Theater podcast and public radio program Playing on Air is proud to launch its Spring 2021 Season with seven new short audio plays.
The spring shows span genre and theme, from new comedy by master of the short play David Ives (The School for Lies, Venus in Fur), to a drama set during the tumultuous summer of 2021 by JuCoby Johnson (How It’s Gon’ Be), to a surreal family gathering from Jen Silverman (Witch, novel We Play Ourselves).
Each episode highlights acclaimed and rising artists of stage and screen, including Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown), Richard Kind (A Serious Man), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Marys Seacole), and father and daughter Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Lucy DeVito (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).
“I am thrilled to finally share such dynamic plays,” said Founder and Producing Artistic Director Claudia Catania. “Working with so many amazing artists — both longstanding friends of Playing on Air and new collaborators — has been a balm during a time when we’ve all been seeking community. My hope is that our spring season will encourage laughter, openness, and connection as we begin to reembrace the outside world.”
SUNDAY may 16
I THINK IT’S WORTH POINTING OUT THAT I’VE BEEN VERY SERIOUS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE DISCUSSION OR, JULIA AND DAVE ARE STUCK IN A TREE
by Mallory Jane Weiss
When runaway snow tubes send a dad and his grown daughter flying off a cliff, they’re left hanging on for dear life — and testing the limits of a punchline. This winning comedy, recipient of the 2020 James Stevenson Prize for Short Comedic Plays, cheerfully prods family bonds between parents and their grown children.
Written by Mallory Jane Weiss and directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God), I THINK IT’S WORTH POINTING OUT… is a world premiere starring real-life father and daughter Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) and Lucy DeVito (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” ). It was first performed live at Playing on Air’s 2020 Digital Holiday Benefit.
SUNDAY may 23
REAL AMERICAN DINNER PARTY
by Jen Silverman
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).
SUNDAY may 30
DUMMY DIALOGUE
by David Ives
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).
SUNDAY June 6
CAMBERWELL HOUSE
by Amelia Roper
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”).
SUNDAY june 13
REVELATIONS
by JuCoby Johnson
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).
SUNDAY June 20
OWNER OCCUPY
by Jonathan Spector
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).
SUNDAY June 27
THE DONOR
by Avery Deutsch
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).