Beckett’s Babies
By Beckett’s Babies
Beckett’s BabiesApr 15, 2019
149. WE ARE BACK FOR SEASON 5, BABIES!
Hello, listeners!
We officially started Kindergarten and we're a little nervous after taking a long break! In this episode, we share a few life updates. One of us had a baby so you better tune in to find out WHO. And we all want to know... will their baby go into the life of theater?!
GLISTENS:
Cho: trying out commonplace book / using Wit & Delight journal notebook
Sam: Nightwalking podcast Bianca Giaever and Terry Tempest Williams
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Instagram @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
148. SEASON FINALE: when babies become toddlers... 4 years, baby.
THAT'S A WRAP FOR SEASON 4! Thank you all so much for tuning in every week and hear us chat about all things playwriting. We loved every single one of our guests on this season so even if they're not mentioned, we suggest you going back and give it a listen!
Thank you again for another incredible season. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season... See you next year!
GLISTENS
Cho - Random stuff Collier - Someone should write a play about this by Charlotte T. Martin____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
147. TOPIC: Location in Plays
Hello, listeners! In today’s episode we get into a discussion about all things locations! Location in plays, writing location into a play, and whether or not location informs the play. We read the following plays inspired by places we lived or currently living to help us get into the discussion.
Plays we read:
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith
Almost, Maine by John Cariani
Leaving Iowa by Tim Clue and Spike Manton
GLISTENS
Sam - 24 hour play festival
Cho - Hocus Pocus & Hocus Pocus 2
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
146. PLAY: Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias
Every month, we pick a play to discuss, and for this week's episode we read "Native Gardens" by Karen Zacarias. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. SPOILER ALERT: There are going to be some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
Glistens:
Sam - chokecherries
Cho - Youtube channel "Korean Englishman"
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
145. We took a very short hiatus and now we're back...!!!
Hey listeners! We had a very busy summer! It's been awhile since we last recorded so we're checking in!
GLISTENS
Sarah: Pregnant & Michigan
Sam: Bear Poop
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
144. TOPIC: New Play Development
Hello, listeners! In today’s episode we get into a discussion about new play development! Sarah attended the Great Plains Theatre Conference this past year and had an incredible time! We share our thoughts about attending New Play Development and Conferences. We hope you enjoy this discussion!
GLISTENS
Sam: chili lime rolled tortilla chips
Sarah: Cheeseburger Wrap from TJ’s
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
143. SPECIAL TOPIC: Intimacy Design & Training with Dr. Kate Busselle
Hello listeners! Get ready to LEARN something today! We're super stoked to have Dr. Kate Busselle joining us to discuss Intimacy Design and Training in Theatre. This was such an insightful discussion. We know you will learn a thing or two!
Dr. Kate Busselle is Founder of Heartland Intimacy Design & Training, which offers academic, accessible, and affordable intimacy training entirely online through self-paced asynchronous modules. She is also Assistant Professor of Movement and Stage Combat at the University of Oklahoma and is an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. As a researcher, Kate is invested in not only providing the tools of staging intimacy, but providing context as to how and why theatrical intimacy, nudity, and sexual violence needs to be staged. Most recently, she served as the Conference Intimacy Consultant for the Great Plains Theatre Commons Playlab.
To learn more about Dr. Kate and her work, be sure to check her out on social media!
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandintimacydesign
Instagram: @heartlandintimacydesign, @drdangerouswoman
Twitter: @Heartland_ID, @drkatebusselle
Website: heartlandintimacydesign.com
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
142. INTERVIEW: G. Flores
Hello listeners! This week’s guest joining us on the show is G.FLORES! We first met Lupe at Iowa Playwrights Workshop. We're so excited to have him on the show to share his playwriting journey and all his thoughts on playwriting. This was such an enlightening conversation and we hope you enjoy!
Guadalupe Flores has worked in communications and public relations in the non-profit sphere for over two decades, with a primary focus in the arts, higher education, higher education policy and election policy. Some of his creative achievements include “The Coyote Stratagem,” published in Applause Books’ “The Best American Short Plays 2010-2011,” the 2012 Kennedy Center’s Ken Ludwig Scholarship, and was a finalist for the 2012 Arizona Theater Company’s National Latino Playwriting award. Flores has an adult son who is (fortunately) smarter and better looking than he was at that age. He holds a BA in English and theatre arts from the University of the Incarnate Word, an MA in playwriting from Texas State University, and an MFA in playwriting from the University of Iowa.
To learn more about Lupe and his work:
Twitter: @theliterateGeek (The Bad Hombre Your Parents Warned You About)
GLISTENS:
Cho - Stranger Things Season 4
Sam - The Overstory by Richard Powers
Lupe - Album "Last & First Me" by Johann Johannsson
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
141. INTERVIEW: Steven Strafford
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is STEVEN STRAFFORD! Sarah first met Steven at the Great Plains Theatre Conference where they bonded over playwriting and new plays. We're so excited to have him on the show!!!
Steven Strafford is a playwright and actor, Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised. His acting credits include Spamalot directed by Mike Nichols, Wonderful Town directed by Mary Zimmerman. He's been on TV, in commercials, and a movie or two. As a writer, his plays include the one man show, Methtacular! along with The Match Game, Mona Quimby: Age 38, Greater Illinois, The Model Congressman, and Small Jokes About Monsters which will be published and licensed by Broadway Licensing this fall. He lives in Athens, Ohio with his husband and ludicrously adorable foster son.
To learn more about Steven and his work:
Website: https://stevenstrafford.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StevenStrafford
GLISTENS:
Cho - Great Plains Theatre Conference
Sam - Duolingo
Steven - Steven's Musical Theater students and co-teaching Musical Theater class with his husband!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
140. TOPIC: History of Musicals
Hello, listeners! In today’s episode we discuss the history of Musicals! Sam taught a class all about musicals so we figured let's see what Sam learned and bring it to Beckett's Babies! We share our general thoughts on musicals, preconceptions, misconceptions, and so much more. We hope you enjoy!
GLISTENS
Cho - Sarah Ruhl “Letters from Max”
Sam - Meow Wolf
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
139. INTERVIEW: Chris Leyva Returns!
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is CHRIS LEYVA! Chris Leyva was one of our first guests on the show. He returns to share with us what he's been up since we last talked to him and what the pandemic has taught him when it comes to playwriting.
Chris uses humor and whimsy to ask larger questions about our humanity. His plays take place in heightened worlds and are grounded by authentic characters. He is a playwright and director based in Columbus, OH. Chris was awarded an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award and his plays have been commissioned and developed by the Contemporary American Theatre Company, CLIMB Theatre, MadLab Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Curtain Players New Play Initiative, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and the Columbus School for Girls, among others. He received an M.F.A. from the Playwrights Workshop at The University of Iowa, a B.A. in Directing from Coe College, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
GLISTENS:
Cho - Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers Sam - Snow in Boulder, CO Chris - "Flung Out of Space" by Grace Ellis________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
138. PLAY: David’s RedHaired Death by Sherry Kramer
Every month, we pick a play to discuss, and for this week's episode we read "David's Redhaired Death" by SHERRY KRAMER. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. SPOILER ALERT: There are going to be some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
Glistens:
Sam - Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz
Cho - 33 JESUS YEAR
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
137. INTERVIEW: Darcy Parker Bruce
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is DARCY PARKER BRUCE! Darcy is a playwright, theater activist, and coffee enthusiast. We were so excited to have Darcy on the show and had a great time chatting. We know you will enjoy this interview too!
Darcy Parker Bruce is a playwright and educator from New Haven, CT, and a graduate of the MFA Playwriting program at Smith College. In the summer they join the Sewanee Writers’ Conference as part of their staff. Darcy was the recipient of a 2017 Tennessee Williams Scholarship through the Sewanee Writers' Conference, a 2019 LAMBDA Literary Fellowship, and was granted ATHE's 2018 Judith Royer Award For Excellence in Theater for their play SOLDIER POET. They are currently working on several projects including commissions from Chester Theatre Company and Acadiana Repertory Theater, and a cycle of plays investigating the relationship between small towns, queers, and American Glory. Their play Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner can now be purchased through Broadway Play Publishing and their play The Place That Made You, the second play in the Piedmont Cycle, is forthcoming from the same press.
To learn more about Darcy and their work, be sure to visit their New Play Exchange!
https://newplayexchange.org/users/2734/darcy-parker-bruce
GLISTENS:
Cho - Maid by Stephanie Land Sam - Thawing Web by Amy Hoagland Darcy - US Coast Guard was looking into replacing people on battleships with robots________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
136. TOPIC: Working With/As a Dramaturg
Hello, listeners! In today’s episode we discuss the topic of working with a Dramaturg! Sam also shares her experience working as one as well! We get into discussing what's helpful and what's not helpful when working with a dramaturg. Check it out!
