Playing On Air: Short Audio Plays

Today we share the final audio play in our '25 - '26 Season, "A Headspace Meditation" by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, directed by Sarah Lunnie. Thank you for joining us as we explored a new format. We're excited to begin sharing conversations with our artists in the coming weeks, so if you missed those - have no fear, as you'll soon be able to deep dive with the artists from this season's plays. "A Headspace Meditation" by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, directed by Sarah Lunnie, continues the tradition of the James Stevenson Commission for Short Comedic Plays. The cast features Zoë Chao and Polly Lee. It closes our '25-'26 Season. This season, 4 of our plays were commissions. In December, we premiered "73, SK." by Else Went, directed by Emma Rosa Went, and "The Corner Cafe" by Charles Mee, directed by Tom Dugdale. In January, we premiered the inaugural MC Libby Commission, "Father's Sin" by Maleek Rae with music by Xander Browne. Directed by POA Alum, Goldie E. Patrick. February connected us to a little love with POA regular, John Patrick Shanley's "The Red Coat". Playing on Air is hosted by Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones. ABOUT THE PLAY, "A HEADSPACE MEDITATION": A guided meditation that encourages you to slow down and breathe. It's designed to help you feel calmer and more grounded. Hosted by Joshua Kahan Brody & Garlia Cornelia Jones Produced by Garlia Cornelia Jones & Joshua Kahan Brody Recording, Audio editing and sound design by John Kilgore Our Theme Music is by Tom Kochan Season Key Art: Tylar Greer-Travis

