Friday, September 2, 2016

Flops, Failures, And Fiascos - Part II

This is the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You is drawn from “Flops, Failures and Fiascos,” an original cabaret that explored and celebrated disasters of all shades as told by those who have survived the shame, horror and glory of failing big. “Flops, Failures and Fiascos,” was curated by 2015-16 R&D Group directors Sanaz Ghajar and Colette Robert and featured interviews conducted by the Civilians’ Field Research Team.

This episode features two original songs and a story about extra special flops that live on as spectacular stories Maria-Christina Oliveras performs “The Only Time,” written by Eric March about an extra bloody production of "Hamlet". Next, we hear Cindy Cheung perform “Lament for a Tuesday (or, Aftermath,” a song written by Sam Chanse and Christopher Larkin that tells the tale of a Tinder date gone spectacularly wrong. Finally, the episode closes with Nic Cory portraying Michael R., a theater critic whose sharp tongued response to a production of "Fiddler on the Roof" garnered him a blow to the head.

“Flops, Failures and Fiascos” was performed live at the Metropolitan Room on February 23, 2016. Sanaz Ghajar and Colette Robert directed a cast that featured Ally Bonino, Cindy Cheung, Nic Cory, Cornelius Davidson, Alex Grubbs, Jen Kwok, Nedra McClyde, Maria-Christina Oliveras and Chris Tyler.  The cabaret featured songs written by Adam Cochran, Jo Lampert and Matthew Marsh; Julia Meinwald and Gordon Leary; Eric March; Sam Chanse and Christopher Larkin; and Trevor Bachman. Featured musicians included Trevor Bachman, Alex Grubbs, Cheeyoung Kim, Eric March and Greg Tock.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Flops, Failures, And Fiascos, Part I

This episode of Let Me Ascertain You is drawn from Flops, Failures and Fiascos, an original cabaret that explored and celebrated disasters of all shades as told by those who have survived the shame, horror and glory of failing bigFlops, Failures and Fiascos was curated by 2015-16 R&D Group directors Sanaz Ghajar and Colette Robert and featured interviews conducted by the Civilians’ Field Research Team.

In this episode we hear two original songs and a pair of intertwined monologues all surrounding epic fails. First, Jen Kwok, Ally Bonino, Cindy Cheung, Nic Cory and Alex Grubbs perform “Go For It,” written by Adam Cochran, Jo Lampert and Matthew Marsh.

Next, we hear Ally Bonino sing “Lost and Found,” written by Julia Meinwald and Gordon Leary. This original song draws upon an interview with a woman who flirts with disaster, but makes it by with a little help from her friends.

Finally, the episode closes with Maria-Christina Oliveras and Chris Tyler portraying guests at two different, but equally calamitous, wedding celebrations.

Flops, Failures and Fiascos was performed live at the Metropolitan Room on February 23, 2016. Sanaz Ghajar and Colette Robert directed a cast that featured Ally Bonino, Cindy Cheung, Nic Cory, Cornelius Davidson, Alex Grubbs, Jen Kwok, Nedra McClyde, Maria-Christina Oliveras and Chris Tyler.  The cabaret featured songs written by Adam Cochran, Jo Lampert and Matthew Marsh; Julia Meinwald and Gordon Leary; Eric March; Sam Chanse and Christopher Larkin; and Trevor Bachman. Featured musicians included Trevor Bachman, Alex Grubbs, Cheeyoung Kim, Eric March and Greg Tock.


To hear more of these podcasts, subscribe to Let Me Ascertain You here on Soundcloud, or on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/let-m…cast/id477971690

Monday, March 7, 2016

Live at the Met Museum: The Way They Live, Part III

This episode of Let Me Ascertain you is the third and final installation of “The Way They Live,” the final performance of the Civilians’ season-long residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Way They Live” was written by Micharne Cloughley, based on interviews Civilians associates and members of the company’s Field Research Team conducted with curators, artists and visitors in the Met’s American Wing between 2014 and 2015.

This episode includes song crafted from interviews about three artworks in the wing.

First up, Kyle Beltran performs an original song by Michael Friedman, "John Brown," inspired by Thomas Hovenden’s painting "The Last Moments of John Brown." The song is introduced by Cindy Cheung, playing a museum curator.

Next, Grace McLean performs her original song "Obsessed by Madame X," inspired by a filmmaker’s reaction to John Singer Sargent’s "Portrait of Madame X."

Finally, Ty Defoe and the company of “The Way They Live” perform Ty's "In All Directions," a song inspired by a Native American dancer and choreographer's reaction to James Earle Fraser’s iconic sculpture "The End of the Trail."

“The Way They Live” was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 15 and 16, 2015. Mia Rovegno directed a cast that included Damian Baldet, Jordan Barbour, Kyle Beltran, Cindy Cheung, Irene Lucio, April Matthis, Grace McLean, Jennifer Morris, Tanis Parenteau, Monica Salazar and Rona Siddiqui. The piece featured songs by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato A. Kremmyda, Grace McLean, Lady Rizo and Yair Evnine, Kirsten Childs, Michael Friedman, Rona Siddiqui and Ty Defoe.

To hear more of these podcasts, subscribe to Let Me Ascertain You here on Soundcloud, or on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/let-m…cast/id477971690

Monday, February 1, 2016

Live at the Met Museum: The Way They Live, Part II

This episode of Let Me Ascertain you is the second of three culled from “The Way They Live,” the final performance of the Civilians’ season-long residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Way They Live” was written by Micharne Cloughley, based on interviews Civilians associates and members of the company’s Field Research Team conducted with curators, artists and visitors in the Met’s American Wing between 2014 and 2015.

