Playing On Air: Short Audio Plays

Content advisory: this episode contains themes that may not be appropriate for younger listeners. Sigrid has a new little bundle of joy, and she's worried that he might be... evil. Today, she's tagging out: this baby is her neighbor Darla's problem now. Just in time for Mother's Day, Gracie Gardner's HATE BABY, the winner of Playing on Air's 2018 James Stevenson Prize for Comedic Short Plays, delves into the often-gross, ever-changing world of new parenthood. HATE BABY features Emily Bergl (Broadway's The Ferryman, PoA's Evening at Anaheim), OBIE winner April Matthis (Elevator Repair Service, PoA's Wanting North), and Tony nominee Steven Boyer (Hand to God, PoA's An Upset). After the play, the artists join host Claudia Catania for an onstage interview. HATE BABY was recorded live at the 52nd Street Project in New York City.

Content advisory: this episode contains explicit language and sexual references. When a cocky, jaded tennis star (David Harbour) loses a pivotal match to an inexperienced Romanian player (Steven Boyer), the two men lock into an unlikely battle for dominance on and off the court. Over the course of three encounters on the Grand Slam circuit, AN UPSET by David Auburn (Tony & Pulitzer winner for Proof) peers irreverently, and explosively, behind the locker room door. After the play, Tony nominees Harbour ("Stranger Things," Hellboy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and Boyer (Hand to God, "Trial & Error") join director Michael Wilson (PoA's Wildwood Park, Broadway's The Trip To Bountiful) and host Claudia Catania for an exclusive talk-back about working with your idols and what it means to be an amateur. AN UPSET was recorded live at the 52nd Street Project in New York City.

Unwanted house guests. A murder of crows. Is something brewing in the raw, early morning? In TWO CROWS APART, Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder in "Game of Thrones,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Geraldine Hughes (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jerusalem, Playing on Air's The Mandela Effect) paint a virtuosic, unfiltered portrait of marriage. After the play, director and playwright Max Baker (Broadway's 1984, The Mandela Effect) and the cast join host Claudia Catania for a discussion of haters, lovers, and animal instincts.

What do you do when your former therapist starts talking to a cat that isn't there? When Nate meets his longtime psychiatrist in the park, he realizes that she may be losing it. With tenderness and humor, Cusi Cram's THE HELPERS asks if we can reconnect with the life-altering figures who were never exactly our friends to begin with. THE HELPERS stars Tony & Emmy winner Jane Alexander (Warm Springs, The Great White Hope) and Peter Jacobson (Dr. Chris Taub on "House," "The Americans"). After the episode, director Mimi O'Donnell (Executive Director, Scripted at Gimlet), Cram, and the cast join host Claudia Catania to discuss pet loyalty, funding for theater, and the art of costume design.

How do you eulogize a woman who everybody hated? In Peter Sagal's MILTON BRADLEY, Rabbi Schoenberg (Michael Stuhlbarg), faced with this dilemma, turns to a metaphor: the game of Life (the board game, that is). Featuring Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water) and Bob Balaban (Gosford Park, Christopher Guest & Wes Anderson ensemble regular), MILTON BRADLEY is a darkly funny exploration of where we're all headed one day. Stay tuned after the play for a conversation with playwright Peter Sagal (of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! fame).

BEYOND GLORY "allows the voices of servicemen to be heard without the filter of the conventions of drama or the prerogatives of deadline-driven journalism" (NY Times). Since 2004, Tony-nominated actor Stephen Lang (The Speed of Darkness, Avatar) has traveled the nation - and the world - performing BEYOND GLORY, a gripping look into the lives of Medal of Honor-decorated veterans, both on and off the battlefield. A candid, vivid, and unsparing journey behind the front lines, CLARENCE SASSER tells the true story of a young Texan medic on a tour of duty in South Vietnam. After the play, Lang discusses his adaptation of BEYOND GLORY from Larry Smith's book of the same title, as well as his experiences performing the show for service members and veterans.

