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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Carrie Heitman, Kyle Abourizk, Leah McVeigh, Cynthia Babak, & Parnia Ayari of “Plan C”

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Listen in as Hook & Eye Theater ensemble members and collaborating devisers on Plan C—Carrie Heitman (director), Kyle Abourizk (assistant director), Leah McVeigh (production management), Cynthia Babak (performer), & Parnia Ayari (performer)—discuss their devising process, solving problems by hand, modern resonance, getting your people into a room together, lemons worth squeezing, trusting your collaborators, taking risks, politics and somatic experiences, and organizing to defeat a systemic problem.

“…we have collaborated over the years—trust does grow. It’s a real joy to work with people who you know have your back, and the only way you can do that is by doing a bunch of things with them, and failing, and picking it up…it’s unique…”

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Philip Kenner & James Wyrwicz of “The Mall The Mall The Mall”

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Listen in as The Mall The Mall The Mall playwright Philip Kenner and director James Wyrwicz discuss setting the conditions for the tone, early teenage friendships, double-dip playwriting, the benefit of creative restrictions, Scooby-Doo as text, playing in a video-game-like world, reference bombardment, wonderful and horrible moments of transformation, and how when everything is meaningless, anything can have all the meaning in the world.

“…it’s been three years of watching this play become even more itself, sort of like the characters in the play. It started in a place of zaniness and silliness, and it’s only found more depth, and more truth, and brighter colors and louder sounds…it’s just such a blast to be part of that room…”

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Issy Knowles of “Body Count”

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Listen in as Issy Knowles, the creator & performer of Body Count, discusses imploding and exploding your work, putting a feminist lens on porn, clicking with your collaborators, how online sex culture bleeds back into society, the commodification of intimacy, audience involvement, and the ongoing loneliness of this modern world.

“I think what’s interesting is everybody in this scenario is actually being dehumanized…not just the girls who are hosting, and participating, but the men that are also participating, they are being dehumanized, they are just a number in the queue. So everyone wins! But everyone loses. They get what they came for, but at what cost?”

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Carolina Ðỗ & Isabel Criado of “ExtraO1dinary Aliens!”

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Listen in as ExtraO1dinary Aliens! playwright Carolina Ðỗ and assistant director/stage manager Isabel Criado discuss nightmares becoming reality, bureaucratic flattening, telling stories to heal, collaboration & community & education, and growing, changing, & becoming more real.

“It’s about people trying to survive the American government…”
“…while pursuing the American dream. Which is such a paradox. But a reality.”

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Barry Boehm & Christopher Borg of “Our House”

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Listen in as Our House playwright Barry Boehm and actor Christopher Borg discuss wedding jitters, putting your play in history, living a life of dignity & honesty & joy anywhere, legacy, sticking your foot in it but trying to do better, rom-com energy, & the history and importance of the producing company, TOSOS.

“…I’ve had the basic ideas of this play for many years…originally it was going to be about the life of gay people, comparing the East Coast to the Midwest…then as I got older, it became a more intergenerational discussion…things just sort of changed…it’s about people that are trying to find their voice, and express who they are, but are often caught up…they experience crises in different ways…”

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