This episode includes monologues and a song crafted from interviews about three artworks in the wing.

First up, Jennifer Morris and Irene Lucio portray two women on the curatorial staff of the American wing, talking about Mary Cassatt's "Portrait of the Artist."

Next, Morris--still portraying a Met Museum curator--introduces Winslow Homer's painting "Dressing for Carnival." April Matthis then plays a visitor to the museum who responds to the piece. She sings a song called "Never" by Kirsten Childs.

Finally, actor Cindy Cheung plays a museum technician talking about moving pieces of art around the gallery. She discusses Homer's painting "Veteran in a New Field."

To hear more of these podcasts, subscribe to Let Me Ascertain You on Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/thecivilians), or on iTunes (itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/let-m…cast/id477971690).

“The Way They Lived” was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 15 and 16, 2015. Mia Rovegno directed a cast that included Damian Baldet, Jordan Barbour, Kyle Beltran, Cindy Cheung, Irene Lucio, April Matthis, Grace McLean, Jennifer Morris, Tanis Parenteau, Monica Salazar and Rona Siddiqui. The piece featured songs by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato A. Kremmyda, Grace McLean, Lady Rizo and Yair Evnine, Kirsten Childs, Michael Friedman, Rona Siddiqui and Ty Defoe.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Live at the Met Museum: The Way They Live, Part I

This episode of Let Me Ascertain you is the first of three culled from “The Way They Live,” the final performance of the Civilians’ season-long residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Way They Live” was written by Micharne Cloughley, based on interviews Civilians associates and members of the company’s Field Research Team conducted with curators, artists and visitors in the Met’s American Wing between 2014 and 2015.

This episode includes monologues and songs crafted from interviews about three artworks in the wing. First up, actor Jennifer Morris portrays a curator discussing the Tiffany Magnolia Vase. Then, Cindy Chung performs the song “What He Saw,” by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato Kremida, about one visitor’s conflicted reaction to the vase.

Next, Irene Lucio portrays the Wing’s new Latin America curator, who discusses special objects in the Wing and introduces composer Rona Siddiqui’s song “To Sleep with the Dogs,” performed by Jordan Barbour and Sarah Farrell.

Finally, Jennifer Morris returns as a curator to discuss the 19th century painting “Moving Day,” which depicts the chaos that historically occurred on May 1st, when leases in New York City all expired and the entire city would move at once. This context sets the scene for Lady Rizo and Yair Evnine’s song “Crowded Solo,” performed here by Evnine and Monica Salazar.

To hear more of these podcasts, subscribe to Let Me Ascertain You here on Soundcloud, or on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/let-m…cast/id477971690

“The Way They Lived” was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 15 and 16, 2015. Mia Rovegno directed a cast that included Damian Baldet, Jordan Barbour, Kyle Beltran, Cindy Cheung, Irene Lucio, April Matthis, Grace McLean, Jennifer Morris, Tanis Parenteau, Monica Salazar and Rona Siddiqui. The piece featured songs by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato A. Kremmyda, Grace McLean, Lady Rizo and Yair Evnine, Kirsten Childs, Michael Friedman, Rona Siddiqui and Ty Defoe.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Live at The Met Museum: Beauty, Love, Body

For this episode of Let Me Ascertain You, we bring you back to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where The Civilians are artists in residence. As part of our research, we were wandering through some of the museum's halls like the Petrie Court, looking at nude sculptures that fill that space, like Jacques Sarazin’s gentle Leda and the Swan and Antonio Canova’s indifferent Paris. Surrounded by such a rich history of the representation of the human form, we questioned how the human body and what we find beautiful have changed through time.

In our last podcast, we brought you some of our interviews with Met curators who spoke about these dynamic human representations. For this episode, we've gathered other conversations from the past couple of years that also examine these intertwining themes of beauty, love, and the body. First, Jeanine Serralles brings us to the El Buen Pastor Women’s Prison with Ana Yolanda, a contestant in the prison’s annual beauty pageant. Nedra McClyde performs Pookie, from our investigation into Weddings in America, and Damian Bladet gives us an interview with the founder of NYC’s Hot Nude Yoga. Finally, Alyse Louis closes with a performance of the original song “Pretty Monster,” written by Robin Eaton and Jill Sobule for our new musical “Times Square.”

We’ll be closing out our year as artists-in-residence at the Met with one more cabaret in mid-May. Taking its title — “The Way They Live” — from Thomas Anschutz’s painting, the original play with music will explore concepts of America and how American art reflects those ideas. For more information about the Met residency, please visit The Civilians’ website: www.thecivilians.org

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Live at The Met Museum: Curators and the Objects They Love

On this special podcast, we're back inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, investigating within the halls and installations of this iconic museum.

Focusing on beauty, sex, love, and the body for this Let Me Ascertain You episode, we asked the curators to speak on these topics in relation to the artworks and share the compelling histories behind them. This past September, we turned their interviews into monologues and songs, which we then performed in the Petrie Court Cafe at the Museum itself.

First up, we have David Cale performing an interview we did with Luke, a curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. Then, Daniel Jenkins performs our interview with James, another curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. And finally, Michael Friedman performs an original song that he wrote and performed called “Like a Virgin” based on an interview with Melanie, a curator of Medieval Art.

