Samuel D. Hunter is the MacArthur genius award-winning playwright who may have started small — as a teenager growing up in Idaho — but has since assembled a deep roster of plays set there. And that’s the point: small towns, all the better to explore big ideas. A Bright New Boise, Lewiston/Clarkston, Pocatello. For his latest, Greater Clements, he mines new territory, and he says it's both his most personal and his most ambitious attempt yet. This is the first of our one-on-one, writer-to-writer conversations about not just a play, but the full backdrop on what it takes to create theater, and a full body of work. We’re calling them our “backdrop eavesdrops."

Greater Clements is currently playing at Lincoln Center Theater through January 19, 2020. For tickets and information, visit www.lct.orgSee a montage from the show at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGU_RfSApvELearn more about the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cEKBVZyj2AVisit Lincoln Center Theater on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Connect with usFollow Kevin Bleyer and Nella Vera on Twitter: @kevinbleyer / @spinstripesThe Backdrop on Twitter and Instagram: @backdroppodcast https://www.facebook.com/TheBackdropPodcastEmail us with story ideas or feedback: [email protected]

CreditsThe Backdrop is hosted by Kevin Bleyer and produced by Nella Vera.The Backdrop artwork is by Philip Romano.Special thanks to Lincoln Center Theater and Nick Buchholz.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices