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Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday -- take a super quick break with us to kickstart your week with a laugh. Today, we've got the one-minute play, Living a Lie by Max Langert
About the playwright
Max Langert is a playwright, producer and storyteller living in Austin. His plays have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas and elsewhere. He's told stories for Listen to Your Mother, The Vancouver Story Slam, Testify and Austin Bat Cave, and is a regular performer at FronteraFest. He's produced benefit shows for The Autism Society of Central Texas, The SAFE Alliance, and VELA Families. He's excited to be working with the great team at Stories Found!
Read more of Max's work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. Max is a favorite at Stories Found. Listen to his first story in Episode 2: The First Time I Got Naked in Front of a Bunch of People I Didn't Know or his ten-minute play in Episode 6: Personality Test.
About the Cast
Liz - Ava Love Hanna
Tom - Paul Hanna
Living a Lie was originally written for a ScriptWorks fundraiser. Visit ScriptWorks.org to learn more about their programs and see how they can help you further your writing goals.
At Stories Found we're creating opportunities for emerging voices in comedy writing. Make sure to catch our full length episodes every other week featuring some of the most talented humorists in the country. Want to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future full length episode or a Micro Monday? We're accepting submissions!
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Welcome to our very first Micro Monday -- a quick laugh to brighten the start of your week! Every other Monday, we'll be offering up a short play, story, or sketch in under 5 minutes. Today, we've got the one-minute play, The Murderlators by Ava Love Hanna
About the playwright
Ava Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up. When she's not co-hosting the Stories Found podcast, Ava can be found producing comedies, hanging out reading plays at NPX, or skulking around these other seedy internet joints: Facebook, Instagram, Post, or Mastodon. Ava is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild and ScriptWorks.
About the Cast
Flynn - Paul Hanna
Fiona - Ava Love Hanna
Want to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future full length episode or a Micro Monday? We're accepting submissions!
It's time for a special Christmas episode of Stories Found! In this episode, we're talking to the charming playwright, Brian Rust, before hearing his hilarious ten-minute play, Under a Christmas Moon.
About the Playwright Brian Rust (he/him) is a Boston-based actor and writer who makes chocolates and searches for cryptids in his spare time.High points of his career include being killed by a pillow during The Robin Hood Faire, appearing on stage with Le Tigre as a member of the Art School Cheerleaders, and using a plunger and ten pounds of jello to create an unforgettable foley effect for a live radio version of CHICKEN HEART.
Most recently he wrote and directed 'Plan 8 from the Outer Ether' (a steampunk prequel to the infamous Ed Wood film), and directed and produced 'Strange Tales of Davis Square', an interactive audio tour that took participants on a hunt around a local neighborhood to discover mp3s of stories set in the exact spot they were standing.
Read more of Brian's work on NPX, The New Play Exchange.
Under a Christmas Moon was performed by:
Kate O'Claire as KelKate O'Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.
Joe Llorens as ScoutJoe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he's done things. Some of those things he's liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn't like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.
Paul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer. When he's not playing guitar, showing up in one of Ava's plays, editing this podcast, or hanging out with his super cool teenager, he can be found hitting the ice at his favorite hockey rink or working as lead engineer at ELA Studios.
Featured Organization: The Post-Meridian Radio PlayersThe Post-Meridian Radio Players are a Boston-area group of creatives dedicated to exploring audio theater as a unique art form. They offer live performances and studio productions of both classic tales from the Golden Age of Radio and original works, with a special emphasis on science-fiction, fantasy, and horror.
You can find out more about them at https://pmrp.org
Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter!Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!
Join us at storiesfound.substack.comWant to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future episode? We're accepting submissions!
In this special holiday episode of Stories Found, we hear the hilarious ten-minute play, A Very Special Hanukkah Special by Mark Harvey Levine.
About the PlaywrightMark Harvey Levine has had over 1900 productions of his short plays everywhere from Bangalore to Bucharest and from Lima to London. His plays have won over 45 awards and been produced in more than ten languages. His work has been published in over two dozen anthologies by Applause, Smith & Kraus, Routledge and Vintage. Full evenings of his ten-minute plays, such as "Cabfare For The Common Man", "Didn't See That Coming" and "A Very Special Holiday Special" have been shown around the world, including at the Edinburgh Fringe and in a multi-year tour of Brazil. A Spanish-language film of "The Kiss" ("El Beso") premiered at Cannes and aired on HBO and DTV (Japan). Two of his plays were adapted for Brazilian television.