"I just don't like you very much... Just. Middle of the road not liking you, I think." In Chiara Atik's 52nd to Bowery to Cobble Hill, in Brooklyn, Halle is taking a late-night cab ride through Manhattan with her bubbly acquaintance Alison. Halle didn't mean to blurt out how she really feels about their "friendship," but now they're stuck in traffic on Broadway and 4th, dealing with it. Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Colt Coeur), Atik's modern comedy features Molly Bernard ("Transparent," "Younger") and Sue Jean Kim (Bachelorette, Playwrights Horizons, Public Theater).

Loureen is at the end of her rope. And now, she's just turned her husband into a pile of ashes. As Lynn Nottage's funny and wrenching POOF! opens, Loureen (Audra McDonald) has inadvertently made her abusive husband (Keith Randolph Smith) disappear. Enter her friend and neighbor Florence (Tonya Pinkins) to help her pick up the pieces and begin to imagine a life post-Samuel. Directed by Seret Scott, POOF! features Tony Award winners Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill) and Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam; Caroline, or Change). Following the play, the 2-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (Sweat, Ruined) joins host Claudia Catania for a conversation about POOF!'s origins - and how she almost never became a playwright.

CARRY THE ZERO "gets the awkwardness of teenage hookup culture squeamishly right" (NY Times). Mark and Nicole just had sex for the first time, and now they're facing the long, embarrassing drive back to Nicole's house. Directed by John Giampietro, Christopher Sullivan's short play stars David Gelles (Graceland at LCT3, NBC's "Deception") and Arielle Goldman ("The Knick," "The Marvelous Ms. Maisel") in an intimate and brutally funny look back at sexual awakening in the age of instant messenger and indie rock. This episode contains adult themes that may not be suitable for some younger listeners.

With a storm raging outside, a horror screenwriter (Jesse Eisenberg) and his wife (Heidi Schreck) are cozying up for a romantic weekend in the middle of nowhere. The weather outside is frightful -- and so is the mysterious couple that just arrived on their doorstep. Directed by John Rando and starring Eisenberg (The Social Network, Playing on Air's A Little Part of All of Us), Schreck (What the Constitution Means to Me), Alfredo Narciso (Time and the Conways, PoA's West of Stupid and Mere Mortals), and Sarah Sokolovic ("Homeland," PoA's Anniversary), David Ives's THE BLIZZARD will send a shiver down your spine. Stay tuned after this special bonus episode for a conversation with host Claudia Catania and the artists about Agatha Christie fandom and what makes art creepy.

Caroline can't find anything funny -- not her awkward love life, not her jaded standup coach Guy, and definitely not the punchlines she's been reading in 101 Dirty Jokes. Originally produced at the Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville, Patricia Cotter's RULES OF COMEDY is a playful, wry look at the lives of comedians when they dare to go offstage and off script. Directed by Jonathan Bernstein, Cotter's short comedy stars Louisa Krause (The Flick, Billions, PoA's Winter Games) and Michael Esper (Trust, The Last Ship, PoA's Anniversary). After the play, stay tuned for an artist interview about the playwright's background in comedy, avoiding the pull towards bitterness, and toeing the line with your material. "Cotter's script is lush with the knowledge of standup comedy... this play is a scream" - Todd Zeigler, Broadway World Reviews

In James McLindon's DRUNK CHRISTMAS, a teenage runaway and a swerving mom crash into each other on Christmas Eve; the night ahead is anything but silent. An unorthodox holiday parable, DRUNK CHRISTMAS stars Tony winner Elizabeth Ashley (Ocean's 8, The Carpetbaggers) and Susannah Perkins (Network, The Wolves). After the play, director Michael Wilson (The Trip to Bountiful, The Best Man) and the creative team join host Claudia Catania 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.

Fathers and sons might forgive, but they never forget. Hear two of Broadway's greatest comedians tackle family drama. A sarcastic alcoholic man in recovery (Steven Boyer) tries to prove himself to his father (Bill Irwin), searching for his own way to say I LOVE YOU. Directed by David Auburn (Proof, Playing on Air's Gun Show & An Upset) and written by Lynn Rosen (co-founder of The Pool, Resident Playwright at New Dramatists), I LOVE YOU features comedic legend Bill Irwin (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Waiting for Godot, co-creator and star of Old Hats) and Tony nominee Steven Boyer (Hand to God, NBC's "Trial & Error," Time and the Conways). In the after-play discussion with host Claudia Catania, Boyer shares some surprising anecdotes about preshow rituals & his co-star's past performances.

From the beloved narrator of the Harry Potter audiobooks and the playwright of Venus in Fur comes a wickedly clever whodunit. In THE MYSTERY AT TWICKNAM VICARAGE, Scotland Yard's Inspector Dexter (Jim Dale) arrives at a country parsonage to investigate the murder of Jeremy Thumpington-Fffienes (David Furr). As Jeremy's wife (Kelly Hutchinson), two lovers (Scarlett Strallen and Arnie Burton), and a suspiciously attractive sofa aid in the investigation, the crime crescendos into an uproarious parody of Masterpiece Theater, Sherlock Holmes, and all things British. After the play, Tony-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town), Ives, and the cast join host Claudia Catania in a behind-the-scenes interview.

Are the Berenstain Bears, Nelson Mandela's death, and Darth Vader's most famous line evidence of a parallel universe? During lunch with a friend, an actress works herself into a cosmic tizzy about the unsettling MANDELA EFFECT, the collective misremembering of names, news stories, and cultural artifacts. Written and directed by Max Baker (Revolutionary Road, Broadway's 1984, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest), THE MANDELA EFFECT features Geraldine Hughes (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jerusalem, Rocky Balboa), Kelly Hutchinson (Catch Me If You Can, Broadway's Macbeth) and Bill Buell (Cyrano, Equus, "Boardwalk Empire"). In the post-show discussion, Baker and his cast delve into the bizarre, fascinating phenomenon that inspired the play.

In Leland Frankel's modern comedy WOKE, an aspiring Pakistani-American rapper named Sunny crashes into Rebecca, a misguided activist, and the cop pursuing her across Queens. As Rebecca and Sunny are forced to reckon with race, privilege, and art, WOKE questions whose job it is to change the world - and who gets to. Recorded live at Playwrights Horizons and directed by Mimi O'Donnell (Labyrinth Theater, Gimlet Media), WOKE features Craig muMs Grant ("She's Gotta Have It," HBO's "Oz"), Tracee Chimo (Bad Jews, "Orange is the New Black," "People of Earth"), and Debargo Sanyal (Venus, Pearl Theatre's Vanity Fair). After the play, stay tuned for an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with the artists and host Claudia Catania.

"If I gave you my heart, that would be the knife." With one hop of the fence, a star-crossed lover (Emmy nominee Rupert Friend) storms back into the life of the married woman (Golden Globe winner Michelle Williams) he deserted. Hovering on the brink, will they bite into the forbidden fruit - or dare each other to walk away for good? Starring Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn, The Greatest Showman, Blue Valentine) and Rupert Friend (Pride and Prejudice, "Homeland," The Young Victoria), LAST NIGHT IN THE GARDEN I SAW YOU is written and directed by Pulitzer Prize & Tony winner John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Prodigal Son, Moonstruck). After the play, host Claudia Catania joins the artists to discuss rapid-fire theater, risk, and the battlefield of love.

Cora and Dave love Abby and Tim. Really. They're the kind of fabulous, beautiful people you love to be seen at dinner with. The friends you wake up at night panic-envying. The couple you secretly hope may have a terrible, terrible secret. Mercilessly relatable, CORA AND DAVE ARE GETTING OLDER by Julia Cho (Office Hour at the Public, Aubergine at Playwrights Horizons) pulls back the curtain on a couple in a moment of midnight vulnerability, battling the jealousy, comparison, and artifice that plague modern love. Directed by Obie winner Marcia Jean Kurtz, the cast features Dawn McGees ("The Tick," "High Maintenance") and Jack Sochet (Gotham, Soho Rep, The Public). Stay tuned after the play for a behind-the-scenes artist interview with host Claudia Catania.

