Let Me Ascertain You: The Civilians Podcast

Extraordinary crime is the specialty of this week's interviewee, who has seen it all in 35 years as a practicing forensic psychologist and who is a professor of criminal psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Tony-nominee Maria Dizzia performs this interview, discussing topics such as sexual murders, crime scene behaviors, and the implications of this work in the court room. This interview was conducted for Crime, USA, a new play by our Associate Artist Alix Lambert, who also interviewed FBI agents, gang members, pawn shop owners, and more.

Porn charades? We've got it in this week's podcast: a recording of a game of porn charades in which one of our audience members was acting out a porn title and the cast members of the live evening at Joe's Pub were guessing. Plus this week, we have Aysan Celik as a female adult entertainment performer and parent, Brandon Miller as male talent Bill Margold, and Michael Friedman singing his song "We Were Giants." This material is crafted from interviews with real people for the new musical PRETTY FILTHY, by Bess Wohl and Michael Friedman.

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Adult Entertainment 101: Revealing some of the tricks of the trade and behind-the-scenes stories, this week's episode is back to our investigation about the adult entertainment industry. Associate Artist Alix Lambert performs an interview with adult entertainment performer Tabitha Stevens who discusses plastic surgery; Mia Barron plays an anonymous female talent; and Andrew Kober sings "Squirting 101" by Michael Friedman, a new song about female ejaculation from an interview with Axel Braun about his revolutionary techniques. This material is from interviews conducted by Civilians artists with adult entertainment performers, directors, agents, and more in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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A lawyer from the Department of Justice who specializes in organized crime cases discusses how he got into his field and some of the criminal schemes he has come up against in the courtroom. He also talks about the reasons that people cooperate with the American legal system and the relationship between cooperation and culture. This interview is performed by Brandon Miller, and was recorded at Joe's Pub. Associate Artist Alix Lambert conducting this interview for her play Crime: USA, which is crafted from interviews with gang members, pawn shop owners, FBI agents, and more.

True Blood's Sam Trammell portrays adult entertainment super-star Evan Stone; legendary performer Ginger Lynn introduces the monologue from her interview with our artists, performed by actress Kathryn Hahn (Hung, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days); and Rutina Wesley (True Blood) and Peter Porte perform the song "Applesauce" from the new musical Pretty Filthy by Michael Friedman and Bess Wohl. This material is from interviews conducted by Civilians artists with adult entertainment performers, directors, agents, and more in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. This performance was recorded at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

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The battle over Atlantic Yards has been raging for almost a decade at this point. This episode takes a look at the complicated and controversial development in Brooklyn at the site where the new Barclay's stadium is currently being constructed using interviews that we conducted with over 100 Brooklyn residents, business owners, politicians, and activists. We hear from some of the key players on both sides of the fight, discussing topics like gentrification, what makes a neighborhood, change, affordable housing, and more. This week features Jennifer R. Morris as a member of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn; Heather Alicia Simms as Bertha Lewis, the head of ACORN; and Joaquin Torres as Saul Zarzana, a union member who supports the project; and Joaquin Torres leading the cast in "The Neighborhood Song" by Michael Friedman.

Ever wonder what it's like to be in the FBI? This week features performances of interviews with two retired FBI agents. They talk about how they entered this line of work, being a female agent, the mafia, what their jobs are like on a day-to-day basis, plus other stories and observations about serving on the force. The episode is performed by Maria Dizzia and Matthew Maher, and was recorded at Joe's Pub. The interviews were conducted as part of Alix Lambert's play Crime: USA, which is crafted from interviews with gang members, pawn shop owners, FBI agents, and more.

Back in the world of adult entertainment, we have another episode crafted from our interviews with professionals in the San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas. This performance was recorded at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. This week features Sam Shelton as a female performer, Steven Weber as male talent Jack Lawrence, and Michael Friedman singing his song "These Girls," which is from an interview with an agent.

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We're back in Brooklyn this week with our investigation into Atlantic Yards, the largest development project in Brooklyn's history where the new Nets basketball stadium is currently being built. Billy Eugene Jones plays a homeowner who lived in the footprint, talking about the process of negotiating with Forest City Ratner, the developer. Marsha Stephanie Blake plays City Council Member Letitia James and Atlantic Yards opponent. Sam Breslin Wright plays Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, and Billy Eugene Jones returns to sing "The Circle Song" by Michael Friedman.

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This episode comes from Alix Lambert's new play, Crime, USA, which explores crime in America through a series of interviews with criminals, gang members, pawn shop owners, lawyers, FBI agents, and more in different cities across the country. A former gang member talks about about the first time he got in a fight when he was in the first grade, the first time he carried a gun, his experiences as a gang member, and his life outside the gang. This episode features actor Frank Harts as Antonio performed at Joe's Pub.

This episode contains some language and content that may not be appropriate for children under the age of 18.

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