Read more of Mark's work on NPX, The New Play Exchange.
A Very Special Hanukkah Special was performed by:
Paul Hanna as The Narrator, Max, CarolerPaul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer. When he's not playing guitar, showing up in one of Ava's plays, editing this podcast, or hanging out with his super cool teenager, he can be found hitting the ice at his favorite hockey rink or working as lead engineer at ELA Studios.
Joe Llorens as MurrayJoe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he's done things. Some of those things he's liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn't like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.
Liz Bernstein as KimLiz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of "Amy" in Ava Love Hanna's piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT's production of Launch.
Kate O'Claire as Boy and Judy MaccabeeKate O'Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.
Ava Love Hanna as CarolerAva Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up.
Kai Hanna as Caroler
Want to be a featured storyteller in a future episode?
We're accepting submissions!
In this special Halloween edition of Stories Found, we're chatting with the multi-talented playwright, composer, director, and performer, Fred Tacon and then listening to his hilarious and spooky ten-minute play, Rent-a-Stiff.
Rent-a-Stiff – Mr. Ut, the proprietor of a human taxidermy rental company, is at risk of losing his livelihood due to aging inventory and new competition. But, he makes shocking discovery that just might save his business. This macabre comedy is well-suited for themed evenings of short plays for Halloween, horror, or simply the strange and unusual.
About the Playwright – Fred TaconFred Tacon is a playwright, composer, director, and performer from Hebron, Kentucky (just over the river from Cincinnati, Ohio). He recently starred as Nick Bottom in a sold-out run of 'Something Rotten!' at The Footlighters Inc. in Newport, Kentucky. Fred's writing usually focuses on theatre for young audiences, and his musical, 'The Jester Prince', and plays, 'Clara and the Nutcracker' and 'Swan Pond', have been enjoyed by audiences in Kentucky and Ohio.
He has also written several short plays, musicals, and monologues that have been seen and streamed in a variety of ways and places. His 10-minute musical, 'Puddle Jumpers', will be a part of The Drama Workshop's Homebrew Theatre, January 2023, in Cincinnati.
Fred serves as Vice President of the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging the development of new works for the stage by Kentucky playwright
Read more of Fred's plays on NPX, The New Play Exchange.
About the CastRent-a-Stiff was performed for us by:
Joe Llorens as Mr. UtJoe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he's done things. Some of those things he's liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn't like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.
Liz Bernstein as IvanLiz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of "Amy" in Ava Love Hanna's piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT's production of Launch.
Kate O'Claire as Fran KinsteinKate O'Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.
Danielle Muething as The Grisly SistersDanielle Muething has twenty plus years of experience in professional acting and singing for the stage, voice over work for local commercials and businesses, and multiple audiobook projects.
She has been seen on stages around her hometown of Cincinnati, as well as a five-year stint in Orlando, FL. In her spare time, she loves to hang out with her husband, who built her custom in home studio, and her two dogs, Wally and Willow.
Featured Organization: Kentucky Playwrights WorkshopOur featured organization this week is the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, encouragement, and support of playwrights who live in the state of Kentucky.
Visit them at kyplays.org
Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter!Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!
Join us at storiesfound.substack.comWant to be a featured storyteller in a future episode?
We're accepting submissions!
In this special Halloween edition of Stories Found, we're talking to the fantastic playwright and author, Clinton Festa and then listening to his super funny ten-minute play, Picky Zombies.
Picky Zombies – Tragedy strikes at the fancy French cooking school when an inept student under cooks the foie gras leading to a mass zombie infection. The extraction team sent to rescue the lone surviving student quickly learns that not all braaaaaains are created equal and even zombies appreciate gourmet cuisine.
About the Playwright – Clinton FestaClinton Festa began his career as a writer and cartoonist for his campus humor magazine. Since then he's had short plays produced around the U.S. and Canada, comedy sketches that have placed in national competitions, and a novel recently published with CamCat Books (Ancient Canada: a Mythological Tale). During the pandemic, he wrote and directed a seven-episode action-comedy podcast called The Malone Family in the Enchanted Forest (produced by the Cary Playwrights' Forum). Clinton runs an online book drive for inmates in prisons and juvenile detention centers called Sentences Book Donations. He lives in Greensboro, NC with his wife and children.
Read more of Clinton's plays on NPX, The New Play Exchange.
Order Clinton's book, Ancient Canada: a Mythological Tale at CamCat Books.
Picky Zombies was performed for us by:
Liz BernsteinLiz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of "Amy" in Ava Love Hanna's piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT's production of Launch.
Joe LlorensJoe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he's done things. Some of those things he's liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn't like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.
Paul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer. When he's not playing guitar, showing up in one of Ava's plays, editing this podcast, or hanging out with his super cool teenager, he can be found hitting the ice at his favorite hockey rink or working as lead engineer at ELA Studios.
Ava Love HannaAva Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up.
Our featured organization this week is Sentences: Book Donations. Their goal is to network readers with prison librarians and juvenile detention centers to determine their needs and donate books for use in their facilities.
You can find the group on Facebook or Goodreads. We encourage you to visit them and see how you can donate books and help further their mission.
Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter!Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!
Join us at storiesfound.substack.comAppreciate what we do? Support the show by buying us a coffee!
Want to be a featured storyteller in a future episode?
We're accepting submissions!
In this episode of Stories Found, we're chatting with one of our favorite scholar/poet/storytellers, Dr. Christina L. Ivey. We discuss family, autoethnography, and the importance of storytelling. We then listen to her story, Going Home, about how she, as a queer woman, navigates her relationship with a conservative, Trump-supporting father.
About the Storyteller
Dr. Christina L. Ivey
Dr. Ivey (they/she) is a lecturer and budding poet living on the outer cusp of the Pacific Northwest. She currently teaches Communication and Culture classes, but in their own poetic way, thinks of it as training the next frontline of bad ass social justice advocates. When not in the classroom, you can find them in the chair at a tattoo parlor, watching live drag/burlesque/performance art, or snuggling her cats. She has publications in various academic journals (Women's Studies in Communication, The Journal of Autoethnography, QED: A Journal of GLBTQ Worldmaking), as well as a self published chapbook called Sacred Geometry.
Follow Christina on Instagram
Order a copy of Sacred Geometry by emailing Christina.
Featured Organization: Boise Little Theater
Boise Little Theater is a volunteer-organized, non-profit organization with an unwavering dedication to quality amateur theater. For over 70 years, BLT has produced plays in all genres. As the longest-running community theater in Idaho, BLT uses theatre arts to enrich lives in its community by presenting different perspectives to promote empathy and encourage laughter, critical thinking, physical activity, and fellowship.
Find out more about Boise Little Theatre, see their list of upcoming shows, and discover how you can get involved at boiselittletheater.org
Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter!
Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!
Join us at storiesfound.substack.com
In this episode of Stories Found, we're chatting about art, life, and family with the award-winning writer of screen and stage, Sophia Valera Heinecke and then listening to her read her beautiful story, The Summer We Built a Pool.
About the Storyteller Sophia Valera HeineckeSophia Valera Heinecke (she/her) is an award-winning writer for the screen and stage as well as a dramaturg, archivist, and producer from Gordonsvillle, Virginia. She is also the Arts and Wellness Manager at The Creative Center for people with cancer and other chronic illnesses. She is drawn to work in the theater because it involves a deep consideration of human bodies and their emotional/intellectual output as the central material for live performance. This has been fortified as she has further developed expertise in the field of arts and medicine. Liveness has unprecedented value in an era where human connection is increasingly diluted and absent.
Learn more about Sophia on her website: SophiaValeraHeinecke.com
You can also read more of Sophia's work on Medium: https://sophiavaleraheinecke.medium.com/
The Creative Center at University Settlement, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the creative arts to people with cancer, chronic illnesses, and through all stages of life.
The Creative Center is proud to have hospital artist-in-residence programs in more than 30 healthcare sites around the New York metropolitan area, free-of-charge art workshops every day of the week, and an online gallery representing professional artists living with illness.
Visit them at thecreativecenter.org to learn more about their programs and to see how you can help support their mission.
Featured Sponsor: Alicia Verdier PhotographyAlicia Verdier Photography – specializing in natural light photography. Contact Alicia to arrange a shoot for your family photos, portraits, weddings, births, engagements, senior photos, graduations and other special events. Outdoor or studio sessions available.
In this episode of Stories Found, we're talking to the phenomenal playwright and creative polymath, Bethany Dickens and then listening to her ten-minute comedy, What's in the Basement, Honey?
About the Playwright Bethany Dickens AssafBethany Dickens Assaf is a freelance playwright, dramaturg, and theatre artist, the Literary Manager for MadLab Theatre in Columbus, and a co-founder of Whiskey Theatre Factory and the Fragmented Theatre Festival. As both a writer and producer, she is obsessed with plays that deconstruct and take unusual perspectives on gender and sexuality, challenging audiences and serving untapped artistic voices by creating meaningful roles for women.
Other favorite ideas/themes include female seperatism, evangelical Christianity, bisexuaity particularly in period settings, gender complementarianism, women in male-dominated spaces (gaming, cosplay), and the exploitation of women's bodies for media such as reality television and true crime podcasts. Almost 100 of her plays have been performed or read across the country including her twisty sci-fi play, The Consciousness, which has been performed at over 10 fringe festivals across the country and won Best Play at the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival (director: Liz Colvert, stage manager: Meghan Pratt). She's also had the amazing honor of working with organizations that are truly making an impact through storytelling such as Threshold Theatre, Theatre Works, FUSION Theatre, Road Theatre, EMBer Women's Theatre, Central Florida Community Arts, Birdhouse Theatre, the Bechdel Group, and more.
You can learn more through Bethany's website: www.BethanyDickens.com.
About the CastWhat's in the Basement, Honey? was performed for us by:
Liz BernsteinLiz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of "Amy" in Ava Love Hanna's piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT's production of Launch.
Joe LlorensJoe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he's done things. Some of those things he's liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn't like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.
Whiskey Theatre Factory is a theatre collective based in Orlando, FL with the mission to produce meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. We challenge our community through provocative, authentic pieces, examining our culture and revealing the grace of humanity. Interested in reading our Credo or connecting with us? Visit WhiskeyTheatreFactory.com to learn more.
Featured Sponsor: Alicia Verdier PhotographyAlicia Verdier Photography – specializing in natural light photography. Contact Alicia to arrange a shoot for your family photos, portraits, weddings, births, engagements, senior photos, graduations and other special events. Outdoor or studio sessions available.
Appreciate what we do? Support the show by buying us a coffee!
Want to be a featured storyteller in a future episode? We're accepting submissions!
In this episode of Stories Found, we're chatting with Austin-based playwright, Max Langert and hearing his ten-minute comedy, Personality Test.
Take a free personality test here!
Episode Transcript Here.
About the PlaywrightMax Langert
Max Langert is a playwright, producer and storyteller living in Austin. His plays have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas and elsewhere. He's told stories for Listen to Your Mother, The Vancouver Story Slam, Testify and Austin Bat Cave, and is a regular performer at FronteraFest. He's produced benefit shows for The Autism Society of Central Texas, The SAFE Alliance, and VELA Families. He's excited to be working with the great team at Stories Found!
Read more of Max's work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. This is Max's second visit to Stories Found! Listen to his first story: The First Time I Got Naked in Front of a Bunch of People I Didn't Know.
Personality Test was performed for us by:
Ava Love HannaAva Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up.
Paul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer in Austin, Texas. He's the principal engineer and owner of ELA Studios and co-host of the Stories Found podcast.
Our featured organization for this episode is Cinnamon Path Theatre, a small collective of artists based in Austin, Texas. Scrappy and well-intentioned, they like site-specific work.
They've produced a number of new plays by emerging writers, as well as a handful of variety shows featuring a slew of local artists benefiting The Autism Society of Central Texas, Safe Place, Vela Families and more. You can read more about them and what they do at cinnamonpath.com
Featured Sponsor: Team Jemini DesignsTeam Jemini Designs is the place for bold, fun, pop culture themed items. T-shirts, gifts and more!
Appreciate what we do? Click here to support the show by buying us a coffee!
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We're accepting submissions!
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