On this episode we take a look at MORNING SUN, which opened the 2021-22 Manhattan Theatre Club Off-Broadway season. During this conversation, director Lila Neugebauer and playwright Simon Stephens are joined by actress Marin Ireland, who appears in Morning Sun alongside Edie Falco and Blair Brown. Lila, Simon and Marin discuss the creative process behind bringing this enthralling world premiere to the stage.

Morning Sun features Tony Award winner® Blair Brown (Copenhagen, “Orange Is the New Black”), four-time Emmy Award® winner Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” Frankie and Johnny…), and Tony nominee Marin Ireland (Reasons to Be Pretty) form a powerhouse trio of stars in this deeply felt, gorgeously imagined new play by Tony winner Simon Stephens (Heisenberg, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). In Greenwich Village a generation or so ago, the city is alive. Joni Mitchell sings, friends and lovers come and go, and the regulars change at the White Horse Tavern. As 50 years pass, one woman’s life is revealed in all its complexity, mystery and possibility in this enthralling world premiere about mothers and daughters, beginnings and endings in New York City. Directing is Lila Neugebauer (The Waverly Gallery).

MORNING SUN was commissioned by MTC through the Bank of America New Play Program

As a thank you to our listeners use code: MTCPOD to receive discounted tickets for our productions.

A conversation between Ruben Santiago-Hudson the writer, director, and performer of LACKAWANNA BLUES, and award winning playwright Richard Wesley (The Past Is The Past). Santiago-Hudson and Wesley catch up and talk about LACKAWANNA BLUES, the genesis of the piece, and the current climate of American theatre.

LACKAWANNA BLUES Description: Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to MTC for the Broadway debut of his brilliant solo play celebrating the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion, and care. Giving a tour-de-force performance accompanied by live music written by acclaimed composer Bill Sims, Jr. and performed by Blues Hall of Fame Guitarist Junior Mack, Santiago-Hudson embodies more than 20 vibrant characters, creating a richly textured reminiscence that’s inspiring, uplifting, and right at home on Broadway.

As a thank you to our listeners use code: MTCPOD to receive discounted tickets for our productions.