Today, we are back with a Playing on Air favorite! POA Regular, Playwright John Patrick Shanley and his two-hander, "The Red Coat". It's been an exciting '25-'26 Season here at Playing on Air! We've got 1 play left that drops in two weeks, "A Headspace Meditation" by Mara Nelson-Greenberg. This season, 4 of our plays are commissions. In December, we premiered "73, SK." by Else Went, directed by Emma Rosa Went, and "The Corner Cafe" by Charles Mee, directed by Tom Dugdale. Two weeks ago, we premiered the inaugural MC Libby Commission, "Father's Sin" by Maleek Rae with music by Xander Browne. Directed by POA Alum, Goldie E. Patrick. ABOUT THE PLAY, "THE RED COAT": A teenage boy in the Bronx lies in wait outside a party for a girl he hardly knows. His mission, which he accomplishes with touching, if halting, effectiveness, is to tell her that he loves her. The cast of "The Red Coat" features two POA Alums, Amy Ryan and Michael Stuhlbarg. Playing on Air is hosted by Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones. __ Episode Credits Hosted by Joshua Kahan Brody & Garlia Cornelia Jones Produced by Garlia Cornelia Jones & Joshua Kahan Brody Recording, Audio editing and sound design by John Kilgore Our Theme Music is by Tom Kochan. Season Key Art: Tylar Greer-Travis Visit our website, www.playingonair.org for more information and to support our programming. Subscribe, Like, Follow, Review or leave a comment! Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Today, we are proud to premiere the inaugural MC Libby Commission, "Father's Sin" by Maleek Rae with music by Xander Browne. "Father's Sin" is Directed by POA Alum, Goldie E. Patrick Jezelle the Gazelle and Revelations) Welcome back to another episode of Playing on Air! Last month, we premiered "73, SK." by Else Went, directed by Emma Rosa Went, and "The Corner Cafe" by Charles Mee, directed by Tom Dugdale. We've got 5 plays for the '25 - '26 Season, 4 of which are new plays, and 3 of those new plays are commissions. The cast of "Father's Sin" features Maleek Rae and POA Alum, Frankie Faison Playing on Air is hosted by Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones. ABOUT THE PLAY, "FATHER'S SIN": FATHER'S SIN is an audio offering that captures a father on death row making his final phone call to his son. Through this brief yet powerful piece, it explores the passing of generational legacies—the good, the bad, and the divine. Using music and poetic language, FATHER'S SIN is a hand reaching out with hope, seeking connection and understanding across the divides of time and circumstance. Featuring original music by Maleek Rae and Xander Browne, the piece highlights how music can step in during moments when words fail us and we struggle to express what we truly feel. Hosted by Joshua Kahan Brody & Garlia Cornelia Jones Produced by Garlia Cornelia Jones & Joshua Kahan Brody Recording by John Kilgore Audio editing and sound design by John Kilgore and Xander Browne Our Theme Music is by Tom Kochan. "Father's Sin" music composed by Xander Browne Lyrics Maleek Rae "Father's Sin" audio play mixing by John Kilgore "Father's Sin" song mixing by Xander Browne Piano, Xander Browne Viola and Violin, LeiOra Hughes, viola and violin Rap, Maleek Rae Vocals, Murphy Lorenzo Applin Jr. Season Key Art: Tylar Greer-Travis Visit our website, www.playingonair.org for more information and to support our programming. Subscribe, Like, Follow, Review or leave a comment! Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Welcome back to another episode of Playing on Air! Playing on Air is back for a new season! We've got 5 plays for the '25 - '26 Season, 4 of which are new plays, and 3 of those new plays are commissions. Two weeks ago, we premiered "73, SK." by Else Went. Today, we drop our 2nd episode of the season, "The Corner Cafe" by Charles Mee, directed by Tom Dugdale. "The Corner Cafe" features the largest cast ever assembled for a Playing on Air recording! The cast includes some POA Alums and some actors making their debut with us! We are thrilled to both welcome and say "hello again" to: Vandit Bhatt, Sasha Diamond, Ethan Dubin, Peter Friedman, Elijah Jones, Francis Jue, Matthew Maher, Katie Martucci, Barrie Lobo McLain, Jo Mei, Maryann Plunkett, Jon Norman Schneider, Constance Shulman and Claire Siebers Playing on Air is hosted by Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones. ABOUT THE PLAY, "THE CORNER CAFE": Society talk. Hosted by Joshua Kahan Brody & Garlia Cornelia Jones Produced by Garlia Cornelia Jones & Joshua Kahan Brody Recording, editing and sound design by John Kilgore Theme Music by Tom Kochan Guitar and Music Arrangement for "The Corner Cafe" by Katie Martucci and Barrie Lobo McLain "The Corner Cafe", performed by Barrie Lobo McLain and Katie Martucci. Music by Tom Dugdale. Lyrics by Tom Dugdale and Charles Mee Season Key Art: Tylar Greer-Travis Visit our website, www.playingonair.org for more information and to support our programming. Subscribe, Like, Follow, Review or leave a comment! Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Playing on Air is back for a new season! We've got 5 plays for '25 - '26 Season, 4 of which are new plays, and 3 of those new plays are commissions. First up, is "73, SK." by Else Went, directed by Emma Rosa Went. "73, SK" features a company of actors each making their Playing on Air debut! We are thrilled to welcome: Olivia Rose Barresi, Paul Joseph Bernardo, Zachary Desmond, Chukwudi Iwuji and Joe McGurl. Playing on Air is hosted by Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones. ABOUT THE PLAY, "73, SK.": In the Central Coast of California, a community exists over the airwaves, an obscure group of radio operators who key up to discuss the minutiae of their lives and the county's goings on. When an unfortunate event reduces their number, the remaining members mourn, and return to life with renewed purpose. Hosted by Joshua Kahan Brody & Garlia Cornelia Jones Produced by Garlia Cornelia Jones & Joshua Kahan Brody Recording, editing and sound design by John Kilgore Theme Music by Tom Kochan Radio jingle composed and arranged by John Kilgore "Side by Side" Music and lyrics by Harry M. Woods. Arrangement by Charlie Rosen Featuring Vocal Trio: The New York Nightingales: Katy Lombardi, Brianna Barnhart & Natasha Bergman. The New York Nightingales was Founded by Jennifer Mergele. Season Artwork: Tylar Greer-Travis Visit our website, www.playingonair.org for more information and to support our programming.

Playing on Air's Leadership team, Artistic Director, Joshua Kahan Brody and Associate Artistic Director & Creative Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones ‪announce the '25 - '26 Season! Their 1st season together! ​ This new season includes 5 plays, 4 of which are World Premieres and 3 of which are commissions and 1 Playing on Air regular! • 73, SK. Written by Else Went, Directed by Emma Rosa Went • THE CORNER CAFE Written by Charles Mee, Directed by Tom Dugdale • A HEADSPACE MEDITATION Written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, Directed by Sarah Lunnie • FATHER'S SIN Written by Maleek Rae, Directed by Goldie E. Patrick • THE RED COAT Written and Directed by John Patrick Shanley WATCH the '25-'26 Announcement Here! ​ Visit our website: www.playingonair.org/2526-season to learn more about the season and SUBSCRIBE to Listen to our upcoming season! ​