Article Mentioned:
Dramaturg’s Bill of Rights: https://howlround.com/bill-rights-dramaturgs https://howlround.com/youngest-people-room https://pwcenter.org/one-one-dramaturg http://www.beehivedramaturgy.com/whatisdramaturgyGLISTENS
Cho - Pachinko on AppleTV
Sam - Dinosaur National Monument
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
135. INTERVIEW: Shannon TL Kearns
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is SHANNON TL KEARNS! A former fundamentalist who became the first openly transgender man ordained to the Old Catholic priesthood, Shannon TL Kearns believes in the transformative power of story. As an ordained priest, a playwright, a theologian, and a writer all of his work revolves around making meaning through story.
Shannon TL Kearns was a recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 20/21, a playwright in residence at the Inge House in 2021, a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2019, and a Finnovation Fellow for 2019/2020. Shannon’s plays include Body+Blood, in a stand of dying trees, Line of Sight, Twisted Deaths, The Resistance of My Skin, and Who Has Eyes To See. His television pilots include The Family Unit, Transformed, and Freedom, Kansas. He and his plays have been: a finalist for the Equity Library Theatre of Chicago’s Reading Series, 2019 TransLab, and American Stages 2019 New Play Festival, semi-finalist for the New Works series at Garry Marshall Theatre. He was a semi-finalist for SPACE on Ryder farm in 2020.
Shannon is an ordained priest in the Old Catholic Church and a theologian. He’s the co-founder of QueerTheology.com which has reached more than a million people all over the world. He will soon be publishing his first book with Eerdman’s.
To learn more about Shannon and his work, be sure to visit his website and on social media:
https://www.shannontlkearns.com
https://twitter.com/shannontlkearns
https://www.instagram.com/shannontlkearns/
GLISTENS:
Cho - The Slap heard around the world. Sam - Aurora Fox theater production of Hurricane Diane by Madeline George Shannon - The band "Yes You Are" and their album "Here's to the Great Unknowns".________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
134. INTERVIEW: Ben Stasny
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is BEN STASNY! Ben is a second-year graduate student at CU Boulder. Ben's research is centered around queer theory, eco-criticism and performance studies. How can theatre act as a space for ethical action on queer and climate justice?
Ben served as the Artistic Director for the opening fall show The Climate Cabaret--an evening of short plays about the climate crisis. We partnered with Climate Change Theatre Action out of New York City to bring this project to life.
Ben worked with his/bevs advisor, Dr. Beth Osnes, this summer on an interspecies arts/science partnership between humans and barn swallows. They were led by a group of courageous youth which culminated in a film and public performance titled Side by Side.
Ben was a recipient of the Hazel Barnes Flat which brought bev to London, UK in November. While there, Ben led workshops on climate comedy with a local arts/science organization, Your Canal Boat CIC.
Ben served as the Artistic Director for the 6th Annual New Plays Festival at CU Boulder in Spring 2021.
Ben graduated with a BFA in Acting from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Ben lived and worked as a professional actor for several years in New York City. New York credits include: Off-Broadway: Harry in When Harry Met Nancy (New York New Works Festival), Voice of Mayor Humdinger in Paw Patrol (Event Box). Other credits: The Narrator in The Soldier's Tale (Boulder Philharmonic), The Genie in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular (Disney Cruise Line), Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Henry Etches in Titanic (Arizona Broadway Theatre), Zach in A Chorus Line, Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret, Fred in A Christmas Carol (The Palace Theatre), Father in Ragtime (Interlakes Summer Theatre) Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret (Sierra Repertory Theatre), The Cat in the Hat in Seussical the Musical (Highland Summer Theatre). Touring Theatre: Punchin in A Commedia Cinderella (Sierra Repertory Theatre, Northern California), Shaggy in Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Pyramid, Maddie in Care Bears (Event Box in Saudi Arabia).
Ben is filled with more questions than answers these days...which feels just about right for grad school.
To learn more about Ben and his/bevs work, be sure to check out his/bevs instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/snackfishbenji/
GLISTENS:
Cho - AppleTV Show "Severance" Sam - Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Ben - Rupaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
133. INTERVIEW: Margot Connolly
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is MARGOT CONNOLLY! Margot Connolly is a playwright originally from Pleasantville, NY. Her plays include Belfast Kind (Winner, JPP's Jewish Playwriting Contest, Patty Abramson Prize Finalist), Quiz Out (Princess Grace Finalist, 2019 Kilroy’s Honorable Mention), The Twitch (Princess Grace Finalist), and Tough.
Her work has been produced and developed through Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Playwrights Center, the Drama League, the Jewish Plays Project, Repertory St. Louis, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Primary Stages and The Juilliard School, among others. She has an EST/Sloan commission, was a 2010-2011 Core Apprentice at the Playwrights Center and has been a finalist for the Jerome Fellowship, the Emerald Prize, and the Princess Grace Award. She received her BA from Bennington College and her MFA from the University of Iowa’s Playwrights Workshop. She is a recent graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights’ Program at Juilliard.
To learn more about Margot and her work, be sure to check out her website: https://writemargotwrite.weebly.com/about.html
New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/3182/margot-connolly
GLISTENS:
Cho - Pachinko Sam - 13 Ukrainian guards on Snake Island Margot - Ukraine________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
132. INTERVIEW: Scott Bradley
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is SCOTT BRADLEY! Scott Bradley is a writer and theatre artist best known for Chicago’s long-running "cult" musicals Alien Queen, Carpenters Halloween, and We Three Lizas. His solo show Packing premiered in Chicago in 2019 and streamed to national audiences in 2020. He's hard at work right now on an immersive rock opera about the birth of gay leather culture.
To learn more about Scott and his work, be sure to check out his website: https://www.scottbradleyink.com
GLISTENS:
Cho - Joke writing Sam - Sweet Tooth Scott - Composer, Midori Hirano________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
131. We're Back! SEASON 4!!! Let's goooo!
Hello, Listeners! We are back for Season 4! Did you miss us??? Just admit it. You missed us!
In this episode, we check-in and share some quick show updates! Apologies in advance if our show sounds like one big QVC channel. We're just excited to share what we discovered! And, if you've been following our show, we have been doing our show every week and we share about how we're going change things up on how we release our episodes. Thanks for listening!
GLISTENS:
Cho - Shower Filter
Sam - left social media
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
130. SEASON FINALE: First the Worst, Second the Best...Third the Nerd?
THAT'S A WRAP FOR SEASON 3! Thank you all so much for tuning in every week and hear us chat about all things playwriting. We appreciate you and your support! In this episode, we highlight just a FEW of our favorite episodes of this season. We loved every single one of our guests on this season so even if they're not mentioned here, we suggest you going back and give it a listen!
Thank you again for another incredible season. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season... See you next year!
After three seasons of Beckett’s Babies…
Total Number of Episodes: 130
Total Number of Guests: 47
Total Number of Plays read: 39
Total Number of Glistens: 294
Total Number of Listens: 16,417
GLISTENS
Cho - ROAD TRIP!!! / Getting Married / Joanna Gaines Collier - golden gate canyon state park / Moving to Colorado / Grad SchoolINTERVIEWS:
INTERVIEW WITH CARIDAD SVICH:https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/117--INTERVIEW-Caridad-Svich-e15u705 INTERVIEW WITH PEPPUR CHAMBERS:
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/114--INTERVIEW-Peppur-Chambers-e15amc8 INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN JAMES POLACK:
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/100--INTERVIEW-Brian-James-Polak-HAPPY-100TH-EPISODE-evmkp7 INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL OLIVAS:
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/94--INTERVIEW-Daniel-Olivas-esj5ok
TOPICS:
GHOSTS WITH HEATHER KELLEY:https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/126--TOPIC-Ghosts-in-Theaters-and-the-Stories-We-Tell----w-Special-Guest-Heather-Kelley-e198doi WHAT MAKES A MONOLOGUE GOOD WITH SHAUN LEISHER:
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/112--TOPIC-What-Makes-a-Monologue-Good-w-Returning-Special-Guest-Shaun-Leisher-e14k5js
PLAYS:
HURRICANE DIANE BY MADELEINE GEORGEhttps://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/128--PLAY-Hurricane-Diane-by-Madeleine-George-e19u4ri BUREAUCRAZY BY KATE DANLEY
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/113--PLAY-BureauCRAZY-by-Kate-Danley-e14uvid 36 VIEWS BY NAOMI IIZUKA
https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/episodes/105--PLAY-36-Views-by-Naomi-Iizuka-e11qr3b
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
129. TOPIC: Dreams
Hello, listeners! In today’s episode we discuss the topic of DREAMS. We share some recent dreams we’ve had, share some play ideas based on our dreams, and share our thought son why we might add dreams to our storytelling. What do they evoke? Hope you enjoy the conversation!