This marked the first of three performances we'll have throughout our Met residency. Read more about this unique partnership, and the upcoming performances, here: http://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/met-museum…et-the-civilians

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Live at The Met Museum: The Civilians Tackle The Other Hollywood

What you’re about to hear has been workshopped and presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of The Civilians' artist residency. The performances come from interviews we did during our investigation for our upcoming musical, “Pretty Filthy,” about the ‘Other Hollywood’ in the San Fernando Valley...porn capital of the world. We went behind-the-scenes and interviewed countless directors, porn stars, agents and beyond. “Pretty Filthy” goes up at Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side in New York City on Jan. 31st. Here’s a look at some of the interviews that didn't make it into that musical but were too good not to share.

First we have Damian Baldet as a famous porn director, Keith. Then, Jeanine Serralles performs the legendary porn star Ginger Lynn and Jennifer Morris performs porn star Tabitha Stephens. To close, Heidi Blickenstaff performs an original song written by Michael Friedman that will appear in "Pretty Filthy," called ‘Beautiful.’

Learn more about The Civilians' “Pretty Filthy” and get tickets here: http://www.prettyfilthymusical.com

If you haven’t already, subscribe on iTunes to Let Me Ascertain You to find our other podcasts and be the first to hear new ones coming down the pike.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

F*ing & Dying: Love/Sex/Reproduction


Welcome to the final episode of our Let Me Ascertain You series on sex and death. According to Freud, the death drive is the drive towards self-destruction and the return to the "inorganic." Eros on the other hand is the drive to create and be productive. This episode explores these often competing drives. First up we have the original song “We Could Always Try Counting Sheep!” written and performed by Andrea Grody based on an interview about “sexomina.” Then Cindy Cheung performs an interview we did with Doan about sex and love addiction. And to close this episode out we have César Alvarez performing a lullaby he wrote for his daughter called “The Year of Dying.” We want to thank all of the interviewees, and the actors and composers who worked very hard to bring these stories to life. Many thanks to the Civilians' team of interviewers: Quinlan Corbett, Ian Daniel, Amina Henry, Michelle Jalowski, Leicester Landon, Gina Ratton, and Benjamin Viertel. Michael Liebenluft was our project director, and the live show was directed by Mia Rovegno.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, July 23, 2014

F*ing & Dying: The Brink


Let Me Ascertain You is back with the third episode in our series about all things sex and death related. In this episode we are leaning towards the sex side of the sex and death equation, looking at those elements of life that in one context might seem unpleasant or downright awful, but in another context can be well, kind of sexy. First, Dan Domingues performs an interview we did with Peter, a man who recounts how bondage became a path to self-discovery, and then Rebecca Hart performs Emily, a woman who dated a sometimes hit-man who taught her her how to strangle people without leaving any marks. To close out this episode we have special guest Adam Cochran accompanying himself on guitar with a song by writing team Erato Kremmyda and Maggie-Kate Coleman. Erato and Maggie-Kate are both members in our R & D Group for writers, directors and composers. “I Don’t Want To Know Your Name” is based on interviews about “terror and catastrophe sex,” a phenomenon where cataclysmic events drive you into the bed of a stranger. To find out about upcoming live shows from The Civilians check out our website (www.thecivilians.org) and join our email list for special announcements and discounts.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, July 9, 2014

F*cking & Dying: The White Light


We are in the thick of exploring our competing sex and death drives, and that interesting space where the two overlap and even coalesce. In this episode, we are searching for the "white light," that surreal experience that can really open happen in sex or death, when we glimpse the soul. First up is actor Parker Drown performing Trevor, an NYC “rent boy,” followed by Jeanine Serralles performing Kelli Dunham, a writer/performer with the tag line “Everyone’s Favorite Ex-Nun, Genderqueer, Nerd Comic.” Learn more about Kelli’s fascinating story at kellidunham.com. To close out this podcast, we welcome back Grace McLean, whose layered vocals you may remember from our Sex Variants series. Grace’s original song, “Where is the White Light,” was inspired by an interview we did with Veronica, an energy healer.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, June 25, 2014

F*cking & Dying: Turned On


Let Me Ascertain You is back with a new series examining two of The Civilians’ favorite fixations: sex and death. This first podcast in the series focuses on death as the ultimate turn-on. To start us off, we have Stephen Plunkett performing a monologue from an interview we did with famed porn director Craven Moorehead. Then we have Sam Breslin Wright performing an interview with Johannes, an Austrian who runs an arts/technology festival that buries people alive, aptly named, “The Six Feet Under Club.” Following that, cabaret superstar Lady Rizo performs her original song “Under” which she wrote with Yair Evnine. This song is based on our interview with Kitty, a “Six Feet Under Club” participant who got buried alive with her lover.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Sex Variants, Part IV


This is our fourth and final episode of our Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941, taking inspiration from a study conducted in the 1930’s by Dr. George Henry in which he interviewed a couple hundred individuals and cataloged data such as a complete family history with symbols to indicate who had what venereal disease, tuberculosis, alcoholism, who committed suicide, who was psychotic. We set some of these personal histories to song and brought others to life with monologues performed at Joe’s Pub in NYC. To kick us off, we’ll start with a song written and performed by Max Vernon taking inspiration from the case study of Moses I. And the little intro you’ll hear is taken from Dr. Henry’s own words, performed by Trey Lyford. Also featured, actor Nedra McClyde performing the case study of Myrtle K, a vaudeville comedian. After that, we’ll wrap things up with a sea shanty, “Odd Girl Out” written by Jill Sobule, inspired by Roberta H., and performed by Marykate O’Neil. Many thanks to everyone involved in this project and our project contributors Ian Daniel, Joel Glassman, Amina Henry, Leicester Landon, and Benjamin Viertel.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Sex Variants, Part III


