Leslye HeadlandEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

John welcomes writer, director and playwright Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) to ask, why are stage plays so challenging for screenwriters? Using her recent Broadway play Cult of Love, they look at different approaches to scene description, heightened and simultaneous dialogue, and strategies for adapting stage plays to film. We also chart Leslye’s career from theater kid to auteur filmmaker, her approach to time loops (because how could we not?), and answer listener questions about music cues and long scripts. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Leslye compare notes on how to keep up with what’s on stage, and what to do if you missed a production. Links: Leslye Headland Cult of Love – selected pages Bachelorette the play and the movie Fanny and Alexander John by Annie Baker Original Cast Album: Company Stephen Sondheim Waiting for Godot John Cassavetes Tár screenplay by Todd Field Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions Eva discloses her autism on Survivor Making Movies by Sidney Lumet On Filmmaking by Alexander McKendick Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Instagram John August on Bluesky , Threads , and Instagram Outro by Alicia Jo Rabins ( send us yours! ) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here . UPDATE 5-14-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here . The post Page and Stage with Leslye Headland first appeared on John August .

This episode is sponsored by Geeklery , the small batch fandom jewelry brand of your dreams. Make sure to follow them @geeklery because their small batch collections change often! This week I am losing-my-mind excited to chat with Leslye Headland. Leslye Headland is an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and director. She began her career writing and directing the SEVEN DEADLY PLAYS series, including Bachelorette and Assistance, which both had successful runs in New York. Bachelorette was the basis for her directorial film debut starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and Rebel Wilson. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Most recently, Leslye served as writer, director, and showrunner for Netflix’s acclaimed series RUSSIAN DOLL (co-created by Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler), which was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and nine Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the latter of which it won three. Leslye is currently working on the STAR WARS series THE ACOLYTE for Disney+ and serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. She is also currently directing and executive producing the Freeform pilot, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE written by Simone Finch, executive produced by Jenni Konner, and starring Sofia Black-D’Elia, Ally Sheedy, Rebecca Henderson, Sasha Compère, Lily Mae Harrington, and Garrick Bernard . In addition to Star Wars and Single Drunk Female, Leslye has signed a multi-year, overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios to create, develop and direct series for network, cable and streaming platforms. We fangirl about Star Wars being a religion and what it’s been like to work with such amazing properties and creative geniuses. To keep up on Leslye’s latest projects, be sure to follow her @veryleslyeheadland and @leslyeheadland . Have a great week, and stay nerdy! Special thanks to our executive producers for this episode Geeklery , Galaxy Gear Boutique , NW Nerd Podcast , LoganArch , and Karen Hallion . If you enjoyed this episode, you might love the rest of our episodes! Click here to browse the archives . Join our Patreon for bonus gifts and content! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/sartorial-geek . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.