Sun, 22 December 2019
"Life as usual and then the sky falls in." There's a crater in the middle of the street - again. After a deadly car bomb explodes in the Sha'ab neighborhood of Baghdad, grocery store owner Abu Omar and his neighbors attempt to clear the rubble and assess the damage. Is this the new normal? Directed by Obie winner Omar Metwally (Guards at the Taj, "The Affair"), Emma Goldman-Sherman's COUNTING IN SHA'AB asks who - and what - counts in a community where everyday life is disrupted every day. Featuring Ramsey Faragallah ("Madam Secretary," "Mozart in the Jungle") Rasha Zamamiri ("Ramy," NYTW's Aftermath), Peter Ganim ("Quantico," Broadway's Oslo), and Eden Zane (The Tempest, Project Olympus), the episode also includes a behind-the-scenes conversation with host Claudia Catania, the playwright, and the creative team.
Direct download: Counting_In_Shaab_PMix_4_121919_1.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sat, 7 December 2019
Content advisory: this episode contains language and themes that may not be appropriate for younger listeners. "One of the richest, most complex pieces of acting I've seen in my theater going life." - The Wall Street Journal, on Stephen Lang's Beyond Glory A special release for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, BEYOND GLORY: JOHN WILLIAM FINN is part of the longer work Beyond Glory, by Stephen Lang. On the morning of December 7, 1941, when the attack on Pearl Harbor began, Medal of Honor recipient John William Finn was in bed with his wife. This is the sailor's own account of that day - and the life that came before and after - as adapted and performed across the world by Lang (Avatar, "Salem"). This installment also features Jeremy Davidson (Netflix's "Seven Seconds," "Army Wives").
Direct download: John_William_Finn_PMix_1_120519.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 24 November 2019
I know I’m not your therapist. I’m your brother. In THE WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING VIOLET by Max Baker, two brothers struggle with three of life’s great fears: death, guilt, and the false sparkle of domestic bliss. Brandon Dirden (All the Way on Broadway) and Jason Dirden ("Greenleaf," Broadway's A Raisin in the Sun) are directed by Carrie Preston (“True Blood,” “The Good Wife”). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the artists moderated by host Claudia Catania. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at BRIC Arts Media in downtown Brooklyn.
Direct download: Wonderful_Thanksgiving_Violet_PMix_1_112019.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 10 November 2019
It's summer in the city, and Laz and Hector are both on the run from something they can't quite name. Maybe the sudden need for speed has something to do with Laz's sister, who took off two weeks ago, or with Hector's wife, who just called from the hospital. Featuring Bobby Moreno ("Homeland," Lazarus, PoA's Ac After the play, host Claudia Catania joins director Christian Parker (New Neighborhood, Chair of Graduate Theatre at Columbia) and the cast for a behind-the-mic interview. |
Sun, 27 October 2019
Debra Monk, Johanna Day, Katie Finneran, and Zach Appelman star in the world-premiere audio production of LA TRAVIATA by Lisa D’Amour (Pulitzer Prize finalist for Detroit, Airline Highway). Outside of New Orleans, three sisters have gathered to celebrate Mother's Day and lament the scandalous fate of their poor, wayward nephew. But beneath their breezy porch gossip, there are family secrets of operatic proportions waiting to be uncovered. Tony & Emmy winner Monk ("Mozart in the Jungle," "NYPD Blue"), OBIE winner Day (Sweat, Proof), double Tony winner Finneran (Noises Off & Promises, Promises), and Appelman ("Sleepy Hollow," War Horse) are directed by Michael Wilson (Broadway's The Trip To Bountiful, PoA's An Upset). After the episode, join the artists & host Claudia Catania for a behind-the-mic discussion about Southern storytellers and family dynamics. LA TRAVIATA was commissioned by Playing on Air with the support of the Pearson Family Foundation. |
Sun, 13 October 2019
Sometimes, the most seductive offers come from unexpected messengers. Heartbroken on a Friday night, Franny (Jenn Harris) finds herself confronted by a charming bee (William Jackson Harper) with a buzzy - and delicious - proposal. Recorded live, 2B OR NOT 2B by Jacquelyn Reingold ("The Good Fight," HBO's "In Treatment) features Harper ("The Good Place," Midsommar, All the Way) and Harris ("High Maintenance," Gayby). After the play, host Claudia Catania joins director Michael Barakiva (Hangar Theatre), the playwright, and the cast for a discussion of unlikely inspiration, in love and art.
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Sun, 22 September 2019
"Have you spoken of it?" "No. No one." After 31 years apart, two widows meet by chance at a concert and consider the whirlwind romance that they didn't dare to pursue - until now. Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck, Netflix's "Tales of the City) and Tony nominee Maria Tucci (The Slap, Broadway's The Rose Tattoo) star in Leslie Ayvazian's There You Are. After the play, Ayvazian and host Claudia Catania discuss music onstage, desire, and the playwright's craft.
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Sun, 8 September 2019
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, PoA's The Blizzard) is both playwright and actor in the satirical short A LITTLE PART OF ALL OF US. Since 9/11, anxious hipster Joey (Eisenberg) has been haunted by survivor's guilt. Or -- maybe he's just co-opting a national tragedy to justify a decade of depression? A LITTLE PART OF ALL OF US also stars Justin Bartha (The Hangover trilogy, “The Good Fight”) as Ted, Joey's deadpan "friend." Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between host Claudia Catania and the cast.
Direct download: A_Little_Part_of_All_of_Us_Pmix_1_083019.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 25 August 2019
What would you sacrifice for a lifelong pal? A kidney? Your safety? $900 -- for a very specific television?
Direct download: Goodness_of_Your_Heart_PMix_1_080719.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 11 August 2019
The curtain is up. The show is in progress. But for two stage managers calling the cues behind the scenes, the night's most dazzling romance isn't playing out onstage. Written and directed by Jonathan Bernstein (PoA's Rules of Comedy & A Very Very Short Play), AT THE WATER'S EDGE, WET stars Callie Thorne (“Necessary Roughness,” “Rescue Me,” “The Wire”) and Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos (Broadway's Clybourne Park, "Better Call Saul," PoA's Hedgehog Years). Stay tuned after the performance for an in-studio conversation with the artists, moderated by host Claudia Catania.
Direct download: At_The_Waters_Edge_PMix_1_080419.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 28 July 2019
Michael C. Hall ("Dexter," Hedwig and The Angry Inch), Martha Plimpton ("The Good Wife," PoA's Gun Show), and actor-playwright Hamish Linklater (The Big Short, "Legion") star in NUDITY RIDER, a world-premiere comedy by Linklater. The cameras are ready to roll on the set of a New Orleans basic cable show, but the high-strung leading man, Keith Saturday, has a problem: his most up-close-and-personal scene has been unexpectedly rescheduled for today. And he's been eating. A lot. Now, an incisive production assistant (Hall) and no-nonsense makeup artist (Plimpton) must battle the clock - and assuage Saturday's ego - to save the shoot. After the episode, host Claudia Catania joins the cast and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Broadway's Hand to God, Bernhardt/Hamlet) for an in-studio interview about writing for radio and what it takes to be a successful actor. NUDITY RIDER is presented with the support of Fred Wistow. |
Sun, 14 July 2019
A wedding isn't a competition - until the mothers get involved. After gay marriage is legalized in New York, one meddling matriarch will stop at nothing to get her son to the altar. Starring Michael Urie (Broadway's Torch Song, "Ugly Betty," PoA's A Departure) and Tony winner Harriet Harris ("Frasier," "Desperate Housewives," Phantom Thread), MY HUSBAND by Paul Rudnick (The New Yorker, the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada musical) is directed by Claudia Weill (Girlfriends, HBO's "Girls," PoA's Hate Baby). After the short comedy, host Claudia Catania joins the artists for a behind-the-scenes discussion. MY HUSBAND was recorded live at BRIC House in Brooklyn, New York.
