Riley Elton McCarthy, Playwright Part 1

Opening Doors: Navigating the Future of the Theatre Industry

Join Spencer for Part 1 of his conversation with Riley Elton McCarthy about their work and the future of the theatre industry.

A "vanguard figure of socially conscious theatre" (Lena Hunter, CPHPost), Riley Elton McCarthy is the artistic director of Basement Light Productions, and critically acclaimed playwright, performer, and producer. “The most original voice in horror since Mike Flanagan” (Rory Ford, The Scotsman), Riley writes scary plays for all those queer insomniacs who love everything that goes bump in the night. Riley’s writing, that “displays a unique and intellectual writing style; combining a mix of natural, poetic dialogue, wit, and narration” (Phoebe Louise, Lost in Theatreland) has been seen and published internationally, spanning from Edinburgh, London, Denmark, and beyond, and their magnum opus, IVORIES, is available for purchase at The Drama Book Shop after being published by NextStage Press.

They were a 2023 Eugene O’Neill Semi-Finalist for Sharon and Melina, and are a two-time SheNYCArts Semi-finalist. Their production of IVORIES at 59E59 and Edinburgh Fringe was nominated for an Off-Fest Award, long-listed for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence, and received critical acclaim for creating strides in representation for queer storytelling. They’ve been produced off-broadway at The Triad Theater with The Lesbian Play, and they’ve had productions of their work at The Brick, The Gilbert Theater, The Tank, 59E59, and Yale School for Drama. They are a resident playwright with Lakehouseranchdotpng, a resident playwright in the TGNB2S+ Affinity Intensive with Workshop Theater, INKubator with Art House Productions, and CPH HOTMeat in the International World Pride festival in Copenhagen.