Let Me Ascertain You: The Civilians Podcast

This episode concludes our three-part series about Occupy Wall Street. The monologues you are about to hear were crafted from interviews conducted by our artists in Zuccotti Park with demonstrators about their reasons for protesting and what the early days of the movement were like. This episode features Emily Ackerman as Michele Kelley, an experienced activist; Billy Eugene Jones and Jordan Mahome as Omar Omes and Michael Curtis, two teamsters; and a group of young protesters played by Matt Dellapina, Kelly McCreary, Dan Domingues, and Matt Stadelmann. Michael Friedman then leads the cast in a sing-along of "Dump the Bosses Off Your Back" by John Brill, written in 1911.

What you are about to hear is from our live performance at Joe's Pub on October 28, which was featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Faster Times, and New York Times.

This week finds us back at Occupy Wall Street. The company's artists were downtown last month in Zuccotti Park interviewing the demonstrators about their reasons for protesting and what it was like living in the Park during the first few weeks of this historic movement. This episode features Greg McFadden as Richard O’Mara, a member of the Tea Party; Emily Rossell as Maddy Enlow, a young woman; Dan Domingues and Colleen Werthmann as Chris Carter and Lily Johnston, who are on OWS’s medical team; and Michael Friedman singing his song, "The Signs."

What you are about to hear is from our live performance at Joe's Pub less than a month ago (on October 28), which was featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Faster Times, and New York Times.

Voices from Occupy Wall Street populate the latest episode of Let Me Ascertain You. The company's artists were out in Zuccotti Park interviewing the demonstrators about their reasons for protesting and what it was like living in the Park during the first few weeks of this historic movement. This episode features Matt Stadelmann as Robert Grote who was on the Brooklyn Bridge during the mass arrests; Matt Dellapina as Buddy Bolton, an out-of-work creative director for children's television; Alix Lambert at Charlotte Souza, a college-aged protester; Jordan Mahome as Preach of Occupy the Hood; and Kelly McCreary singing "I Have Not Slept" by Michael Friedman. What you are about to hear is from our live performance at Joe's Pub less than a month ago (on October 28), which was featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Faster Times, and New York Times.

This episode begins our investigation of the business of adult entertainment. A team of Civilians' artists conducted interviews with performers, directors, agents, producers, and more in Las Vegas and the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. This episode features monologues and a song crafted from interviews with several adult entertainment stars discussing the do's, don'ts, and won'ts of shaping a career, how they got into the business, and more. Mia Barron plays Katie Graham, Emily Swallow plays another female performer, Paul Provenza and Bess Wohl play one of porn's on and off-screen leading couples, and finally Emily Swallow sings "Beautiful" by Michael Friedman. These interviews are inspiring a new musical entitled Pretty Filthy, book by Bess Wohl, music by Michael Friedman. The material in this podcast was recorded in a live performance at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

This episode contains sexually explicit material and is not appropriate for children under the age of 18.

Let Me Ascertain You: The Civilians Podcast Series launches with an episode featuring performances of interviews with Brooklynites about the controversy over the largest development project in Brooklyn's history.

The site where the new Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets) stadium is being built has been the source of extended and heated conflict, resulting in the enactment of eminent domain in New York State. This episode features the performance of interviews with Atlantic Yards bloggers, local business owners, residents, and activists, examining how the fate of Brooklyn and New York City is decided and what can be learned from this ongoing saga of politics, money, and the places we call home. The material was collected for the company's play In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards, which was included in year-end Top 10 Theater lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time Out New York.

This episode features: Aysan Celik as a blogger, Colleen Werthmann as activist Patti Hagan, White People written by Michael Friedman and performed by Marsha Stephanie Blake, A scene at Levels Barbershop performed by Billy Eugene Jones and Marsha Stephanie Blake, and The Four Brooklyns written and performed by Michael Friedman