Playtime - 2024
on WIOX Radio 91.3FM
Calendar 2024
All shows at 6PM ET unless otherwise stated
January 2: An Open Rehearsal of the Fourth Story of “THE HUNDRED ACRE WOOD” with Winnie the Pooh and Friends “In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Expotition to the North Pole”
Host(s): Amie Brockway and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Actors Thomas Newman, Mila Krane, Elizabeth Sherr, Rebecca Newman, Viktoria Krane, Ron Brockway, and Brandon Hargrove
January 16: An interview with Chris Moses, the Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre
Host(s): Carol and Arnie Schwartz
Special Guest(s): Chris Moses
January 30: “Equal Opportunities” - ten-minute plays by Janet J. Lawler, Bella Poynton, and Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
Host(s): Tim Main
Special Guest(s): Actors Viktoria Krane, Willow Harrington, Margot Avery, Joyce St. George, Sean Hawk, and David Hill.
February 13: Readings of Three Bitter-Sweet Valentine’s Plays of Love.
THE GREATEST CARD TRICK by Hugh MacKay, CANYON’S EDGE by Barbara Lindsay, SLOW DATING by Adam Szudrich.
Host(s): Amie Brockway and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Actors Carol Schwartz, Ron Brockway, Elizabeth Sherr, Phil Oetiker, Michelle Macau, Amie Brockway.
February 27: “Wedding Adjacent” - Three ten-minute plays.
GOWN by Robert Weibezahl, ORDAINED by Mark Harvey Levine, WEDDING RECEPTION REWARDS PROGRAM by Peter Dakutis
Host(s): Tim Main and Arnie Schwartz
Special Guest(s): Playwrights Robert Wiebezahl, Mark Harvey Levine and Peter Dakutis and actors Darlene DeMaille, Willow Harrington, Sean Hawk, Michelle Macau, and Ruth Anne Wolfe.
March 12: Auditioning and Engaging your Community
Host(s): Beth Sherr
Special Guest(s):
March 26: “FAITHFUL RESULTS” - three ten minute plays, directed by Tim Main.
Two humorous and one not — about superstition, trust, disbelief, and confidence: THE CODE BOX by Mindy Roll, A SECOND RAPTURE by James E. Marlow, and RETURN OF THE CURSE by Jack Neary.
Host(s): Tim main
Special Guest(s): Actors Michelle Macau, Willow Harrington, Ruth Anne Wolfe, Leland Krane, Ron Brockway, Ray Blackburn, and David Hill.
April 9: Discussion - Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s touring production of “The Tempest” coming to The Open Eye Theater on April 21
Host(s): Michelle Macau and Arnie Schwartz
Special Guest(s): Cast and crew from Catskill Mountain Shakespeare - Carolyn Marie Wright, Lydia Stinson and Kathleen Salazar
April 23: “ c’est V.R. A.I. n’est pas?” Three ten minute plays directed by Tim Main.
At the intersection of Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence. Full disclosure: Only one character is a bot! Book of Life by Judy Klass, The Beach by Laura Hirschberg, and The Play by ChatGPT in the style of Michele A Miller about ChatGPT writing a play about the writer Michele A Miller by Michele A. Miller. Featuring actors Willow Harrington, Jennifer Plotzke, Joyce St. George, Ruth Anne Wolfe, Ray Blackburn, and Leland Krane.
Host(s): Tim Main
Special Guest(s): Willow Harrington, Jennifer Plotzke, Joyce St. George, Ruth Anne Wolfe, Ray Blackburn, and Leland Krane.
May 7: Company Members of Once, in the Time of Trolls, a Radio Play by Playwright Sandra Fenichel Asher
The company members will join director, Michelle Macau, to discuss the rehearsal process, creating sound effects, and how seven actors are interpreting 23 characters.
Host(s): Michelle Macau and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Playwright Sandra Fenichel Asher and actors Hannah Connelly, Parker Cross, Darlene DeMaille, Kiana Duggan-Haas, Paul Eisemann, John Exter, Lisa Ruth Mays, Elizabeth Sherr
May 21: A Conversation about the Art of the Cabaret
A conversation that explores the diverse expression of theater through song and story, also known as “cabaret.”
Host(s): Marge Helenchild and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Cabaret artists Nicole Spano, Karen Steinberg, and Jenn Bornstein
June 4: CELEBRATING GAY PRIDE MONTH! Live readings of two plays celebrating Gay Pride
”A LOVELY LITTLE LIFE” by Dan Berkowitz and “SCARS” by Pamela Kingsley
Host(s): Marge Helenchild and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Wilma Mazo, Anne Saxon Hersch, Darlene DeMaille, Kathy Taylor, Beth Sher, Lisa Ruth Mays
June 18: CELEBRATING GAY PRIDE MONTH - Part 2
An interview with Delaney Piggins, Executive Director of Ring Of Keys
Host(s): Marge Helenchild and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Delaney Piggins and surprise guests
July 16: Leicester Bay Theatricals
Reading of two of their published ten-minute plays with interviews. Incidentally, one of those plays is newly published and has been selected for production in Summer Shortcuts XIV later this year at The Open Eye Theater.