Article Mentioned:
Did Covid Change How We Dream? by Brooke Jarvis
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/magazine/pandemic-dreams.html
GLISTENS
Cho - Discovery + / The Lost Kitchen
Sam - ASTR
Special thanks to our sponsor Play Submissions Helper!
https://playsubmissionshelper.com
Use coupon code BECKETTSBABIES to receive 90% off the first month!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
128. PLAY: Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss, and for this week's episode we read "Hurricane Diane" by Madeleine George. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. SPOILER ALERT: There are going to be some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
Glistens:
Cho - my niece was born!! 12:33pm November 1st. (We already did her birth chart lolol) Rising - Capricorn, Sun - Scorpio, Moon - Virgo
Sam - Kaidan - 7 ghost stories from around the world
Special thanks to our sponsor Play Submissions Helper!
https://playsubmissionshelper.com
Use coupon code BECKETTSBABIES to receive 90% off the first month!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
127. TOPIC: Act and Scene Breaks
Hello, listeners! In this week's episode, we discuss the Scene and Act Breaks. What’s going on between the scenes? Between the Act breaks? What would justify the time jumps? Let's dig in!
GLISTENS
Cho: London Writers Salon
Sam: STAINS by Sarah Cho
Special thanks to our sponsor Play Submissions Helper!
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Use coupon code BECKETTSBABIES to receive 90% off the first month!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
126. TOPIC: Ghosts in Theaters and the Stories We Tell... w/ Special Guest Heather Kelley!
Hey listeners! Halloween is just around the corner and we decided to bring on a guest who can share some spooky stories with us! This week’s guest on the show is HEATHER KELLEY!
Heather Kelley (she/her) is an actor, educator, and theatre administrator currently enrolled in CU Boulder’s PhD program in Theatre & Performance Studies. A former company member of the New York Neo-Futurists and Mad Dog Theatre Company, Heather performed with South Brooklyn Shakespeare for many seasons, and served as Director of Audience Services for Premiere Stages, the Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, for seven years. She is the recipient of a 2019 State of New Jersey Senate & General Assembly Citation commending her work with Plainfield Senior Citizens Services as an actor and teaching artist, and received a 2019 New Jersey Theatre Alliance Award of Excellence honoring her contributions to professional, non-profit theatre throughout the state. A lover of all things scary, Heather's current research centers on dark tourism, haunted attractions, mediumship as performance, and depictions of the supernatural on stage and on screen.
If YOU have theater ghost stories you'd like to share, go to the link below!
https://www.colorado.edu/theatredance/heather-kelley
GLISTENS:
Cho - The Simpsons Treehouse Horror
Sam - My Haircut
Erin - Tik Tok's Pug Noodles "Bones or No Bones Day"
Special thanks to our sponsor Play Submissions Helper! https://playsubmissionshelper.com
Use coupon code BECKETTSBABIES to receive 90% off the first month!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
125. PLAYWRIGHT: María Irene Fornés
We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of María Irene Fornés. We read the three plays: FEFU AND HER FRIENDS (1977) (Awarded an Obie for Playwriting), MUD (1983) (Awarded an Obie for Playwriting and Direction), and LETTERS FROM CUBA (2000) to share our thoughts on María Irene Fornés' craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen to our conversation!
GLISTENS:
CHO - Stand-up comedy
SAM - Aspen Trees
_____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friend!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
124. TOPIC: Play Ideas from Childhood Writings...
Hello, listeners! In this week's episode, we share writings from our childhood to help us generate ideas for possible play or story ideas. Is this a recipe of a disaster? Probably! Enjoy!
GLISTENS
Cho - SQUID GAME
Sam - London Fog
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
123. PLAY: Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss, and this week's episode is a play called "Heroe's of the Fourth Turning" by Will Arbery. The play was recommended to us from one of our listeners and recurring guest of the podcast, Shaun Leisher! Shaun pointed out that lots of guests have mentioned this play, so we decided it was time to read it for ourselves! We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. SPOILER ALERT: There are going to be some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About the Play:
It’s a “scrupulously hewn drama centering on four alumni of a conservative Catholic college who confront themselves and each other, clashing over theology, politics and personal responsibility. It’s nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They’ve returned home to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics, it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. On a chilly night in the middle of America, Will Arbery’s haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity, speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself.
-- From Playwrights Horizons' website
About the Playwright:
Will Arbery is a playwright, TV/film writer, and filmmaker from Texas + Wyoming + seven sisters. Other plays include: Plano, Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, Corsicana (development at Playwrights Horizons & Ojai Playwrights Conference) // Wheelchair (3 Hole Press) // You Hateful Things (development at The Public, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and NYTW Dartmouth Residency). He's currently under commission from Audible, MTC, and Playwrights Horizons. Will Arbery is currently developing TV series with A24/HBO, as well as Littlefield Co./Touchstone. Film projects with BBC Films/A24, Animal Kingdom, and Sight Unseen. Consultant on "Succession" (HBO).
Glistens:
Cho - my new play Stains!! October 9th, 6pm PST. Moving Arts Theater. Tickets are now live.
Sam - The New American Gothic dance performance on a FARM (Claire Kendall Creative Projects)
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with
your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
122. TOPIC: What Makes a Good Character?
Hello, listeners! In this week's episode, we’ll be discussing the topic of character. Are there characters that stand out to you? Why do certain characters stand out? Listen to us attempt to answer: What Makes A Good Character?
GLISTENS
Sam: Climate Cabaret
Cho: Y The Last Man on FX
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
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Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
121. PLAYWRIGHT: Suzan-Lori Parks
We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of SUZAN-LORI PARKS. We read the three plays: Venus (1996), Topdog/Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize Winner), and Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) (2015) to share our thoughts on Suzan-Lori Park's craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen to our conversation!
SUZAN-LORI PARKS
Venus (1996) Topdog / Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize Winner) Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) (2015)GLISTENS:
CHO - Chip and Joanna SAM - peaches_____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friend!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
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Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
120. We Answer Listener's Questions (Hello, Alexis!)
In today's episode, we answer questions from one of you, our listener! We answer question about finding stability after college, what to do to get started, how to stay creative and so much more. We hope you enjoy it! As always, we love getting questions from our listener's so... keep 'em coming!
Thank you for tuning in. We appreciate you all.
Glistens:
Cho: Moving Arts Theatre / Reading of my new play STAINS on October 9th, 6pm PST via Zoom. More info coming soon!
Sam: baby elephant in burkina faso
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
119. PLAY: The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up by Carla Ching
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss, and this week's episode is a play called "The Two Kids That Blow Shit" by Carla Ching. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. SPOILER ALERT: There are going to be some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About the Play:
Here’s what the play’s about which you can read on New Play Exchange:
”As kids, Max and Diana meet on their parents’ date, then are kicked out of the house so their parents can get it on. They are forced to play together even though they aren’t really that fond of each other. Through over two decades of their parents’ tumultuous relationship of getting together, breaking up, getting married and then divorced, Max and Diana are perpetually forced together and become the most unlikely of friends. They see each other through their own marriages and divorces, rehabs and spin-outs, career rejiggerings and epic life fails. But when they actually fall into each other, will they lose the only family they’ve ever known? A play about falling in and out of love with your best friend.”
About the Playwright:
An LA native, Carla Ching’s other plays include Revenge Porn or the Story of a Body, Nomad Motel, Fast Company, and The Sugar House at the Edge of the Wilderness. Just to name a few-- her full-length plays have been produced or workshopped by Artists at Play, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, Center Theater Group, The Lark Play Development Center, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, The National New Play Network Showcase of New Plays, and The O’Neill Playwrights Conference. She is a member of New Dramatists and founding member of The Kilroys. Carla wrote on USA’s Graceland, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, Amazon’s I Love Dick, Apple’s Home Before Dark and the forthcoming Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-created by Francesca Sloane, Phoebe Waller Bridge and Donald Glover. She is currently developing a new project with Netflix.
Glistens:
Cho - Took a trip to Michigan. Met Nik’s extended family. Mosquito bites all over my face… cool.
Sam - Walden by Amy Berryman at Theatreworks Hartford
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with
your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
118. INTERVIEW: Erin Mallon
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is ERIN MALLON! Erin Mallon is a playwright, author, and narrator of over 550 audiobooks with a special affinity for the romance genre. She is a six-time Earphones Award Winner and a five-time Audie Award Nominee. Her audio play These Walls Can Talk is a 2021 Independent Audiobook Award Winner for Humor. Her play The Net Will Appear is now available on Audible.com as an audio drama co-starring Matilda Lawler (Disney Plus’ Flora & Ulysses, Broadway’s The Ferryman). Erin’s other full-length plays include: Good Riddance, Soft Animals, Hand Me Down, Stunning Displays of Prowess, and Skin Hungry.
