Kana Seiki, Celeste Samson, Anuka Sethi, Josie Rose Hand, & Mason Forringer of “Alexandria”

Pop Up! Productions presents ALEXANDRIA, written by Markley Bortz, directed by Jack Morrill, at Dixon PlaceListen in as actors Kana Seiki, Celeste Samson, Anuka Sethi, Josie Rose Hand, Mason Forringer of Alexandria discuss “Category-5 dystopia,” clinging to things we shouldn’t, ominous vibes, finding hope in the library, collaboration and trying and exploring weird new things, overnight set changes, post-apocalyptic skills, & how “saying and doing are two very different things.”

“…as much as we’re talking about doom and gloom, of survival in an apocalyptic world, I do think that there is a lot of love and humor and kindness that comes out of that. In this play in particular, when you don’t have the fluff of everything that is important to us in 2025, you get to witness people at their rawest, the very human experience…”

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Scott C. Sickles, Jesse Edward Rosbrow, Amanda LaPergola, Brian Silliman, & Alyssa Simon of “Hellish Delights”

Theatre Beyond Broadway presents HELLISH DELIGHTS, written by Scott C. Sickles, directed by Jesse Edward RosbrowListen in as Hellish Delights playwright Scott C. Sickles, director Jesse Edward Rosbrow, and performers Amanda LaPergola, Brian Silliman, Alyssa Simon, discuss finding delight in characterizations, humor traps, storytelling, second chances and the effects of time on the work, finding the through-line, puppets, and what it means to be in hell.

“…I feel like the plays, parts of them, feel very different now than they did five years ago. I don’t know much of that is just that, our world has changed…how much of it was, it was in the back of our minds, ‘working’ for five years, or, we’re five years older, with five years more experience…”

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Christopher Lee, David Carl, & Philip Cruise of “Fat Cat Killers”

SparkPlug Productions in association with Thin Duke Productions and The Gene Frankel Theatre present FAT CAT KILLERS, written by Adam Szymkowicz, directed by Andrew BlockListen in as the cast of this timely production of Fat Cat KillersChristopher Lee (co-producer), David Carl, & Philip Cruise (co-producer)—discuss bumbling buddies, coincidental Caribbean encounters, the brilliance & great works of playwright Adam Szymkowicz, finding “more murdery” stuff, status shifts, continuous character discovery, and just how two lonely cogs in the corporate wheel could get in way over their heads.

“…as soon as we read the play, we were like, ‘we have to do it.’ […] And we don’t promote Luigi, and I don’t think the play does—but I think the play really addresses American exceptionalism…”

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Frank Pagliaro, Leslie Kincaid Burby, Nikaury Rodriguez, Jesse Castellanos, Miguel K. Reis, Laura Fois, & Cameron Mark Russell of “Bread of Life”

UP Theater Company presents BREAD OF LIFE, written by Frank Pagliaro, directed by Leslie Kincaid BurbyListen in as Bread of Life playwright Frank Pagliario, director Leslie Kincaid Burby, along with the cast of Nikaury Rodriguez, Jesse Castellanos, Miguel K. Reis, Laura Fois, & Cameron Mark Russell, discuss Catholic School upbringing, charismatic cults, Biblical and modern language, vibrant colors, what Jesus asked us to do, and the wreckage that is left behind.

“…I just think it’s a really interesting way to look at…a charismatic cult leader, about what happens to women who are left behind when partners go off to do their adventure, and they’re left to somehow hold things together…”

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Kayla Eisenberg & Stephanie Cox-Connolly of “Lilith in Pisces”

Drops in the Vase presents LILITH IN PISCES, written by Kayla Eisenberg, directed by Stephanie Cox-ConnollyListen in as Lilith in Pisces playwright Kayla Eisenberg, along with director Stephanie Cox-Connolly, discuss missed connections, revealing secrets, Jekyll & Hyde, starting from anywhere, campfire plays, designer collaborations, staging the unstageable, adjacency to horror, “a little bit of not-sympathy,” Stephanie’s recipe for making stage-ready mac & cheese, and things that are funny until they’re not.

