Stage Whisper
Whisper in the Wings Episode 592
(upbeat music) - Welcome back in everyone to a fabulous new Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper. We have another incredible festival to bring you. The festival season this year, especially in New York, has been just off the hook. It's been crazy. And this new festival we've been put on to, I shouldn't say it's a new festival, it's new to us, is just absolutely amazing. It's definitely one you'll want to check out and support. We of course are talking about the new Perspectives Theater Company's presentation of the 2024 short play festival. And today we are speaking with Program B, Hot Spot, which is playing August 5th through the 10th and new Perspectives Studio. You can get your tickets and more information by visiting new-perspectives-theater-company.ticketleap.com. Joining us today, we have several of the playwrights and directors that are part of this program. We've got the playwright Anel Carmona and the director Dany Ortiz from Between Iron Doors. We have the playwright Taylor Steele and the director, Malini Singh McDonald, who are from Bumble. And we have the playwright Morgan Barnes Whitehead and the director Bianca Lopez from Best Seats in the House. These are three wonderful works that we cannot wait to learn more about. So let's jump right in and welcome on our guests, everyone. Welcome, welcome to Whisper in the Wings from Staid Whisper. - Thank you for having us. - Thank you. - Hi, thanks for having us. - I'm so excited you're all here. I can't wait to learn more about these fabulous works. So what I want to do is I'd like to start with our playwrights and have you all tell us a little bit about your show. So Anel, can we start with you and between Iron Doors? - Sure. - So between Iron Doors is it's a play. It's a play about three coworkers that are stuck in the bathroom or of their workplace without a logical explanation. As they find out what's going on, they're going to realize all the things that were previously happening that took them to the place where they are now and they're going to see their fate. - That is very cool. That sounds very awesome. - Hey, what a steal from the show, Bumble. Can you tell us a little bit about what your show's about? - Sure. So might be able to talk on the title, but it's about Bumble, the dating app. It's about two people who haven't been spending a few days talking to each other on the app and them figuring out what the relationship to each other is and unpacking toxic masculinity and what it means to try to take a chance on yourself and on someone else at the same time. That is a fantastic premise. Oh, I love it. And finally, Morgan Barnes Whitehead, tell us about best seats in the house. - Yeah, best seats in the house. It's a climate disaster play. It's a play about the beginning of the end of the world. It's about folks sitting at a restaurant waiting to see a rocket launch to zap the hole in the ozone layer closed. So it's about class, it's about climate, it's about race, but it's also obviously about relationships, humans, people. Yeah. - Wow, wow, a lot of story. So listeners, as you can hear, there are three very different, very fantastic shows that we've got on the line up for Program B and I wanna dive more into these now and I wanna bring on our directors this time. So I'm gonna start with Daniel Tease from Between Iron Doors. Tell me, what has it been like developing the piece? - It's been a real pleasure for context. Like we gave all these playwrights a theme like back in January and the theme is hotspot and they had three weeks to develop their first drafts and they produced their first drafts and then we worked with them up until May several other drafts to then have a rehearsal like rehearsals in July to hold this festival in August. So it's been so amazing to see Anel's playgo from the first draft to the draft that we went into rehearsals and like the small tweaks that we've made and having really wonderful actors bring these characters to life and I really can't wait to show everyone what we've developed. - So exciting. Malini, tell us about the development of Bumble. I have to just say that I like Danny and like Bianca and the other playwrights, I'm sorry, directors in the program just watching the development of these pieces over the last five months off of hotspot. It has been a real thrill and it's also been a director/traumatoid stream. And for me specifically with Bumble, I was already automatically drawn to it because this particular play that Taylor has created for us is about dating on the apps and as someone who's been in a very long term relationship for very long time before apps and learning about the dating world in this aspect has just been fascinating and doing the research through the actors, through conversations with Taylor, with production team has really been able to inform a part of my life that I will not know. I pray I never know. As I said, I'm in a long-term relationship a lot of years. So this was fascinating to just understand not just the dark side of it, but just the intricacies in it, which is something was new information to me. Something came out of rehearsal last night where all of, I was just like, what? Oh, oh, that's a thing, right? Okay, so just unearthing this new information that I will