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Sun, 30 June 2019
"It's not luck, it's fate. You, me - a couple of old showbiz pros. At the same place, at the same time..." When a slick comedian (Ed Asner) and leading lady (Elizabeth Ashley), now both in their seventies, meet by chance in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, the retired performers catch a glimmer of the magic they've been missing in their daily lives. Also featuring Daphne Rubin-Vega and Peter Jacobson and directed by Michael Wilson, "The Simpsons" writer Mike Reiss's NEW YORK STORY is a wryly funny answer to the question, "Whatever happened to that guy?" After the play, the cast joins host Claudia Catania to chat about Vaudevillians and the tenacity showbiz requires. NEW YORK STORY was supported by Don and Linda Silpe.
Direct download: New_York_Story_CORRECTED_Single-Remaster_w_Attribution_-_rerelease.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 16 June 2019
Content warning: this play deals with themes of domestic violence. "You can’t really influence them. You can maybe adjust the trajectory a little bit, you can try to guide, but after a certain point? No." TWO DADS was recorded live at BRIC House in Brooklyn, New York. |
Sun, 26 May 2019
"Any words spoken by hedgehogs in this play are in translation. Please note that all translations are betrayals..." Emmy winner Carol Kane (The Princess Bride, Hester Street, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") and Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos ("Better Call Saul," Clybourne Park) star in Lily Akerman's Hedgehog Years, the second place winner of Playing on Air's 2018 James Stevenson Prize. When he was five, Theo (Shamos) met his best friend: an excitable hedgehog (Kane) who loves leftovers and longs to go to summer camp. Now, sifting through his memories, Theo must try to make sense of the days when he ran away from home and started living like an animal. Mischievous and heartbreaking, Hedgehog Years is an adventure for anyone who's ever ached to return to childhood. After the play, Tony winner and director Judith Ivey joins the cast, Akerman, and host Claudia Catania to discuss imagination and animal instincts. |
Sun, 12 May 2019
Content advisory: this episode contains themes that may not be appropriate for younger listeners. Sigrid has a new little bundle of joy, and she's worried that he might be... evil. Today, she's tagging out: this baby is her neighbor Darla's problem now. Just in time for Mother's Day, Gracie Gardner's HATE BABY, the winner of Playing on Air's 2018 James Stevenson Prize for Comedic Short Plays, delves into the often-gross, ever-changing world of new parenthood. HATE BABY features Emily Bergl (Broadway's The Ferryman, PoA's Evening at Anaheim), OBIE winner April Matthis (Elevator Repair Service, PoA's Wanting North), and Tony nominee Steven Boyer (Hand to God, PoA's An Upset). After the play, the artists join host Claudia Catania for an onstage interview. HATE BABY was recorded live at the 52nd Street Project in New York City.
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Sun, 28 April 2019
Content advisory: this episode contains explicit language and sexual references. When a cocky, jaded tennis star (David Harbour) loses a pivotal match to an inexperienced Romanian player (Steven Boyer), the two men lock into an unlikely battle for dominance on and off the court. Over the course of three encounters on the Grand Slam circuit, AN UPSET by David Auburn (Tony & Pulitzer winner for Proof) peers irreverently, and explosively, behind the locker room door. After the play, Tony nominees Harbour ("Stranger Things," Hellboy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and Boyer (Hand to God, "Trial & Error") join director Michael Wilson (PoA's Wildwood Park, Broadway's The Trip To Bountiful) and host Claudia Catania for an exclusive talk-back about working with your idols and what it means to be an amateur. AN UPSET was recorded live at the 52nd Street Project in New York City.
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Sun, 14 April 2019
Unwanted house guests. A murder of crows. Is something brewing in the raw, early morning? In TWO CROWS APART, Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder in "Game of Thrones,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Geraldine Hughes (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jerusalem, Playing on Air's The Mandela Effect) paint a virtuosic, unfiltered portrait of marriage. After the play, director and playwright Max Baker (Broadway's 1984, The Mandela Effect) and the cast join host Claudia Catania for a discussion of haters, lovers, and animal instincts.
