“I’m Not Gonna Get Any Better” w/ Justin Elizabeth Sayre & Kirsten Vangsness

Hello, our names are Justin Elizabeth Sayre, Kirsten Vangsness, and Drew Droege, and we think everything is our fault. But we’re not getting better. How do we navigate this mess? Dive in for a deep listen! Also pay attention on these streets! 

Justin Elizabeth Sayre

Justin Elizabeth Sayre is a playwright and performer who Michael Musto called, “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” Sayre is a fixture of the Downtown Cabaret Scene in New York, first with their long-running variety show, The Meeting (Bistro Award-winning & 2 MAC nominations). They are currently in residency at Joe's Pub at the Public with their new variety show, Assorted Fruit. As a playwright, Sayre’s work has appeared at Dixon Place, The Wild Project, The Celebration Theatre, Dynasty Typewriter, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre. Their 12-part-epic Ravenswood Manor, a Camp-Horror-Soap-Opera, called “a sharply written and well-acted exemplar of the horror-comedy genre,” by the LA Times and  is currently being developed with Sony Television and Rupaul. Sayre has written a series of YA Novels, Husky, Pretty, and Mean, released by Penguin Books, and the book, From Gay to Z: A Compendium of Queer Culture just released by Chronicle Books. Sayre has written for Television, working with Michael Patrick King on his Hit CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls and Fox's The Cool Kids. Sayre also appeared on HBO’s The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow. They are NYCLU artist ambassador and a 2023 MacDowell Fellow. Follow them on Instagram @justinelizabethsayre and on Facebook.

Kirsten Vangsness

Kirsten Vangsness has been a recipient of the HRC Visibility Award and the Open Fist Theatre Excellence in the Arts Award recipient. Most recently Kirsten starred as the title character in the critically acclaimed new play “Nimrod” by Phinny Kiyomura and was honored play Lottie Pratchett in Justin Elizabeth Sayers lascivious play: “Lottie Pratchett Took a Hatchet” She recently wrapped the 16th season of Criminal Minds where she plays the tech genius Penelope Garcia a show she has co-written 5 episodes for including the first series finale. In 2019 Kirsten wrote a feminist musical space romp called Cleo, Theo and Wu that was taken to the Edinburgh Fringe along with her solos show “Mess” (which Neil Gaiman has called his “favorite one person show”). She often hosts Selected Shorts short story readings for NPR and has created a YouTube show about art and self actualization called Kirstens Agenda. She is the co-owner of the Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana, California. Kirsten is long time member of Hollywood’s Theatre of NOTE - a non profit theatre company committed to new works where she hosts “Bits” a monthly writers salon. Follow her on Instagram @kirstenvangsnessand and on her website.