not ever know about personally has been fascinating and informative. That is amazing, I love it. By the way, Bianca Lopez, you are the director of the piece Best Seeds in the House. So what has it been like developing this piece and getting it ready for the festival? Well, I'm very thankful to Morgan. She's a great playwright. So it's been quite a pleasure helping with the development of the play. I appreciate the themes that she's been tackling in the play itself, which she mentioned earlier. Global warming, that's very important. Social class, construction, empathy, humility, and experience amongst a group of five actors that are playing the role of five characters that have to navigate this world where for most it's very familiar and for some not so much. I'm excited that I get to work from the process of developing a play with the actors themselves because I find they're very talented and very fun. They're pleasurable, they're really committed. The whole cast and crew is extremely committed. So I just appreciate the effort that everyone puts into bringing this beautiful piece of work to life. And we wanna honor Morgan, our playwright, and her amazing structure, her composition, and how she's really put so much thought and energy and effort into this play, and I appreciate it. So my favorite part of the process has just been working together to create this world that's extremely dynamic and eccentric for the most part. - That is a fabulous answer, I love that. Now, I wanna turn to audiences' reactions, if you will, to these pieces, and I'm gonna stick with our directors. Malini, I wanna start first with you and your show that you're directing, Bumble. Is there a particular message or thought that you hope audiences take away from the piece? - That's a fantastic question. I think it's, as you're exploring a relationship, and it's not in person yet, that you really need to take everything at face value until you're able to be in the same space, for some time to really get to know somebody, because you're really dealing with non-reality when you're on the apps. It's who's truth, even though there may be, there is a truth and there's an intention and there's a desire to search out other people, but what are people's true motivation? Because the motivation is not necessarily to find true love, right? My one true love, it's not necessarily that. There is other reasons why people go on apps, and it's a variety of reasons, and what Taylor has created with Bumble is really a cautionary tale, as well as, and I hate the word empowerment, as it relates to women because we're already empowered, but, since I can't find the right vocabulary for it, it is finding your truth, knowing your own strength and your own power and being able to trust your gut, that buzzing, that whisper you hear, like you hear them, we all do, every single one of us listen and then to trust it, because in my own personal experience and this journey of life, whenever I swayed away from my instinct, my intuition, it is usually when things start beginning to crumble. So, you know, and Taylor packed this end in like 22 pages. We timed this piece, it's less than 22 minutes, I'm like, but it's a whole, you know, whole of a cautionary tale on that. So, that's my big takeaway, I hope when people leave the theater and continue having conversations around this, yeah. - That is so wonderful, I love that idea. Bianca, I wanna come back to you and ask you what message or thought do you hope audiences are taking away from best seats in the house? - What I hope for the audience to take away for best seats in the house is I would hope that they can take away that not everything is black and white. There's a lot of gray in life. It's important for me for the audience to realize that life is an extremely multi-dimensional and multi-layered and ultimately, the road to great intentions is paved in hell. - Ooh, I like that, very thoughtful. Danny or tease, tell us, what is the message or thought you hope audiences take away from between iron doors? - I hope audience can walk away with thinking about, especially working conditions in other countries and even in the United States that some workers are not given all the same rights as all employees and that discrepancy is just something that we should take a look at and find opportunities to resolve that. So everyone has the same working conditions and also it points a light again, like to like hardworking women and how women are treated and how are they able to progress in the fields that they work in, whether it's from a retail worker or being a CEO of a company. It's important that everyone's treated equitably and with respect and also motherhood and like how women have always been mothers and taking a lot of the burden of caretaking for family members and all of those things to reflect on and, you know, how can we be better people and humans or partners to the people that we interact in work or family or friends? - Also a wonderful thought, three fantastic ideas from these brilliant directors. This is very exciting. Now to wrap up this first part, I wanna return to our playwrights who have written these fantastic shows. These really diverse shows. And Morgan Barnes Whitehead, with your show, Best Seeds in the House, I would love to know who exactly are you hoping to have access to your work? - That's a great question. I feel like this is like a greater theme in terms of theater in general of like how and when can we reach out to folks who maybe don't historically always have access to theater? But then of course, quite literally like, who is this for and what audience am I trying to reach? But I think like in terms of that second part of the question, who is this for whom I trying to reach? I think that we are all in this time of like uncertainty and stress and worry, especially as it relates to like climate and economy. I think that it's good to be worried and it's good to be stressed and that progress and like change comes out of worry and stress, but that it cannot just be worry and stress. So I think that by creating a opportunity to talk about climate, to talk about the economy and then of course all of the social issues that intersect with those things, but using sort of a comedic and a satirical light to shine on them, I'm hoping that you know, I can dislodge some of this discomfort about starting the conversation. And in that, I hope that it's for everybody. I think there's a character or a situation in this play that will resonate with almost anybody. And if it doesn't resonate, I think that it will be clear why it's not resonating in a way that resonates, hopefully. - That's a brilliant answer, I love it. And now I wanna come to you and your show between Iron Doors, who are you hoping to have access to this? - I think this show is for everyone. I mean, obviously for everyone because otherwise, why would you be writing a play, right? But in terms of the target audience, I think it's for all of us who have decent middle class jobs and who have probably taken for granted how far we've gone in terms of workers rights and how important they are. I think that we have forgotten that we are here, all of us who have worked that feel safe at, that we are here because of other people who have fought for them and that there are still people who don't have place to work in good conditions. And I would like for everybody to remember that we still have a way to go and that we have come so far. And also to honor all those people who have gotten us to the place where we are now. - Absolutely, a thousand percent. Say it again for the people in the back. (laughs) And without on this first part, I'm so excited to hear from our playwright, Taylor Steele. And your show, Bumble, who do you hope have access to that? - I mean, similarly to the other playwrights, first and foremost, everyone. I think that it's a show about relationships and how do you know when you know someone? And I think anyone can relate to that. I specifically wrote these characters as black though. And I think to borrow a word we don't like to empower black women specifically when it comes to saying no to things and people that do not have their best interest at heart, I think it can be easy, particularly for marginalized people to say yes to the things that hurt them because we don't want to inflict further harm on someone else. And it's also so important to take care of ourselves and to make sure that we're in a safe place and safe relationships. And I think part of the story is also how scary it can be to say no, how scary it can be to realize that the person you're talking to isn't the person you think or thought that they were. And there's a little bit of a magical realism bent to this show that kind of allows this character to overcome that fear. But I think it's important to note that that is just a real thing in relationships and that there's a power dynamics at play. And so I'm hoping that people kind of take away that understanding of like who has power in these relationships, is it me? Am I perpetuating harm? Am I being harmed? So yeah, I hope to reach marginalized people who are embarking on different kinds of relationships. - Well, on the second part of our interviews, we love giving our listeners a chance to get to know our guests a little bit better. Pick your brains, if you will. And I want to jump straight to my favorite question to ask guests. And that, of course, is what is your favorite theater memory? Yes, Morgan, please. - My almost all of my favorite theater memories, shockingly revolve around Shakespeare. But most specifically, my aunt is an actress and my first exposure to Shakespeare was through her. And my first exposure to theater was really through her. And I owe a lot of my like passion and excitement for theater to her. So shout out to her if he listens to this. But specifically, she did a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" up in Connecticut that was set during the Vietnam War. And I, for the, my brain came alive watching that. I said to myself, oh my gosh, you don't just have to do Shakespeare like exactly as it's written on the page. And that was the thread that I pulled throughout my childhood that got me to the point where I was like, and I can do whatever I want. I can make up whatever I want. A play is whatever you want to play to be. So watching people play within the classics like that, really unlocked like my imagination towards theater. And having that specific moment of like, oh my gosh, my aunt is a rock star and all these people are the coolest people ever, really turned me into a theater kid and