Standby for Places brings you Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Directed by Freda Mattea. Sound Edited and Designed by Graydon Gund, Paolo Marinos, and Freda Mattea. Starring: (in alphabetical order) Jonas Barranca as Claudio, William Burns as Balthazar and Verges, Scott Corry as Leonato, Nicolas diPierro as Friar Francis and First Watchman, E James Ford as Borachio, Julia Hoffmann as Hero, Michael Thomas Holmes as Dogberry, Gabi Van Horn as Beatrice, Asa James as Don Pedro, Scott Kalberer as Second Watchman, Lauren T. Mack as Conrade and Messenger, Deborah Offner as Ursula, Ron Piretti as Antonio, Kevin Sebastian as Benedick, Anna Stefanic as Margaret, and Dana Watkins as Don John.

Director and Board Member Dunya J. Karam is joined by Aaron Fouhey and Nygel D. Robinson to discuss their inspirations behind the poems they read for Power in Poetry (Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now), performing and art during a pandemic, as well as what it means to be a person of color in the theatre industry.

Standby for Places concludes Black History Month with Power in Poetry. This presentation of various poems by Langston Hughes, Phillis Wheatley, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and more are performed by some new and some familiar voices. Featuring (in order of first appearance) Nygel D. Robinson, Aaron Pannell, Jason Gordon, Torian Brackett, Prince Anthony Hall, Elizabeth Baker, Martin K. Lewis, Monah Yancy, Stephanie Anuwe, Anthony Bush, Jae W. B, Elise Makhlouf-Young, Ernest E. Peeples, Aaron Parker Fouhey, Kaisha Huguley, Jeremy Clarke, Bryce Valle, and Rachel McCain. We thank you for joining us for Black History Month, and hope to continue sharing diversity in storytelling with you. For more info on Standby for Places visit us at our website at www.standbyforplaces.org ; instagram at @stanbyforplacespod ; facebook at www.facebook.com/standbyforplaces

Board Member and DIrector Dunya J. Karam sits down with the production company of Wats Ur Wifi to discuss their latest production, Confessions of a N***** in Distress. Rodolfo Guzman: @therightindofphrase, Prince Anthony Hall: @princesupreme, and Jae W.B: @jaemusicofficial

Wats ur Wifi? joins Standby for Places in continuing our celebration of Black History Month with this presentation of Ramón Guzman's virtual mini-play, Confessions of a N**** in Distress. A man struggles in saving his own life when the grim reaper comes to collect. Starring Rodolfo Soto, Prince Anthony Hall, and Iman Ward. For more on Wats ur Wifi? visit their youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmlJgf9k8Ddr-j0yWxDFYog) or Instagram (@watsurwifiotc)

Listeners discretion is advised due to sexual references and explicit language

Board Member & Director Dunya J. Karam sits down with Samuel Harps, the Artistic Director of the Shades Repertory Theater and the writer/director of "Black and Blue". They discuss finding inspiration during quarantine, transitioning theatrical storytelling into the digital medium, and the nuances of being a uniformed person of color. For more information about the Shades Repertory Theater, visit their website at: ShadesRep.com and their instagram @shadesrepertorytheater. Visit our facebook to learn how you can watch the video component to Black and Blue.

Here Are The Instagram Handles To Some Of Our Favorite Black-Owned Companies: @LoLosShacks, @TheLitBar, @AngelOfHarlemny, @HarlemBrewery, @BeatStronyc, @Boogiedowngrind, @Itsteranga_, @FieldTripHarlem, @Empowrdco, and @ScarrsPizza.

The Shades Repertory Theater joins Standby for Places in celebrating Black History Month with this presentation of Samuel Harps's visual (now audio) play Black and Blue. An African-American police officer straddles a difficult line as the Black Lives Matter movement and the current pandemic come to a head. Starring Dameon Reilly, Mayisha Jones-Reilly, and Micha Reilly. For more information about the Shades Repertory Theater visit their website https://shadesrep.com/ or their Facebook!

Discretion is advised due to violent audio content

Monah Yancy, author of The Monahlogues, sits down with co-creator Margie Zarcone to discuss being a playwright, The Monahlogues, and her upcoming book of monologues.

Join Standby for Places in kicking off Black History Month with excerpts and performances of The Monahlogues written by Monah Yancy. Directed by Josh A. Campbell. Sound Design by Dunya J. Karam Featuring Brittaney Delsarté Chatman, Juanita Frederick, Eyakeno Ekpo, Asha John, and Saiir Foy-Coles. This episode does contain violent soundbites that may be considered disturbing. Please use discretion.

Author of Deeper Alexandria, Emerson fd, sits down with co-creator Margie Zarcone to discuss the play and the fate of the world when it comes to AI.