Diep Tran
@diepthought.bsky.social
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
dtran@playbill.com
dieptran.com
The starry Twelfth Night from Shakespeare in the Park airs tonight on PBS. I talked to Great Performances producer David Horn about his goal to create a library of American Shakespeare performances, Suffs coming to PBS next May, and surviving despite the Trump administration. Anyway, donate to PBS
With Twelfth Night, Great Performances Is Showing That It Is Defunded But Not Defeated
PBS is remaining steadfast in its mission to provide free access to the arts.
playbill.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
The starry Twelfth Night from Shakespeare in the Park airs tonight on PBS. I talked to Great Performances producer David Horn about his goal to create a library of American Shakespeare performances, Suffs coming to PBS next May, and surviving despite the Trump administration. Anyway, donate to PBS
"Now bear with me here. Okay, this is the kind of stuff I talk about at dinner. So I'm going to drive you nuts." One of the most surreal conversations I've ever had, with Tom Hanks, where he told me about how the Atlantic Ocean was discovered and how he feels being a playwright
'Wonderful and Harrowing': Tom Hanks on What It's Like to Be a Playwright
The Oscar winner's This World of Tomorrow is playing the Shed. Hanks is not sure about Broadway just yet.
playbill.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:16 AM
"Now bear with me here. Okay, this is the kind of stuff I talk about at dinner. So I'm going to drive you nuts." One of the most surreal conversations I've ever had, with Tom Hanks, where he told me about how the Atlantic Ocean was discovered and how he feels being a playwright
Had the most surreal time at QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Saturday night. The real Jackie Siegel was in the room, along with her kids and friends, all dressed in pink. Jeanine Pirro was there too. And Jackie had her Pomeranian on her lap the whole time
November 11, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Had the most surreal time at QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Saturday night. The real Jackie Siegel was in the room, along with her kids and friends, all dressed in pink. Jeanine Pirro was there too. And Jackie had her Pomeranian on her lap the whole time
At the airport and I am very impressed with professionalism of the TSA agents. Because if I was being forced to work even though I am not getting paid, especially at the crack of dawn, I would hate everybody
November 9, 2025 at 11:31 AM
At the airport and I am very impressed with professionalism of the TSA agents. Because if I was being forced to work even though I am not getting paid, especially at the crack of dawn, I would hate everybody
Reposted by Diep Tran
Let this sink in. The President of the United States is now appealing a court order forcing him to feed starving children.
November 7, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Let this sink in. The President of the United States is now appealing a court order forcing him to feed starving children.
Reposted by Diep Tran
😎😎😎😎 GOOD THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN 😎😎😎😎
November 5, 2025 at 5:22 AM
😎😎😎😎 GOOD THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN 😎😎😎😎
I'm covering all the good plays this week about women. First: Liberation, where playwright Bess Wohl was told it would never see the light of day because there were too many women in it and it was too long. What a fool, the person who said that
Bess Wohl Was Once Told Liberation Was Unproduceable. Now It's on Broadway
Directed by Whitney White, Liberation is a 2.5-hour epic about women doing something radical: talking about their lives.
playbill.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I'm covering all the good plays this week about women. First: Liberation, where playwright Bess Wohl was told it would never see the light of day because there were too many women in it and it was too long. What a fool, the person who said that
Yesterday Dick Cheney died, I saw WICKED: FOR GOOD. Zohran won. All is as it should be. New York, there’s no place like home
November 5, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Yesterday Dick Cheney died, I saw WICKED: FOR GOOD. Zohran won. All is as it should be. New York, there’s no place like home
Astoria, Queens is really proving why it’s the best neighborhood in NYC. We put out AOC and Zohran, plus Chip Cookies, Brooklyn Bagel, and King of Falafel. Feel free to sample our food and politics, then spread the message to your own neighborhoods
November 5, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Astoria, Queens is really proving why it’s the best neighborhood in NYC. We put out AOC and Zohran, plus Chip Cookies, Brooklyn Bagel, and King of Falafel. Feel free to sample our food and politics, then spread the message to your own neighborhoods
So proud of my fellow New Yorkers who rejected fascism, and reaffirmed our values as a city where we take care of each other and embrace joy instead of hate and division. Cheers to my fellow comrades!
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 AM
So proud of my fellow New Yorkers who rejected fascism, and reaffirmed our values as a city where we take care of each other and embrace joy instead of hate and division. Cheers to my fellow comrades!
If news outlets going to bother to inform and educate our next generation, they’re going to capitulate themselves out of usefulness and existence.
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 4, 2025 at 2:18 AM
If news outlets going to bother to inform and educate our next generation, they’re going to capitulate themselves out of usefulness and existence.
You can tell we're in a recession. Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles are on sale for $10.95. As a frequent user of of candles, that's the cheapest they've been in YEARS
November 2, 2025 at 1:40 AM
You can tell we're in a recession. Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles are on sale for $10.95. As a frequent user of of candles, that's the cheapest they've been in YEARS
I’m truly a theater kid because Lily Allen singing about how her ex didn’t support her getting a lead role in a West End play made me go “throw the whole man away.”
November 1, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I’m truly a theater kid because Lily Allen singing about how her ex didn’t support her getting a lead role in a West End play made me go “throw the whole man away.”
