No Script: The Podcast

No Script: The Podcast episodes:

• 05.13.2024

  S12.E17 | "Children of Eden" by Stephen Schwartz and John Caird

  Jackson is joined by special guest Phil Quinn to discuss a musical by famed Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz: Children of Eden. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the...

  
• 05.06.2024

  S12.E16 | "How to Defend Yourself" by Liliana Padilla

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob dive into the tumultuous disagreements that frame one self-defense workshop. Liliana Padilla's How to Defend Yourself won the Yale Prize for Drama.   ------------------------------ Check out these other conversations on How to Defend Yourself:  Liliana Padilla at Victory...

  
• 04.29.2024

  S12.E15 | "Caroline, or Change" by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori

  This week, No Script explores the moving, imaginative musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori: Caroline, or Change! Talking washing machines, apocalyptic buses, and singing moons feature prominently in this through-composed character study.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as...

  
• 04.22.2024

  S12.E14 | "Black Nativity" by Langston Hughes

  Jackson and Jacob do Christmas in springtime! Listen in as the boys discuss the legendary Langston Hughes' gospel song play Black Nativity.  ------------------------------ Check out these other conversations on Black Nativity:  Seattle Channel, with Director Jackie Moscou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wod7f1f0TcI The legendary Elma Lewis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0SUtySiO2Y Baylor University's Stephen Newby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VWc2LLodSU ------------------------------ Please...

  
• 04.15.2024

  S12.E13 | "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Batiz

  Who owns the stories of our lives? If every memory is necessarily a flawed, singular perspective, how can we trust the reliability of memoirs and autobiographies? Jackson and Jacob discuss these issues, which are explored in Pulitzer Prize nominated play...

  
• 04.08.2024

  S12.E12 | "The Minutes" by Tracy Letts

  A witty procedural play about an American city with a dark secret, Tracy Letts' The Minutes is having its moment with productions all over the country. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss the many layered storytelling decisions Letts expertly makes...

  
• 04.01.2024

  S12.E11 | ”Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan Macmillan

  Jackson and Jacob discuss a community-oriented, experiential one-person show: Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/noscriptpodcast  ----------------------------- We want to keep the...

  
• 03.25.2024

  S12.E10 | "3:59AM A Drag Race for Two Actors" by Marco Ramirez

  In the final episode of Mini-Mini Month, Jackson and Jacob discuss a storytelling play set deep in the night. Marco Ramirez' 3:59AM: A Drag Race for Two Actors is fast paced, engaging, and mysterious. Listen in!   ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on...

  
• 03.18.2024

  S12.E09 | ”Ghost Bros" by Jen Silverman

  It's the third episode of Mini-Mini Month and Jackson and Jacob needed a laugh. So they turned to Jen Silverman's hilarious, ghost-hunting-turned-romance play Ghost Bros. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to...

  
• 03.11.2024

  S12.E08 | ”Coffee Break" by Tasha Gordon-Solomon

  In the second week of Mini-Mini Month, Jackson and Jacob discuss a charming, poetic play by Tasha Gordon-Solomon. Coffee Break is about a friendship... and more than a friendship. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you...

  
• 03.04.2024

  S12.E07 | ”Cover" by Jeffrey Sweet

  Themed Month has arrived!  This season, Jackson and Jacob are spending four episodes talking about "mini-mini" plays... plays that run about 10-minutes. First up is one of the first pieces of the theatre J&J ever worked on together: Cover by Jeffrey Sweet.  Listen in!  ------------------------------ Check...

  
• 02.27.2024

  S12.E06 | ”Les Blancs" by Lorraine Hansberry

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss what Lorraine Hansberry called her most important play -- even though she didn't live to see it produced. Listen in as J&J talk Les Blancs.  ------------------------------ Check out these other voices discussing the play:  One...

  
• 02.19.2024

  S12.E05 | ”All the Natalie Portmans" by CA Johnson

  Keyonna and her brother Samuel are struggling to keep their small apartment in DC -- the threat of eviction is ever present. Their mother, battling alcoholism, is more a hinderance than a help. To escape this daily reality, Keyonna meets...

  
• 02.12.2024

  S12.E04 | ”Sanctuary City" by Martyna Majok

  This week, No Script hosts Jackson and Jacob discuss Martyna Majok's inventive, moving piece of theatre Sanctuary City. A reflection on citizenship, trust, and home, Sanctuary City is a brilliant playwright at her finest. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low...

  
• 02.05.2024

  S12.E03 | ”Yoga Play" by Dipika Guha

  Jackson and Jacob discuss Dipika Guha's scathing, hilarious satire of corporate authenticity: Yoga Play. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/noscriptpodcast  ----------------------------- We want to keep the...

  
• 01.30.2024

  S12.E02 | ”POTUS" by Selina Fillinger

  This week, Jackson and Jacob discuss a wild farce set in the most unlikely place: the White House. Selina Fillinger's play POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive is silly, acerbic, unrelenting, and absolutely...

