Episode 3
Sylvan Oswald
How Can Playwrights Tackle Historically Oppressive Narratives and Tropes Without Simply Replicating Them?
Sylvan and Jasmine met to discuss how Sylvan runs his writing classroom and workshops as Head of Playwriting in the Department of Theater. They cover the craft of “landing pages,” researching characters, and challenging students to critically engage their own creative choices. You can watch the interview below, or scroll down for the audio version and transcript.
“As we’re starting to bring the work out into public, that’s when we have to really start thinking like: What am I saying? What impact is this gonna have on people? Am I moving the conversation forward, or am I re-inscribing an old conversation that we really need to move beyond?’”
— Professor Oswald on building a course framework that encourages playwriting students to reflect on their narrative choices
Professor Oswald’s plays include Sun Ra, Profanity, and Pony, a “seminal work of trans theater” published by Northwestern University Press in 2025. In addition to other honors, Oswald received a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship in Drama and Performance Art.
Select courses taught:
THEATER 30 — Dramatic Writing
THEATER 50 — Theater Production
THEATER 102D — Trans Theater & Performance
THEATER 106 — History of American Theater & Drama
THEATER 130-131B, 430A-B — Fundamentals of Playwriting (Intro through Advanced)