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Diep Tran

@diepthought.bsky.social
2K followers 124 following 464 posts

Editor in Chief of Playbill. Other words NY Times, NBC Asian America, NY Mag, Time Out NY. Views are my own. dtran@playbill.com dieptran.com

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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Not to mention Patricia who took down a serial killer by herself and Rosemary whose genealogy knowledge unlocked the whole thing. This is why it’s important for women to have hobbies that aren’t men or kids
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Watched WIDOW’S BAY in 4 nights. I love that it’s a showcase for how women, especially single women, hold a community together. Ruth is 85, helps people, and delivers bangers like “Life is a house of horrors.” Society wants to make older women expendable but WIDOW’S BAY shows they’re not
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I speak to the organizers of Friday's Hands Off protest at the Kennedy Center, who are a mix of artists and former Kennedy Center staffers. Theater kids, getting stuff done! playbill.com/article/2-50...
playbill.com
2,500 Show Up at Kennedy Center Protest to Prevent Demolition
The protest was organized by Hands Off the Arts, made up of former Kennedy Center staff members.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Anyway, podcast scams are a thing now. Beware fellow subject matter experts
hollywoodreporter.com
Inside the Fake Celebrity Podcast Scam Fooling Hollywood
Seth Rudetsky thought Nikki Glaser wanted him on her podcast. Bruce Vilanch thought Terry Gross wanted him on hers. Both were targets of a hoax.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The scams are getting weird. I got an email from a BBC journalist asking to speak to me on their podcast. It was very in-depth, and seemed like they knew about me, my career, and theater. Until I saw the email address: worldbookauthorinterviewbbcwor@gmail.com. Wasn't even spelled right
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I also spoke to the creators of Come From Away, who told me in detail about what it was like to live in NYC during 9/11 and how it inspired them to get married a month later. A mixture of sad and heartwarming, like their musical playbill.com/article/the-...
playbill.com
The Creators of Come From Away Recall Living in NYC During 9/11, and How That Influenced Their Musical
For the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Irene Sankoff and David Hein will be attending Come From Away at the World Trade Center and in Gander, Canada.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Had an emotionally heavy but productive week. First, talked to Patti LuPone on the phone for this feature, which also contains reflections from Susan Stroman (about The Producers resuming after 9/11), and the folks behind the "I Love New York Theatre" commercial playbill.com/article/broa...
playbill.com
Broadway Artists Remember 9/11 and How Theatre Became 'a Life Force'
Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, more reflect on the days after 9/11 and the 25th anniversary.
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Reposted by Diep Tran
Justin Jest @justinjest.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
May we all, when we pass, be able to say, "I've done the best I could with my life."
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Students at a performing arts high school in Louisville, Kentucky were told their production of Ragtime was cancelled. What happened next will melt your cynical heart as these students made the school district hear them playbill.com/article/this...
playbill.com
This Student Production of Ragtime Was Cancelled. Then Broadway Chimed in
Students at the Youth Performing Arts School in Kentucky went viral last week.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Sharing a great Dolly Parton quote, something I wish more people did instead of being defensive when they're wrong: "As soon as you realize that something is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumbass." Fantastic Dolly retrospective by Lindsay Ellis www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJuK...
youtube.com
Yes, Dolly was Actually That Great
YouTube video by Lindsay Ellis
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Me as a feminist after finishing this season of House of the Dragon
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Really? Do tell!
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The lowkey funniest part is you cannot license Waitress for school productions. But when that happens, I'm looking forward to seeing 15 year olds having a midlife crisis while wearing a fake pregnant belly at the Jimmy Awards
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Just watched this new movie on Netflix called DON'T SAY GOOD LUCK. A girl is cast as Jenna in her high school production of Waitress and her mom (Melanie Lynskey) has cancer and her grandma is Bebe Neuwirth. 10/10 if you want a good cry and a very good rendition of "She Used to Be Mine"
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Are you theater journalist who identifies as BIPOC or is a woman or is trans/non-binary? Apply here for the Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism and you might win $1,500. You'll even get judged by me! 😜 airtable.com/apppwm63kEhp...