Two recovering addicts (Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo) have their Saturday night card game interrupted by a love-struck parole officer (Bobby Cannavale) with major boundary issues. Written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People), the madcap comedy CRAZY EIGHTS features Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (Blue Jasmine, "Boardwalk Empire," PoA's Gun Show), Tony winner John Leguizamo (Latin History for Morons, Ghetto Klown, Moulin Rouge), Oscar nominee Rosie Perez (Do The Right Thing, Fearless, "The View"), and Kevin Hogan ("Mr. Robot"). Stay tuned after the performance for an interview with David Lindsay-Abaire and the cast, moderated by Artistic Director Claudia Catania. CRAZY EIGHTS was recorded live at BRIC House in Brooklyn, New York.

In Cary Gitter's romantic comedy HOW MY GRANDPARENTS FELL IN LOVE, it's 1933, and a young Jewish immigrant returns to his Polish hometown in search of a wife. He sets his sights on Chava, a savvy, sarcastic shopgirl in a local hat store. The New York Times calls the play "a gorgeous high note...a Jewish screwball romance set in Poland in 1933. Unlikely, yes, but also uproarious and beautifully cast, with tone-perfect direction by Colette Robert." The sparkling cast features Eli Gelb (Indignation, The Squid and the Whale) and Lucy DeVito ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Girls," Hulu's "DeadBeat"). After the play, host Claudia Catania moderates a conversation with the artists.

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), EVENING AT ANAHEIM features Richard Kind (The Producers, "Spin City"), 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). EVENING AT ANAHEIM was co-presented with Playwrights Horizons and recorded live in New York City.

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.

Starring Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam, Caroline or Change), Tony nominee Condola Rashad (Saint Joan, Ruined, "Billions"), and Melanie Nicholls-King ("The Wire," "Rookie Blue"), CELL tells the riveting story of three African American women working at an immigrant detention center. When a jaded guard arranges jobs for her sister and her niece Gwen, the family erupts into a battle over home and homeland security. As Gwen races to save a detained child, CELL paints a searing picture of the secrets we keep in order to survive. This powerful piece by Cassandra Medley, directed by Victor Lirio, "deftly explores the dirty antidemocratic secret of institutionalized racism" (New York Times). After the play, Medley joins Pulitzer Prize-winning immigration journalist Julia Preston, Broadway producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld, and host Claudia Catania to move beyond headlines and explore the real lives that inspired CELL. Cell was supported in part by Cheryl Wiesenfeld Productions.

Watch your step. Look at those hardwood floors. Don't lose your mind. While touring a prospective buyer through a mansion for sale, a wary real-estate agent is ensnared by the house's haunting past. Denis O'Hare ("American Horror Story", Tony winner for Take Me Out), and Kristine Nielsen (Tony nominee for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) star in thriller Wildwood Park by Doug Wright (Pulitzer Prize & Tony winner for I Am My Own Wife), directed by PoA favorite and veteran director Michael Wilson.

Playground tantrums. Modern angst. Hungarian dance festivals. In Kate Robin's Inside Voice, dive into the secret lives of parents. Directed by Rebecca Taichman (Tony Award winner for Broadway's Indecent, Lincoln Center Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater), the cast features Patch Darragh (Broadway's Our Town, "Weeds," "The Path," Sully) and the playwright herself ("One Mississippi," "The Affair," "Six Feet Under")! After the play, the artists and host Claudia Catania discuss showrunners, women on TV, and the role of fear in theater.

When she hears his story on a daytime talk show, a Cambodian refugee (Jodi Long) start to exchange letters with a homeless man (Matthew Cowles). From Jacquelyn Reingold ("The Good Fight," "Smash," "Grace and Frankie") comes an unlikely, soulful romance. After the play, join Reingold and host Claudia Catania for a candid conversation about the play, the business of TV, and writing from the news.