Welcome to episode three in our series Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941. Recorded live at Joe’s Pub in New York City, this show takes its inspiration from the medical book Sex Variants: A study of Homosexual Patterns by Dr. George W. Henry. For each of his case studies, Dr. Henry recorded a detailed and intimate personal history, and we are sharing some of these with you now through performances by actors and in original songs. In between, you will sometimes hear Dr. Henry’s own introductions to these case studies; those bits are performed by actor Trey Lyford. Our first piece is a song by the writing team of Erato Kremmyda and Maggie-Kate Coleman. Cyrilla Baer interprets the words of Rowena K. Following that is Rudolph Von H, a monologue performed by David Cale. And to close the third episode, we have a song by Michael Freidman inspired by the case study of Sydney H. Michael’s song is performed here by Dito Van Riegersberg accompanied on the piano by Nathan Dames.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Sex Variants, Part II


Hi! We’re back with the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 recorded live here in NYC at Joe’s Pub. This series takes its inspiration from a 1941 medical book by Dr. George W. Henry. Subtitled "A Study of Homosexual Pattern," Dr. Henry classified these case studies as homosexuals, bi-sexuals, or narcissists. A little something for everyone. In this episode we’ll start off with the case study of Irene K., played at our live show by Kate Buddeke. The evening’s MC Trey Lyford will first give us a little intro to Irene K., and his words are taken verbatim from Dr. Henry’s "general impressions" of the variant in question. Then you’ll hear "That Crazy Business" a song written by Andrea Grody about the case study Nora M. performed by Jessie Shelton and Nathan Dame. The last two performances are based on the same patient, Donald H. First actor Dan Domingues performs Donald’s own words from his personal history and we’ll follow that with a song, "The Future Looks Very Fine," written by Cesar Alvarez, and performed here by Cesar and the rest of his band The Lisps which are Sammy Tunis, Eric Farber, and Lorenzo Wolff.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Sex Variants, Part I


We’re kicking off a new series here at Let Me Ascertain You. These podcasts are taken from our live shows performed at Joe's Pub here in New York City, and our most recent show was called Sex Variants 1941. As you may know, our shows are typically inspired by interviews we do ourselves but for this one we are borrowing our inspiration from a medical study entitled Sex Variants: a study of homosexual patterns. The book is a collection of case studies conducted by Dr. George W. Henry of Cornell University. Dr. Henry interviewed over 200 people about the sex lives, their childhoods, their family history - pretty much no stone was left unturned. There are also some really amazing drawings of the subjects’ genitalia, though only those of the female subjects. It’s unclear as to why that is exactly. We are bringing it all back to life in this podcast series. Dr. Henry provided his written analysis of each case study, starting off with his general impressions. So throughout this series you’ll hear actor Trey Lyford quoting from Dr. Henry’s impressions. Starting off here with his thoughts on Molly N, followed by a performance of her personal history by the actor Nina Hellman. After Nina, you’ll hear Molly N.’s words turned into song by Grace McLean in her song "(not) Normal." Then, Brandon Miller performs an excerpt from the case study of Louis E. And we’ll wrap up with a song written by Tim Acito inspired by Noel W. The song which is titled "I Have Had the Earth" is sung by Brandon Davidson accompanied by Tim. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe here on iTunes to hear upcoming episodes in this "Sex Variants" series. You can find us on Twitter and on Facebook – like us we’ll like you back. Until next time!





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Holy Matrimony! Part IV


This is our fourth and final episode of “Let Me Ascertain You: Holy Matrimony” from our investigations into American Weddings. In celebration of the defeat of DOMA in the Supreme Court this past summer we decided to poke around in the grand old institution of marriage and then as we do with each of our Let Me Ascertain You shows, we have actors perform these verbatim interviews in front of a live audience. This show took place in our home away from home, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater. We’ll start things off with a couple here in NYC who celebrated their 25th anniversary by traveling across the country to get married in every state that currently recognizes legal gay marriage. Here are actors Greg McFadden and Brad Heberlee playing Stephen and Pat. Then, Susannah Flood plays Caragh, a designer from Australia and Daoud Heidami plays Paul, from the town Normal, Illinois. We did these interviews separately and then edited them together, so Paul and Caragh can tell you their story together. Our final song of the series is based off of an interview with Brian, manager of the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel who stars in all of their themed weddings from Elvis to Darth Vader to Fat Bastard. “In Vegas” was written by Erato A. Kremmyda, with lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman. Erato and Maggie-Kate are both currently members in our R & D Group this year working on a new show of theirs and we’re glad they lent us their talents for this Vegas extravaganza. “In Vegas” is performed here by Brian Charles Rooney, Annalisa Ledson and Christine Perotta, accompanied by Erato Kremmyda. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Joel Glassman and Talya Klein and many thanks to everyone involved in this project and our project contributors Darien Battle, Nora Sørena Casey, Molly Coogan, Ian Daniel, Meredith Domalakes, Gibson Frazier, Joel Glassman, Donnetta Grays, Laura Hedli, Amina Henry, Michelle Jalowski, Alexandra Keegan, Talya Klein, Leicester Landon, Calane Schafer, Jessica Watkins and Colleen Werthmann. If you haven’t subscribed yet there’s no time like right now!





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Holy Matrimony! Part III


We’re here with episode three of four podcasts of our Let Me Ascertain You: Holy Matrimony! series looking at all things about weddings. Our crew of artists talked to real-life couples as well as the people in the amazing and strange world of the wedding industry. And all these interviews were performed live by actors at Joe’s Pub in our hometown of New York City. Our first piece is a little bit of a twist: one of our Associate Artists Donnetta Lavinia Grays interviewed and will play here, her very own wife, Shalema. Then, we’re off to New Jersey as Brian Sgambati and Emily Rossell portray the couple Dominick and Rachel. And for this episode’s song, we have something written by composer Andrea Grody inspired by an interview we did with a high-end wedding dress saleswoman in Chicago. "Best Dressed" is performed live by the vivacious and talented Miss Emily Rossell, with Michael Friedman on piano. The interviews for this podcast were conducted by Nora Sørena Casey, Donnetta Grays and Leicester Landon. If you like what you hear or if you have an opinion, please write us or tweet us or facebook us, we love to hear from you.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Thursday, January 9, 2014

Holy Matrimony! Part II


We’re back with the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You: Holy Matrimony! For this series we did a deep dive into the wonderful world of weddings in America. Or maybe more like a face plant into a three tiered wedding cake. So with icing on our faces and hangover from too much cheap wine… here are a few more interviews performed by actors live at Joe’s Pub in New York City. In this episode, we’re going from Minnesota to the Mississippi Delta and then we’re going off the grid to a Hippy wedding on the land. Greg McFadden and Colleen Werthmann perform Minnesota high school sweethearts Randy & Diane. Emily Ackerman plays Amy, from the Mississippi Delta who is something of an expert on marriage, though as you’ll hear largely through trial and error. And to wrap things up the very talented actor singer and songwriter Rebecca Hart wrote a song “Bad Hippy Wedding” based on an interview we did. Thanks for listening. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Talya Klein and Leicester Landon. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, and if you’re feeling extra generous write us a review. It makes a big difference. Until next time.





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
To leave a comment, please visit The Civilians' blog http://blogforthecivilians.blogspot.com/!





Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Holy Matrimony! Part I


We’re starting up a new series here at Let Me Ascertain You called “Holy Matrimony!" With DOMA getting taken down by the Supreme Court this past summer and with marriage equality spreading state by state, we thought it was a good time to look in our own Civiliansy way at that very special occasion – the wedding. For the past few months, our intrepid team of interviewers gathered stories from all over America for glimpses into weddings in a Vegas Wedding Chapel, a Courthouse in Louisiana, and even a Taco Bell in Normal, Illinois. Everything was recorded live at Joe’s Pub here in New York City. We start this first podcast episode with a couple from own home turf, Brooklyn: Becca and Jon, portrayed by Jess Watkins and Trey Lyford. Then, Nedra McClyde plays Ashley, a bride in Michigan who gets into all the details about her wedding night (you might want to send the kids outside to play during that one). To close things out, we’ve got a song by Michael Friedman. This is “Little Match Girl,” a song that has nothing to do with Hans Christian Andersen. This one’s taken from an interview we did with supposedly the number one matchmaker to the rich and powerful here in New York. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Amina Henry and Talya Klein . If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to hear upcoming episodes in this “Holy Matrimony” series.





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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Be The Death of Me, Part IV


This is our fourth and final episode of our Let Me Ascertain You: Be The Death of Me Series. These interviews are part of an ongoing investigation about death, dying and whatever comes after that. We talked to more than a hundred people so far, and many of these conversations centered on how we remember and how we memorialize those that we’ve lost. Maybe you’ve passed an entirely white bike chained up somewhere and wondered what it was. And maybe you guessed that it’s a memorial for a cyclist killed in that location. We talked to Jessie, one of the people who makes these public memorials. She’s one of the co-founders of the New York City Ghost Bike Project, performed here by actor Megan Stern. Jessie connected us to Lizi, a mother whose son was killed on his bike in Queens, performed by Indika Senanayake. And as our final piece in this series about endings, we have an actor performing an interview we did with another actor. To close, Brad Heberlee plays Everett. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Elsa Carrette, Ian Daniel, and Leonie Ettinger. To get the latest about our next topic, be sure to subscribe!





For more, please visit http://www.thecivilians.org.
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Thursday, November 14, 2013

Be The Death of Me, Part III


Here’s episode three in our new podcast series Let Me Ascertain You: Be The Death of Me. What you’ll hear are excerpts from a larger ongoing project about life, death, and whatever happens after that. As part of this investigation, our team spoke to those who work every day in matters of life and death — people who spend their days in the places that witness the demise of our bodies. We’ve put three of those stories together for this episode. To kick things off, here’s actor Peter Friedman performing a man named Leonard: he’s a doctor of internal medicine. Then Danielle Davenport performs an interview we did with Sara, a child life specialist in the general pediatric unit at NYU Hospital. Keith Randolph Smith closes out this episode with his performance of Rocky, who is the co-founder of The Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which it turns out is the nation’s first minority-run volunteer ambulance corps. Since 1988 the Bed-Stuy ambulance corps greatly improved emergency care in the Bed-Stuy community and to this day it continues to train young people and adults in life-saving skills. The interviews for this podcast were conducted by Micharne Cloughley, Dan Domingues and Meridith Friedman.