When Dee–a forty-something from Rockford, Illinois–visits Harvard's namesake statue, she discovers a legacy student, hiding from his parents in the bushes. What could this recently suspended nerd have in common with a Midwestern working-class divorcee? Parents! College! Rules and regulations! Gay or not gay. Gay meanies. What's a poor little rich boy to do? A Sticky Memento is a world premiere written by Ken Urban (A Guide for the Homesick) and directed by Knud Adams (Primary Trust, English). The two-hander stars Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle") and Taylor Trensch (Dear Evan Hansen). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation among the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

It's not easy living with a zealot. Or being at the local supermarket where he prowls. Suppose you like bacon? Suppose disposable diapers? There is interference in the air. Sheila: A Year In The Life Of is a world-premiere James Stevenson commission from Playwright Laureate of Boston Kirsten Greenidge (Milk Like Sugar). Melia Bensussen (Artistic Director of Hartford Stage) directs a terrific ensemble of Seret Scott, Postell Pringle, Nikkole Salter, Brittany Allen, Mary Bacon, Marchánt Davis, and Lee Wilkof. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation among the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

What's with these birthdays that end in a zero? How is it that a mere multiple of ten can wield such power? A touch of wit and love language can help. Crisis Planning is a world premiere James Stevenson commission from Bay Area-playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (The Making of a Great Moment). Directed by Jason Eagan (Founding Artistic Director of Ars Nova), the play features Andrew Garman (The Holdovers, "The Gilded Age") and PoA legend April Matthis (Mary Jane, The Piano Lesson). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation among the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

It's 1942. WWIl is raging. Mr. Walt Disney is in New York to discuss another propaganda film requested by the US government to boost the wartime effort. At the moment, though, he is in a meeting with a former illustrator from his early days. It's Gyo Fujikawa. Disney/Fujikawa comes from the mind of 2023 Pulitzer Prize Finalist Lloyd Suh (The Far Country, Franklinland). Directed by Ralph Peña (Among the Dead, ONCE UPON A (korean) TIME), this audio premiere features the talents of Michi Barall (Peer Gynt and The Norwegian Hapa Band) and PoA veteran Steven Boyer (Hand to God, "Trial & Error"). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation among the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

A woman (Carol Kane) is drawn into a neighborhood church by the sound of music beautifully sung. A marriage is taking place within. Do beautiful music and ceremony make a marriage? Reverie, a world premiere written and directed by Oscar, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Brooklyn Laundry, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea), showcases the talents of Carol Kane (The Princess Bride, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") and Scarlett Strallen (Cole Porter's The New Yorkers, She Loves Me). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

1976 Kansas or Oz, that is the question. Here's a new spin on a great tale spun. To go, or say no? And in which direction? Kansas? or Oz? Tell me. Anyone? Kansas Anymore, a world premiere from esteemed playwright David Ives (Here We Are, Venus in Fur), features screen legend Lois Smith (Twister, "ER") and TV star Catherine Curtin ("Orange Is the New Black", "Stranger Things"). Ives also directs. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

Parents, Don and Charlotte, summon their adult children, Susanna and Brian, to a meeting at Le Pain Quotidien scheduled smack in the middle of their workday. What's up? Patricia Cotter's comedy ensues. Did I Miss Anything Important? is a world-premiere James Stevenson commission from accomplished playwright Patricia Cotter (Mulan, Jr., The Daughters). The cast includes stalwarts David Rasche, Maryanne Plunkett, Zach Appelman, Lesley Fray, and Lakisha May. Marchánt Davis (Reality, Ain't No Mo') directs. Music by Tom Kochan Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between the playwright, actors, and Playing on Air's founder, Claudia Catania. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit us at www.playingonair.org, where you'll find our complete collection of audio plays.

In BONNET, the incredibly talented John Patrick Shanley's marital (and sometimes martial) comedy of manners, Dan (John Turturro) has a few questions for his wife Ava (Debra Messing) when she appears at the breakfast table with a meaningful new accessory. BONNET, written and directed by the Tony Award, Academy Award, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Shanley himself, was recorded live at Playing on Air's 10th anniversary benefit celebration at 54 Below and features a feisty score by composer Tom Kochan—plus a bit of adult language! Stay tuned after the play for a rollicking conversation with Shanley, Messing, and Turturro.

