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! ________________________ 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

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83. PLAYBACK: Sean David DeMers Interview

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 - http://quoresimo.com/index.html Catalyst, a Theatre Think Tank - https://catalyst3t.com/ GLISTENS: Sam - Bald Rock Mountain / apple-picking Cho - Crochet Lisa - Fall Cooking ________________________ 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

82. INTERVIEW: Dr. Lisa Quoresimo

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 https://stannswarehouse.org/show/donmar-trilogy/ Sarah's: Termites lol gross _____________________________________________ 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

81. PLAYWRIGHT: Naomi Wallace

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 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 on 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 ________________________ 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 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 and be sure to catch a show this season at www.blacklivesblackwords.org/get-tickets For tickets to Katrina's "Call for the Wailing Woman" (Oct. 22-25, 2020) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blbw-call-for-the-wailing-women-tickets-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, reporter for Bloomberg news who broke the story about Hope Hicks testing positive Katrina - Country Music / "Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton ________________________ 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

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) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/theater/ballyturk-review-enda-walsh.html GLISTENS: Sam - “The Election That Could Break America” by Barton Gellman Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/what-if-trump-refuses-concede/616424/ Sarah - Ora Organic's "You're a Knockout" Natural Sleep Aid Supplement ____________________________________________ 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

78. PLAY: Ballyturk by Enda Walsh

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 https://www.jonathanspector.org/ or follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/spectorjon 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 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! ________________________ 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! 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 her Ph.D. Orientation ________________________ 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

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 https://open.spotify.com/episode/71XK4ZPCkZgpN6NbhW4p1w?si=QQ6G9hmGRL6VLcYgEkBEmA Howlround - “Notes to the Note-Givers; or, Embracing the Paradox” essay by Catherine Trieschman https://howlround.com/notes-note-givers-or-embracing-paradox How to Organize Writing Feedback so You Can Rewrite With Confidence by David Safford https://thewritepractice.com/organize-writing-feedback/ ________________________ 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!

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: https://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. 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

74. INTERVIEW: Deborah Yarchun

We return to our Playwright Series where we look at a single playwright and their large body of work. We discuss plays from their early, mid-career, and the latest or most recent play of their career. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Paula Vogel. We read the three plays: And Baby Makes Seven (1984), How I Learned to Drive (1997), and Indecent (2017) to share our thoughts on Paula Vogel's craft in playwriting. We hope you will check these plays out and listen in to our conversation! 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

73. PLAYWRIGHT: Paula Vogel

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" https://www.amazon.com/Playwrights-Teach-Playwriting-Career-Development/dp/1575254239 by Joan Herrington (Editor), Brian Crystal (Editor) Additional writing prompts: https://pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolkit/5-prompts-jumpstart-your-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

72. TOPIC: Understanding Writing Prompts

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

71. PLAY: Power Plays by Elaine May & Alan Arkin

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 chat about TikTok(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: https://www.marjoriemuller.com/ https://www.theatreinthedark.com/ https://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

70. INTERVIEW: Marjorie Muller

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

69. PLAY: Sweat By Lynn Nottage

A podcast by two friends who met at Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Join us, your hosts Sam Collier and Sarah Cho, as we dive deep into honest conversations about playwriting and theater. Every week, we will discuss plays we love, share helpful writing exercises, and interview guests to discover how we can all become better writers together. We want to be a resource for anyone interested in writing plays and being part of a community. New episode every Monday!

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Beckett's Babies

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