If you’re looking for an ensemble-lead choreopoem that explores the Black experience in the entertainment industry… consider Spell #7 by celebrated playwright Ntozake Shange. Set in the late 70s in St. Louis, Missouri, the play welcomes us into a world not too far from our own, forcing us to reckon with the realities of the “isms” in creative spaces. The play takes us through the lives of 9 characters who are fighting to discover themselves as artists in a society that sees them as one dimensional after-thoughts. Using a mixture of lush poetry and stylized choreography (and guided by a literal magician), the ensemble explores the effects of blackface and violence against Black women in the entertainment industry and beyond. 

Hosted by Shannon Corenthin and Skye Pagon

Monologue by Terra Chaney

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking to explore the transactional nature of relationships when status is on the line… consider this tender-hearted hilarious romp complete with gossip, political intrigue, and romantic complications. Social prestige and customs maintain the delicate ecosystem that is the royal court, but when Moncade, the King’s sensitive and widely beloved favorite, is cast out, chaos ensues. As Moncade reckons with his status, the courtiers around him scheme to advance their own agendas using witty prose and undeniably shady tactics. With themes of inner beauty, integrity, and finding meaning within the ordinary, Le Favori calls into question our social ties and asks us what it means to truly value friendship.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Gagarin.

Scene by Dorothea Gloria and Samanthia Nixon.

Dramaturgy by Sierra Rosetta

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a lush, poetic drama with a powerhouse queer heroine and an intersectional view of indigeneity… consider this moving piece from an eminent Chicana dramatist. Josefa is a pillar of her rural community - unflappable, benevolent, formidable, respected. Why then is there a fresh bloodstain on her floor? As the rest of the village women gather for a ritual to find husbands, Josefa is trapped in her house, frantically trying to prevent her secret from being revealed. This play is a harrowing, verdant exploration of the creation and keeping of a queer utopia, and what it costs to protect it. Capturing the poetry and cultural interrogation of Tennessee Williams with a distinctly feminist viewpoint, Day of the Swallows examines the secrets we’re forced to keep and the lengths we go to hide them.

Hosted by Gagarin and Skye Pagon.

Dramaturgy by James La Bella.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a whirling political drama centering a mother’s feminist awakening… consider this dreamlike exploration of familial ties and civic responsibility. Nearly two years after the killing of her son, Sujata continues to struggle with his involvement in the uprising that resulted in his death. She embarks on a journey to understand her son and in doing so comes to recognize her own oppression as a mother, wife, and woman. Reminiscent of Brecht’s The Mother, this powerful and deeply human play examines grief, love, and the cost of revolution.

Hosted by Gagarin and Kalina Ko

Monologue by Shubhra Prakash

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for an irreverent class comedy featuring a gritty female lead… consider this romp of mistaken identities by the 18th century master of dialogue, Hannah Brand. The willful and mischievous Adelinda is set to marry the wealthy Count D’Olstain – much to her weary parents’ relief. The only problem – Adelinda is already secretly married to a lowly servant! Schemes and mistaken identities abound, lost children are returned, and some snooty parents get a rightful scolding in this comical and quippy caper about the lengths we go to for a happily ever after. 

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Kalina Ko.

Edited by Steven Baek

Scene Performed by Madeline Egan Addis and Desireé Baxter

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a tragi-comedy where the lyric insight of Virginia Woolf meets the electric cruelty of Hedda Gabler… consider this post-war portrait of a woman created and creating through destruction. Claire Archer attempts to transcend the constraints of modern life through the breeding of new plants, despite a literal Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to stop her. As the blossoming of her latest creation approaches, her sanity is called into question and tensions around her unique way of life explode. A piece that is by turns devastating philosophical portraiture, droll farce, and scathing feminist cry, The Verge comes together in a pressure cooker analysis of prescribed womanhood.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Kalina Ko.

Edited by Daniel Opkara

Monologue performed by Gwen Kelso

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a plot-twist-filled farce with bold schemes to fight prejudice… consider this comedy from the elusive Irish playwright, Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu. When the eldest daughter of an upper-class English family marries an Irishman, she is cast out and the whole family is thrown into disarray. But what if that Irishman comes back to prove himself to the family… disguised as a distinguished secretary? What secrets does he uncover? Can the family ever look past their own bias and reconcile? Full of comedic mix ups and shocking plot twists, Sons of Erin shines a light on the nonsensical nature of prejudice.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Shannon Corenthin. Scene performed by Madeline Egan Addis and Sam Ogilvie. Edited by Erica Ricketts.

For more info on the Le Fanu family, visit: https://www.lefanus-online.org/history.html

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a madcap Comedy of Errors with chaotic Gen-Z wit…consider this arch, rollicking take on love and freedom from German dramatist Charlotte Von Stein. Once upon a time, Menonda was happily in a relationship – until her brother, bent on destroying all romantic love, got between her and her beloved. Now, due to a mistaken kidnapping and several misplaced identities, she finds herself held captive under the same roof as both her jilted lover and her bumbling brother. Will the lovers reunite? Will the kidnapping be avenged? Does anyone know what’s going on? A confetti of comedy’s favorite pleasures served up with a healthy dose of camp, this is the perfect piece for any theater looking to engage a younger crowd in the classics.

Hosted by Gagarin and Shannon Corenthin.

Scene performed by Nazlah Black and Danielle Cohn.

Edited by Steven Baek. Dramaturgy by James La Bella.



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

This season, we have 8 partner companies diving into our 2023 list with us and producing readings. We were honored to have 4 of our New York partners represented –– Jessie Austrian from Fiasco Theater, Nicola Murphy Dubey from Irish Repertory Theatre, Lou Moreno from INTAR Theater, and Devin Brain from The Acting Company. Director of Outreach and Development Triza Cox lead the panel, digging into the state of classic theatre and why this work is important. Recorded live at Caveat NYC on January 22, 2024, this is Part 2 of 2.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations

If you’re looking for a dramedy about reframing your life and learning to fall in love (with yourself) again… consider this powerful Chinese play about love, loss, and artistic identity. Taking place in West China during the Sino-Japanese War, Heaven Challenges centers around Shih Kun-Yi, a housewife who has given up her love of painting to serve her husband. When he divorces her in an attempt to climb the social ladder, Shih Kun-Yi must discover how to fall in love all over again: with herself, her art, and her friends who are just as lost as she is. If the confrontation of gender roles in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House speaks to you, dive into this striking tale.

Hosted by Kalina Ko and Shannon Corenthin

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations