Tjaša Ferme, Nasay Ano, Melody Munitz, Arianne Banda, & Thammie Quach of “BIOADAPTED”

Transforma Theatre Inc presents BIOADAPTED, created and directed by Tjaša Ferme, written by James Yu, Alexis Roblan, & Tjaša Ferme with transcripts and interviews, presented at CultureLab LICListen in as BIOADAPTED creator & director Tjaša Ferme, along with performers Nasay Ano, Melody Munitz, Arianne Banda, & Thammie Quach, discuss the benefits of a long development process, collaborating with AI, learning as an actor just what all these concepts mean, how to welcome an audience of theatre-people into a show about those same difficult tech concepts, the deep space/slow time benefit of a residency, mosaics, and show as meatball.

“…even if you’re someone who doesn’t know a ton about AI, or what’s inside that black box, or how it’s functioning in society right nows on the levels we can’t always see, I think people have a perception about what it is: maybe it’s creepy, maybe it’s robotic […] we had a lot of conversations about playing into the expectations of what an audience would think an AI would be, and how can we bend those expectations and expand on them…”

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Lucie Tiberghien, Michelle Veintimilla, and Matthew Rauch of “Tartuffe or The Hypocrite”

Moliere in the Park presents TARTUFFE, or, The Hypocrite, directed by Lucie Tiberghen, in Brooklyn's Prospect ParkListen in as Molière in the Park founding artistic director Lucie Tiberghien, director of the company’s World English-language Premiere of Molière’s original three-act version of TARTUFFE or The Hypocrite, along with performers Michelle Veintimilla and Matthew Rauch, discuss inviting in the audience, staying focused, feminism in 17th century France, creating space for open theatrical magic, and bringing accessible, free theatre to Brooklyn.

“…really, the idea is to democratize access to theatre, and also play our part in diversifying access. We have this vision that Brooklyn is a place where everyone can benefit equally from access to the arts, and to theatre.”

“It’s been so cool to see people walk by, and see them be intrigued, and then decide to sit and watch…”

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Kara Feely & Daniel Allen Nelson of “HOUSECONCERT”

Object Collection presents HOUSECONCERTListen in as HOUSECONCERT writer/director/performer/drummer Kara Feely, along with fellow performer / production manager Daniel Allen Nelson, discuss actors playing instruments and musicians doing actions, reacting to the energy of the audience, finding ways to get from one thing to another, how different audiences can interact with the same piece, and “resurrecting the ghosts of past house concerts.”

“…we got our start sort of performing in peoples’ living rooms, and going to house concerts and more informal things. So we had this idea that, coming out of the pandemic when we were all at home all the time…that it would be kind of interesting, instead of inviting people into our home, that we would turn the theater into our home…”

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Duncan Pflaster, Clinton Powell, and Wyn Delano of “Harmony Hall”

Cross-Eyed Bear Productions presents HARMONY HALL, written and directed by Duncan Pflaster, starring Clinton Powell and Wyn Delano, part of the 2023 FRIGID Fringe Festival at UNDER St. Marks, photo by Duncan Pflaster PhotographyListen in as Harmony Hall playwright & director Duncan Pflaster, along with the cast of Wyn Delano and Clinton Powell, discuss inspiration from terrible/wonderful Tennessee Williams adaptations, what is and is not a “pandemic play,” personal connections to the material, grounding your characters, the challenges of putting a show up in a festival, religious trauma, and the joy of working on poetic new work.

“…this is one of those things where we put our hearts and soul into it, all of us, it’s a very meaningful show…something where I think people will get a lot out of it if they see it, but to see it, you gotta do the old-school theatre thing and put your butt in the seat.”

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Diane Davis & Illana Stein of “Complicity”

Eden Theater Company presents COMPLICITY, written by Diane Davis, directed by Illana Stein, at The New Ohio TheaterListen in as Complicity playwright Diane Davis, along with director Illana Stein, discuss finding a different way to approach a well-known story, the illusion of power, the timeliness of this play about history, holding each other accountable, “heart and humanity,” complexity in complicity, how systems perpetuate themselves, the importance of intimacy direction, and who is responsible when bad things happen.