really solidified my relationship to text and to Shakespeare. So I'm really grateful for that memory. And I will always remember being like seven years old, sitting in the zoo in the Connecticut zoo, being like, this is the best thing that's ever happened. Yeah. - I love that. That's such a great memory. Shout out to your aunt. That's fantastic. Malini, yes. What is your favorite theater memory? - I love that story, Morgan. That's fantastic. You know, I have so many of these experiences. It's always a visceral experience. If I go see a show, if I'm creating a show. So the pick one is hard, but I will say that when I had the opportunity to direct the whiz in Liberia, West Africa, a few years ago, these young people had never done theater. Right? They were part of the Matsiko World Orphan Choir. They performed, you know, outside of the country in order to gain sponsorships. So they are able to go to school because, you know, one of the things we take for granted in this country is that there is an accessibility to education. In other countries, there is a lack of infrastructure for that. So here we are, we're doing the whiz. And for me, it was one, having to explain the Wizard of Oz first, right? And explaining that piece of Americana and then explaining why the whiz exists and giving a little bit of history in like four or five minutes to this group of young people who don't know this, right? Unless you're in this country and there's the rights and, you know, the daily struggles that all of us deal with on a daily basis. But I remember when we finally went up and we did, we had a lot of rehearsals, like 10 days of rehearsals for one show. And if you know the whiz, that is not an easy show. Love the show. But watching all of their eyes light up and watching them being bitten by the theater bug. It was the 40 young people on that stage. In that church, as well as the 10 young people who were running crew, who were doing lights, who would do all of that, they were just so excited about it. And, you know, I will speak for myself and I feel like I probably could speak for the others. So every so often you have a moment where you're just like, why do I do this? But why am I in this industry? Why, why, why the bloods went into yours and, you know, the struggle of it all. And why am I still doing this all these years later? And it's in those moments where I go, boom, it's the magic of theater. It's the magic of theater. That changes lives. Who knows what's next in their story, you know? So the whiz and I did just see it on Broadway. And I felt like I was, you know, six years old all over again, watching, watching it, you know, watching it on the screen with Diana Ross. So anyway, thank you. Thank you for letting me share that. - That is an amazing memory. Oh my gosh, that's incredible. Thank you for that. Yes, Bianca, yes, please. - Hi there, I'm Bianca. A theater memory of mine that is one of my favorites 'cause it's hard to say ultimately my favorite is in 2005 I was accepted with a scholarship to Loyola University in New Orleans for theater. And New Orleans, Loyola University in New Orleans is called the Juilliard of the South. So I was very proud of that to be able to go to that school. But unfortunately three days into my dormitory experience I was a hurricane Katrina and I was unfortunately but fortunately a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. And that was a very tremendously difficult time for me. So I was one of the few displaced students in the country and I had to go back home. I only had two days to apply to many colleges around the country in order to continue my education because some of you were very young when that was happening but it was a very devastating time. And I reapplied to many colleges and one of the colleges that accepted me was Columbia University. I had an interest in New York City because I went the year before for the first time. So I said to myself I think Columbia University sounds like a good choice for me. And Columbia University has a theater program through Barnard. So Columbia students, for undergrad they take their classes through the Barnard College which is a wonderful liberal arts college for same gendered women or women identifying people. And that day that I landed after going through the devastation of the hurricane and not being able to fully recover from the trauma of that I had already missed orientation at Columbia University but I never had an orientation as a freshman in college. And that was, I'm sorry if I tear up or anything but it's very traumatic when you're 18 years old and you leave your parents home at that age and you don't have a lot of life experience living on your own and then you don't have an orientation or guidance or a proper place to live 'cause I was displaced so I was living on the floor of a friend's dorm room in the meantime. So through my theater program at Columbia they asked us through Barnard to do auditions and the minute I landed from the airplane after as I said before the exhaustion I was going through with just two days to apply to a university in the country I was informed the minute I got in that if I was interested in taking any theater classes that day I would have to audition. That was rough for me 'cause you have to prepare material you have to memorize monologues, et cetera. I was like, what? So I showed up to the Barnard stage and I just told everyone the truth. I apologize, my monologue is going to be rusty. I am just flying in from Orleans and I went through something called the Hurricane Katrina and they were all like, what? So that day I performed my monologue and it was remarkable for me because the average student at freshman year just gets into maybe one class of theater. A lot of the theater teachers wanted me. They were like, I want her in my class. So it was a beautiful story at the end 'cause I got to take a lot of wonderful theater classes at that time and it was just thankful for me. But specifically I really had wanted to complete my education and start my education at Loyola 'cause it's a theater conservatory. The Juilliard of the South, so that was hard. But at least I got into a lot of theater classes at Columbia to be able to start off my education in a conservatory style atmosphere. And since then it just showed me the tenacity that I had at such a young age 'cause I've been doing professional theater from the time I was about three. So the fact that I'm like, okay, little 18 year old Bianca, if you're okay with going through all this and you still want to audition, are you sure? And at this age that I currently am, theater has been very much, as you can imagine, a challenge, but it's truly a passion for me. And it's a passion that'll never leave me and I'm very honored to take in this passion. And there's a lot of challenges, but nothing can beat going through devastation and watching people suffer and die around you. And yet what heals my soul and what keeps me moving forward is the love I have for theater. Wow, what a memory. Wow, all of that you came, congratulations. That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that. Yes, and now please. - Okay, I'm finally ready. And I think I'm going to go with a college memory. I was in college in Universidad de Guadalajara back in Mexico. We were a very smart cohort. I think it was like about 18 of us. And the way the program work is that we would work on a show, mostly for training purposes, not for production purposes, throughout the semester and a half, and then at the end, we have the option of have a bit of a repertoire season in which everybody, every cohort have their show, according to their level. And we didn't have a huge budget, but there was a theater and there were always ways to make like these shows possible. But then when we finished, I think it was our second year, at the end of our second year, we were doing the importance of being earnest. And the play was the artistic work of Ed, it was a bit of a mess. So they gave us the option of either having the production, put it that way, or to just not do it. And I feel like I had so many, some of my peers did not want to do it because they thought it was not at a good level. But I'm thinking like, come on, we're students and we still have the summer. We could rehearse in the summer to make this gut. But I think, I don't know, like there was, most of them did not want to do it. I don't know if they felt too good for this production or if they didn't want to work over the summer. So at the end, some of us really, really wanted to do it, which to me was the reason why I'm going to theater at school. I'm going to theater school because I want to do theater, not to just leave it in the classroom. So I think it was like five or six of us that really wanted to do it. And so the teacher comes back and he's like, so what did you decide? Do you want a season or not? And most of the group is like, no, we decided not to have it. And I'm like, wait, there's six of us, we can do this. We didn't even have a full cast, I forget. I think it's eight characters in the Prince of the Darkness. But I'm like, look, we can ask the third years, we can ask the first years, we can cover those characters, we can find some rehearsal space, rehearse in our houses during the summer. And we're going to find a way to make this work. And I feel like I started rallying the five or six people who wanted to do that. I spoke to people in other years and the show ended up happening. And I think that was, that was a great, I think it was a great preparation for what was to come because they feel like when you're doing a lot of in-defeater or theater in general, there's never a lot of research there. So there's always every reason why you're not doing it. And yet theater always happens because some people really, really want to do that. And they're very committed to do it. And I think that was the first time I had that experience. - That is amazing. That's a great story, way to go. Thank you for that. Yes, please Taylor. - So a little like back history, I was a slam poet from the age like 18 to 26 or so. And I was also, I'm sure like many people in the Zoom obsessed with Medusa, so, so normal. And I had written a poem about Medusa that kind of lent itself to being a short play. And I had never written a play before, but I was like, this kind of feels dialogue-y. This kind of feels like to people talking. I kind of, I wonder what I could do with this. And one of my friends had sent me a link to a festival that was happening in New York that was looking for short plays. And I was like, I guess I could submit this. It's not gonna