From David Ives (Venus in Fur) comes a madcap satire of Brotherly Love and cosmic misunderstandings. Mark thought he woke up in New York City this morning, so why isn't there a cab, a copy of the Times, or a cold beer in sight? You can't always get what you want, and in this clash of the cities, you might only be able to get the complete opposite - plus a cheesesteak. Directed by Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown, Jerry Springer - The Opera,) The Philadelphia features Carson Elrod (Peter & the Starcatcher, The Liar), Jenn Harris (Silence! The Musical), and Matthew Saldivar (Saint Joan, JUNK). Stay tuned after the play for a behind-the-scenes conversation with host Claudia Catania and the artists.

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.

Winter Games: as stray cats prowl and dough rises, two sardonic twenty-somethings flirt with dreams of Olympic glory - or maybe just escape from the small town bakery where they work. Penned by rising star playwright Rachel Bonds, a recipient of the prestigious Tow Foundation Playwriting Residency grant, it features Louisa Krause (lead of STARZ's "The Girlfriend Experience," Annie Baker's The Flick) and Blake DeLong (We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Public's Illyria). Winter Games is directed by Portia Krieger. After the play, host Claudia Catania talks shop with the entire creative team.

The police picked up teenage Ethan (Timothée Chalamet) for drunkenly wandering down the highway. Now, he's facing the real reckoning for his Misadventure: the wrath of his big sister (Zoe Kazan.) Playwright Donald Margulies is a Pulitzer Prize winner for Dinner with Friends and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Sight Unseen and Collected Stories. Best known for her leading role in The Big Sick, Zoe Kazan has also played on Broadway and off in A Behanding in Spokane and Angels in America, among others. Her film credits include It's Complicated, happythankyoumoreplease, and Ruby Sparks. Timothée Chalamet has received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Call Me By Your Name. Other screen credits include Lady Bird, Interstellar, Love the Coopers, Hot Summer Nights, and "Homeland." He won acclaim on Broadway in John Patrick Shanley's Prodigal Son. After the play, host Claudia Catania talks shop with the entire creative team.

The 1840s South. In the thick plantation air, two enslaved sisters spin a poetry of escape. Today's the day: Field Girl is making her run for freedom. Inspired by oral histories of slavery and resistance, the short play Wanting North by Tanya Barfield ("The Americans," HBO's "Here and Now") features Obie winner April Matthis and Rebecca Frank. After the episode, stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes discussion with Barfield, director Melissa Crespo, the cast, and host Claudia Catania.

In Jon Kern's short comedy Hate the Loser Inside, a college football coach is tackling a local television commercial and fumbling more than his team ever did - until he finally scores. Kern has written for "The Simpsons" and "Son of Zorn, and his plays include Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them. Director R.J. Tolan heads EST's Youngblood program and co-directed the off-Broadway revival of Godspell. The cast features off-Broadway and regional favorite Brad Bellamy (Dallas Theater Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Denver Theater Center), seen onscreen in "30 Rock" and "Law & Order: SVU." Graeme Gillis, the co-Artistic Director of Youngblood, is a member of The Actor's Studio and Ensemble Studio Theater. After the play, host Claudia Catania talks shop with the whole creative team.

In Tennessee, a small town 20-year-old wannabe musician (Timothée Chalamet) seeks an escape plan from the town's resident psychic (Caitlin FitzGerald). Featuring Caitlin FitzGerald who stars as Libby Masters in the television series "Masters of Sex" and in "Rectify." Her film credits include It's Complicated, Newlyweds and Taking Woodstock. Tennessee also features Timothée Chalamet who starred on Broadway in Mr. Shanley's play Prodigal Son. His films include Call Me By Your Name, Interstellar and Lady Bird. Lively conversation with playwright/director John Patrick Shanley, Caitlin FitzGerald and Timothée Chalamet follows Tennessee. Tennessee was recorded and co-presented in front of a live audience at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio.