Direct download: Two_Crows_Apart_PMix_1_032819.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 24 March 2019
What do you do when your former therapist starts talking to a cat that isn't there? When Nate meets his longtime psychiatrist in the park, he realizes that she may be losing it. With tenderness and humor, Cusi Cram's THE HELPERS asks if we can reconnect with the life-altering figures who were never exactly our friends to begin with. THE HELPERS stars Tony & Emmy winner Jane Alexander (Warm Springs, The Great White Hope) and Peter Jacobson (Dr. Chris Taub on “House,” "The Americans"). After the episode, director Mimi O’Donnell (Executive Director, Scripted at Gimlet), Cram, and the cast join host Claudia Catania to discuss pet loyalty, funding for theater, and the art of costume design. |
Sun, 10 March 2019
How do you eulogize a woman who everybody hated? In Peter Sagal's MILTON BRADLEY, Rabbi Schoenberg (Michael Stuhlbarg), faced with this dilemma, turns to a metaphor: the game of Life (the board game, that is). Featuring Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water) and Bob Balaban (Gosford Park, Christopher Guest & Wes Anderson ensemble regular), MILTON BRADLEY is a darkly funny exploration of where we're all headed one day. Stay tuned after the play for a conversation with playwright Peter Sagal (of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! fame). |
Sun, 24 February 2019
BEYOND GLORY "allows the voices of servicemen to be heard without the filter of the conventions of drama or the prerogatives of deadline-driven journalism" (NY Times). Since 2004, Tony-nominated actor Stephen Lang (The Speed of Darkness, Avatar) has traveled the nation - and the world - performing BEYOND GLORY, a gripping look into the lives of Medal of Honor-decorated veterans, both on and off the battlefield. A candid, vivid, and unsparing journey behind the front lines, CLARENCE SASSER tells the true story of a young Texan medic on a tour of duty in South Vietnam. After the play, Lang discusses his adaptation of BEYOND GLORY from Larry Smith's book of the same title, as well as his experiences performing the show for service members and veterans.
Direct download: Beyond_Glory_-_Clarence_Sasser_PMix_1_020419.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 10 February 2019
"I just don't like you very much... Just. Middle of the road not liking you, I think." In Chiara Atik's 52nd to Bowery to Cobble Hill, in Brooklyn, Halle is taking a late-night cab ride through Manhattan with her bubbly acquaintance Alison. Halle didn't mean to blurt out how she really feels about their "friendship," but now they're stuck in traffic on Broadway and 4th, dealing with it. Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Colt Coeur), Atik's modern comedy features Molly Bernard ("Transparent," "Younger") and Sue Jean Kim (Bachelorette, Playwrights Horizons, Public Theater).
Direct download: 52nd_to_Bowery_to_Cobble_Hill_PMix_1_020619.mp3
Category:Performing Arts -- posted at: 4:30am EDT |
Sun, 27 January 2019
Loureen is at the end of her rope. And now, she's just turned her husband into a pile of ashes. |
Sun, 13 January 2019
CARRY THE ZERO "gets the awkwardness of teenage hookup culture squeamishly right" (NY Times). Mark and Nicole just had sex for the first time, and now they're facing the long, embarrassing drive back to Nicole's house. Directed by John Giampietro, Christopher Sullivan's short play stars David Gelles (Graceland at LCT3, NBC's "Deception") and Arielle Goldman ("The Knick," "The Marvelous Ms. Maisel") in an intimate and brutally funny look back at sexual awakening in the age of instant messenger and indie rock. This episode contains adult themes that may not be suitable for some younger listeners. |
Sun, 6 January 2019
With a storm raging outside, a horror screenwriter (Jesse Eisenberg) and his wife (Heidi Schreck) are cozying up for a romantic weekend in the middle of nowhere. The weather outside is frightful -- and so is the mysterious couple that just arrived on their doorstep. Directed by John Rando and starring Eisenberg (The Social Network, Playing on Air's A Little Part of All of Us), Schreck (What the Constitution Means to Me), Alfredo Narciso (Time and the Conways, PoA's West of Stupid and Mere Mortals), and Sarah Sokolovic ("Homeland," PoA's Anniversary Stay tuned after this special bonus episode for a conversation with host Claudia Catania and the artists about Agatha Christie fandom and what makes art creepy.
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