Lisa Sanaye Dring on “Death Play,” “Sumo,” and the Wisdom of Accepting Loss

Playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring. (Photo by Stephanie Girard)

The Subtext

May 15, 2026 Brian James Polak Leave a comment

Lisa Sanaye Dring Builds Mind Palaces

The playwright and director from Hawaii and Nevada discusses ‘Death Play,’ ‘Sumo,’ yearning, loneliness, and the wisdom of accepting loss.

By Brian James Polak

Each month on The Subtext,  Brian speaks with a playwright about life, writing, and whatever itches we are scratching.

This time, he chats with Lisa Sanaye Dring, a playwright originally from Hilo, Hawaii, and Reno, Nevada, best known for her wrestling drama SUMO , the sci-fi two-hander Kairos , and the solo show Death Play . Dring walks us through their journey from acting to playwriting, from history with Actors Theatre of Louisville to current projects, including Public Record with Public Works at the Delacorte. The discussion spans the challenges and rewards of balancing work and life, the importance of community, the evolving nature of success in the theatre industry, and some inspiration from Sufi poet Hafez and French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.

SUMO was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, and won an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, among other accolades. Dring also won the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting last year and was the 2024 Tow Foundation Resident Playwright with Ma-Yi Theater Company. Says Dring of being a playwright, “What a cool thing to spend our lives doing. Plays are so cool because you build this mind palace with yourself. And how many mind palaces can you fill with growth and self-sovereignty and also generosity and care?”

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jssii3cgi899dtxy/Lisa_Sanaye_Dring_1_aux4u.mp3

This episode can also be found  here , and will be available on  iTunes  and  Spotify.

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La Jolla Playhouse Lisa Sanaye Dring Ma-Yi Theater Company Public Theater Showcase

_Originally reported by [American Theatre](https://www.americantheatre.org/2026/05/15/lisa-sanaye-dring-builds-mind-palaces/)._