Seven Fatal Sins and ‘Superstar Wars’ with Leslye Headland


For Leslye Headland, the well-received Broadway play “Cult of Love” (pictured above) serves as a turning level and a end result.

Concentrate to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast under:

For the final 15 years or so, the creator — who co-created Netflix’s “Russian Doll” and in addition created the “Superstar Wars” collection “The Acolyte” on Disney+ — has been at paintings on a chain of 7 performs, one for each and every of the seven fatal sins. “Cult of Love,” impressed through the sin of satisfaction, marks the tip of that venture because the 7th and final of the ones performs — and now it additionally marks her Broadway debut with a 2nd Degree manufacturing starring Zachary Quinto, Shailene Woodley, Mare Winningham, Barbie Ferreira and extra.

“This collection of performs has been this kind of present,” Headland stated at the new episode of “Stagecraft,” Selection‘s theater podcast. She described the speculation for the seven-play cycle as comparable to divine inspiration: “I had written one play and I used to be very pissed off that I couldn’t write some other one, after which I had this second the place I felt find it irresistible’s a part of one thing larger.”

The construction of the collection — one play, one sin — has served as a useful roadmap for her theatrical writing, she stated. “I attempted to return on the sins in an unconventional approach,” she defined.

The theory for “Cult of Love” used to be sparked through the election of Donald Trump the primary time round. “My idea used to be: I don’t know why we’re pretending to be the similar nation anymore,” she recalled. “After which that led me to the following idea, which used to be: Why are we pretending to be a circle of relatives anymore? What’s the feeling of being forced to this theater of the absurd this is obviously so divisive?”

Together with her seven sins performs finished, Headland now has to determine what she’ll write about for her subsequent theatrical enterprise. One sturdy risk: motherhood. “I become a mother, and that may be a mind-fuck,” she stated with amusing. “That’s one thing that’s in my head so much.”

Additionally on “Stagecraft,” Headland mentioned her longtime love for “Superstar Wars” and her revel in taking part in in that sandbox with “The Acolyte,” which premiered in June and used to be no longer picked up for a 2nd season. She watched the sturdy fan response to the display, each just right and dangerous, with a way of familiarity, as a result of she was part of that fan group herself.

“I’ve this idea,” she stated. “Sooner or later, the folks that create content material about ‘Superstar Wars’ will turn out to be necessarily extra influential than ‘Superstar Wars.’”

To listen to all of the dialog, pay attention on the hyperlink above or obtain and subscribe to “Stagecraft” on podcast platforms together with Apple PodcastsSpotify and the Broadway Podcast CommunityNew episodes of “Stagecraft” are launched each and every different week.


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