Each month on The Subtext, Brian speaks with a playwright about life, writing, and whatever itches we are scratching.

This time, he chats with Lisa Sanaye Dring, a playwright originally from Hilo, Hawaii, and Reno, Nevada, best known for her wrestling drama SUMO, the sci-fi two-hander Kairos, and the solo show Death Play. Dring walks us through their journey from acting to playwriting, from history with Actors Theatre of Louisville to current projects, including Public Record with Public Works at the Delacorte. The discussion spans the challenges and rewards of balancing work and life, the importance of community, the evolving nature of success in the theatre industry, and some inspiration from Sufi poet Hafez and French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.

SUMO was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, and won an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, among other accolades. Dring also won the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting last year and was the 2024 Tow Foundation Resident Playwright with Ma-Yi Theater Company. Says Dring of being a playwright, “What a cool thing to spend our lives doing. Plays are so cool because you build this mind palace with yourself. And how many mind palaces can you fill with growth and self-sovereignty and also generosity and care?”