To learn more about Erin and her work, check out the links below!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinmallon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallonerin/
Website: https://www.erinmallon.com/
GLISTENS:
Cho - TV show Friends Sam - Sushi burrito Erin - Tik Tok________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
117. INTERVIEW: Caridad Svich
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is CARIDAD SVICH! Caridad Svich received a 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement. Her work as a playwright, translator, lyricist, and essayist has been seen in print, live and digital stages at across the US and abroad. Key plays in her extensive repertoire include 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Once Was Her Heart, Red Bike, and The House of the Spirits. Upcoming theatrical premieres in 2021 include The Book of Magdalene and Theatre: a love story.
To learn more about Caridad and her work, check out the links below!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Csvich
Websites: https://caridadsvich.com/
GLISTENS:
Cho - food processor / writing jokes Sam - compost collection Caridad - Kae Tempest’s play “Paradise”________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
116. TOPIC: Unpaid Theater Internships (Part 2)
Hello, listeners! This week's episode is a two-part episode! In the first part, we share some exciting life updates (Spoiler alert: One of us relocated to a NEW STATE) and we get into the topic of unpaid, or low-wage, theater internships, and why we think it's unethical. If you haven't listened to the first part, be sure to check out last week's episode! We hope you enjoy it!
GLISTENS
Sam - Taylor Mac’s bio Cho - Lester Holt’s instagram____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
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And as always, we would love to hear from you!
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For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
115. TOPIC: Life Updates + Unpaid Theater Internships (Part 1)
Hello, listeners! This week's episode is a two-part episode! In the first part, we share some exciting life updates (Spoiler alert: One of us relocated to a NEW STATE) and we get into the topic of unpaid, or low-wage, theater internships, and why we think it's unethical. We hope you enjoy it!
GLISTENS
Cho - Libby App Sam - Pollinators Altar in the Boulder public library (Aspen Institute)____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next future episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
114. INTERVIEW: Peppur Chambers
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is PEPPUR CHAMBERS! PEPPUR CHAMBERS is an international writer, producer, and educator. A member of Circle X Emerging Playwrights Group, Moving Arts MADLab, and Antaeus Playwrights Lab, she uses her voice to scream, shout or sing about women’s issues, social justice and love. She has been commissioned for LA's Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble and you can catch her radio play, End of the Line, about human trafficking in Antaeus Theatre Company’s The Zip Code Plays Season Two.
To learn more about Peppur, check out the links below!
Instagram: @peppurthehotone
Twitter: @peppurthehotone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peppur
Websites: www.penandpeppur.com / www.brownbetties.com
GLISTENS:
Sarah: Sudoku
Sam: Toddy Pond Farm Dinner!
Peppur: Cleaning the kitchen, moving to Phoenix, and a very special box of pens :')
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
113. PLAY: BureauCRAZY by Kate Danley
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss, and this week's episode is a play called "BureauCRAZY" by Kate Danley. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About the Play:
Grace and Amy, two outrageous admins stuck in a soul-sucking job, are just slogging their way through the work week. But when their supervisor chokes, everything goes awry and begins a domino-effect of destruction. 9-to-5 meets One Man, Two Guvnors in this quick-witted, sidesplitting farce.
About the Playwright:
Kate Danley is a USA TODAY Bestselling author and thirty-year veteran of stage and screen and one of the original co-founders of the Seattle Playwrights Salon.
Glistens:
Sarah - no-screen sunday and peaches and cream pie
Sam - Arcadia by Lauren Groff
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with
your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
112. TOPIC: What Makes a Monologue Good w/ Returning Special Guest Shaun Leisher!
Hello, listeners! In this week’s episode, we discuss the topic of what makes a monologue good with a very special returning guest--- a philadelphia-based dramaturg, producer, and arts education advocate-- Shaun Leisher!!! Did you know he reads one or two plays a day and has recommended 752 plays on New Play Exchange? Incredible! We are so happy to have Shaun back on our show and talk about all things theater and monologues.
To learn more about Shaun's monologue finding service, be sure to check out his website!
https://www.shaunleisher.com/
GLISTENS
Cho: Geffen playhouse Someone Else's House
Sam: Moving to Boulder!!!
Shaun: Went to the movies, Alex Lin!, coffee shops
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
111. PLAY: Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss and this week's episode is a play called "Between Riverside and Crazy" by Stephen Adly Guirgis. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About the Play:
City Hall is demanding more than his signature, the Landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed — and the Church won’t leave him alone. For ex-cop & recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington and his recently paroled son Junior, when the struggle to hold on to one of the l ast great rent-stabilized apartments on Riverside Drive collides with old wounds, sketchy new houseguests, and a final ultimatum, it seems the Old Days are dead and gone — after a lifetime living between Riverside and Crazy.
About the Playwright:
Stephen Adly Guirgis other select plays include Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and The Motherfucker with the Hat. He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. Awards include the Yale Wind-ham Campbell Prize, a PEN/Laura Pels Award, a Whiting Award, the 2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award and the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Glistens:
Sam: My birthday!!! 34!!
Sarah: my brain
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
110. We're Back from Hiatus! Woot!
Hello, listeners! After taking a short break, we are BACK! In this episode, we catch up and share updates. Sarah is married and Sam still loves going into the woods and so much more! Stay tuned for next week's episode. We'll be discussing the play "Between Riverside and Crazy" by Stephen Adley Guirgis. Thanks for listening!
Glistens:
Cho: Geffen Stayhouse / Zoom play "Someone Else's House"
Collier: Movie "The Old Guard"
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
109. PLAYBACK: Interview with Deborah Yarchun (2020)
Hey listeners! During the month of June, we’re taking a short break and replaying some of our favorite episodes. In Season 2, we had an amazing conversation discussing all-things playwriting with fellow Iowa playwright DEBORAH YARCHUN! Deborah Yarchun has had two Jerome Fellowships at the Playwrights’ Center and won many more awards for her plays. She shares her experiences and some of her best practices in how she writes her plays. Enjoy!
To learn more about Deborah and her work, be sure to check out the following websites:
Website: www.DeborahYarchun.com
NPX page: newplayexchange.org/users/114/deborah-yarchun
Be sure to check out Deborah's article "Staying Focused in the Time of COVID: 22 Tips and Strategies to Finding Focus" on the Playwright Center website: https://pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolkit/staying-focused-time-covid-22-tips-and-strategies-finding-focus
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
108. PLAYBACK: Interview with Gwydion Suilebhan (2019)
Hey listeners! During the month of June, we’re taking a short break and replaying some of our favorite episodes. This week we want to share our interview with playwright and arts advocate Gwydion Suilebhan. If you are a playwright or someone who is just starting to write plays, then you must know the New Play Exchange. Gwydion is the chief architect of the New Play Exchange and he has so much to tell us about making plays and creating your own vision of what theater can be. Enjoy!
To learn more about Gwydion and his work, you can visit the following links
Website: www.suilebhan.com
NPX Profile: newplayexchange.org/users/104/gwydion-suilebhan
Or follow him on Twitter @GwydionS
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
107. PLAYBACK: Interview with Megan Gogerty (2019)
Hey listeners! During the month of June, we’re taking a short break and replaying some of our favorite episodes. This week we want to share our interview with MEGAN GOGERTY, who is not only laugh-out-loud hilarious but truly inspirational. Megan is a playwright, comedian, and delightful person, and she had so much to say about being an artist, setting aside time to write, and theater being “a haunted house, a rave, and a party.” Enjoy!
To learn more about Megan Gogerty and her work, check out her website at www.megangogerty.com
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
106. TOPIC: Social Media for Writers
Hello, listeners! In this week’s episode, we discuss the topic of social media and our personal experiences with social media through the lens of writers. This was actually a suggestion from our guest Terry Guest, and we thought it would be a great topic to explore! When is social media helpful? When is it detrimental? Let the venting begin!
GLISTENS
Sam: Wolfwalkers
Cho: GETTING MARRIED
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
105. PLAY: 36 Views by Naomi Iizuka
Every month, we pick a play or two to discuss and this week's episode is a play called "36 Views" by Naomi Iizuka. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
GLISTENS:
Sam: Aeropress!!!
Sarah: Girls5eva
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
Sponsorships: on for this episode
104. TOPIC: Rejections 2.0
Hello, listeners! In this week’s episode, we revisit the topic of REJECTIONS. In our first season, we shared our own experiences on rejections. It's been a couple of years since we last talked about it, and we have grown older since. In this episode, we share with you all some of the rejections we've received and we READ 'EM. Uh oh!
GLISTENS
Sam: Ohio is offering 1 million dollars to five vaccinated people
Sarah: SQUARE PIZZA PIE / Sicilian
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
103. INTERVIEW: Terry Guest
**This episode has some explicit language. Be sure to grab those headphones if you have kiddos around!**
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is TERRY GUEST! Terry Guest is a Chicago-based playwright, actor, and teaching artist from Atlanta, Georgia. His works At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negros, and The Magnolia Ballet reexamine American history through the experiences of Black people.