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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Be The Death of Me, Part II


We’re back with the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You: Be The Death of Me. For this Civilians' project we took a prismatic look into the end of life and talked with a cross-section of New Yorkers - ER nurses, priests, funeral directors, vampires, shamans, crime-scene cleaners, and many ordinary people dealing with the extraordinary experience of loss. In this episode we share three of those stories. Actors Gardiner Comfort, Jennifer Morris, and Jeremy Shamos perform. The interviews for this podcast episode were conducted by Matt Dellapina, Meridith Friedman, and Donnetta Lavinia Grays. We encourage you to subscribe if you haven’t already, and if you’re feeling extra generous write us a review. It makes a big difference! Until next time.





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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Be The Death of Me, Part I


We’re starting up a new series here at Let Me Ascertain You taken from a couple of live events we did recently about death. The show called “Be The Death of Me” is about facing that final curtain and maybe what lies on the other side. A small army of artists spent six months interviewing all sorts of people here in New York City. A cast of 33 brilliant actors performed these pieces at the Irondale Center in our home neighborhood of Fort Greene Brooklyn. And over the next few episodes, we’re going to share some of these stories with you. Most people, it stands to reason, have some fear of dying - but not everyone does. As you’ll hear in this episode, some are planning on doing what no man or woman has done before: escape it altogether. Stephen Plunkett performs Father Sebastiaan, a local vampyre and fangsmith. Mia Katigbak performs an interview we did with a medium named Therese. Matt Dellapina performs our interview with Futurist/Techno-Philospher Gray Scott. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by EllaRose Chary, Ian Daniel, and Leonie Ettinger. If you haven’t yet, please make sure you've subscribed so you can hear upcoming episodes in this “Be The Death of Me” series.





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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

LGBTQ All Out! Part IV


Check out our fourth and final episode of our "Let Me Ascertain You: LGBTQ All Out!" podcast series. This was recorded live at the Barrow Street Theater in NY where actors performed various real people we interviewed about their experiences related to sexuality and gender. One of our special guest performers that night was Laverne Cox who stars in the TV show "Orange Is the New Black." She performs an interview we did with a staff member at Housing Works which is a NYC non-profit healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. (http://www.housingworks.org/) Then Mike Brun and Alyse Louis perform "Barricade" another song by Robin Eaton and Jill Sobule from our upcoming musical “Times Square” that will feature music from Robin and Jill with book by Tony-nominated writer Jim Lewis about two teenage runaway lesbians who form an underground punk band in 1980s seedy Times Square! To close out this special podcast series, Stephen Plunkett performs an inteview he did for our show "This Beautiful City" about Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs has a number of military bases and this interview was done a number of years ago before the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Stephen Plunkett and Dan Domingues. Be sure to subscribe to stay in the loop about other amazing stories from our investigations!





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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

LGBTQ All Out! Part III


Up next is our third podcast of our series "Let Me Ascertain You: LGBTQ All Out!" dedicated to sexuality and gender. For this episode, we've got another interview from a staffer at the Rainbow Heights Club in Brooklyn, an advocacy program for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender emotional recovery and wellness. You can learn more about them at rainbowheights.org. Samira Wiley performs Danee live in New York City at the Barrow Street Theater. Then, our next performance comes from an interview we did a couple years ago as part of our research for writer Neal Bell's play, SHADOW OF HIMSELF. Actors Matt Maher, Brian Sgambati and Maria Dizzia drove down to rural Pennsylvania to visit Harold and Bob in their home that has number of cages upstairs, locked cells downstairs and something of a small prison camp outside. At the time they were all empty. Matt Maher plays Harold and Brad Heberlee plays Bob. Since we started this LGBTQ series, we did a concert of the show TIMES SQUARE by Jill Sobule & Robin Eaton and Jim Lewis. It's a show about two girls who fall in love and discover themselves. To close out the podcast, we share a song for Nicky, one of the two girls at the center of the story. Nicky's a streetwise butch girl and in this song "Cigarette Burn" she's trying out a new song onstage at the Pussycat Palace in the heart of sleazy Times Square. It's sung here by the extraordinary Jill Sobule. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Donnetta Lavinia Grays and Matt Maher.





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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

LGBTQ All Out! Part II


We’re back with the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You: LGBTQ All Out recorded live at the Barrow Street Theater; actors perform various real people we interviewed about their experiences related to sexuality and gender. One of the groups who helped us out on this show was the Theater of the Oppressed NYC, they have an awesome theater troupe for queer homeless youth. We talked to one their troupe member Vincent and in this episode you’ll hear Jax Jackson perform that interview. Then actor Pedro Pascal performs an interview we did with a man named Mark, and to close out this episode composer Michael Friedman sings an original song of his called “Horrible Seders” and it’s about playwright Tony Kushner. The interviews for this podcast were conducted by Ian Daniel and Dan Domingues.





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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

LGBTQ All Out! Part I


We’ve got a new topic here at Let Me Ascertain You that we're calling "LGBTQ All Out!” and it's all about those who have battled for, celebrated, and championed their sexual orientation and gender identity. We dig into the personal stories, struggles and triumphs of a group of individuals in the LGBTQ community. Here, our Associate Artists and special guests perform interviews that we conducted recently. This podcast was recorded live at Barrow Street Theater in NYC. In this episode you’ll hear actor Paul Stovall perform an interview we did with Randy who works at a great organization here in Brooklyn called the Rainbow Heights Club. Check out their website: http://www.rainbowheights.org/. Then actor Blair Baker performs Tarina, an interview we did several years ago back when we were creating our show about the city of Colorado Springs. To close things out, we’ve got a song from Times Square. It’s a musical based on the early 80’s movie. The story is about two girls from opposite sides of the tracks, they meet, they fall in love, they form a band called the Sleez Sisters all set in the untamed Times Square of the 1970’s. Songs are by the amazing team of Jill Sobule and Robin Eaton, and here’s one of them. This is “Last Kiss” performed by Alyse Alan Louis with Mike Brun on guitar. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Dan Domingues and Alison Weller.





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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Occupy #S17, Part V


Now for the finale of our Occupy #S17 series! This episode contains recordings of a live performance of interviews with Occupy protesters that we presented at Joe's Pub for the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. First up is our Associate Artist Matt Dellapina performing a demonstrator named Alexander. Next up is Jahi Kearse as Sumumba. To close this episode out, we have Mary Kate O'Neil and Jill Sobule leading the evening's cast and musicians in a sing-along of Neil Young's protest song, "America." Interviews were conducted by our Associate Artist Dan Domingues, and the performance was directed by Mia Rovegno. Thanks for listening! Subscribe, rate, review!





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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Occupy #S17, Part IV


Here are more of our interviews from the Occupy Wall Street movement, presenting interviews we’ve conducted with activists since the beginning at of it all at Zuccotti Park on September 17, 2011. We created an event at Joe’s Pub in NYC and invited theaters, schools, and other non-profits from around the country to join us in performing an Occupy anniversary show simultaneously the night of the 17th. Here are some performances from our show in NY, starting with our Associate Artist Colleen Werthmann back with more of Andrea Ciannevi discussing the trajectory of the movement. Next up is Associate Artist Maria Elena Ramirez who performs Sofia, a young protestor from Puerto Rico. To close this episode, we’re excited to have musical guests Sandra Velazquez and Maria Elena of the band Pistolera join us for their song "Cazador." Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Steven Cosson, Ian Daniel, Dan Domingues and the performances you just heard were directed by Mia Rovegno. Thanks for listening. Please subscribe, rate, and review!





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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Occupy #S17, Part III


Welcome to our third podcast episode commemorating the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. The Civilians conducted interviews with activists in the movement since its start last year at Zuccotti up to this one year anniversary on September 17, 2012 (referred to as #S17 in the Twitter-sphere). The first performance in this episode is by special Civilians guest-star David Cale of an interview with Carne Ross, a British Diplomat who gives us a different perspective on the movement. Next up is Jordan Mahome performing Radio Raheem (the man who inspired the character in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing), who helped start Paul Robeson Freedom School. To close this episode, join in from home or on the subway or wherever you are, as Mary Kate O’Neil and her band Gerry Giaimo, Robin Eaton, David Shuman, and Mia Theodoratus sing a rendition of John Lennon’s Power to the People. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Adam Odsess-Rubin and Steven Cosson. The performances you just heard were directed by Mia Rovegno. Thanks for listening.





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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Bogotá Prison Pageant, Part III


Every year, the national women's prison in Colombia puts on a beauty pageant in which each cell block elects its own candidates to represent them - a queen and a queen mother. Our artists were down in Bogotá for the pageant in 2011, and what you're about to hear is from the interviews with the contestants and inmates there. This material was performed and recorded live at 92YTribeca in NY. First up is Donnetta Lavinia Grays as Jeimi (Willy) and next up is Florencia Lozano as Jessica. Maria Elena Ramirez closes out this episode as Ana Yolanda, Queen Mother for one of the cell blocks. Thanks for listening. Interviews for this episode were conducted by Adriana Mejía. The performances you just heard were directed by Steven Cosson. Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review us!





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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Occupy #S17, Part II


Occupy Wall Street had its one-year anniversary on September 17, 2012. Civilians artists were out for that entire year conducting interviews with the protesters. We presented some of those interviews on September 17 at Joe's Pub, along with thirteen other colleges and theater groups from around the country, who also put on their own performances of Occupy interviews on the same day. This week's podcast episode, recorded at our live performance at Joe's Pub, kicks off with Dan Domingues as Billy in an interview conducted just before #S17. Next is an interview performed by Emily Rossell that was conducted after Zuccotti Park was shut down. This episode closes out with Caitlin Montclare, Alex Nolan, Amanda Ruzza, and Liz Kelly perform The Punk Prayer: the song that was performed by Pussy Riot in Russia that led to some of the members serving a two-year term in prison. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Dan Domingues and Kelly McCreary, and the live performance at Joe's Pub was directed by Mia Rovegno.





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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Bogotá Prison Pageant, Part II


Our artists conducted interviews with the women in El Buen Pastor, the national women's prison in Bogotá, Colombia. Every year, the prison hosts a beauty pageant in which each cell block elects its own candidates to represent them - a queen and a queen mother - and they work together to create costumes, floats and dances for the main event, which is kind of like Carnival. Our last Bogotá Prison Pageant episode focused on the High Security section of the prison. The prison is divided into different cell blocks according to crimes committed. This week, we're heading into the General Population at El Buen Pastor to give you an intimate look into these women’s daily lives and their preparation for the pageant. This material was performed and recorded live at 92YTribeca in NY. First up is Ana Lamadrid performing an inmate, followed by our Associate Artist Jenny Morris as a Canadian prisoner. Matt Dellapina performs an interview with Mauricio, a pastor who works with the inmates, and the episode closes out with Flor De Liz Perez as the Queen Mother of Cell Block 9. Interviews for this were conducted by Alejandro Jaramillo Hoyos, Lorena Lopez, and Adriana Osorio. The performances you just heard were directed by Steven Cosson. Thanks for listening.