I wish more rich people were like Daniel Radcliffe, who only makes headlines when he’s doing weird, esoteric projects and bringing attention to the arts. The rest of the time, he enjoys his life and makes if clear he doesn’t support transphobia.
October 29, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I wish more rich people were like Daniel Radcliffe, who only makes headlines when he’s doing weird, esoteric projects and bringing attention to the arts. The rest of the time, he enjoys his life and makes if clear he doesn’t support transphobia.
On a positive note, as someone who also lives in Astoria, I can confirm that Mamdani’s restaurant picks for the neighborhood are legitimately delicious and not basic. I support non Queens folks coming in for food, though please leave so the working class folks in the area don’t get priced out
October 29, 2025 at 10:34 PM
On a positive note, as someone who also lives in Astoria, I can confirm that Mamdani’s restaurant picks for the neighborhood are legitimately delicious and not basic. I support non Queens folks coming in for food, though please leave so the working class folks in the area don’t get priced out
Disappointed by the amount of Islamophobia and sexual harassment excusing I’m seeing on my feeds from fellow self-professed progressives. Just shows you that the left is not immune from fear mongering, disinformation, and tribalism.
October 29, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Disappointed by the amount of Islamophobia and sexual harassment excusing I’m seeing on my feeds from fellow self-professed progressives. Just shows you that the left is not immune from fear mongering, disinformation, and tribalism.
Those who loved JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN or EUREKA DAY should buy a ticket to LIBERATION. If you love great playwriting that is cathartic, speaks deeply to the present moment and our collective unease, but also doesn’t pretend to have answers….support LIBERATION and great storytelling
October 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Those who loved JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN or EUREKA DAY should buy a ticket to LIBERATION. If you love great playwriting that is cathartic, speaks deeply to the present moment and our collective unease, but also doesn’t pretend to have answers….support LIBERATION and great storytelling
I’ve been doing a Crazy Ex Girlfriend rewatch. It really was a perfect TV show. Such a miracle it got four seasons. “You Stupid Bitch” is such a classic anthem of self-loathing
October 24, 2025 at 1:10 AM
I’ve been doing a Crazy Ex Girlfriend rewatch. It really was a perfect TV show. Such a miracle it got four seasons. “You Stupid Bitch” is such a classic anthem of self-loathing
I break down the tentative new Actors Equity contract with the Broadway League. The most eye opening parts to me were the stipulations that didn’t make it in playbill.com/article/broa...
Broadway Actors to Receive 3 Percent Pay Increase With New Contract
Breaking down the tentative agreement between Actors' Equity and the Broadway League.
playbill.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:01 AM
I break down the tentative new Actors Equity contract with the Broadway League. The most eye opening parts to me were the stipulations that didn’t make it in playbill.com/article/broa...
Lots of silence from people who complained about the taking down of Confederate statues. Almost like it’s never about “history,” it’s only ever about power and letting the marginalized know who has it, and then panicking when they start to rise up
JUST IN: The White House has begun DEMOLISHING portions of the East Wing of the White House to build Trump’s $250 million ballroom — despite earlier claiming it wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing White House structure. (Washington Post)
October 23, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Lots of silence from people who complained about the taking down of Confederate statues. Almost like it’s never about “history,” it’s only ever about power and letting the marginalized know who has it, and then panicking when they start to rise up
The craziest thing about the Louvre heist is this isn’t the first time something’s been stolen from the museum. Someone stole the Mona Lisa one time by putting it under his coat abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
A history of heists at the Louvre: From the Mona Lisa to Napoleon's jewels
From the Mona Lisa to the jewels of Napoleon, the Louvre has experienced over a century of high-profile heists.
abcnews.go.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
The craziest thing about the Louvre heist is this isn’t the first time something’s been stolen from the museum. Someone stole the Mona Lisa one time by putting it under his coat abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Ragtime reminds me there’s not enough shows written for baritone voices. There’s an overemphasis on high notes in contemporary musicals; people have forgotten how comforting and powerful low notes can be
October 19, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Ragtime reminds me there’s not enough shows written for baritone voices. There’s an overemphasis on high notes in contemporary musicals; people have forgotten how comforting and powerful low notes can be
Went to No Kings then to the RAGTIME Broadway revival. It sucks to realize that people, then and now, are terrible. But there are good ones too, and we must stand together. For this revival, the last word “dream” is sung quietly instead of full out. A poignant choice; a dream still to be realized.
October 19, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Went to No Kings then to the RAGTIME Broadway revival. It sucks to realize that people, then and now, are terrible. But there are good ones too, and we must stand together. For this revival, the last word “dream” is sung quietly instead of full out. A poignant choice; a dream still to be realized.
Reposted by Diep Tran
Today I keep thinking about this lovely and troubling couplet from the musical Suffs:
Your ancestors are all the proof that you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
March for the generations to come, but also for the generations before us who fought good fights.
Why this quote? >
Your ancestors are all the proof that you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
March for the generations to come, but also for the generations before us who fought good fights.
Why this quote? >
October 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Today I keep thinking about this lovely and troubling couplet from the musical Suffs:
Your ancestors are all the proof that you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
March for the generations to come, but also for the generations before us who fought good fights.
Why this quote? >
Your ancestors are all the proof that you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
March for the generations to come, but also for the generations before us who fought good fights.
Why this quote? >
Corporate media was a mistake.
NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams
NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams
The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...
www.thewrap.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Corporate media was a mistake.