To learn more about Terry, check out the links below!
Website: https://www.terrycguest.com/
New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/38107/terry-guest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terryexplainsitall/
GLISTENS:
Sarah: My Tweets
Sam: Spending time with family; Dad’s cousin
Terry: Nicki Minaj’s Mixed Tape “Beam Me Up Scotty”
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends,
or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
102. TOPIC: Rewriting... AGAIN
Hello, listeners! In this week’s episode, we revisit the topic of rewriting. In our first season, we shared our own experiences on how we approach rewriting our plays. But this time-- we want to hear what other playwrights had to say and posted this question on Twitter:
GLISTENS
Sarah: Youtube Channel "Catch Em All Fishing" + Chinese Mermaids
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-mermaid-diving-cmd/index.html
Sam: 2nd shot
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
101. PLAY: Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi
Every month, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is "Kim's Convenience" by Ins Choi. To make it even more interesting... we also watched the TV version of the play! We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play AND seeing the pilot episode of the show. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
GLISTENS:
CHO - Paderia Bakery
SAM - The Only Donut
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
100. INTERVIEW: Brian James Polak (HAPPY 100TH EPISODE!!!)
HAPPY 100TH EPISODE, LISTENERS! For those who've been with us from the beginning, we can't thank you enough for going on this journey with us. For those who just recently learned of the show, welcome and thank you! We appreciate all your support and always tuning in. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
We wanted to celebrate our 100th episode by bringing onto a show another fellow theater-loving playwright and podcaster... It's BRIAN JAMES POLAK! Brian was born and raised in New Hampshire and currently resides in Chicago. When not writing plays, he can be found working as the producer and host of American Theatre magazine's "The Subtext," a podcast about what makes playwrights tick. He received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts. We're so fortunate to chat with him and listeners, buckle in because Brian is an incredible storyteller. You're not going to want to miss this episode!
GLISTENS
Sarah: Happy Birthday, Nik!
Sam: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Brian: Reconnects with his Little Brother from the Big Brother organization after 20 years!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends,
or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
99. TOPIC: Writing Groups
Hello, listeners! In this week’s episode, we are here to discuss the topic of Writing Groups. Have they been helpful? When is it helpful? When is it not? Are they effective in getting you that next rewrite? A lot of questions to answer so be sure to tune in.
We also shared on our Twitter page these questions so be sure to check out what other playwrights are saying!
https://twitter.com/BeckettsBabies/status/1382579230991536133
GLISTENS
Sarah - It was my birthday and I celebrated... I'm 32.
Sam - Recallers!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
98. TOPIC: Let's Get Our Creative Juices Flowin'... with Images!
Do you ever feel stuck and want to write something new but don't know where to even begin? How could one even start generating ideas? Have no fear! Sam and Sarah look to images and art to brainstorm possible stories for a new play. Try it out yourself and tell us what you thought about the exercise! Visit our website at www.beckettsbabies.com to follow along with us!
GLISTENS
Cho: Cobra Kai on Netflix
Sam: Vaccine!
Special Thanks to Our New and Current Supporters to the Podcast!
Thank you so much for your continue support in us and the show.
We appreciate you all so much!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friend!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
The Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
97. Sam & Sarah Go Off-Script (uh-oh!)
Hello, listeners! In this week's episode, we decide to throw our usual script out the window and share our thoughts on playwriting and theater in this mix-bag of an episode. We discuss what's on our minds regarding theater and writing. You just don't know what you're going to get in this episode, so we hope you enjoy it!
GLISTENS
Sam: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Sarah: Moving Arts / MADlab
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friend!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
The Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
96. PLAYWRIGHT: Sarah Ruhl
We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of SARAH RUHL. We read the three plays: Melancholy Play (2001), The Clean House (2004), and For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday (2017) to share our thoughts on Sarah Ruhl's craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen to our conversation!
SARAH RUHL PLAYS:
Melancholy Play (2001) The Clean House (2004) For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday (2017)GLISTENS:
Sam's: Cascatelli pasta invented by Dan Pashman of the Sporkful, heard on Planet Money Sarah's: Lack of sleep.... but hey! Got the first dose of the vaccine whoo!... so maybe that's why I'm having trouble sleeping._____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friend!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
95. TOPIC: Understanding Writer's Resume
Hello, listeners! This week, we will be discussing a topic on writing resumes and CV. What is the difference between the two? Why is it important? Should we even have different versions? What should be on there? What do we add on our resumes specifically for a writer? What does that look like? A lot of questions so be sure to listen in!
GLISTENS
Sarah - Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Sam - Lost tourist in Bangor 1977 Erwin Kreuz
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
94. INTERVIEW: Daniel Olivas
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is DANIEL OLIVAS! Daniel Olivas is the author of nine books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. His first full-length play, Waiting for Godínez, was selected for the Playwrights' Arena 2020 Summer Reading Series. Daniel was selected for Circle X Theatre Co.'s inaugural Evolving Playwrights Group where he is adapting his 2011 novel, The Book of Want, with a planned Zoom reading in 2021. By day, he is an attorney and makes his home in Southern California with his wife.
To learn more about Daniel, check out the links below!
Website: http://danielolivas.com
New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/35649/daniel-olivas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/olivasdan
GLISTENS:
SAM: "H is for Hawk" by Helen Macdonald
CHO: Decomposition Notebooks
DANIEL: Playwrights Arena and Circle X Theatre / Film "United States Vs. Billie Holiday" written by Suzan-Lori Parks
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends,
or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
93. PLAY: Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury
Every month, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is "Fairview" by Jackie Sibblie Drury. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
GLISTENS:
CHO - Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
SAM - Pablo Neruda’s odes
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
92. INTERVIEW: Andy Boyd
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is ANDY BOYD! Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. His play The Trade Federation, or, Let's Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels is available through NoPassport Press, and his play Three Scenes in the Life of a Trotskyist is available as a podcast. To learn more about Andy and his work, be sure to visit his website at https://www.andyjboyd.com/
Also, follow Andy and his cartoons on Instagram @AndyJBoyd!
GLISTENS:
Sarah: "I had a dream I was in the theater and I started to cry." Sam: Vaccines! Andy: Japanese City Pop________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends,
or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting, and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
91. PLAYWRIGHT: Caryl Churchill
We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of CARYL CHURCHILL. We read the three plays: Owners (1972), Cloud Nine (1979), and Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp (2019) to share our thoughts on Carol Churchill's craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen to our conversation!
CARYL CHURCHILL PLAYS:
Owners (1972) Cloud Nine (1979) Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp (2019)GLISTENS:
Sam's: Alaska Bear Bites Woman's Butt Sarah's: New Netflix docuseries called “Crime Scene the Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel”_____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.comFor more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
90. TOPIC: Writing Love in Playwriting (Happy Valentine's Day!)
This episode is all about LOVE for all you lovebirds (or singles) out there in this special 'very on-theme' episode. We share our general thoughts about writing love, and why is it so cringy? How do we make it fresh and not clichéd? Can we even avoid writing about love? We also share some different types of love and some of our favorite plays that we think do an incredible job writing on this love. And should we rename this show to Shepard's Babies? Because Sarah is way too obsessed with Sam Shepard....
GLISTENS
Sarah - BRITNEY SPEARS Sam - Sam's mom____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.comFor more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
89. PLAY: The Flick by Annie Baker
Every month, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is "The Flick" by Annie Baker. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
RELATED LINKS:
The Funny, Empathetic Genius of Annie Baker by Sarah Larson
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/the-funny-empathetic-genius-of-annie-baker
GLISTENS:
Sam - "The Intuitionist" Novel by Colson Whitehead
Sarah - "310, 213, 818: Why Southern California is obsessed with area codes" by Patt Morrison
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-26/why-southern-california-is-obsessed-with-area-codes
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
88. New Year! New Season! SAME OLE BABIES!
Listeners! We are back for Season 3! Did you miss us??? Just admit it. You missed us! In this episode, we check-in and share what's new on the horizon for Beckett's Babies.
Next week, we’ll be discussing the play “The Flick” by Annie Baker for February’s Play of the month. So give it a read, let us know what you think, and we can’t wait to discuss.
GLISTENS:
Sarah: musical duo Pomplamoose
Sam: The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
87. SEASON FINALE: The Year of Terrible Twos
Hi Listeners... This week is our last episode of Season 2! Also known as our year of the terrible twos... How do we feel about that?!
We might be a couple of two-year-old podcasters but boy, did we have such an incredible year of spectacular guests on the show! If we had the time, we would highlight every guest of the season. Instead, we highlight just a few and we hope you will check out the full episodes if you haven't already.