get chosen. Like I've never, I've never written a play. I've never produced a play. I don't know anything about this, but I submitted. And I think the turnaround was so quick. It was like a week later, I was sitting at a restaurant with that same friend and we both got emails saying that our pizzas had been chosen. And I freaked out. I was so, I felt so unprepared. I was like, I don't even know actors, like I'm a poet, like who, I don't know anything. And people just kind of rallied around me and were like, look, we know people. Here's who you should reach out to. And I ended up casting two incredible black women to play Medusa, Medusa's best friend. And our rehearsals were in my bedroom, in my apartment at bedside at the time. And I didn't even understand that I was directing it, but I was directing it. There was no one else to kind of fill that role. And so the first piece of theatre I've ever done was like, I wrote it, I directed it, I produced it for this short play festival. And sitting in the audience for the first time, watching people say the words that I wrote was so magical. I had never experienced anything like it. Like I said, slam poetry. Like I was always the one performing my own words. And so watching other people inhabit these characters that I had created that were just living on a page, was just like, this is a thing that I could do. I could write words for other people to say and they'll save them on a stage. And I think that that was kind of the moment I was like, oh, this is for me. This is what I'm gonna do with my life now. So yeah, I got bit by the theatre about early in life, but I didn't realize that I could make it myself. And that was kind of the moment in 2016, where I was like, oh, I can be the person who does this. - There's such a fantastic memory. Yes, I love it. Danny, bring us home. What's your favorite theatre memory? - My favorite theatre memory, definitely, I would have to say high school, because that's really where I think it all led to where I am today, just like, I think that's where everything kind of started. And I had picked dramas and elective in my high school. I went to high school in Queens and they had a little theatre, like literally a little room dedicated just for theatre. And that I thought was amazing in itself, that we had this little private room that I could be in for 45 minutes instead of like learning a subject. But like, I could do theatre and collaborate with fellow students and just have fun, you know, in the middle of the school day. And then before I knew it, someone from a community based organization came in to start doing after school programs. And I remember joining that and that definitely opened even more doors because we went on trips. You know, we saw a young Frankenstein. We saw, I remember this piece in New Victory. Once and for all, we're gonna tell you who we are. So shut up. And I think it was like a German traveling group or there was like young kids. And that play did not, I don't think it had a single word spoken. It was just very visceral. There was like giant balls and small balls. And then like, I remember like a small like race car and then like a giant ATV. It was just, it was, I didn't know, I couldn't, I couldn't even tell you everything that happened. It was just so visceral and made me so curious. And I was like left in wonder. I was like, what did I just experience? Because I didn't know theater could even evoke such responses. Like sometimes I think of theater in the traditional sense. So it definitely opened my mind to like the possibilities that theater can have on its audience and people. And I just, again, just from that moment, I just started falling in love with scene shows and again, just making shows at whatever capacity. I've served as an actor. I did a play, like I was a playwright for a hot second. I did lights one time, you know? I don't care what role in theater I am in, but I just love being a part of the process and just making something out of nothing. - That is such a fantastic memory. We love a good origin story. Thank you for that. Thank you all so much for this fabulous memories. As we wrap things up, I would love to know if our listeners would like more information about your shows or about you, perhaps they'd like to reach out to you. How can they do so? So now, and Danny, if our listeners would like more information about between iron doors or about you, how can they get that? - They can follow me on Instagram. At I am Annal Karmona. I am guessing the spelling of my name will be somewhere written in the description of the podcast. So I am, and then my name, that's where they can follow me on Instagram. They can message me if they have any questions about it. And our shows are every day, August 5th through the 10th, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we are up at 8 p.m. Thursday and Tuesday, we are up at 4 p.m. And Saturday at 2 p.m. New perspective theater. - Yeah, and if anyone wants to just chat or reach out or have any questions, you can email me directly at Danny, which is D-A-N-I-N-P-T-C at gmail.com. If you're curious or if you want to collaborate, I'm always down to make theater. - Wonderful. Taylor and Malini. What about if our listeners want more information about Bumble? - Similarly to a now, my Instagram is I am Taylor