In SECOND SIGHT, a world premiere written and directed by renowned playwright David Ives, a retired historian's (Danny Burstein) minor surgery brings up major questions that his affable surgeon (Steven Boyer), bemused wife (Susie Essman) and brother (Lee Wilkof) can't seem to answer. Or is he, with the help of an otherworldly stranger (Brittany K. Allen), just seeing things clearly for the first time? SECOND SIGHT is directed by Ives and features music by Dan Moses Schreier, musical direction and piano by Alan Johnson, and special guest vocals by Chloe Holgate, Hai-Ting Chinn, Gregory Purnhagen, and Barbara Rearick. Stay tuned after the play for an insightful conversation with Ives, the actors, Founder and Consulting Director Claudia Catania, and Executive Director Yvie Jones.

It's 1907 and a typhoid fever outbreak among New York City's elite families has led zealous sanitation engineer George Soper (Matt Park) to the home of the haughty Mr. Winthrop (Michael Chernus) and a face-off with Winthrop's proud, though not very hygienic cook, "Typhoid Mary" Mallon (Catherine Curtin). Playwright Rehana Lew Mirza's history-inspired comedy, a 2021 Wordsmith Duo Commission supported by the Axe-Houghton Foundation, is directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel and features music by composer Tom Kochan. Stay tuned after the play for a lively conversation with Playing on Air Executive Director Yvie Jones and all the featured artists.

It's 1915 and another typhoid fever outbreak, this one in a bustling hospital run by an officious Supervisor (Cindy Cheung), has once again led dogged sanitation engineer George Soper (Matt Park) to the hospital's newest cook, "Typhoid Mary" Mallon (Catherine Curtin). It's been years since Soper reluctantly released her from a forced quarantine on an inhospitable island. Can Mary finally wash her hands of him for good? Playwright Mike Lew's history-inspired comedy TYPHOID MARY, a 2021 Wordsmith Duo Commission supported by the Axe-Houghton Foundation, is directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel and features music by composer Tom Kochan. Stay tuned after the play for a lively conversation with Executive Director Yvie Jones and all the featured artists.

An old school drill sergeant under fire from his very modern and diverse new recruits desperately longs for simpler times. Directed by John Giampietro, James McLindon's short satire I DON'T KNOW features stage and screen favorite Jay O. Sanders as the Drill Sergeant and an ensemble cast of Broadway, off-Broadway, and TV regulars as his new recruits: Bobby Moreno, Sue Jean Kim, Jeff Biehl, and Brittany K. Allen. After the play, Producing Artistic Director Claudia Catania moderates a conversation with the creative team.

In Lloyd Suh's HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. ABERNATHY, a shared story, formerly repressed, begins to bridge the racial and generational distance between a white American centenarian of the Greatest Generation (Len Cariou) and his Asian American great-grandson (Ken Leung). Stay tuned after the play for a poignant conversation between the playwright and Founder and Consulting Director Claudia Catania.

It's the summer of 1955, and a new U.S. Army private stationed far away from his New Jersey hometown may have met his match, a very modern Southern belle, at a USO-style dance. Emily Bergl directs a pitch perfect cast—Eli Gelb, Erin Wilhelmi, and Vance Barton—in Cary Gitter's THE ARMY DANCE, which also boasts a nifty-fifties-style score by composer Tom Kochan. After the play, host Claudia Catania and executive director Yvie Jones moderate a lively and poignant conversation with the playwright, director, and actors.

Hear that? In ECHO AND NARCISSUS, playwright Amanda Quaid's newfangled take on an infamous myth from Ovid's Metamorphoses, a young woman falls in love with a narcissist after a vengeful wife condemns her to a unique fate. The sprightly production is directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt, stars Sarah Manton, Christian Conn, and Mia Katigbak, and features a kinetic score by composer Tom Kochan. After the play, Playing on Air (playingonair.org) founder and consulting director Claudia Catania and executive director Yvie Jones dive into conversation with the playwright, director, and actors.

A jet-lagged Gen Z couple (Toney Goins and Kerry Warren) decides to take an old school taxicab home to Brooklyn instead of an Uber, and their kooky cabbie (Louis Mustillo) introduces them to a very different (under)side of New York City. Playwright Aurin Squire's otherworldly urban comedy is a James Stevenson Commission for Short Comedic Plays, generously supported by Josie Merck, and boasts an animated score by composer Tom Kochan. Stay tuned after the play for a spirited conversation, starting at 25:11, with Claudia Catania, Playing on Air's founder and consulting director, executive director Yvie Jones, director Marchánt Davis, and our talented trio of actors. Editing: Joanna Lynne Staub Sound Design: John Kilgore of John Kilgore Sound & Recording [Running Time: 41 minutes and 29 seconds]