For the full episodes of the interviews mentioned on our show, check out the links below!
Interview with Reginald Edmund Interview with Tanuja Jagernauth Interview with Paul Michael Thomson Interview with Marina J. Bergenstock Interview with Dr. Lisa QuoresimoSpecial thanks and shoutout to our wonderful listener supporter Tanuja Jagernauth. Thank you, Tanuja!!! Please be sure to follow her!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
86. SPECIAL TOPIC: The Songwriting Process with Ryan Oliveira
This week, we’re doing a topic episode led by a returning guest on the show. You may know him from our previous episodes. It’s Ryan!
Ryan Oliveira is a playwright, performer, songwriter, and theatrical jack-of-all-trades currently living in Chicago. His work has been developed with Teatro Vivo, Pride Films and Plays, Prop Thtr, and others. He'll be developing a "re-vamped original work" with The New Colony in Chicago later next year and is currently working on new songs and a new novel during a long-needed theatre break.
Ryan returns to discuss a special topic in the songwriting process: What it means to write a song for theatre, for yourself, for anything else. Ryan shares his own personal history with songwriting and techniques and tricks he’s learned that work for him and may work for you.
Ryan's Songs
"What Brother Should Be"
"Oh, Mercury"
To learn more about Ryan and his work:
Website: www.ryanoliveira.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ryanoceronte
NPX: https://newplayexchange.org/users/8029/ryan-oliveira
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-222040529
GLISTENS:
Sarah: The Cure "Just Like Heaven" / “Alchemy of Herbs” by Rosale De La Foret
Sam: Joni Mitchell "Cactus Tree" / Worlds Healthiest Foods Veggie Advisor
Ryan: Goo Goo Dolls "Iris" & Zac Brown Band "Colder Weather / Plane Crash Tests
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
Theme Music: "Live Like the Kids" by Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson, Luke O'Dea (APRA)
85. INTERVIEW: Kevin Kautzman
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is Kevin Kautzman! Kevin is a playwright originally from North Dakota, living in Minneapolis, whose work has been performed around the UK and the US. Kevin first studied playwriting at the Royal Court Theatre in London and has been a fellow at the Playwrights' Center and Michener Center for Writers, where he completed his MFA in playwriting and screenwriting. He is the co-founder of Cut Edge Collective, an experimental playwriting group, and can be found at kevinkautzman.com.
To learn more about Kevin, be sure to check out the additional links below:
Kevin's Play Moderation: https://moderationplay.com/ New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/121/kevin-kautzman Podcast: https://getthispodcast.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinkautzmanGLISTENS:
Cho: Queen’s Gambit on Netflix
Collier: YPIP young playwrights in process, Indiana Rep
Kevin: Norwegian Band "Ulver" / Band "Have A Nice Life"
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
84. INTERVIEW: Alex Lin
Hello listeners! This week’s guest on the show is Alex Lin. Alex is an award-nominated Asian-American playwright and ex-STEM kid from Bergen County, New Jersey. Her plays have been workshopped and produced at the Women's Theatre Festival, The Rude Mechanicals in Washington, and Actors Theatre of Louisville's Professional Training Company. She is this year’s 2020 Pass the Pen nominee at Ashland New Play Festival and ScreenCraft Stage Play Quarterfinalist. Lin is also a content creator and journalist at A24 Films' space media company Supercluster, where she's written editorials featuring former astronaut Nicole Stott, NASA executive Kathy Lueders, screenwriter Mark Heyman, and actor Cathy Ang. Most recently, Lin was seen as "#11" in The Wolves at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
To learn more about Alex and read her work, be sure to visit her New Play Exchange here.
https://newplayexchange.org/users/32657/alex-lin
GLISTENS:
Cho: DEMOCRACY WINS!! / Unsolved Mysteries Season 2 Episode 4:“Tsunami Spirits" -- The Ishinomaki Tsunami & Ghost Sightings
Collier: Kamala Harris!!!!
Alex: Election / CBD
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
83. PLAYBACK: Sean David DeMers Interview
Hey listeners, we’re starting something new and exciting. If you’ve been enjoying our show -- be sure to sign-up for our new monthly newsletter. Visit our website at www.beckettsbabies.com to sign up for our newsletter today.
This week’s episode is a “PLAYBACK” episode with our interview with Sean David DeMers.
Sean David DeMers is a playwright with New England and New York City roots. Plays include FACULTY PORTRAIT, produced at IRT Theatre in New York City, the musical JULES VERNE'S FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON with FringeNYC, LITTLE BLUE PILL read at the Last Frontier Conference in 2019, and ENCAPSULATED produced by The Navigators as part of their one-act sci-fi play festival. Sean has two short plays published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals, OFF TACKLE GLIDE and FOUR MOVEMENTS. Sean is a graduate of the Iowa MFA Playwright's Workshop and recently picked up a project started there with the play FAYE by translating and adapting the existing Ancient Greek plays, starting with the most obscure.
Keep listening to find out why you should throw away your first ten plays! We loved talking to Sean, who is incredibly cheerful and funny, probably because he takes so many naps. You won’t be disappointed!
End of this year, we’ll play old favorites from the year. Thanks for listening!
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
82. INTERVIEW: Dr. Lisa Quoresimo
Hello listeners! This week, we had such an incredible time chatting with the one and only Dr. Lisa Quoresimo! In this episode, Lisa tells us all about the voice and how it’s shaped by bodily practices. You don’t want to miss our interview! Lisa is Assistant Professor of Theatre at Southern Utah University, and co-founder and director of Catalyst: a Theatre Think Tank. Her work as a performer and composer has been seen recently in the SF Bay Area at Berkeley Rep, Shotgun Players, and many more. Her theatrical research has been published in major journals including Theatre Topics and Frontiers, and she has been invited to present her research on voice and gender at the Voice and Speech Teachers' Association, Performance Studies International, and the National Conference on Women’s Studies.
To learn more about Lisa and all her incredible research, visit her at Website - quoresimo.com/index.html Catalyst, a Theatre Think Tank - catalyst3t.com/
GLISTENS:
Sam - Bald Rock Mountain / apple-picking
Cho - Crochet
Lisa - Fall Cooking
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode with your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
81. PLAYWRIGHT: Naomi Wallace
We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of NAOMI WALLACE. We read the three plays: In the Heart of America (1994), Slaughter City (1996), and The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (1998) to share our thoughts on Naomi Wallace's craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen in to our conversation!
NAOMI WALLACE'S PLAYS:
1. In the Heart of America (1994)
2. Slaughter City (1996)
3. The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (1998)
GLISTENS:
Sam's: Julius Caesar / Donmar Trilogy dir. By Phyllida Lloyd - Harriet Walter plays Brutus
stannswarehouse.org/show/donmar-trilogy/
Sarah's: Termites lol gross
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
80. INTERVIEW: Mack Gordon / Theatre In The Dark
Hello listeners! This week, we chat with Artistic Producer and resident playwright of Theatre in the Dark, Mack Gordon. He is the co-adapter and performer of “A War of the Worlds”, which will be playing this October 15th until November 21st. Be sure to check out the links below to learn more about the show and how you can get tickets. You're not going to want to miss this incredibly unique audio drama!
THEATRE IN THE DARK creates stories through sound.
Focused on virtual production until COVID has passed.
To learn more and how you can purchase tickets, visit: www.theatreinthedark.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theatre_dark/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theatredark
To follow Mack Gordon and see what he's up to, be sure to follow him!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mackgord
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackgordon/
GLISTENS:
Cho - The fly on Pence’s Head / Amy Sedaris’ Instagram post about evil flies
Sam - Covita from the Lincoln Project
Mack - Canadian Bands: Aidan Knight, Yukon Blonde / Canadian Stand-Up Comedians: Katie-Ellen Humphries, John Cullen
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
79. INTERVIEW: Katrina D. RiChard
Hello listeners! This week, we chat with playwright, actor, producer and director Katrina D. RiChard. Katrina digs deep into playwriting by sharing her thoughts, experience, and encouragement to write. Her new play “Call for the Wailing Women” will premiere as part of Black Lives Black Words International Project, ‘Plays for the People’, an online play season celebrating the diversity of the African-American and African experience in today’s world. Be sure to check it out!
Katrina D. RiChard has performed on stages across the city of Chicago and the Chicagoland area as well as worked behind the scenes as a writer, producer, and director. She was born and bred on the South Side of Chicago. The city continues to hold a special place in her heart and is one of the primary places she writes about. Katrina served Chicago Public Schools for over a decade teaching High School Social Science, and she uses her history background in her writing as well. She is working on her MFA in Dramatic Writing at the University of Southern California (USC) where she was recently awarded the Joan Beber Playwriting Award. Her mission is to illuminate marginalized voices, tell stories that have never been told before, and tell classic stories with a fresh perspective.
Learn more about Black Lives Black Words, be sure to visit the website:
www.blacklivesblackwords.org/get-tickets
For tickets to Katrina's "Call for the Wailing Woman" (Oct. 22-25, 2020)
www.eventbrite.com/e/blbw-call-for…ts-108390868004
To learn more about Katrina and her work, be sure to follow her on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katrinadrich
GLISTENS:
Sarah - Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock's monologue / "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" by David Grann
Sam - Jennifer Jacobs, a reporter for Bloomberg News who broke the story about Hope Hicks testing positive
Katrina - Country Music / "Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
78. PLAY: Ballyturk by Enda Walsh
As part of our monthly play series, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is "Ballyturk" by Enda Walsh. The play was recommended to us by one of our listeners Meredith Bartmon for this month. We discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About BALLYTURK:
Two unnamed male characters live in a single-room dwelling and discuss an imaginary town in Ireland called Ballyturk.
Born in Dublin, Enda Walsh is an Irish Playwright. A multi-award-winning Irish playwright, his work has been translated into over twenty languages and has been performed internationally since 1998. He won Tony Award in 2012 for writing the book for the musical "Once", which went on to play on Broadway, in the West End, and a US tour. He current lives in London with his family.
RELATED LINKS:
"Review: A Fantasy Town Builds a Wall Against Time in ‘Ballyturk’" by By Ben Brantley (New York Times, Jan. 14, 2018)
www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/theate…w-enda-walsh.html
GLISTENS:
Sam - “The Election That Could Break America” by Barton Gellman Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archiv…concede/616424/
Sarah - Ora Organic's "You're a Knockout" Natural Sleep Aid Supplement
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
77. INTERVIEW: Jonathan Spector
Hello listeners! This week, we chat with Oakland-based playwright JONATHAN SPECTOR and learn about his remarkable journey into theater. We dig deep into his play "Eureka Day" as he shares his thoughts on playwriting. Be sure to read "Eureka Day" when it becomes available! We're so excited for you to listen to this episode. Check it out!
Jonathan Spector is a playwright based in Oakland, California. His play "Eureka Day" was a New York Times 'Critics’ Pick' and received all of the San Francisco Bay Area’s new play Awards: Glickman Award, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, Theatre Bay Area Award, and Rella Lossy Award. This and other plays including "This Much I Know", "What Comes Next", and "Siesta Key" have been produced and developed across the country. He is a MacDowell Colony Fellow, a Core Writer at Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, and a recipient of South Coast Rep's Elizabeth George Commission. In October, his audio drama "The Flats" (co-written with Lauren Gunderson and Cleavon Smith) will premiere with Aurora Theater.
To learn more about Jonathan and his work, be sure to check out his website www.jonathanspector.org/ or follow him on Twitter twitter.com/spectorjon
Jonathan also shared with us his favorite playwriting exercise. Be sure to check out our website to find out what it is and start writing today!
GLISTENS:
Sarah - RBG's passing / Sam leaving Instagram / Hulu’s Pen15 is back!!! / Play I want to highlight this week's from all my play reading is Caridad Svich's "RED BIKE"!
Sam - Documentary film "Gunda"
Jonathan - Enjoying the air outside since the fires / Netflix's Cobra Kai
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
76. INTERVIEW: Marina J. Bergenstock
Hello listeners! We are so excited for you to listen to this new episode of Beckett's Babies! We had an amazing conversation discussing all-things theater and directing new work with the one and only MARINA J. BERGENSTOCK!
Marina J. Bergenstock (she/her) is a director, dramaturg, performer, and educator. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Iowa. She formerly was on faculty at Beloit College in Wisconsin. She starts her Ph.D. studies at Stanford University in Theatre and Performance Studies, specializing in Arab Theatre. To learn more about Marina and her work, be sure to check out her website at www.marinabergenstock.com
GLISTENS:
Sarah - Netflix's Julie and the Anthems / Plays on NPX: beth by Alex Lin, WYWH by Tom Moran, A Murder of Crows by France Beck
Sam - Nina Morrison's reading of Hearts on Fire / Gabrielle Calvocoressi reading with Grinnell/Prairie Lights
Marina - Netflix's The Babysitter's Club / Google Map Add-On Stanford Gleaning Project / Helpful Advice from Ph.D. Orientation
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
75. TOPIC: Notes, Notes, Notes... Oh My!
This episode is all about receiving and providing notes on our plays. What the heck do you do with all the feedback? What are some best practices when receiving notes? When is it useful? When is it not? Can notes be too prescriptive? Or could it be more prescriptive? We attempt to discuss by sharing our own experiences as note givers and takers to shed some light on best practices.
GLISTENS
Sarah - HBO Raised by Wolves, Amazon The Boys, learning how to draw, and reading so many scripts on New Play Exchange!
Sam - Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes!!!
RELATED LINKS:
Scriptnotes Podcast
open.spotify.com/episode/71XK4ZPC…mGRL6VLcYgEkBEmA
Howlround - “Notes to the Note-Givers; or, Embracing the Paradox” essay by Catherine Trieschman
howlround.com/notes-note-givers-…-embracing-paradox
How to Organize Writing Feedback so You Can Rewrite With Confidence by David Safford
thewritepractice.com/organize-writing-feedback/
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Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
74. INTERVIEW: Deborah Yarchun
Hello listeners! We are so excited for you to listen to this new episode of Beckett's Babies! We had an amazing conversation discussing all-things playwriting with fellow Iowa playwright DEBORAH YARCHUN!
Deborah Yarchun’s honors include two Jerome Fellowships at the Playwrights’ Center, a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, the 2020 Neukom Literary Arts Award for Playwriting, an EST/Sloan Commission, the Kennedy Center’s Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, and the Kernodle New Play Award. She’s been a playwright-in-residence at the William Inge Center for the Arts and a member of the Civilians’ R&D Group. Deborah’s a graduate of the Iowa Playwrights Workshop where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow.
GLISTENS:
Sarah - Andy Warhol's 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy
Sam - Spaulding’s Rock
Deborah - HBO’s Lovecraft Country
To learn more about Deborah and her work, be sure to check out the following websites:
Website: www.DeborahYarchun.com
NPX page: newplayexchange.org/users/114/deborah-yarchun
Be sure to check out Deborah's article "Staying Focused in the Time of COVID: 22 Tips and Strategies to Finding Focus" on the Playwright Center website:
https://pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolkit/staying-focused-time-covid-22-tips-and-strategies-finding-focus
Deborah also shared with us her favorite playwriting exercise. Check out our website www.beckettsbabies.com to learn more!
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
73. PLAYWRIGHT: Paula Vogel
PAULA VOGEL’S PLAYS:
1. And Baby Makes Seven (1984)
2. How I Learned to Drive (1997)
3. Indecent (2017)
GLISTENS:
Sarah's: California Wildfires
Sam's: Wired's Five Levels series
_____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
72. TOPIC: Understanding Writing Prompts
In this episode, we discuss some of the ideas behind writing prompt and playwriting exercises, our own personal experience with prompts, and share a few of our favorites. What do we look for in a prompt that makes for an effective, productive, creative writing exercises? Give this episode a listen and be sure to let us know what you think!
GLISTENS:
Sarah: A dream
Sam: Hand pies
LINKS:
"Playwrights Teach Playwriting"
www.amazon.com/Playwrights-Teach…ent/dp/1575254239
by Joan Herrington (Editor), Brian Crystal (Editor)
Additional writing prompts:
pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolki…ur-weekend-writing
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
71. PLAY: Power Plays by Elaine May & Alan Arkin
As part of our monthly play series, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is a collection of 3 one-act comedy plays called “Power Plays” by Elaine May and Alan Arkin. Instead of looking at the plays individually, we attempt to look at all 3 one-act plays together as it was intended to be performed in a single evening of theater. We are going to discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoiler alerts! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About POWER PLAYS:
Power Plays consists of 3 one-act plays called “The Way of All Fish”, “Virtual Reality” and “In and Out of the Light”. These are three short plays about the collision of wills and power that premiered Off-Broadway.
Elaine May is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her initial impact in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols, performing as Nichols and May.
Alan Arkin is an Academy Award-winning American actor who is also an acclaimed director, producer, author, singer, and composer.
RELATED LINKS:
“THEATER; 'Power Plays,' Something More Than a Family Affair” By Vincent Canby (May 31, 1998)
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/31/theater/theater-power-plays-something-more-than-a-family-affair.html
Arkin Tries Out His `Power Plays' by Janet I-Chin Tu (Mar 1, 1998) Seattle Times Theater Critic
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19980301&slug=2737058
In Brief: ‘Power Plays’vBy John Simon (JUNE 8, 1998)
https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/theater/reviews/2886/
GLISTENS:
Sarah - Black Girls Run, a nonprofit organization dedicated to health & fitness for young black women to get together and run in groups. https://blackgirlsrun.com/
Sam - Peaches
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
70. INTERVIEW: Marjorie Muller
Hello listeners! We are so excited for you to listen to this new episode of Beckett's Babies! We had an amazing conversation discussing all-things playwriting with playwright, actor, producer MARJORIE MULLER! In this episode, Marjorie shares how she got into playwriting, her tips and tricks, and we also do a little deep dive in the social media (uh oh!). We hope you enjoy this episode!
