Writer: Roger Q Mason

Roger Q. Mason is a writer whose work gives voice to the silenced. A recurring theme in his writing is the intersection of race, history, and memory. Mason’s plays include Orange Woman: A Ballad for a Moor; Onion Creek; and The Duat. Mason's works have been seen at such venues as McCarter Theatre Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA; Son of Semele Theatre; Teatro Vista at Victory Gardens; and Chicago Dramatists. He is an Activate: Midwest New Play Festival finalist, New York Theatre Innovator’s Award nominee, and the winner of the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore Producer's Award. Mason holds an BA in English and Theatre from Princeton University, an MA in English from Middlebury College, and an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University. Mason has received commissions from Steep Theatre and Chimera Ensemble in Chicago, as well as the Obie-winning Fire This Time Festival. For more on Roger Q. Mason, visit www.rogerqmason.com

La Virgen in Los Angeles – 17 Years And Counting- A Conversation with Playwright Evelina Fernandez

Lauded playwright Evelina Fernandez‘s gorgeous and long-running annual play pageant La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dio Inantzin (Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Mother of God), will perform at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Downtown Los Angeles for the 17th year on December 6 & 7, at 7:30pm. As she and the team prepare to … Continue reading La Virgen in Los Angeles – 17 Years And Counting- A Conversation with Playwright Evelina Fernandez

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Dedicated to Camp: A Conversation with Justin Sayre about Ravenswood Manor and Much More

Writer, producer, performer Justin Sayre‘s episodic camp extravaganza Ravenswood Manor closes this coming weekend after a very successful run at Celebration Theatre. Between episode rehearsals, I buzzed with Justin to spill some tea on the show, it’s origins, the production process, and more. Catch the last week of Ravenswood because they are ending with a … Continue reading Dedicated to Camp: A Conversation with Justin Sayre about Ravenswood Manor and Much More


Interview with Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, Director of “Charlotte Stay Close”

Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx‘s production of Charlotte Stay Close will receive an extension this weekend at Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA. At the beginning of the run, I sat down with Jonathan at the foot of the set’s bed and chit-chatted about the play, traditional and non-traditional roads to a life in the theatre, and the liberating power of … Continue reading Interview with Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, Director of “Charlotte Stay Close”


Cino Nights Interview with Addie Talbott and Lovell Holder, hosted by Roger Q Mason

For one night only, Rising Phoenix Rep will present Cino Nights at Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood. This year’s theme: Haunted Hollywood. In the thick of rehearsals, director/producers Addie Talbott and Lovell Holder sat down with me to talk about the founding of Rising Phoenix Rep (Daniel Talbott, artistic director), the origin story of Cino … Continue reading Cino Nights Interview with Addie Talbott and Lovell Holder, hosted by Roger Q Mason


Sitting Here Today: A Homecoming Conversation with Opera Star Christopher Job

Baritone opera star Christopher Job is returning to Los Angeles to perform in LA Opera‘s new 1920s-set, multi-cultural production of La traviata. A native of Anaheim Hills and graduate of Cal State Fullerton, this production constitutes Mr. Job’s LA Opera debut. On the eve of his Angeleno opening, I had to find out – opera, … Continue reading Sitting Here Today: A Homecoming Conversation with Opera Star Christopher Job


Backstage with Roger Q. Mason: Mother/Daughter Mama Metal Magic; or Black Excellence 101, 201 and 301: A Podcast Interview with Lee Sherman and Courtney Sauls

Just returning to Los Angeles from a two-month stint in New York I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Sigrid Gilmer’s meta-theatrical send up to the “mama drama” genre, Mama Metal by the IAMA Theatre at the Atwater Village Theatre. After my rousing experience previewing the show, I spoke with the two leads backstage. And this … Continue reading Backstage with Roger Q. Mason: Mother/Daughter Mama Metal Magic; or Black Excellence 101, 201 and 301: A Podcast Interview with Lee Sherman and Courtney Sauls


A Conversation with June Carryl

I met June Carryl back in 2010 when the two of us were participants in Directors’ Lab West. Her ideas about theatre mesmerized me because of their narrative specificity and rootedness in sound dramaturgical practices. In 2011, June was part of my playwright renaissance: I’d taken about 3 years off of writing in order to … Continue reading A Conversation with June Carryl


THE BALLAD OF THE BIMINI BATHS: 5 Questions for Tom Jacobson, Playwright

Almost a decade ago, I met Tom Jacobson during my transition from undergrad studies at Princeton back to Los Angeles theatre life. A few alumni contacts recommended I involve myself with Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA because it was one of Los Angeles’ premier theatre for new play development. Tom was active in the company’s artistic directorship … Continue reading THE BALLAD OF THE BIMINI BATHS: 5 Questions for Tom Jacobson, Playwright


Ibsen’s Ghosts at the Hollywood Fringe Festival: 5 Questions for Joana Knezevic

Hailing from Serbia, Joana Knezevic was already a noted actor in Europe before earning her MFA MFA in Acting from Cal Arts this year. I met Joana through my friend and collaborator Michael Alvarez. Getting to know her this past year, I have grown increasingly excited by Joana’s verve for the craft of acting, her ideas about the … Continue reading Ibsen’s Ghosts at the Hollywood Fringe Festival: 5 Questions for Joana Knezevic

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