From brilliant New Yorker cartoonist, illustrator, and children's book author James Stevenson comes this darkly hilarious reimagining of iconic animated characters - now "over the hill" and waiting out their golden years at a seedy retirement community in Los Angeles. Directed by Tony nominee Dana Ivey (The Last Night of Ballyhoo, "Boardwalk Empire"), EVENING AT ANAHEIM features Richard Kind (The Producers, "Spin City", "American Dad!"), Karen Ziemba (Tony winner for Contact), Emily Bergl ("Gilmore Girls," Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Brandon Uranowitz (Falsettos), Carson Elrod (Peter and the Starcatcher), Peter Maloney (Requiem for a Dream), and Tom Alan Robbins (The Lion King). Stay tuned after the play for a high spirited conversation with the cast, director, and Playing on Air founder and consulting director Claudia Catania. EVENING AT ANAHEIM was co-presented with Playwrights Horizons and recorded live in New York City.

In Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley's TENNESSEE, a wannabe musician seeking an escape plan and a glimpse at his future approaches a dissatisfied woman who's blessed, and possibly cursed, with the power of foresight. The audio play stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (our audio production of MISADVENTURE, Dune, Beautiful Boy, Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, and Shanley's Prodigal Son on Broadway) and Caitlin FitzGerald ("Succession," "Masters of Sex," It's Complicated). Stay tuned after the play for a spirited behind-the-scenes conversation with playwright/director John Patrick Shanley (BANSHEE, LAST NIGHT IN THE GARDEN I SAW YOU, Doubt, Outside Mullingar), Caitlin FitzGerald, Timothée Chalamet, and founder and consulting director Claudia Catania. TENNESSEE was recorded and co-presented in front of a live audience at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio.

Anything can happen when you leave your window open on a warm night. Tony, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Moonstruck, Outside Mullingar) wrote and directed this week's summer re-release about a curious banshee, a fantastical Irish spirit, who pays an ailing teacher a visit and makes him an otherworldly proposal. The mystical comedy features Geraldine Hughes (THE MANDELA EFFECT, TWO CROWS APART, Jerusalem, Gran Torino) and Aidan Quinn ("Elementary," Michael Collins, Desperately Seeking Susan). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between the playwright, actors, and founder and consulting director Claudia Catania that includes a few delightfully surprising responses.

In this week's summer re-release, we're doing a bit of time travel. It's a balmy night in the post-WWII Ozarks, and a young woman is leaving behind her life as a "lady of the evening" for an offer of marriage. Then a client shows up with some jaw-dropping news. Oscar-winner Chris Cooper (A Doll's House, Part 2, Adaptation, American Beauty), Emmy-winner Margo Martindale ("The Good Wife", "The Americans," "Justified") and Broadway's Liv Rooth (SURE THING, To Kill a Mockingbird, Venus in Fur) star in BITE THE HAND, Ara Watson's (A Different Moon) potent classic, directed by Tony Award-winner Doug Hughes (SOMETHING I'LL TELL YOU TUESDAY, Doubt). Stay tuned after the performance for an animated conversation with Watson and the cast moderated by Playing On Air founder and consulting director Claudia Catania.

This week's summer re-release features Daniel Reitz's (NAPOLEON IN EXILE) affecting one-act YOU BELONG TO ME, featuring Amy Ryan (Oscar nominated for Gone, Baby, Gone, "The Office," "Only Murders in the Building," and a five-time Playing On Air MVP) and Michael Stuhlbarg (a recent Emmy nominee for "Dopesick," "The Staircase," "Boardwalk Empire," A Serious Man, and four-time Playing On Air veteran), as former lovers--who've gone very separate ways in the intervening 18 years--having a chance meeting on a New York City subway car. Stay tuned after the performance for a spirited conversation between Reitz and the play's director, Playing on Air founder and consulting director Claudia Catania.

The curtain is up. The show is in progress. But for a production stage manager and a sound and light board operator calling the cues behind the scenes, the night's most dazzling romance isn't playing out onstage. Written and directed by Jonathan Bernstein (RULES OF COMEDY and A VERY VERY SHORT PLAY), AT THE WATER'S EDGE, WET stars Callie Thorne ("Necessary Roughness," "Rescue Me," "The Wire") and Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos (Broadway's Clybourne Park, "Better Call Saul," HEDGEHOG YEARS). Stay tuned after the performance for an in-studio conversation with the artists, moderated by founder and consulting director Claudia Catania.

