Ashley J. Jacobson, Elizabeth Sarkady, Faith Sandberg, Jenna D’Angelo, & Brandon Ferraro of “How to Be Safe”

The Dirty Blondes present HOW TO BE SAFE, written by Ashley J. Jacobson, directed by Cezar WilliamsListen in as The Dirty Blondes, Elizabeth Sarkady and Ashley J. Jacobson (whom you’ll remember from past podcasts on The Miracle Play and The Tunnel Play), along with the full cast—Faith Sandberg, Jenna D’Angelo, and Brandon Ferraro—discuss the company’s new play How to Be Safe, finding relevance in the present moment, the “low hum of anxiety,” the draw of terrible true crime shows, the incredible experience of having a theatrical home-base, being a sponge (then wringing yourself out), and finding safety & solace in the theater.

“…the election happened, and that made me question what I was going to be putting out into the world. It needed to be relevant, it needed to speak to something. And so I figured, ‘let me just create the most honest, emotional show that I could, because that felt like my own personal safety, and that felt like my own personal contribution, to talk about how afraid I feel, and how afraid I think other people feel…”

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Stephanie C. Cunningham, Madison Comerzan, Jenna D’Angelo, Kim Krane, and Leslie Marseglia of “Keep”

KEEP by Francesca Pazniokas, directed by Stephanie C. CunninghamWhat do we hold on to? And why?

In Francesca Pazniokas’ play Keep, currently being co-produced by Wide Eyed Productions and Mastodon Theatre Company, Naomi is holding on to a lot of things—and her sisters Jane and Kara want to help her get rid of them. But as they dig through her hoarded possessions, they dredge up a lot more than just the artifacts Naomi’s hoarded in her home.

Listen in as the actors playing the four sisters of the play, Madison Comerzan, Jenna D’Angelo, Kim Krane, and Leslie Marseglia, along with director Stephanie C. Cunningham, discuss uncomfortable laughter, co-producing, getting kicked out of load-in, working with your chosen sisters, reading plays to your cat, and connecting with your audience’s hoarding tendencies.

“…together we thought, if our powers unite, awesome things exponentially will happen…”

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