airtable.com
Airtable | Everyone's app platform
Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Me going “Leave Sheepstealer alone!”
static.klipy.com
Leave Her Alone! Crying Uncontrollably
ALT: Leave Her Alone! Crying Uncontrollably
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Watching House of the Dragon this season, it is impressive how they created a show while (I wouldn’t call it good) is immensely watchable despite every character being a terrible human. I am only rooting for the dragons
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
With Odyssey and Hadestown leading the cinema box office, what a time to have Greek mythology as your special interest. It’s a reminder why these tales get told and retold, they truly hit different every time
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Just spent 2.5 weeks in Japan, and I’m most struck by how intentional things seem to be there. From the excellent food to the traffic cones shaped like frogs that said “sorry,” things seemed designed to be functional and nice to be around. Can’t live in Japan but I can live with more intention
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
My only question, how did it get so bad that firing was an option? Speaks to a lack of oversight and perhaps too much power left to anyone sitting in that leadership chair
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I think multiple things can be true: it is immensely more difficult to be a woman and a person of color in leadership, and sternness from a woman is commonly read as cruelty. But also, no one should be staying up until 4 AM and crying to make theater
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Some eye opening reporting here with testimonies from staff members at Arena Stage. Kudos to @nicolehertvik.bsky.social and @rjritzel.bsky.social for these multifaceted investigations dctheaterarts.org/2026/07/05/a... www.notus.org/metro/arena-...
dctheaterarts.org
At Arena Stage, artists and staff describe a workplace in crisis
As former Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif exits, starkly different perspectives emerge on what brought instability to DC’s premier regional theater.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“Whenever I see an all-white cast in a play, I kind of get taken out. ‘This is still a thing that's happening?’ It just feels more honest when there are more people of color.” I talk to Jon Norman Schneider who is leading a wonderful all Asian production of Henry VI playbill.com/article/jon-...
playbill.com
Jon Norman Schneider Is Leading a Cast of 16 Asian-American Actors in Henry VI, Showing That Shakespeare Truly Is Universal
This longtime stage actor had never done Shakespeare before, then NAATCO called him.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married in NYC at MSG during July 4th and the World Cup, disrupting New Yorkers' commutes in the process, using NYC taxpayer dollars for NYPD presence...we gotta tax these billionaires more.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
More context here: playbill.com/article/arti...
playbill.com
Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif Abruptly Departs Arena Stage After Opening TLC Musical
Playbill has received a copy of Sharif’s resignation letter from the Washington, D.C. institution.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
It is worrying that artistic leaders at Americas big non profit theaters are leaving after only a few years, clearly burnt out from trying to keep organizations with a flawed business model alive. I blame no one for getting out of the nonprofit game. It’s tiring, thankless work w/ way too many cooks
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Makes me think of something Hana told me years ago: “The expectation that we are the Avengers with our capes and superpowers, and we’re going to magically fix all of the deeply flawed structural issues of the American theatre is absolutely not realistic.” www.americantheatre.org/2019/04/09/t...
americantheatre.org
The Turnover Recipe: Add New Voices and Audiences, Stir
What should we expect from the U.S. theatre’s field-wide changing of the guard? A new generation of leaders gives cause for cautious optimism.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
“An excitement about a person of color in leadership … only then for those leaders to be handed a financial model that was unsustainable and really tough for them to succeed.” Really great analysis of why Hana Sharif left Arena Stage after just 3 years alheartley.substack.com/p/feature-no...
alheartley.substack.com
Feature, Not a Bug: How Regional Theater Keeps Setting Leaders of Color Up to Fail
Hana Sharif's resignation from Arena Stage raises more questions about the field's problem with keeping leaders of color and regional theater's financial structure.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Anyway it’s a good day in Mamdanistan.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Considering that a vocal opposition party is essential in the fight against tyranny, it seems New Yorkers want leaders who will stand up to fascism. And the Democrats who are upset should ask themselves which side they are really on
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
My third favorite genre of Jimmy performers is kids portraying people having a mental breakdown. Channel that teenage angst kids!
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
My second favorite genre of Jimmy performers, kids gender bending roles in a way that puts MisCast to shame
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Lead Actress in a Musical is getting me stressed!