A meet-cute in a coffee shop contains multitudes, in this entertaining, experimental short, now a classic, from David Ives (Venus in Fur). It is from his collection of shorts called IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING and it couldn't be more about how everything in life is indeed all in the timing. But it takes you to another dimension first. Fun. Sure Thing features comic pros Carson Elrod and Liv Rooth. Directed by Tony winner John Rando. Original music by Tom Kochan. There is an interview with David Ives moderated by PoA's Claudia Catania, following the play. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

Presents are wrapped, carols are playing - and the department store Santa is asking some awkward questions. In the comedy If We're Using A Surrogate, How Come I'm The One With Morning Sickness? by Marco Pennette ("Ugly Betty", "Desperate Housewives"). In Motherhood Out Loud, conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, a gay dad rants and reminisces about having a baby. Performed by James Lecesne (winner of the Academy Award for Trevor, founder of The Trevor Project, writer and star of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Word of Mouth) the episode also includes a behind-the-scenes artist interview with host Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

For Veterans Day, Memorial Day or any day, NICK BACON is a powerful tribute to military valor, written and performed by stage and screen star Stephen Lang (Colonel Quaritch in Avatar). In this excerpt from his full-length play Beyond Glory, Stephen portrays Nick Bacon, a Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Medal Of Honor. Listen as the soldier recounts, in his own words, the incident that earned him America's highest military honor for valor beyond the call of duty. Based on Larry Smith's book of the same title, the segment is followed by conversation between Mr. Lang and Playing on Air's host, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In Happy by Alan Zweibel ("SNL," Curb Your Enthusiasm," 700 Sundays with Billy Crystal) a baseball fan (Scott Adsit of "30 Rock" and "Veep") makes a pilgrimage to the home of a former baseball star who is now a janitor in Delray Beach, Florida (Frankie Faison of "The Wire") and asks him to sign a very special ball. After a fair amount of humor and misunderstanding, the power of baseball to bond fathers, sons and men emerges. Directed by Fred Berner (Executive Producer/Director, "Law & Order"). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the artists moderated by Host Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, please listen to 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. It features Lynnette Freeman and Amy Staats. Conversation between host, Claudia Catania, and playwright, Cori Thomas, follows the play. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In the comic TASHA WALKS by Kim Merrill, a young man (Steven Boyer, Tony nominee for Hand to God) returns dejected from his bomb of a vacation with his fiancee who has called the wedding off, to find his neighbor (4 time Academy Award nominee Marsha Mason) has lost his fiancee's cherished cat. Directed by Brian Mertes and recorded live at BRIC Arts Media House in Downtown Brooklyn. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the artists moderated by Host Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In the autobiographical GETTING IN by Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner Frank Gilroy (The Subject Was Roses), a scrappy GI, gleefully recalls how he went from truancy, almost flunking high school, the trenches of WWII, to Dartmouth College, on the GI Bill that changed his life. Getting In by Frank Gilroy (Tony, Pulitzer Prize) featuring eleven! - David Beach, Kim Benheim, Matthew Cowles, Caroline Gilroy, Michael Godere, Carter Hudson, Lillian Laserson, Thomas Lyons, David Margulies, Fiana Toibin and Jack Wetherall! Short play, long cast. Interview with Pulitzer and Tony winner, Frank Gilroy, follows the play. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

The curtain is up. The play is in progress. We hear two stage managers. Calling the show. A man and a woman. At The Water's Edge, Wet is written and directed by Jonathan Bernstein, whose plays and musicals have been produced throughout the country. His cast today includes Callie Thorne ("Necessary Roughness," "Rescue Me," "The Wire,") and Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park, Birdman, Noises Off). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the artists moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

For a grammar school assignment a grand-daughter interviews her great-grandma on motherhood. She gets more than she bargained for. Way more. The illustrious Lois Smith (Five Easy Pieces, "True Blood," The Nice Guys) plays great-grandmother to her real life grand-daughter, Eliana Saxe-Smith. Written by the inimitable Beth Henley (Pulitzer Prize for Crimes of the Heart), stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

