Interview: Taibi Magar of WILDERNESS GENERATION at Philadelphia Theatre Company

Taibi Magar is the co-artistic director of Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC), where she most recently directed the world premiere of Pulitzer-Prize winner James Ijames' new play Wilderness Generation, which concluded its run earlier this month. 

I had the opportunity to sit down with Taibi before a matinee performance of Wilderness Generation prior to the production’s closing weekend. We discussed her path to becoming co-artistic director at PTC, her experience directing and collaborating with James Ijames’ on his brand-new play, and what keeps her passion for the arts aflame. 

Can you share what led you to your role as artistic director at Philadelphia Theatre Company? 

Oh, my goodness, what a big question. When I was 17, one of my acting teachers pulled me aside and said, "I think you're a director." And I went "how dare you," I was so offended, but he was like "come into my rehearsal," because he was directing "Master Harold"...and the Boys by Athol Fugard. I went to his rehearsal, and I was there for 30 seconds, and I was looking at him like, oh, that's what I want to do. It's an interesting thing to know you want to do at 17, because no one is handing you a production to direct. To learn how to direct at the age, you have to be scrappy, so I went into stage management and assistant directed as much as possible.  

I got my undergraduate degree in New York, and then I went to graduate school at Brown University, and shortly after that, I had my first big hit. The show started here in Philadelphia, Underground Railroad Game with Lightning Rod Special. It became a huge hit and went all over the world. And that sort of swung the door open. When Ben Brantley of The New York Times, the former chief theatre critic, when he blesses you, you're golden.  

Then it was working off-Broadway and regionally, until the pandemic, when everything stopped. While I was at graduate school, I met Tyler Dobrowsky who is the other artistic director at PTC. I would say that with graduate school I got an MFA and a husband, because that's how we met. But we weren't seeing each other that much because the freelance director's life is chaotic, always on the move. Starting rehearsals, opening shows, and so on. We started producing work together in the pandemic, and he and I would be up for different artistic director jobs, and finally we would try to go in together, like a package deal. Then Philly popped up, and I taught at The University of the Arts, and Philly is a great theater town, great city, and so we jumped at it. 

You mentioned that Wilderness Generation was not the initial James Ijames play you had in mind for this season. What was your initial reaction to the play when you first read it, and what inspired you to bring it to PTC as a director? 

We were initially interested in doing Good Bones, but the Arden was doing it, so he said “but I have this new play,” and he, Tyler, and I have known each other for ten years maybe, and we both loved his work, so we were like “a James Ijames premiere...” so before even reading it we were like yes absolutely, and then we both read it and were blown away. It is his big “house play,” like A Raisin in the Sun, August: Osage County, The Cherry Orchard, those kinds of big house plays, and I love those. I love the way that they navigate family and relationships, and they are not political in a macro way, but they are political in the inquisition to the human soul. The main thing about James Ijames that I wonder if it gets talked about enough is that he is so funny. He writes really funny work, and as someone who has to read 100 plays a week, I’m being hyperbolic of course, I think comedy is the hardest thing to write and it is so effortless for him. 

Producing new works is a collaborative process, and I know you worked closely with James to bring his play to life. Would you say the play has evolved much from reading it to bringing it to life on stage? 

This play has evolved big time. I think even before we got it, he had done some experiments with different characters, changes length, scenes, the act break, but the heart of the piece has never wavered. 

Tony Kushner famously said, “playwriting is rewriting,” and James is amazing at rewriting. It was always flawless at keeping it funny, even off the cuff. It even sometimes made it hard and amazing to shape with him because there would be these amazing jokes where I would be like these are amazing jokes, but to get to one scene sooner meant we had to spare them, and it was almost painful. James knew he had ten jokes behind whatever we had to cut, so he didn’t feel too bad about the rewrites. That is why we chose him because he is so funny and an amazing writer—and he is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. 

In three words, how would you describe Wilderness Generation?

I would say Wilderness Generation is hilarious, heartwarming, and endearing.  

What keeps you inspired and that creative flame burning as an artist and director? 

Other artists and people. The way to judge one’s career as an artist is usually to get to the top; whether that’s film to the Oscars, music to the Grammys, or theatre to the Tonys, but something shifted for me around 2015 when I was like I am fulfilled by who I am in the room with, and that feeds me. I love being on a journey, like going on a hike together, and you have some obstacles, but you have to work together and you’re all working towards that mountain. Sometimes it’s exhausting, sometimes it’s exhilarating, sometimes the view is amazing, and sometimes not, but you are all sticking together to work towards the same thing. That process for me is spiritually where I love to live. Learning and alchemizing arts and stories together. 

What are you looking forward to most in PTC’s 2026-2027 season? 

We have an incredible season next year, that I am so proud of. When Tyler and I were putting the season together, we had these three titles and we were going after them as our number one choices, but we were like “there’s no way we are going to get all three,” and we managed to pull it all together. I think Liberation is one of the greatest plays of the 21st century, and you’re going to think I’m crazy to say that Purpose and The Glass Menagerie are also some of the greatest plays of the 20th and 21st century. I am truly looking forward to it all. 

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