If you follow theaters anywhere in America, you know that spring is officially Season Announcement Season! Across the country, theater companies are revealing their upcoming slate of plays (and pretending the choices were effortless).

We’re often asked how the season actually comes together: What do we look for? What do we argue about? What makes a play feel “Forward”? In this episode, we unpack the thinking behind our 2026–27 Past is Prologue season and talk about why these four stories from the past are pointed squarely at our present.

Suzan Fete is a founder and Artistic Director of Renaissance Theaterworks in Milwaukee, WI, celebrating their 33rd season of producing plays while promoting the work of women, both on and offstage. As Suzan approaches retirement from Renaissance, we invited her to reflect on her career, the evolving role of feminism on stage, and her dreams for the future of American theater.

Inspired by our rolling world premiere of Lady Disdain by Lauren Gunderson (a modern rom-com set in the world of romance publishing), we decided to get a little dirty and talk about our own guilty pleasures. No apologies, no filters. From sit-coms to Andrew Lloyd Webber to french fries and (GASP) preferring Love's Labor's Lost over Richard II, the team opens up about their own guilty pleasures, and why it's important to never yuck anyone's yum.