Host(s): Amie Brockway and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Michael Perry, publisher of Leicester Bay Theatricals and actors reading the plays
July 2: A conversation with company members of the 1971 Pulitzer Prize winning play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel
Company members will discuss the play, their roles, and creative process.
Host(s): Michelle Macau and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Cast members Caroline Colvin, Taylor Nicole Hadsell, Lisa Ruth Mays, Patricia van Tassel, Gianna Vasquez Bartolini, set designer, David Hill, and composer, John Sheridan.
July 30: The 100 Acre Wood - A Preview
Appearing in Tuesday’s play “…in which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets into a Tight Place” are Mila Krane as CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, Elizabeth Sherr as POOH, Viktoria Krane as RABBIT, Brandon Hargrove as OWL, Ron Brockway as EEYORE, and Randi Perkins as A. A. MILNE. The preview performance will run about 20 minutes, followed by discussions of the characters, the story, and the series.
Host(s): Amie Brockway and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Actors from the play
August 13: Summer Shortcuts XIV - a Preview
Readings of three of the plays: THE NAME GAME by Hank Kimmel, directed by Tim Main, THE FOURTH OPTION by Sherry Friedman, Directed by Elizabeth Sherr, and RUBY by Donald Loftus, directed by Elizbeth Sherr. Actors: Lisa Ruth Mays, David Hill, Tim Main, Ward Stevenson, Darlene DeMaille, Anne Saxon-Hersh, and Paul Eisemann.
Host(s): Amie Brockway and Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Actors reading the plays
August 27: LEGENDS AND TALES - Preview #1
Storytellers and musicians performing the first three weeks of the series - September 7, 14, and 21.
Host(s): Carol & Arnie Schwartz
Special Guest(s): Storytellers and Musicians
September 10: Meet the Publisher, Chapter 2 - Leicester Bay Theatricals
Host(s): Amie Brockway
Special Guest(s): Michael Perry, publisher of Leicester Bay Theatricals
September 24: LEGENDS AND TALES - Preview #2
Storytellers and musicians performing the last four weeks of the series - September 28, October 5, 12, and 19.
Host(s): Michelle Macau
Special Guest(s): Storytellers and Musicians
October 8: Meet the Publisher , Chapter 3 - Leicester Bay Theatricals
Host(s): Amie Brockway
Special Guest(s): Michael Perry, publisher of Leicester Bay Theatricals
October 22: SPOOKED! - Three 10-Minute Plays
SCRIPTED by Mark Harvey Levine, Directed by Darlene DeMaille, WHEEL OF FORTUNE REVERSED by Scott C. Sickles, Directed by Tim Main, BEADS by James Still, Directed by Amie Brockway & Michelle Macau
Host(s): Tim Main and Arnie Schwartz
Special Guest(s): Actors Paul Eisemann, Michelle Macau, Joyce St. George, Ray Blackburn, Lisa Ruth Mays, David Hill
November 5: Meet the Publisher, Chapter 4 - Leicester Bay Theatricals
Readings of two short plays that Leicester Bay Theatricals has published: CANNIBAL BONDAGE FIASCO and GAMING THE DMV, both by Eric Samuelsen.
Host(s): Amie Brockway, Erwin Karl
Special Guest(s): Michael Perry, publisher of Leicester Bay Theatricals, Annette Samuelsen, John Exter, Ward Stevenson, Mila Krane, and Ron Brockway
November 19: Leicester Bay Theatricals
Host(s): Amie Brockway
Special Guest(s): Michael Perry, publisher of Leicester Bay Theatricals
December 3: A preview of “IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY”
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, is adapted by Joe Landry from the story, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Most folks are familiar with the film starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. In this radio style version, the plot is the same: an angel shows George Bailey just how much his life matters. Six actors and one musician will talk about the process of giving voice to 40+ characters, singing 1940’s commercials and holiday songs, and performing all the sound effects.
Host(s): Michelle Macau
Special Guest(s): Performers Elizabeth Burdick, Parker Cross, David Dancyger, John Exter, Lisa Ruth Mays, Nadya Rockefeller, and Elizabeth Sherr.
December 17: A preview of Charles Dickens “GABRIEL GRUB AND THE GOBLINS”
Charles Dickens is coming to The Open Eye Theater on the Winter Solstice, December 21, with “GABRIEL GRUB AND THE GOBLINS,” adapted by James Yeara from the Dickens story, “The Goblins Who Stole A Sexton.” A precursor to “A CHRISTMAS CAROL,” this story was written seven years earlier and published in THE PICKWICK PAPERS. Parker Cross will discuss the process of adapting the story and, with the actors, define and describe the "story theater" presentation style.
Host(s): Michelle Macau
Special Guest(s): Parker Cross and actors