Forge Theater Labs

About Forge Theater Labs

Our podcast series explores theater history, theatrical innovations, and perspectives from theater artists. Part scripted, part roundtable, part 1-on-1 interviews, we feature those who are shaping the future of the craft. Each season, we bring together artists from all over the world to reimagine how we can reach new audiences. Learn more about us at forgetheaterlabs.com. © 2025 Forge Theater Labs LLC. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, or use of this material is strictly prohibited. For licensing or partnership inquiries, contact: info@forgetheaterlabs.com

Publisher

Forge Theater Labs

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Oct 2025

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Forge Theater Labs Live: Play Dates II by Dr. Janna Segal

   Record Date: Monday, September 21st, 2026 Air Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 Recorded live at Argenta Brewing Company, Portland, Maine Presented in Partnership with Out There Theater Company Written by Dr. Janna Segal Sound Design by Cory Macgowan Edited by Cory Macgowan Hosted by Joshua N Hsu and Sarah Kennedy Featuring Kyle Aarons, Caspar Bernard, Lizzy Fogg, Allison McCall, Rachel Morris, Allison Rojecki, Beth Somerville, and Lauren Stockless SYNOPSIS In this next installment of Play Dates, founder of Forge Theater Labs Joshua N Hsu and Out There Theater Company Artistic Director Sarah Kennedy will act as matchmakers for eight directors and dramaturgs from Maine. Will they discover their ideal theatrical collaborators? Anticipate a flurry of creativity in this encore of our unparalleled theatrical dating show.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Forge Theater Labs Producer's Showcase: Clareann Despain and Erica Sutherlin

   Episode 1.19 Forge Theater Labs Producer's Showcase: Clareann Despain and Erica Sutherlin Record Date: Wednesday, September 24th, 2026 Air Date: Thursday, October 6th, 2026 Hosted by Joshua N Hsu Postproduction by Sam Rapaport Featuring Clareann Despain and Erica Sutherlin SYNOPSIS Host Joshua N Hsu invites Clareann Despain from Powerstories Theatre and Erica Sutherlin from Studio@620 to talk about how they built a working foundation for several unified productions over the years and the lessons learned.

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   A Forge Theater Labs Special Presentation: Seeking Resonance: Building Virtual Worlds

   Forge Theater Labs and Portland Ovations Present Seeking Resonance: Building Virtual Worlds SYNOPSIS What happens when technology becomes more than a tool and begins to shape the way we gather, create, and experience live performance? In this installment of A Forge Theater Labs In Conversation Series, Forge Theater Labs partners with Portland Ovations for Seeking Resonance: Virtual Worlds, a roundtable series bringing together artists working at the intersection of creative design, digital technology, and immersive live experience. Hosted by Josh Hsu, Founder and Artistic Director of Forge Theater Labs, with guest host Katelyn Manfre, Director of Community Programs and Partnerships and Accessibility Coordinator at Ovations, the conversation features Chris Sousa Wynn, Meghna Singh, and James LaPlante. Together, they explore what “immersive” actually means, where technology enters the creative process, and how artists navigate the increasingly complicated questions surrounding AI, authorship, accessibility, and digital ethics. But the conversation goes beyond the tools themselves. How can technology deepen our sense of presence rather than divide our attention? Can accessibility become an artistic catalyst? How do we invite new audiences into performance without sacrificing the communal experience at the heart of live art? And as artists collaborate more frequently with programmers, engineers, algorithms, and emerging systems, where does authorship live? Looking toward the future, the group considers what artists and institutions need in order to experiment responsibly, what emerging artists should be learning now, and what possibilities become available when technology is placed in service of human connection. Ultimately, Seeking Resonance returns to a simple question: In a world where we can experience almost anything through a screen, why does gathering together still matter? Record Date: Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 Air Date: Thursday, October 1st, 2026 Hosted by: Josh Hsu, Forge Theater Labs Guest Host: Katelyn Manfre, Portland Ovations Featuring: James LaPlante, Dr. Meghna Singh, and Christopher Sousa Wynn Video Editing by Nathan Gregory Audio Editing by Cory Macgowan Seeking Resonance: Virtual Worlds is presented as part of A Forge Theater Labs In Conversation Series, in partnership with Portland Ovations. This episode was brought to you in part by Maine Humanities Council and Indigo Arts Alliance. Show Notes From James LaPlante The 40 foot fabric structure James LaPlante created projected animation for using a single projector with a robotic mirror (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GNBklGDl37RBs8T1b1mdNVgNqbYgHuLQ/view?usp=sharing  ). The Qualtum Lotus project at Bates Immersive Lab.  Twin fabric lotus structures fully projected with interactivity and audience motion scanning.  Interactivity version 2 testing.  (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DiLljNgRW54noOlw3BWnASCEikWioXSt/view?usp=sharing) Footage of Encounters  (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fnZapZiTVhVswFVF79MjT8tbxgurVLJh/view) From Dr. Meghna Singh View her work (https://singhwood.art/work) From Christopher Sousa-Wynn Follow him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sousawynn) TeamLab (https://www.teamlab.art/) Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (https://lucasmuseum.org/)

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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