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
My favorite genre of Jimmy Awards performers continues to be high schoolers channeling the souls of unhappily married middle aged people. Theater kids really grow up fast
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Warriors vs Paddington, I'm already so stressed out about the 80th Tony Award
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
As an overachieving shortie, never thought I would relate to a 6'2'' basketball player. But seeing Jalen Brunson work so hard while being shorter than everyone else, I feel that. Love a (relatively) short king
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
On Monday, I spoke to Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Mark Sonnenblick about writing the Tonys opening number in 6 days, and whose demented brain came up with the line "Gitchie gitchie Laurie Metcalf." This really proves there's nothing like a good brainstorm
playbill.com
How 3 Oscar-Winning Songwriters Wrote Pink’s Tony Awards Opening Number in Just 6 Days
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Mark Sonnenblick reveal who came up with the line "Gitchie gitchie Laurie Metcalf."
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
But I do think what can kill theater is capitalism. When the prerogative is to make money from it, it will eventually cost too much to make it because people, materials are expensive. In short, let’s advocate for arts funding so we can pay arts workers better and make it more accessible.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Great theater doesn’t give me answers or tells me what to do. It opens my mind and my perception, makes me feel something and jolts me out of my stasis. In a world of commodification and optimization, I love that this practical, inefficient artwork still has worshippers.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I truly think we need theater now. As Pink said, we go to the theater “to look at what the world is.” For me, the theater reminds me that when people come together, we can create something transcendent. It gives me hope and fuel as I navigate our flawed world.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
How did I spend my Tony Sunday? I went to dress rehearsal at Radio City at 9 AM, then oversaw Playbills Tony coverage in our office until 2AM. We published 31 articles yesterday (we did a lot of prep beforehand). And yes that means I did watch the Tonys in their entirety twice. Here’s my takeaway
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Not only can Ali Louis Bourzgui rock a mullet, he is brave, to say that Palestinians “deserve to live a fruitful life, a free life, a full life without occupation” on TV. And considering the angry comments we’ve received for even reporting on it, Ali said the right thing playbill.com/article/ali-...
playbill.com
Ali Louis Bourzgui Honors Arab Theatre Makers, Palestine Winning Featured Actor Tony Award for The Lost Boys
This is Bourzgui's first win and first nomination. Read his full speech here.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Impressed with the very diplomatic awards split between Cats and Ragtime at the Tonys. The former got direction, choreography, costuming while Ragtime got 2 acting awards, sound design, and revival. Really shows how both shows captured voters hearts seemingly equally
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Did I cheer when this was announced? Hell yeah I did! 4 female Tony Award winners in 79 years is shameful, but it goes to show you how important it is to have producers who believe in representation—Liberation's lead producers are Daryl Roth (Indecent) and Rachel Sussman (Suffs).
playbill.com
Liberation Wins Best Play at the 2026 Tony Awards; Bess Wohl Becomes 4th Woman to Win Best Play
This marked Wohl's second Tony nomination and first win.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
So glad what my exhaustion-addled found funny, you did too!
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Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
There are concentration camps in the United States in the year 2026. There are CONCENTRATION CAMPS in the United States in the year 2026. THERE ARE CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE YEAR 2026.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Gotta take the small wins. playbill.com/article/kenn...
playbill.com
Kennedy Center Has Until June 12 to Remove Trump's Name From Building, Says Internal Memo
A federal judge ruled that Trump adding his name to the institution was unlawful.
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Did you know that only 3 women have won the Tony Award for Best Play? And the last one was in 2009? I talked to Bess Wohl, the only woman nominated in the Best Play category this year, on how wild it is to still be having a gender parity conversation playbill.com/article/a-wo...
playbill.com
A Woman Hasn't Won the Best Play Tony Award Since 2009; Bess Wohl Can Change That
Her play Liberation is up for Best Play and shows that "women's stories can be universal."
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Diep Tran @diepthought.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Having finished rewatching Mad Men, it’s much more enjoyable when you stop hoping for Don to change and begin marveling at how much the female characters do. And they find inner peace because they are forced to face themselves and don’t have the privilege of running away. Metaphor for society really
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