This week's summer re-release features RELATIVE STRANGERS, a bubbly comedic short from playwright Sheri Wilner (The Miracle of Chanukah, Cake Off, Kingdom City) about a young woman who, during a flight to South Carolina, decides the woman next to her just might be the mother she never had. She finds an ally in a wacky stewardess who, unlike the reluctant mother figure, thinks these two passengers are a match made in heaven. Directed by founder, consulting director, and host Claudia Catania, RELATIVE STRANGERS features Tony and Emmy Award winner Debra Monk (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, "The Gilded Age," "New Amsterdam"), Merritt Wever ("Unbelievable," "Run," "Nurse Jackie"), Tony Award recipient Julie Halston (You Can't Take It With You, Anything Goes, "Sex and the City"), and actor, playwright, and composer Michael Keck (Fences, Voices in the Rain, Hollywood Scheherazade).

In Open Arms by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros, an impending 50th birthday party sets off calamity over coffee and Kindles. Open Arms is directed by Tony Award winner John Rando and features Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed, Airline Highway, POTUS: Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive), and Bill Irwin (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Waiting for Godot, King Lear). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation between our Founder and Consulting Director, Claudia Catania, the playwright, director, and cast.

Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam, "Fear the Walking Dead," PoA's Poof!), Tony nominee Condola Rashad (Saint Joan, "Billions"), and Melanie Nicholls-King ("The Wire," "Little Fires Everywhere") star in Cassandra Medley's CELL. When a jaded supervisor at an immigrant detention center finds jobs there for her sister and niece, family tensions erupt into a battle over home and homeland security. Directed by Diverse City Theater Company founder Victor Lirio, CELL by Cassandra Medley (Relativity, Coming Up for Air) "deftly explores the dirty antidemocratic secret of institutionalized racism" (New York Times). After the play, host Claudia Catania joins Pulitzer Prize-winning immigration journalist Julia Preston, Broadway producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld, and playwright Medley to move beyond headlines and explore the real lives that inspired CELL.

From David Auburn (Pulitzer and Tony winner for PROOF) comes a riveting, witty world-premiere commission for Playing on Air: GUN SHOW. In the aftershock of a national tragedy, a congenial double-date morphs into a battle of the sexes. As tempers blaze, two couples must reconsider the possibility of safety in a divided nation. Along with Emmy winners Bobby Cannavale ("Will & Grace," "Boardwalk Empire") and Martha Plimpton (triple Tony nominee, "The Real O'Neals," "The Good Wife"), the star cast features Eisa Davis, David Furr, and Lucy DeVito! Gun Show was directed by Wendy Goldberg and performed in front of a live audience at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. After the play, host Claudia Catania talks shop with the entire creative team. Gun Show was commissioned by Playing on Air with the support of The Gilchrist Foundation and Phyllis and Joel Ehrlich.

In this holiday dazzler written, directed and produced by Arian Moayed, Santa keeps a closer eye on the naughty and nice lists than we think, especially during "unprecedented times." But maybe Mrs. Claus, the hardworking team at the North Pole, and one melancholy little girl might keep the man in the red suit from singing the blues. THE MAN IN RED, our first musical, features music by Butch Phelps and performances by Brian Cox, Jayne Houdyshell, Phylicia Rashad, Brandon Dirden, Javier Muñoz, Lily Santiago, Cecilia Suárez, Sue Jean Kim, Brendan Donaldson, Rodney Gardiner, and Lauren Sharpe.

In the cool, otherworldly confines of a Zoom room, a controversial president's ethereal daughter and hands-on son-in-law surf the choppy waters of chiseled memories, personal responsibility...and elementary school. JARED AND IVANKA'S PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE AT MAURICE J. FELDMAN JEWISH DAY SCHOOL, our third James Stevenson Commission for Short Comedic Plays, was written by playwright and screenwriter Jonathan Spector (Eureka Day, This Much I Know, The Flats) and directed by Daniel Aukin. It stars Paul Sparks ("Physical," "Sweetbitter," "House of Cards"), Cindy Cheung ("13 Reasons Why," "New Amsterdam"), Tracee Chimo Pallero ("People of Earth," "Difficult People," "Genius"), and Thomas Jay Ryan (West Side Story, The Crucible, The Little Foxes, Henry Fool).

