PlayME

Chris talks with award-winning playwright Hannah Moscovitch about her unique childhood and how her socially engaged parents taught her to think critically about the world around her. She shares how sexual assault has been normalized in our culture and why she initially feared the audience’s reactions to her play “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes,”: which she wrote before the #MeToo movement. Hannah lets in on what it’s like to take the leap from the stage to the screen and write for the hit TV show Anne Rice’s “Interview with A Vampire” and how despite her success, she’s experienced artistic disappointments.

This episode contains coarse language and mature subject matter.

Sexual Misconduct Of The Middle Classes by Hannah Moscovitch.

A drama about a novelist and star professor who is tortured with self-loathing when he notices a pupil - a girl in a red coat.

Jon finds himself amid another divorce, his third. He's grown bored with his job as a university lecturer and struggles to write his latest novel. Enter Annie, his attractive 19-year-old student and his super fan. She sits in the front row of his lectures and gazes at him with rapt attention. He can’t get her off his mind - until one day she shows up at his front door.

Sexual Misconduct Of The Middle Classes by Hannah Moscovitch.

A drama about a novelist and star professor who is tortured with self-loathing when he notices a pupil - a girl in a red coat.

Jon swears that he’s never been tempted by the college girl fantasy. But there's something different about Annie. She’s smart and a talented young writer brimming with potential that he can help unlock. He knows how older male writers tend to reduce young women into cliché objects of desire, but he tells himself that he’d never fall into that trap. He tries to resist falling into what he knows is a bad situation.

Sexual Misconduct Of The Middle Classes by Hannah Moscovitch.

A drama about a novelist and star professor who is tortured with self-loathing when he notices a pupil - a girl in a red coat.

Time passes, and circumstances change. Turns out Annie is not just a good writer but a great one. Now in her 20s, she's an up-and-coming playwright, and from afar, Jon takes pride in following her success. After years apart, they meet In a hotel to catch up and share how their lives have unfolded while revisiting their forbidden past.

Sexual Misconduct Of The Middle Classes by Hannah Moscovitch.

Laura talks with playwright Michele Riml, who shares what it’s like to write a show that has gone on to be an international hit for almost 20 years. She talks about why she wanted to write a play about the sex life of a long-term couple, the reason we don’t often see these kinds of relationships reflected on stage and the surprising effect the show has had on audience members. Michele also gives her secrets to writing a comedy and confesses what it feels like to find success as a writer.

A touching comedy about a middle-aged couple trying to reignite their sex life after 25 years of marriage.

Alice has had it with her husband, Henry. She’s no longer willing to put up with a stale sexless marriage, so she hatches a plan to rev their romance. She convinces Henry to go with her to a swanky hotel to try and bring back some heat into their relationship. Armed with a copy of “Sex for Dummies,” Alice employs some intimacy exercises, including sharing fantasies to try and re-connect with her husband. But Henry is happy to keep things the way they are, and he isn’t ready to hear about Alice’s deepest desires.

A touching comedy about a middle-aged couple trying to reignite their sex life after 25 years of marriage.

Alice invites Henry to engage in an exercise that involves exploring each other’s bodies while blindfolded, but the exercise reveals more than sensuous pleasure. Alice discovers that Henry has been keeping a secret that’s made him grow distant. When Henry finally lets down his guard and shares his deep dark fantasy Alice isn’t ready to listen. It exposes insecurity within her that’s been bubbling to the surface for years. She believes it's the true reason behind their lack of a love life.

A touching comedy about a middle-aged couple trying to reignite their sex life after 25 years of marriage.

Alice isn’t the only one who isn’t happy with their marriage. Henry has dreams and desires, but he keeps those thoughts to himself. He accuses Alice of blaming everything on him and not taking responsibility for her feelings of discontentment. Separately, Alice and Henry begin to fantasize about a life without each other and how it would feel to be single again. But Alice hasn’t completely given up on Henry yet and has one last sexy surprise that might finally get Henry’s attention.

Chris talks with award-winning playwright Christine Quintana, who shares what it was like being raised by a punk rock drummer in East Los Angeles before her family moved to British Columbia. She even has the claim to fame of being held as a baby by all of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. She talks about why she wanted to write about teens and consent, how she incorporated some of her own youth into the show and the surprising reaction to the play by both teen and adult audiences.

A drama about three teens figuring out the complexities of relationships, community and the nature of consent.

Emma’s selfies from her time in Paris make her summer look amazing. Her friend Lily has some serious FOMO but is glad to have her back. When Lily and her older brother Chris throw an epic party, the booze flows. It’s the perfect opportunity for Emma and Chris to share their feelings for each other. Especially after several drinks, in his bedroom, behind a closed door.