Steele. Steele has three E's in it, not just two. So yeah, reach out to me there. Similarly, I love to collaborate. They'll hit me up there. - And you can reach me on Instagram. It's Malini_sm. And there's information about program B and hotspot as well as program A. Our shows are going up at various times, Monday, Wednesday and Friday of that first week in August, we go up at 8 p.m. and then on Tuesday, Thursday, we're up at 4 p.m. and then Saturday we're up at 2 p.m. So you can visit the new prospective theater company website for more information on that. - Perfect. And finally, Morgan, Barnes, Whitehead and Bianca Lopez with Best Seeds in the House. How can our listeners get more information on this? - First of all, hit up the new perspectives, theaters, social media. The social media team over there is fantastic and all of the information is up. If you want to hit me up on social media, I only have an Instagram. Similar to Malini's Instagram, mine is Morgan_RBW on Instagram. And then, yeah, we're in program B. So all of the exact same dates and times as Anal and Taylor's shows. Please come and see it. We would love to have you. And Bianca, if you want to add, how people can reach out to you. - Thank you. Just to add some perspectives for your followers, Andrew, the Morgan George Women's Work is divided into program A and B. The Women's Work Lab has produced over 80 playwrights' works. We're very proud of that since I believe 1994 will be in our 30th year. The theater company, I think, has been around since for about 35 years now. The program B in which all my lovely co-hosts here today are a part of, we are divided into three segments. So it will be three shows, approximately maybe under 30 minutes apiece. My show is last in the series of program B. So if you go on to the website, if anyone's interested in coming out to support the work, it'd be wonderful to have you. And we, up today's guests are in program B. You'll see the dates there between August 5th and 10th. As for myself, I'm Bianca. If anyone's interested in reaching out or collaborating, you can find me on Instagram. My name is Bianca Lopez. That's where the Z is in Jennifer Lopez. Just add the in front and that's how you'll find me. The Bianca Lopez. - Wonderful. Well, now Danny, Taylor, Malini, Morgan and Bianca, thank you all so much for taking the time to speak with me today. Thank you for sharing your work and your artistry. This is so fantastic. I'm so excited about this festival. I look forward to attending and taking in your fabulous work. So thank you all so much for your time today. - Thank you very much. - Thank you so much. - We appreciate your passion. - Thank you. - Thank you for taking the time. - Thanks for having us. - And Jennifer, I love your enthusiasm, Andrew. Thank you very much for promoting this theater. We need people such as yourself. Thank you. - Bless you. Thank you for that. My guests today have been several of the incredible playwrights and directors involved with the 2024 short play festival being presented by New Perspective Theater Company. The shows today joining us are part of Program B Hot Spot, which is happening August 5th through the 10th at New Perspective Studio. And you can get your tickets and more information by visiting new-perspectives-theatre-company.ticketleap.com. We also have more information about each show as well as their related artists that will be posted in our episode description as well as in our social media posts. But we are so excited to take in Program B, which has between Iron Doors, Bumble, and Best Seats in the House. These are three wonderful works. You've got some wonderful opportunities to see them. In fact, you've got six wonderful opportunities to see them. We have all this information that'll be posted in our episode description as well as in our social media posts. But head to New Perspective Theater Company's website right now, get your tickets, come out and support these great, great shows. And we want to add for our American listeners that Election Day is November 5th. Make sure you are registered to vote and do your democratic duty. You can find out how and where you can register to vote by visiting vote.gov. The future demands that we fight for it now. - So until next time, I'm Andrew Cortez. - Remanny, you too. - Turn off your cell phones. - And wrap your candy. - And keep talking about the theater. - In a stage whisper. - Thank you. (upbeat music) - If you like what you hear, please leave a five-star review, like and subscribe. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at stagewhisperpod. - And feel free to reach out to us with your comments and personal stories at stagewhisperpod@gmail.com. - And be sure to check out our website for all things stage whisper and theater. You'll be able to find merchandise, tours, tickets, and more. Simply visit stagewhisperpod.com. Our theme song is Maniac by Jazzar. Other music on this episode provided by Jazzar and Billy Murray. You can also become a patron of our show by logging on to patreon.com/stagewhisperpod. There you will find all the information about our backstage pass as well as our tip jar. Thank you so much for your generosity. We could not do this show without you. ♪ I'm way from there ♪ ♪ I swear I don't care ♪ ♪ Anywhere will you come ♪ ♪ Make me there ♪