Roger Nasser, Emily Edwards, & Amy Overman of “It’s Getting Tired Mildred”

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It's Getting Tired Mildred by Roger Nasser at Frigid New York's UNDER St. Marks TheaterListen in as It’s Getting Tired Mildred playwright/director Roger Nasser, producer/performer Amy Overman, and performer Emily Edwards, discuss collaborative montages, space-hopping, the flexibility of a huge cast, putting the show together on a week-long schedule, letting the community help with production, rice krispie treats, growing with your long-running character, writing to who’s available, and what it’s like to produce “a live soap opera for the stage” monthly.

“…I felt like this was a way to keep the community engaged…and also, I had a theater-space that I could create a soap-opera that I jokingly made up as a child…”

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Sophie McIntosh, Nina Goodheart, BT Hayes, & Morgan S. Perry of “Benevolent”

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Good Apples Collective presents BENEVOLENT, written by Sophie McIntosh, directed by Nina GoodheartListen in as Benevolent playwright Sophie McIntosh, director Nina Goodheart, associate director & dramaturg BT Hayes, and actor Morgan S. Perry, discuss wicker basket handling, figuring out what you’re after, the meaning of “soiled shift,” historical blogs, finding the right word, “critical fabulation,” finding your washing style, the importance of intimacy direction, covering as an understudy, and writing past realities back into the narrative.

“…these corners of society that, at the time, were documented in a kind of less than…gracious? …what’s the word…”
“Benevolent?”
“Yeah! A less than benevolent way. […] What is missing from a section of society that was highly oppressed […] A lot of our conversations beyond the physical world of [1917…], a lot of it was about imagining beyond the archive, in a way that does not conform to the archive…”

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Samantha Blain, Casey Scott Leach, & Mikayla Stanley of “Isla”

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Hit The Lights! presents ISLA at WP TheaterListen in as story originator & performer Samantha Blain, puppet designer & performer Casey Scott Leach, and co-director Mikayla Stanley of Hit The Lights! Company’s new work ISLA discuss their company’s process, “why?,” making everything by hand, blending fiction and history, adding the audience, keeping so many experimental irons in the fire, allowing time to live, the importance of design, solenodons, and how your family’s story can become a magical piece of theatre.

“…it’s a story about three sisters that leave a war-torn island, and it’s inspired by my mom and my aunts fleeing from Cuba in 1969 on the freedom flights…”

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Tom Kelly, Andrew Block, Dan Patrick Brady, Evan Klein, & Kate Miller of “The Bathroom Attendant”

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Listen in as The Bathroom Attendant playwright Tom Kelly, director Andrew Block, and actors Dan Patrick Brady, Evan Klein, and Kate Miller, discuss timely genre fiction, writing what you like, Yoenis Céspedes heartbreak, folk tale heroes (and having your heroes disappoint you), recognizing the humanity in your fellow American, and “broken people trying to survive.”

“…you have all of these really robust, rich characters that exist on the fringe of society, and they all have these desperate needs…it’s dealt with laughs, and also with sustained tension…and ultimately, it’s a coming-of-age story for these two younger characters whose lives have been changed over the last 48 hours…”

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Duncan Pflaster & Neysa Lozano of “Incel Vanya”

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Cross-Eyed Bear Productions and The Tank present INCEL VANYA written and directed by Duncan PflasterListen in as Incel Vanya playwright & director Duncan Pflaster, along with actor Neysa Lozano (Selena), discuss titles from typos, the smartest character onstage, finding modern resonance in classic drama, “rehearsing with an audience,” icky grossness in charming characters, getting stuck because of your philosophy, putting the comedy back into Chekhov, and finding a way to make sure the show always goes on.

“…the more I started to think about it, the more it made sense that Vanya would be an incel, if he lived today; then all the pieces started to fit into place…this is a more straightforward modernization of the story, touching on what we’re all living through today…”

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Jason Tseng, Emily Hartford, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, & Brian Tong of “Fear & Wonder”

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Flux Theatre Ensemble presents FEAR & WONDER written by Jason Tseng directed by Emily HartfordListen in as Fear & Wonder playwright Jason Tseng, director Emily Hartford, and performers Neil Tyrone Pritchard (Ryan) and Brian Tong (Jabez), discuss falling back in love with faith, grappling with the harms that can come from traditions and institutions, changing the world by changing the story, and music, communion, & service.

“…it’s really kind of a meditation on queerness, faith, and how we love something that doesn’t know how to love us back…”

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Alex Tobey & Rachel Lin of “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!”

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I WANTTT A UNICORN FRAPPE!!! by Catherine Weingarten directed by Alex Tobey at The Tank NYCListen in as I WANTTT A UNICORN FRAPPE!!! director Alex Tobey & actor Rachel Lin (Jenny) discuss obsession with limited availability drinks, romantic anxiety, blending darkness & depth along with bright humor, presentation & artifice & longing, rehearsal tone conversations, finding something magical and big while also keeping it intimate, and the difference between living in a difficult reality vs. an artificial fantasy.

“…it’s a frothy, girly comedy about a young woman named Jenny…torn between ‘do I live in reality, and be unhappy, or do I go to this fantasy world that is a little distant…and maybe it’s not quite real, and maybe it’s actually unhealthy’…”

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Āsim Ali Naqvi, Yves Allen, Anissa Naji, Karan Khanna, & Nafis of “Down Once More”

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New York Theater Festival presents DOWN ONCE MOREListen in as Down Once More playwright Āsim Ali Naqvi, along with performers Yves Allen, Anissa Naji, Karan Khanna, & Nafis, discuss identity, the supernatural, expanding what’s allowed to be discussed and by whom, meeting your favorite character, wearing multiple hats, showing up as yourself, and the play’s complicated blend of science, psychology, spirituality, queerness, career, and attention.

“…hella juicy…”

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Michael Quinn of “Feltman: World’s First Hot Dog”

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Listen in as Michael Quinn, writer & performer of Feltman: World’s First Hot Dog, discusses bringing back a piece of Coney Island history, “never-ending conflict,” finding fulfillment, immigrant stories creating American classics, the hot dog business, and “doing something that scares the hell out of you.”

“…I just figured this was something I really, really wanted to do…I really love this part of the journey of my play, because every time I perform it, I discover something new…for me, it’s about being a human being, onstage…”

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Ally Callaghan & Julio Cesar Gutierrez of “Love Story”

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Listen in as actors Ally Callaghan (Maria) and Julio Cesar Gutierrez (Marc) of Aurora Stewart de Peña’s Love Story, presented in its world premiere by The Tank and Voyage Theater Company, discuss theatrical roller-coaster rides, building props and scenery in space, stage directions, feeling the space, heaviness & fun, getting from point A to point B, mid-’00s dramaturgy, and “grief, afterlife, & the unknown.”

“…from the people that have come to see it, they’ve said that they’ve felt really impacted by the show, and it left them thinking a lot. I think this tackles grief in a way that I’ve never seen it tackled before…so I think because of that, it leaves a lot of questions to ask, and a lot of questions to be answered…”

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