  
• 01.22.2024

  S12.E01 | ”English" by Sanaz Toossi

  No Script returns for Season 12! In their first episode back, Jackson and Jacob discuss the Pulitzer Prize-winning play English by Sanaz Toossi. Tune in for their conversation about the plays brilliant mastery of the fundamentals.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon....

  
• 12.25.2023

  S11.E18 | ”We’re Gonna Die” by Young Jean Lee

  Merry Christmas from No Script! Surely the best thing to talk about on Christmas is... death and depression? Well, anyway. For the last episode of Season 11, Jackson and Jacob discuss Young Jean Lee's play We're Gonna Die -- an avante garde...

  
• 12.18.2023

  S11.E17 | ”In a Word” by Lauren Yee

  Jacob is joined by special guest Corrie Hayes this week to discuss Lauren Yee's play In a Word. Corrie played the leading role in the a production at Northern Illinois University where she is an MFA acting candidate. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider...

  
• 12.12.2023

  S11.E16 | ”Merry Wives” adapted by Jocelyn Bioh

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Jocelyn Bioh's adaption of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. The piece is a celebratory comedy set in contemporary Harlem, which comes directly out of the pandemic. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on...

  
• 12.04.2023

  S11.E15 | ”Translations” by Brian Friel

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Brian Friel's masterpiece Translations. The play captures a troubling moment in history, using the incredible complexity of language as its backbone. And it contains a truly gorgeous love scene. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider...

  
• 11.27.2023

  S11.E14 | ”Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” by Irving Berlin, David Ives, and Paul Blake

  How could Mistletoe Month end with anything except Irving Berlin's White Christmas? Jackson and Jacob discuss this holiday-classic-film-turned-stage-musical in the final episode of Season 11's themed month. ------------------------------ Get Magic Mind for yourself with our discount code:  https://www.magicmind.com/noscript Code: NOSCRIPT20 ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as...

  
• 11.20.2023

  S11.E13 | ”The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown

  Jackson and Jacob discuss one of the most well known holiday plays of all time: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This holiday classic warms hearts and presents real issues of discrimination in insular communities.... even while it has some...

  
• 11.13.2023

  S11.E12 | ”The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson

  Jackson and Jacob discuss one of the most well known holiday plays of all time: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This holiday classic warms hearts and presents real issues of discrimination in insular communities.... even while it has some...

  
• 11.06.2023

  S11.E11 | ”Inspecting Carol” by Daniel J. Sullivan

  THEMED MONTH HAS ARRIVED!  In the first episode of "Mistletoe Month," Jackson and Jacob discuss a Christmastime classic: Inspecting Carol by Daniel J. Sullivan. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No...

  
• 10.30.2023

  S11.E10 | ”An Octoroon” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

  Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has become one of America's best know, most lauded playwrights. His plays challenge the status quo -- none more so than "An Octoroon." Written as an adaption of an old American melodrama, "An Octoroon" is wild, shocking, and...

  
• 10.23.2023

  S11.E09 | ”Hadestown” by Anaïs Mitchell --＞ SPECIAL CAMPING EPISODE!

  In this special episode of No Script, Jackson and Jacob record IN PERSON at a campground in Utah! Their discussion on "Hadestown" by Anaïs Mitchell has a unique vibe and plenty of noisy neighbors. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob...

  
• 10.17.2023

  S11.E08 | ”Steel Magnolias” by Robert Harling

  This week on No Script, J&J discuss a real classic: Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias. A brilliant combination of humor and levity, the play has become a mainstay on stages of all types. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For...

  
• 10.09.2023

  S11.E07 | ”The Legend of Georgia McBride” by Matthew Lopez

  Matthew Lopez's play The Legend of Georgia McBride is a study in performance. It follows an Elvis impersonator who becomes a celebrated drag queen, and uses celebratory drag performance throughout to do so. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob talk about this...

  
• 10.02.2023

  S11.E06 | ”The Children” by Lucy Kirkwood

  Lucy Kirkwood's The Children is about a trio of friends retired from work as nuclear engineers. When the plant they designed fails and pollutes their community, questions of generational responsibility arise. Listen in!   ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as...

  
• 09.25.2023

  S11.E05 | ”Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” by August Wilson

  On No Script this week, Jackson and Jacob discuss theatre royalty. August Wilson is one of America's most beloved playwrights. His play Joe Turner's Come and Gone is at once a peek into the everyday operations of a boarding house and a...

  
• 09.18.2023

  S11.E04 | ”Gruesome Playground Injuries” by Rajiv Joseph

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Rajiv Joseph's incredible world-building skills, on full display in Gruesome Playground Injuries. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script...

  
• 09.11.2023

  S11.E03 | ”Heathers” by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy

  The hit musical Heathers is, perhaps, the definition of "dark comedy." It's acerbic wit and rocking score making for a lively conversation this week on No Script. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help...