On the precipice of making a world changing medical breakthrough, Amal visits an old lover and they contend with the uncertain future through the light of a shared, tumultuous past. JACOB AND AMAL, our second Wordsmith Duo play this season supported by the Axe-Houghton Foundation, was written by Dipika Guha (Blown Youth, "Sneaky Pete," "Black Monday") and directed by Jo Bonney (Cost of Living, Father Comes Home from the War, Anna in the Tropics). It stars Rita Wolf (What Happened? The Michaels Abroad, Homeboy/Kabul) and Keith Randolph Smith (Jitney, American Psycho, Fences), and features music by composer Dan Moses Schreier (A Soldier's Play, Carmen Jones, American Psycho). Graphic design is by Harrison Gale.

Amal would like to spend the night hiding from, well, everything. But when her bestie has other ideas - ideas that include a world renowned research university, high heels, and lowered expectations - she agrees to a not-so-scientific exercise that could take her, well, anywhere. All right. Just this once. THE HUMAN EXPERIMENT, a Wordsmith Duo play supported by the Axe-Houghton Foundation, was written by playwright Mfoniso Udofia (Sojourners, "13 Reasons Why," "Little America") and directed by Logan Vaughn. It features actors Adepero Oduye ("The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Pariah), Alex Ubokudom (Seeds of Abraham, Macbeth, Adult Ed), and Kalyne Coleman (What to Send Up When It Goes Down, Black Odyssey, Julius Caesar). Original music by composer Jimmy Keys (Skeleton Crew, Night Visions, Revelations). Graphic design is by Harrison Gale.

After his hit NUDITY RIDER, OBIE winner Hamish Linklater returns for another helping of irresistible comedy: the world-premiere commission THANKSGIVING FOR ONE. Marjorie Mumms (Jean Smart) would rather not be eating her holiday turkey alone at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. She can't get a decent gin & tonic, her daughter is spending Thanksgiving in another state, and her crazed waiter has cast her in a festive audio play. It might just be time to flip the table – and the script. With direction by Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Paradise Blue, Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine), THANKSGIVING FOR ONE unites actor-writer Linklater ("Legion," "The Big Short," The Public's Shakespeare in the Park) with Emmy winner Jean Smart (HBO's "Watchmen", "Fargo," "Frasier"). After the play, join host Claudia Catania for a behind-the-mic chat with the artists.

The proud owner of a gun shop in a small American city has a peculiar visitor one day - a celebrity of sorts who wants to buy a weapon but can't say exactly why. LOCKED AND LOADED. CAN I HELP YOU?, a world premiere from celebrated playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur, The Heir Apparent, White Christmas) is directed by Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Venus in Fur, White Christmas)) and features Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons," Monty Python's Spamalot, "Brockmire") and Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Spring Awakening, "Mindhunter"), music by Dan Moses Schreier (A Soldier's Play, Carmen Jones, American Psycho), and a special guest musical appearance by Adam Kantor (The Band's Visit, Next to Normal, Fiddler on the Roof, Rent). Graphic design is by Harrison Gale.

Airstreams, Winnebagos, Chevys, the blood brothers of RV circuit, take us from the shackles of modernity to the freedom of the road! Two couples who might not otherwise cross paths befriend each other in a Texas RV Park, and declare their mutual independence. THE WAYFARER'S CODE, another world premiere James Stevenson Commission, is written by playwright Brittany Allen and features Frankie Faison ("The Wire," Fences), Caitlin O'Connell (The Crucible, The Heiress), Robin de Jesús (The Boys in the Band, In the Heights), and Calvin Leon Smith ("The Underground Railroad," "The Deuce"). THE WAYFARER'S CODE is directed by Marchánt Davis (Ain't No' Mo', The Great Society) and features music by composer Tom Kochan (Almost, Maine, The Elephant Man). Graphic design is by Harrison Gale. After the play, host Claudia Catania joins the playwright, director, and cast for a behind the scenes interview.

An aspiring writer (Isaac Oliver) who dreams of learning the secrets of the human heart summons an ancient demon (Vera Beren). Good thing he's got tech support (Jay O. Sanders). TECH DEMONS, a world premiere James Stevenson Commission by Sarah Gancher, is directed by Marc Bruni (Broadway's Beautiful: The Carole King Story) and also features Vera Beren and music by composer Dan Moses Schreier. After the play, host Claudia Catania joins the playwright, director, and cast for a behind the scenes interview.

Husband-wife team Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller play former Yiddish theater stars who steal the show at a memorial service in the THE BURIAL SOCIETY, a comic play by Susan Sandler. Also featuring George Morfogen* ("Oz") and David Margulies (Ghostbusters). Directed by Playing on Air Producing Artistic Director Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is honored to share the work of this all-star cast, the members of whom have passed away since BURIAL SOCIETY's recording in 2011.