“…I don’t know if it was the stars in the sky as we were reading this, or the fire started getting more fire-y, but there was a feeling with this that, THIS is a play we need to produce…I wanted plays that had that living room drama kinda feel…I like that kinda feeling of…just, ‘what is happening?’ that had theatrics in it that no one in their right mind would want to do…”

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Nick Thomas, Adam Belvo, & Azumi Tsutsui of “Anonymous”

Spit & Vigor presents ANONYMOUS by Nick Thomas at Tiny Baby BlackboxListen in as Anonymous playwright & director Nick Thomas, along with performers Adam Belvo (Michael) and Azumi Tsutsui (Diana), discuss sharing a character, letting the story pour out, the relief of the audience, “embedded” theatre, “rehearsal with a bunch of strangers,” going “full Australian business-bro,” finding a character that’s far from you, taking us back to the (awesome) 1990s, and the potential of anonymity.

“…it has a different feeling of freshness. Like, I can feel the people sitting beside me, and they don’t know what’s going on, but hearing the story for the first time…I can feel, people are feeling it…”

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Dan Kitrosser of “HOMOS! A Solo Disaster Musical, Bitch”

HOMOS! A Solo Disaster Musical, Bitch by Dan Kitrosser, directed by Kyle Metzger, at The Stonewall InnListen in as Dan Kitrosser, playwright and performer of HOMOS! A Solo Disaster Musical, Bitch, discusses eerie timing, controlling the audience, fun Tony Kushner references, integrating children’s theatre performing techniques, the need for clowns, finding where you fit in the world, and distilling down your large-scale musical to be done by yourself (because scheduling is hard).

“…for so many years, I was like, ‘okay, I do that kind of performance, then I have my plays,’ and those are two different things. And I realized that, that in and of itself creates an antagonistic structure…I’m interested in what happens if we redefine what theatre is…”

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Kimille Howard & Cezar Williams of The Fire This Time Festival 2025

Season 16 of The Fire This Time Festival, 2025, featuring works by FELISPEAKS, Brittany Fisher, TyLie Shider, Garrett Turner, Jeanette W. Hill, & D.L. Patrick, directed by Kimille Howard, at The Wild ProjectListen in as the Director of the shows in this year’s The Fire This Time Festival, Kimille Howard, along with Producing Artistic Director Cezar Williams, discuss finding balance, discovering musical talent, bringing together black voices in the theatre, finding new collaborators, figuring out the big game of scheduling Tetris, leaning into the practicalities, and making magic.

“…it’s a theatrical event…to amplify the career of black playwrights…we pull together an incredible team of artist…and it’s always a good time.”

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Bernard Bosio, Elena Lozonschi, Camila Melgar, Claude Choukrane, Ted Thompson, & Phil Williams of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”

The Heights Players present THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Bernard BosioListen in as The Last Days of Judas Iscariot director Bernard Bosio, along with performers Elena Lozonschi, Camila Melgar, Claude Choukrane, Ted Thompson, & Phil Williams, discuss the culture of Heights Players, the importance of understudies, the sound of real New York dialogue, despair and hope, vibe shifts, inspiring conversations, relying on your collaborators, and the brilliance of Stephen Adly Guirgis.

“…people do make mistakes, and some of them are catastrophic…but are all of them irredeemable?”

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Kallan Dana, Julia Greer, and Sarah Blush of “Racecar Racecar Racecar”

The Hearth presents RACECAR RACECAR RACECAR, written by Kallan Dana, directed by Sarah BlushListen in as Racecar Racecar Racecar playwright Kallan Dana, director Sarah Blush, and producer/performer Julia Greer, discuss the open road of a script, symmetry & palindromic structures, complicated father relationships, creating breaks, emergency relocations, and taking road trips with your collaborators.

“…I’m a person who tries to talk and talk until I can get to what I mean, and I’m always failing. The words are always failing you. And so I think that feels like a really emotionally true thing for me, and that was part of the fun for generating the language in this play…”

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