A young woman 'of ill repute' is grabbing a chance at marriage when a client shows up with some jaw-dropping news. Oscar-winner Chris Cooper, Emmy-winner Margo Martindale and Broadway's Liv Rooth (Venus in Fur) star in Bite the Hand, Ara Watson's potent classic, directed by Tony-winner Doug Hughes. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

A BETROTHAL brings you into the cutthroat world of iris breeding, where delicacy meets domination. Lanford Wilson's classic brings us two competitors, two irises--and one ingenious chance to win. Performed by Lisa Emery (Broadway - Casa Valentina) and Frank Wood (Tony for Side-Man); directed by Bruce McCarty. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Recorded live at BRIC Arts Media House in Downtown Brooklyn. Original music by Tom Kochan. And thank you, Tanya Berezin! Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In 24 Years by Leslie Ayvazian (Nine Armenians), a couple celebrates their 24th anniversary. Champagne in hand, and huge cast on leg (from an overly enthusiastic soccer mishap), this immobilized husband still manages to stay one step ahead of his exasperated wife and to declare his vows again. Leslie's play features Jessica Hecht (catch her this summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House directed by PoA vet Rebecca Taichman! July 19-29) and Dominic Fumusa (Edie Falco's ex on "Nurse Jackie"). 24 Years is directed by novelist/playwright/filmmaker/director Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Baby Anger, About a Boy, Dan in Real Life). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. And happy anniversaries! Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In A Man of His Time by Kate T. Billingsley, a descendant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney (who handed down the disastrous 1857 Dred Scott decision) invites a descendant of Dred Scott to meet him at a highway diner halfway between Virginia and Vermont. Scott shows up. It stars Sam Waterston (The Killing Fields, "Law and Order," "The Newsroom," "Grace and Frankie") as the contemporary Taney and the acclaimed stage star John Douglas Thompson (Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Emperor Jones, Othello) as the contemporary Scott. Estelle Parsons (Oscar win for Bonnie and Clyde, "Roseanne," August, Osage County) directs. It is written by Kate T. Billingsley and recorded and co-presented at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

"As starkly moving as taps at dusk" says the Washington Post about Beyond Glory, a powerful tribute to military valor written and performed by stage and screen star Stephen Lang (Colonel Quaritch in Avatar). This piece features Stephen Lang portraying Private First Class, 1st Marine Division, Hector Cafferata, Korea, based on his own words. It is a portrait from Stephen Lang's one-man show, Beyond Glory, based on the book by Larry Smith of the same title. Stay tuned for a conversation between Mr. Lang and Playing on Air's producer and host, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In Goodbye, Howard, a rich comedy by Romulus Linney, three North Carolinian sisters in a total tizzy about their esteemed 85-year-old kid brother's imminent death, avoid an embarrassment worse than death. Three virtuosos: Lois Smith (2 time Obie Winner and 2 time Oscar nominee), Frances Sternhagen (2 time Tony winner), and Dana Ivey (5 time Tony nominee) play Howard's three adoring sisters. They are joined by T. Cat Ford, Jacob Callie Moore, and Scott Sowers. Romulus Linney is one of America's great playwrights and a master of the short form. He conjures up a particular time and place in this confection of a play.​ Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with Lois Smith​,​ Frances Sternhagen and Scott Sowers moderated by Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.

In IT'S ALL GOOD, a short play by a master of the form, David Ives (Venus In Fur, All in the Timing), a Chicago native visits his hometown and encounters his past. Directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, IT'S ALL GOOD features Carson Elrod, Rick Holmes and Kelly Hutchinson. As you'll hear, this is a four character play, but at the last minute, one stellar actress was struck down by extreme flu and Kelly valiantly assumed both roles! Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation moderated by our Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania. Playing on Air is a public radio show and podcast featuring great American short plays with great American actors. We distribute audio productions of contemporary short plays, translating stage works into enduring modern radio theater. We aim to redefine radio drama for today's digital, mobile audience.