In this week's episode, Alissa and Gwen discuss the merits of a much-maligned masterpiece -- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats! From the original cast recording to the current revival, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, we talk about what makes it work so well, why so many people are missing out by not giving it a chance, and how the addition of queer black ballroom culture makes the revival such an incredible experience.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week, we welcome a special guest: our friend Xavier, creator of the TTRPGs Einsol's Razor and Outrunners! In tonight's episode, we discuss a variety of topics, including drag mothers, music theory, inclusion, and how to create an NPC so awful that your players will kill him every chance they get. (Fucking Trevor.)

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

After a brief hiatus due to performance chaos, we've returned with what might be our most unhinged episode to date -- possibly because we recorded it at 2 AM. Please enjoy Alissa and Gwen's wide-ranging discussion on composers in hell, kink philosophy, reinventing trains, and ragebaiting Gwen. Also, Gwen does a bunch of voices, several of which may get her canceled.

Is this a coherent episode? No. But is it an entertaining episode? God, we sure hope so.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

On this week's episode, Alissa and Gwen chat about upcoming projects like RPG Limit Break and Don Giovanni (Abridged!), as well as shows starting on time, the importance of taking your meds, and the proper pricing structure for feet pics.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week, Gwen and Alissa have a lengthy discussion about two things that have taken up a lot of time in their lives recently! This episode comes with a massive SPOILER WARNING for plot details of hit video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the 2009 musical Next to Normal -- which, as it turns out, are about exactly the same thing. (Give or take a flaccid Eiffel Tower.)

Content warning for extensive discussion of death, suicide, and other self-destructive behaviors.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week, we welcome our friend & colleague Chris to the podcast! Together, we discuss the current state of classical singing in America, what "bel canto" singing actually is, and how we've been radicalized by our experience with Next to Normal!

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Special Guest: Chris Fotis (Instagram | TikTok)

Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

On this week's episode, we have a conversation about the distressing lack of theater reviewers in the Triangle region and the role of criticism in the arts in general. Are performers and critics natural enemies? Can arts journalism survive in an age of casual online cruelty? And, perhaps most importantly: how much horniness should be allowed in video games??

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In this episode, we discuss recent news in the opera world: budgeting turmoil at the Met, the passing of a colleague, and the viral comments a certain actor twink made about ballet and opera. Along the way, we also answer several important questions, like "is it a waste of time and effort to preserve dying art forms", "when did the first season of Stranger Things come out", and "how many alternate names can we come up with for Timothee Chalamet?" *

*(No, thirty years ago, and three.)

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

We cover a lot of ground this week! We start off with an addendum to our AI episode, followed by discussion of our upcoming opera The Genders of Gybberidge, adding some friendly competition to our ongoing fundraising campaign, and queer representation in opera. In our numerous detours along the way, we also touch on libraries, pay transparency, mezzo pants roles, and The Ugly Duckling. It makes sense in context, mostly.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week's episode is all about generative AI and its growing use by certain arts organizations. We discuss why exactly we hate it so much, what we think of claims that AI "democratizes" the process of making art, and what it says about the integrity of opera companies who are willing to embrace it. In addition, we discuss our artistic philosophies, why you can't grow without failure, and what it means to really support artists and creators in today's world.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains brief discussion of specific harms that are linked to AI, including LLM Psychosis leading to suicide and the ability of AI deepfake technology to create nonconsensual sexual content. This may be upsetting to some members of our audience, and listener discretion is advised.

Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen Hyland
Edited by Alissa Roca
Art by CHIMI
Music by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler