I’ll never forget the gasp that came from the audience at the end of Act One when I saw David Auburn’s Proof on Broadway.  It was one of those great twists/reveals/secrets and surprises that make a great play not only great but also flat-out-entertaining.

I remember thinking . . . now that’s a genius craftsman.

And I wasn’t the only one who thought.

Not only is Proof one of the longest-running plays of the last few decades (at close to 1,000 performances), but it also won a Tony, a Pulitzer and is produced all over creation.

David and I chatted about the origins of Proof and how he solved it as well as . . .

• How he “warmed up” to writing plays by writing sketches and one-acts first (and a business reason why this is a great place for emerging playwrights to start).
• The most important reason why he thinks Proof was so successful and why it’s done everywhere.
• Why he enjoys directing other people’s work, but doesn’t want to do his own.
• The difference between writing screenplays and stage plays.
• Where he gets his ideas . . . and what he does first when he gets one.

Listen to the podcast with David with the links below, and if you haven’t read Proof, do yourself a favor and get it here.  Not only is it a page-turner, but it’s a master class in and of itself.

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.