Playing on Air presents Waking Up, an insightful short by Cori Thomas. It juxtaposes the experiences of an American urbanite's and an African villager's struggle with breast cancer. Although the details from diagnosis to ultimate triumph are vastly different, their stories underscore the universality of the human spirit. This play features Lynnette Freeman and Amy Staats. Conversation between host, Claudia Catania, and playwright, Cori Thomas, follows the play.

When a conservative father and his young gay son (stage legend Len Cariou and "Ugly Betty's" Michael Urie) reconnect in the most unlikely of places - an airport terminal - they find that love can transcend a family's baggage. This witty, heartfelt short by Andy Reynolds is directed by Broadway's Michael Wilson. After the play, host Claudia Catania joins the playwright, director, and cast for a behind the scenes interview.

In PLAYING GOD, a divine comedy from SNL's Alan Zweibel (Playing on Air's HAPPY), a self-involved OB-GYN (Scott Adsit of 30 Rock) creates chaos for his pregnant patient (Emily Bergl). Over the objections of a heavenly assistant (Susie Essman of Curb Your Enthusiasm), God himself (Bill Buell) challenges the doctor to an outrageous squash match for his faith. Following the play, director Fred Berner and host Claudia Catania join the cast and playwright to talk about their roots in comedy.

Single mom Suzanne needs an actor for a discreet personal favor. It should be simple. But when she casts Mike, she grossly underestimates the lengths an out-of-work actor will go to to make an impact. Written by Avery Deutsch and a winner of the 2020 James Stevenson Prize for Short Comedic Plays, THE DONOR stars Sakina Jaffrey (Timeless) and Hamish Linklater (The Big Short, "Legion"). It is directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Bernhardt/Hamlet).

In Alvin and Mia's neighborhood, property owners flip houses or parcel them out for AirBnBs. No one's investing in the community. So they're thrilled by the arrival of a new homeowner — a tech entrepreneur who's rich, ambitious, charismatic, and strangely pale. And he's an excellent drinking companion. Scotch, anyone? A comedy about bloodsuckers of all kinds, OWNER OCCUPY stars David Patrick Kelly (Twin Peaks), David Furr (Noises Off), and Kalyne Coleman (Lessons in Survival). It's written by Jonathan Spector (Eureka Day), and directed by Taibi Magar (Capsule).

Mahalia, a Black trans woman, returns to her hometown of Minneapolis during the tumultuous summer of 2020. Against a backdrop of fire and protest, she and her father tentatively rekindle a long-dormant bond. REVELATIONS is written by JuCoby Johnson (How It's Gon' Be) and directed by Goldie E. Patrick (Paradise Blue). It stars Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi (Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem), John Douglas Thompson (Public Theater's Julius Caesar), and Lynnette R. Freeman (Ensemble Studio Theatre).

A tale of old age, murder and gingernut biscuits. CAMBERWELL HOUSE, a darkly comic one-woman play by Amelia Roper ("The Great"), stars five-time Tony nominee Dana Ivey (The School for Scandal, "Sex and the City").

Norman and Max may be dummies, but they're no fools. Offstage, ventriloquist dummies are the same as anyone else — smack-talking their bosses, worrying about being behind the times — but beneath their hard wooden exteriors lurk sensitive, philosophical, funny souls. A world premiere by a master of the short form, David Ives (The School for Lies, Venus in Fur), DUMMY DIALOGUE stars Richard Kind (A Serious Man, "The Goldbergs") and Tony winner Gabriel Ebert (Matilda the Musical). It is directed by celebrated Tony winner Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Venus in Fur).

Sometimes you lose your keys, sometimes you lose your temper, and sometimes you lose the most unexpected of things. When Marcy and her difficult boyfriend come for a visit, what we know about ourselves can change in the blink of an eye... REAL AMERICAN DINNER PARTY is written by Jen Silverman (Witch, novel We Play Ourselves) and directed by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown). It features April Matthis (Toni Stone), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Marys Seacole), Sean Carvajal (King Lear on Broadway), and Matthew Rauch (The Wolf of Wall Street). After the performance, host Claudia Catania discusses family dynamics with the artistic team. Why support this play? You love watching simmering family tensions boil over into absurdity, and you're willing to expand your horizons when it comes to the definition of a 'happy ending.'