24 YEARS by Leslie Ayvazian

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!

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [17 Minutes]

A MAN OF HIS TIME by Kate T. Billingsley

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 (TONY nomination for Jitney, Satchmo at the Waldorf, 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.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 32 Minutes 06 Seconds]

Hector Cafferata by Stephen Lang

“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, Korea, Hector Cafferata, and is based on his own words. Hector Cafferata is a portrait from Stephen Lang’s one-man show, Beyond Glory, adapted from 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.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 22 Minutes 16 Seconds]

GOODBYE, HOWARD by Romulus Linney

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 try to avoid an embarrassment worse than death. Three virtuosos: Lois Smith (two-time Obie Winner and two-time Oscar nominee), Frances Sternhagen (two-time Tony winner), and Dana Ivey (five-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 actors Lois Smith, Frances Sternhagen, and Scott Sowers moderated by the play’s director, host Claudia Catania.

IT'S ALL GOOD by David Ives

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.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 25 Minutes 10 Seconds]

TWO JEWISH MEN IN THEIR SEVENTIES by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros

In TWO JEWISH MEN IN THEIR SEVENTIES by Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros, two great comedians Jerry Stiller (“Seinfeld”, “The King of Queens”) and Bob Dishy (Sly Fox, Along Came Polly) play two old friends visiting a new holocaust museum. They don't like it so much. They've seen better. This funny and moving short was one of the very first short plays Playing on Air recorded. Thank you, Alex, Jerry, and Bob. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the playwright moderated by the play’s director, host Claudia Catania.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 15 Minutes 19 Seconds]

CLOSING COSTS by Arlene Hutton

In Closing Costs by Arlene Hutton, a real estate broker hits her threshold when a client reveals her listing is the 396th co-op he’s seen. It features Amy Ryan (Gone, Baby, Gone; Bridge of Spies, Birdman) and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man,"Boardwalk Empire"). Playwright Arlene Hutton is an alumna of New Dramatists and author of The Nibroc Trilogy and Gulf View Drive. Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch (Director: Bethany with America Ferrara for The Women's Project, Harper Regan for The Atlantic Theater Company and Stay for Rattlestick Theater). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with with the cast and playwright, moderated by our Host, Claudia Catania.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 23 Minutes 12 Seconds]

BANSHEE by John Patrick Shanley

Tony, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Moonstruck, Outside Mullingar) writes and directs this short play about a banshee, a fantastical Irish spirit. In it, she pays an ailing teacher a visit and makes him an otherworldly proposal. It features Geraldine Hughes (Jerusalem, Gran Torino, Rocky Balboa) and Aidan Quinn (“Elementary,” Michael Collins, Desperately Seeking Susan). Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with playwright and actors, and catch some surprising answers from this Irish cast. Interview moderated by Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 25 Minutes 46 Seconds]

VERNON BAKER AND DANIEL INOUYE from Beyond Glory by Stephen Lang

"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).

First Lieutenant Vernon Baker and Captain Daniel Inouye (who later became the long-serving US Senator from Hawaii) both experienced racism in the armed forces during WWII and recount that as well as the incidents that earned them the Medal of Honor many years later. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with Stephen Lang and Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 23 Minutes 13 Seconds]

THE OTHER WOMAN by David Ives

In The Other Woman by David Ives, an insomniac writer experiences a different side of his wife after darkness falls. It features Laila Robins ("Homeland"; Planes, Trains & Automobiles) and Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll and Hyde, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark). Directed by Tony Award winner, John Rando. Stay tuned after the performance for a conversation with the playwright, David Ives, and Producing Artistic Director, Claudia Catania.

Download on iTunes, Podbay, Player FM, subscribe to our RSS feed, search ‘Playing on Air’ in your favorite podcasting app – or stream below! [ 23 Minutes 13 Seconds]