“…this is the play of women trying to wrestle out their roles in allowing the deconstruction of rights…and the way that assault is perpetuated…We’d like to think it’s gone. The idealist is gonna say, ‘We’ve come so far!’…and yes, we’ve come a long way, but we still don’t have parity…those needles haven’t moved…”

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Heather E. Cunningham & Sara Thigpen of “On the Verge”

Retro Productions presents Eric Overmyer's ON THE VERGE at The Gene Frankel Theater, directed by Sara ThigpenListen in as Retro Productions Artistic Director Heather E. Cunningham, who also plays Fanny in the cast, along with director Sara Thigpen, discuss looking at the past through the lens of theatre and theatre through the lens of history, enthusiasm to jump in and play, suggestions vs. specificity, getting back to the live space post-COVID, and how it seems like everything comes back around again, in their production of Eric Overmyer’s On the Verge.

“…I love what it says about America, what it says about our history. The language is beautiful…”

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Alec Duffy & Lori Elizabeth Parquet of “White on White”

Hoi Polloi presents WHITE ON WHITE, written by Robert Quillen Camp, co-directed by Alec Duffy & Lori Elizabeth Parquet, at JACK BrooklynListen in as White on White co-directors Alec Duffy & Lori Elizabeth Parquet discuss the Hoi Polloi process, developing and discovering a play with the playwright, avoiding spoilers, how to examine whiteness in a theatrical context, troubling the waters, taking theatre to an extreme place, and asking questions that we’re all “answering for ourselves, all the time.”

“…this is difficult stuff to talk about intellectually, let alone theatrically…to really tell the truth about what whiteness is. Because I feel like one of the tools of whiteness is to be vague about it, to be obscure about it, to not be straightforward about it…so that it can continue to exist…”

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Sara Fellini, Jillian Cicalese, & Caitlin Dullahan-Bates of “Ectoplasm”

Spit & Vigor presents ECTOPLASM, written & directed by Sara Fellini, at The Players Theatre, 2022Listen in as Ectoplasm playwright & director Sara Fellini, along with cast members Jillian Cicalese and Caitlin Dullahan-Bates, discuss “life and death and lust and love,” the stories we tell ourselves as we try to determine the truth, navigating society’s return to live in-person theatre while COVID is still a thing, layers of artifice and reality, and what it means to be making work together again.

“Right now, we don’t need tv. We don’t need movies. We have SO MANY SCREENS…you need a human being in front of you, who might make a mistake…who might do something brilliant and amazing that you would never see, you’d never feel the energy in the room…”

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Andy Boyd, Katie Palmer, and Paul Bedard of “Occupy Prescott”

Theatre in Asylum presents OCCUPY PRESCOTT, written by Andy Boyd, directed by Katie Palmer and Paul Bedard, at Jalopy Tavern, BrooklynListen in as playwright Andy Boyd, along with Theatre in Asylum co-Artistic Directors (and the play’s co-directors) Katie Palmer and Paul Bedard, discuss how it feels to watch a history play about something we all lived through, doing the thing, the value of gathering together, how Occupy issues are still a part of the zeitgeist, producing in a pandemic, finding the corners, and what happens when five very different people get together to try to change the world.

“…one of the things I love about the piece is that it shows the value of gathering together, and it shows the value of trying to do something whether or not you succeed…”

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Sean Williams, Jordana Williams, & Mac Rogers of Gideon Media

Gideon MediaListen in as producer/actor Sean Williams, director Jordana Williams, and playwright/actor Mac Rogers of Gideon Media/Gideon Productions discuss how they connected with legendary playwright Wallace Shawn to bring two of his stage plays to the radio drama realm, the outgrowth of Gideon Media from Gideon Productions, adapting Mac’s indie plays for audio podcasts, using short-hand with your long-time collaborators, getting through (and out of) the pandemic, how to get that “indie theatre” feel on the mic, the benefits of creating in a new medium, and why, come what may, we’ll all be back in those tiny dark spaces telling stories together, soon.

“…at any second, the whole thing might fall apart, and at any second, something magical might happen…”

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