  
• 09.04.2023

  S11.E02 | ”In the Blood” by Suzan-Lori Parks

  A riff on The Scarlet Letter, Suzan-Lori Parks' play In the Blood is as harrowing as it is rich and poignant. Jackson and Jacob discuss Parks' deliberate doubling and mastery of image. Listen in!   ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For...

  
• 08.28.2023

  S11.E01 | ”Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage

  The first episode of Season 11 is here! Returning to another great No Script tradition, Jackson and Jacob discuss a play by Lynn Nottage. Clyde's is a redemption story set in a mysterious sandwich shop. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on...

  
• 06.12.2023

  S10.E19 | ”Parade” by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown

  The final episode of Season 10 has arrived! Jackson and Jacob discuss Parade (Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown), which was recently revived on Broadway. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure...

  
• 06.05.2023

  S10.E18 | ”Frozen” by Bryony Lavery

  This week on No Script, Jackson welcomes Hannah Barker Nickolay as our Season 10 Special Guest! Hannah and Jackson discuss Bryony Lavery's play Frozen, which examines the aftermath of the murder of a 10 year old girl. ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on...

  
• 05.29.2023

  S10.E17 | ”Fires in the Mirror” by Anna Deavere Smith

  No Script returns to the legendary Anna Deavere Smith this week, looking at her empathetic portrait of a neighborhood in crisis: Fires in the Mirror. The play is taken from interviews and woven together into a moving tapestry of specificity. Listen...

  
• 05.22.2023

  S10.E16 | ”The Phantom ” by Andrew Lloyd Webber

  This week on No Script, a celebration of sorts! The Phantom of the Opera just recently closed its historic Broadway run, and that makes it perfect for No Script. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss the spooky ambiance, memorable images, and...

  
• 05.15.2023

  S10.E015 | ”Miss Julie” by August Strindberg

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss a complicated classic. Strindberg's Miss Julie is a piece of real psychological intrigue where class, power, and desire play out on midsummer's night. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low...

  
• 05.08.2023

  S10.E014 | ”Heroes of the Fourth Turning” by Will Arbery

  Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery is a compelling, empathetic portrait of a specific, sequestered community in rural Wyoming. As longtime friends re-gather for a college reunion of sorts, the shared community (a conservative brand of Catholicism) starts to...

  
• 05.01.2023

  S10.E013 | ”Thoroughly Stupid Things” by Montserrat Mendez

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss a fast paced, witty sequel to The Importance of Being Earnest. A playful follow up, Montserrat Mendez's Thoroughly Stupid Things takes the premise of the original and spins it out to its wacky conclusion....

  
• 04.24.2023

  S10.E012 | ”A Thousand Cranes” by Kathryn Schultz Miller

  Mini Month Part 2 concludes this week with a moving true story. A Thousand Cranes by Kathryn Schultz Miller is about the aftermath of the United States dropping the atom bomb on Japan. Miller uses ritualistic theatrical techniques and an...

  
• 04.17.2023

  S10.E011 | ”Riders to the Sea” by JM Synge

  Mini Month: Part 2 continues this week with one of the famous one acts from Ireland. J.M. Synge's Riders to the Sea is a highly moving piece of writing. Synge wrote the play after visiting the Aran Islands. In the script, he...

  
• 04.10.2023

  S10.E010 | ”La Muerte” by Marco Ramirez

  Themed Month continues!  In the second week of "Mini Month Part 2," Jackson and Jacob continue exploring short plays. "La Muerte" is a frightening, apocalyptic tale of two brothers who confront a monster in the recesses of the subway. Listen in...

  
• 04.03.2023

  S10.E09 | ”Sure Thing” by David Ives

  Themed Month begins!  In "Mini Month Part 2" Jackson and Jacob return to the short play form, looking at four plays that run less than a traditional "full length" would. In the first two episodes, J&J discuss 10 minute plays. First...

  
• 03.27.2023

  S10.E08 | ”God Said This” by Leah Nanako Winkler

  This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Leah Nanako Winkler's play God Said This. The play follows a family struggling to stay civil as their matriarch receives an aggressive chemo treatment. How does the past live in the present?...

  
• 03.20.2023

  S10.E07 | ”The Courtroom” by Arian Moayed

  The Courtroom is a piece of theatre that tries not to be. Arian Moayed's stages a piece of verbatim theatre that follows one woman's encounters with the American immigration court. This week on No Script, listen in as Jackson and...

  
• 03.14.2023

  S10.E06 | ”Becky Shaw” by Gina Gionfriddo

  This week on No Script, a sharply funny comedy of bad manners by Gina Gionfriddo. "Becky Shaw" keeps you on your toes through its quick witted comedy and keen class commentary. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as...

  
• 03.06.2023

  S10.E05 | ”The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” by Kristoffer Diaz

  At the quarter mark of Season 10, Jackson and Jacob discuss a riotous, unique piece of storytelling theatre about the wild world of pro wrestling. Kristoffer Diaz's play "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" is hilarious and pointed, making a...