A Conversation with Deb Hiett

The playwright shares about the art of creating the audio drama.

With the closing of theatres due to COVID-19, we have seen the revival of an almost forgotten form of storytelling — the radio drama.

In November, the Antaeus Theatre Company released their podcast series, The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles. Each play in the series takes place in a different zip code region of Los Angeles, and each was penned by a member of the Antaeus Playwrights Lab.

One of the playwrights, Deb Hiett, set her story, All Information Herein is Classified, in Westwood — zip code 90024.

Fresh from participating in street protests for the very first time, 80-year old Westwood (90024) resident Eleanor Pender McAdams seems an unlikely subject for an FBI investigation. All Information Herein Is Classified, written by Deb Hiett, directed by Carolyn Ratteray and starring Dawn Didawick, Bo Foxworth and Catia Ojeda, is an “official” compilation of recordings and interviews that reveals the complexities of standing up for something bigger than yourself in the modern world.

Below, Hiett talks about the art of creating the audio drama.