Why is your newsletter called #TheatreClique anyway?
Jan 31, 202151:27
SS3E11: Season Finale with Thoughts on Accessibility, Audiences, Documentation, Voices and How the Show Might Go On from StinkyLulu and Some Special Guests
Nov 22, 202051:16
SS3E10: What Are Pre-Show Announcements for Anyway?
Nov 15, 202035:05
SS3E9: Why Do I Insist on Using the Term “Remote” Theatre?
Nov 01, 202032:08
SS3E8: How Are We to Document Theatre in the Pandemic? With some extended reflections on how remote theatre is "becoming" its own thing…
Oct 25, 202051:19
SS3E7: Tony Nominations — Really? With comment on some recently notable examples of “zoom-aturgy”…
Oct 18, 202054:25
SS3E6: What Happens When a Demand Goes Unheeded? With comment on what might be three ascendant signature genres of remote performance.

SS3E6: What Happens When a Demand Goes Unheeded? With comment on what might be three ascendant signature genres of remote performance.

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu)considers the ten-year history of the annual reports from the Asian American Performer’s Action Coalition and asks what happens when a demand goes unheeded, followed by some thoughts on what might be the three “signature” genres of remote theatre: the remote reading, the virtual benefit, and the hand-made puppet show…

Transcripts for Season3 of StinkyLulu Says are typically available within 24-48 hours of each episode's release. Links to those transcripts are available here.

Oct 04, 202045:19
SS3E5: What Does Theatre Leadership Look Like? With commentary on the “zoom lecture” as a genre of remote performance.

SS3E5: What Does Theatre Leadership Look Like? With commentary on the “zoom lecture” as a genre of remote performance.

Profe Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) asks what does theatre leadership look like in a time of political, economic and ecological crises and offers some ruminations on the “zoom lecture” as a genre of remote performance. Transcripts for Season3 of StinkyLulu Says are typically available within 24-48 hours of each episode's release. Links to those transcripts are available here.

Sep 27, 202046:10
SS3E4: What Do We Do with an Accountability Pledge? With commentary on Seize the Stage’s A CHORUS CRIME
Sep 20, 202050:10
SS3E3: What to Do with Demands? With commentary on Richard Nelson's INCIDENTAL MOMENTS OF THE DAY & My Experience Being Part of a "Live TV" Audience.
Sep 13, 202052:55
SS3E2: Defunding Anti-Racism? With commentary on CUCÚ AND HER FISHES by Ensayos & MT21's SENIOR ENTRANCE.
Sep 06, 202049:57
SS3E1: Reopening? What Does That Even Mean? With commentary on JUST GIVE ME ONE HALF HOUR WITH MY MOTHER by Deb Margolin. Plus a tribute to Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020).
Aug 30, 202044:48
SS3E0: We're Back?! A Preview of This Next Cycle of Episodes. With commentary on PACKAGE PLAY by Katie Farmin and BEFORE AMERICA WAS AMERICA by DeLanna Studi.
Aug 23, 202052:53
SS2E6: Is This Virtual Revolution So Great? With brief comment on WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER by Edwin Rosales and the future of STINKYLULU SAYS.

SS2E6: Is This Virtual Revolution So Great? With brief comment on WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER by Edwin Rosales and the future of STINKYLULU SAYS.

Professor  Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) considers some questions about the short- and long-term impacts of the shutdown-necessitated "digital turn" in theatrical production, presentation and participation. With brief comment on WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER by Edwin Rosales and some thoughts about what's next for this podcast pedagogy experiment.

May 03, 202055:16
SS2E5: Does Anyone Have a Plan for What It Will Take to Reopen? and AND THEN THEY FORGOT ABOUT THE REST by Georgina Escobar

SS2E5: Does Anyone Have a Plan for What It Will Take to Reopen? and AND THEN THEY FORGOT ABOUT THE REST by Georgina Escobar

Professor Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) ponders why the postponement of the film version of IN THE HEIGHTS threw him for a loop; distills some common threads among  the many contingency plans informing disparate  conversations on what it will take for theatres (and colleges) to reopen; and contemplates the particular current resonances of the world built by Georgina Escobar in AND THEN THEY FORGOT ABOUT THE REST. 

Apr 26, 202051:15
SS2e4: When Will Theatres Reopen -- and Will Audiences Show Up? and BETTER MAYBE by Caridad Svich

SS2e4: When Will Theatres Reopen -- and Will Audiences Show Up? and BETTER MAYBE by Caridad Svich

Professor Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) contemplates the complicated uncertainties surrounding the question of when theatres might reopen; notes some questions of form and practice raised by recent experiments in livestreamed performance; and contemplates the relevance of "open drama" as both strategy and style in Caridad Svich's short play, BETTER MAYBE.

Apr 19, 202044:36
SS2e3: Should Theatre-Makers Stop Making Theatre? and the Legacy of Diane Rodriguez

SS2e3: Should Theatre-Makers Stop Making Theatre? and the Legacy of Diane Rodriguez

Professor Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) considers the buzz of opinion around the question of whether (and how) theatre-makers should make theatre during the shutdown and offers a remembrance of Diane Rodriguez (1951-2020). Plus a quick shoutout to Tony Meneses's THE WOMEN OF PADILLA.

Apr 12, 202050:34
SS2e2: Are Playwrights Job Creators? and Guadalís Del Carmen's A SHERO'S JOURNEY OR WHAT ANACOANA AND YEMAYÁ TAUGHT ME

SS2e2: Are Playwrights Job Creators? and Guadalís Del Carmen's A SHERO'S JOURNEY OR WHAT ANACOANA AND YEMAYÁ TAUGHT ME

Professor Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) considers the paradoxical status of playwrights in the American theatre and offers some thoughts on A SHERO'S JOURNEY OR WHAT ANACOANA AND YEMAYÁ TAUGHT ME by Guadalís Del Carmen.

Apr 05, 202040:01
SS2e1: Must the Show Go On? & THE WAY SHE SPOKE by Isaac Gomez

SS2e1: Must the Show Go On? & THE WAY SHE SPOKE by Isaac Gomez

Professor Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu) introduces the premise of this cycle of episodes as he offers his reflections, first, on the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on the contemporary US theatre and, then, on the way she spoke, an audioplay by Isaac Gomez.

Mar 29, 202033:42