Marjorie Muller is a Chicago-based playwright, actor, and producer, whose work has been featured at Urbanite Theater, the Women's Theatre Festival, Impostors Theatre Company, and more. She is currently developing an adaptation of Dracula for young adults called "Lucy Westenra Is Definitely Not (And Will Never Be) a Vampire" that will be performed this Fall at the Latin School of Chicago. She is also producing a live audio drama with Theatre in the Dark based on War of the Worlds which will be happening this upcoming Fall.
GLISTENS:
Sarah - CSA box
Sam - blueberries
Marjorie - listening to the entire discography of Led Zeppelin. Find that bass line!
To learn more about Marjorie and her work, be sure to check out the following websites:
www.marjoriemuller.com/
www.theatreinthedark.com/
www.instagram.com/idesofmarge/
Also! Marjorie shared with us her favorite playwriting exercise. Go to our website www.beckettsbabies.com to learn more!
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
69. PLAY: Sweat By Lynn Nottage
As part of our new monthly play series, we pick a play to discuss and this month’s play is “Sweat" by Lynn Nottage. In this episode, we discuss what we noticed, what we liked, and questions that came up while reading the play. Note: There are some spoilers! We highly recommend you read the play before listening to this episode!
About SWEAT:
SWEAT tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. (summary from Dramatist Play Service)
SWEAT won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017.
Lynn Nottage is an American playwright whose work often deals with the lives of marginalized people. She is a professor of Playwriting at Columbia University. She was the first woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; the first in 2009 for Ruined, and the second in 2017 for Sweat.
See Lynn Nottage in this interview explaining the origins of SWEAT from Public Theater:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcReO9WfWeQ
GLISTENS:
Sarah - author Samantha Irby; going on daily walks.
Sam - going to the dentist
____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
68. TOPIC: Researching for a New Play
How do you think about research when beginning a new play? When do you begin the research process? How do you know when to start writing? In this episode we discuss our own experiences on which plays of ours have required research; how did we do this research; and how do we feel about research. We ask ourselves how do we incorporate research without making the play overly expositional or boring and what are some best practices in organizing all this research? Let us know what you think! We'd love to hear from you.
GLISTENS:
Sarah: Michelle Obama. Michelle Kwan. Michelle McNamara. Michelle's.
Sam: Wool Blankets
HELPFUL LINKS:
"On the Fine Art of Researching For Fiction" by Jake Wolff
lithub.com/on-the-fine-art-of-…rching-for-fiction/
“Inspiration from artifacts: writing plays for the future inspired by the past” by Katie Bender
pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolki…ture-inspired-past
On dramaturgy
howlround.com/research
_______________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
67. INTERVIEW: Reginald Edmund
Hi listeners! In this episode, we chat with the one and only Playwright, Co-Founder and Managing Curating Producer of Black Lives Black Words International Project Reginald Edmund.
Black Lives Black Words International Project launched an online play season celebrating the diversity of the African-American and African experience in today’s world called ‘Plays for the People’. The season features new works from seven cutting-edge black playwrights: Reginald Edmund, Chisa Hutchinson, Anya Pearson, Dominic Taylor, Idris Goodwin, Katrina D. RiChard, and Wole Oguntokun. The season opened on July 8th and will continue to run through November 8th, 2020.
Learn more about Black Lives Black Words and be sure to catch a show this season at www.blacklivesblackwords.org/get-tickets
To learn more about Reginald's plays, check out his New Play Exchange here:
newplayexchange.org/users/632/reginald-edmund
GLISTENS
Sarah: Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries
Reginald: Amazon’s Homecoming, Amazon’s The Expanse, and We Buy Black - webuyblack.com/
Sam: VS podcast
www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/ser…1/vs-podcast
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
66. PLAYWRIGHT STUDY: August Wilson
We are excited for an all-new series where we look at the work of a single playwright and from their large body of work, we look at the first play they’ve ever written, a play from their mid-career, and the latest or the most recent play of their career.
In this first of what we hope to be many series, we discuss the life and work of August Wilson. We read the three plays Jitney, The Piano Lesson, and Radio Golf to discuss our thoughts and August Wilson's craft of playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and join us!
AUGUST WILSON PLAYS:
1. Jitney
2. The Piano Lesson
3. Radio Golf
GLISTENS:
Sarah's: I hate fireworks.
Sam's: Urgent Care + human touch
_____________________________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
65. TOPIC: Writing Artistic Statements
Have you ever written an artistic statement? Every playwright, at some point in their career, has to write an artistic statement, or what others might call a “Manifesto”. Whether it be for a playwriting opportunity, or for your website, it might be good to have one in your arsenal ready to go. In this episode, we want to discuss what it is, what’s the purpose, why it may or may not be important, how you could approach to writing one, and questions to help you get started in thinking about what your artistic statement.
GLISTENS:
Sarah: Sarah Moved to a New Apartment
Sam: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
HELPFUL LINKS:
Tips for Writing Your Artistic Statement from the Playwrights Corner.
www.larktheatre.org/blog/tips-writi…istic-statment/
“The Artist Statement - From Playwrights to Artistic Directors, This is What They Said…” from Theaterspeak
www.theaterspeak.org/2013/08/the-ar…aywrights.html
"What's Your Brand? Not Having One Is Hurting You"
blog.finaldraft.com/whats-your-bran…-is-hurting-you
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
64. INTERVIEW: Tanuja Jagernauth Returns!
Based in Chicago, Tanuja Jagernauth is an Indo-Caribbean playwright, dramaturg, and ceramic artist who believes in the necessity of creation during times of destruction. We talked with Tanuja a few months ago about her theatrical work, and we have her back on to discuss her work organizing the response of Chicago theaters to the Black Lives Matter movement, the coronavirus pandemic, and this moment in time. She will be working on a musical adaptation of FAUST with Prop Thtr with Olivia Lilley as the director. They start a workshop in July and the production will be in the spring of 2021. Be sure to be on the lookout!
GLISTENS:
Sarah - Her postponed Wedding
Tanuja - Google "racist statues Enya"
Sam - Netflix's When They See Us
Tanuja's Recommendations, References & Uplifts:
WASTED by Free Street Theater
www.eventbrite.com/e/free-street-t…ts-108725549044
"Victory Gardens Boards Windows Against Black Lives, Arts Community Protests Leadership" by Regina Victor
rescripted.org/2020/06/08/victor…gardens-protests/
TransformHarm
transformharm.org/
"It takes more than #OpenYourLobby to address racism in American theater" by Miranda Gonzalez
www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/beyond…ipoc-theaters/
Brave Space Alliance
www.bravespacealliance.org/
Chicago Freedom School
chicagofreedomschool.org/
Let Us Breathe Collective
www.letusbreathecollective.com/
________________________
Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies
And as always, we would love to hear from you!
Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it in our next episode.
Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com
For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com
63. Theaters Response to Black Lives Matter
Hello, listeners. We hope you are well and staying safe. We are still processing what's happening in the country and the world. In this episode, we discuss some ways theaters are responding to the Black Lives Matter movement. One of which is #openyourlobby. The following theaters have opened their doors in response to the movement. This is not the complete list as more theatres may be opening their doors. Below is what we know so far. We would love to hear what you've experienced and noticing what other theaters are doing.
NEW YORK
MANHATTAN
New York Theatre Workshop - first
ART South Oxford Space
IRT Theatre
The Public Theatre
Playwrights Horizons
Atlantic Theater Company
Signature Theatre
Mabou Mines - www.maboumines.org
New York Live Arts
SubCulture
Dixon Place
EST
Club Cumming: www.instagram.com/p/CBD_boKhlur/
MoMA PS1
MCC Theater
Second Stage Theater
Classic Stage Company partnership with Everyman Espresso
Collapsable Hole
NYU Skirball
Soho Rep
Cherry Lane Theatre
BROOKLYN
Bric
Irondale Center
Brooklyn Museum
Cloud City
Brooklyn Arts Exchange
CALIFORNIA
The Flight Deck (Oakland)
San Jose Stage
Aurora Theatre Company, Bay Area Children’s Center, & Berkeley Rep (Berkeley)
Center Theatre Group (Culver City)
The Music Center (LA)
UCB LA
WASHINGTON, DC
Studio Theatre
Woolly Mammoth
Arena Stage
Source Theatre
930 Club
Keegan Theatre
Shakespeare The