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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Occupy #S17, Part I


The one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street was on September 17 of this year. We have been conducting interviews with protesters throughout the year, and our special performance for #S17 on September 17 at Joe's Pub focused on how the movement had transformed from its early days and what it's future might look like. This week's episode features Colleen Werthmann as Andrea, a protester; Tony-nominee Kathleen Chalfant as an actress and demonstrator; and Brad Heberlee as an anti-war activist, environmentalist, and participant in the movement; and we close out with Jill Sobule, Alex Nolan, Amanda Ruzza and Liz Kelly performing Jill's song "We Want our America Back." Interviews were conducted by Dan Domingues, Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Rachel Jablin. The evening was directed by Mia Rovegno.





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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Bogotá Prison Pageant, Part I


The beauty pageant that takes place in the national women's prison in Bogotá, Colombia is the subject of this week's episode. Steve Cosson spent a month visiting the prison during the lead up to the pageant, working with a group of Colombians, playwright José Rivera, and songwriter/musician Hector Buitrago of the Latin Grammy award winning band Aterciopelados. They interviewed the pageant's contestants, other inmates, and prison staff. In this podcast, you’ll get a chance to hear some of our raw interviews, which were translated into English and performed for the first time at the 92YTribeca in June of this year. Our first interview, performed by Vanessa Aspillaga, is with a woman serving time for being part of one of the various guerilla groups who are part of a long-standing armed conflict with right-wing paramilitaries. Next up is Carolina Ravassa playing an inmate who is incarcerated for her part in an attack on the presidential palace in Bogotá in 2002. The attack didn’t succeed in hitting then President Alvaro Uribe, though one missile overshot the palace and landed in the nearby neighborhood of El Cartucho, killing a number of people. To close this episode, our Associate Artist KJ Sanchez performs an inmate who, while she proclaims her innocence, was convicted of working for the paramilitaries through her political office. These interviews were conducted by Lorena Lopez and Alejandro Jaramillo. Thanks for listening.





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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Death, Part III


Here is our last episode about death, featuring an interview performed in a cabaret at Joe's Pub last season. Jeanine Serralles performs an incarcerated woman in the national women's prison in Bogotá, Colombia describing a near-death experience. This interview, conducted by Lorena Lopez, is part of a larger project about the annual beauty pageant that happens in the prison. We wrap up this week's episode with the song "Stars" by Michael Friedman from our show Gone Missing, performed by Matt Dellapina, Emily Ackerman, Daniel Jenkins, and Emily Rossell, accompanied by Kris Kukel. Thanks for listening - subscribe, rate, and review us!





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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Occupy Your Mind, Part III


Following the last two episodes focused on the French revolution of 1871, this week's episode finds us back with our local Occupy Wall Street protesters. Nina Hellman and Daniel Jenkins perform an interview with Savitri and Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. To close out this podcast, we have Gibson Frazier performing Mark Read: the infamous "illuminator" behind the 99% "bat signal" on the Verizon Building last November. Interviews for this podcast were conducted by Steve Ginsberg and Quinlan Corbett, and are part of Occupy Your Mind, a program dedicated to documenting the living history of the Occupy movement, which you are cordially invited to participate in. Visit our website for details!





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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Paris Commune and Social Space


A special guest joins us in this week's episode: Kristin Ross, Professor of Comparative Literature at New York University. She has written extensively about Paris Commune. Her book “The Emergence of Social Space: Rimbaud and the Paris Commune” was what inspired Steve Cosson and Michael Friedman to start working on our latest show, Paris Commune, which premiered at ArtsEmerson last month and is having a run in BAM's 30th Next Wave Festival. The play investigates the Parisian working-class uprising in 1871, and we want to extend a special thanks to Kristin for sharing her expertise on the commune, shared social space, revolution, and more with us in this podcast. This episode kicks off with Brian Sgambati performing Leur Bon Dieu, a nineteenth century song in the show originally from the Commune with Lyrics by Eugene Pottier, Music by Emile Bouillon. Wrapping up this week, we have Aysan Celik, singing Mon Homme by Jean-Baptiste Clement, adapted and translated by Michael Friedman.





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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Paris Commune


Our latest show, Paris Commune, will be having its world premiere run at ArtsEmerson in Boston followed by a run at BAM's Next Wave Festival this fall. The play is about the explosive Parisian uprising of the working class in 1871, in which French citizens launched an attempt to overthrow the government and reinvent society. We wanted to give you a look behind-the-scenes at our efforts to recreate these historic events for the stage. This episode features interviews with Paris Commune's director and co-author Steve Cosson; co-author and translator and adapter of the songs Michael Friedman; and actor Aysan Celik who has been with the project throughout its development. The episode closes out with Quincy Tyler Bernstine singing "La Canaille," a song performed at the radical cabaret of the actual Commune in the nineteenth century.





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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Death, Part II


People who encounter death as part of their daily lives are featured in this week's episode, which was recorded live during our cabaret at Joe's Pub. Emily Rossell performs an interview with an ER doctor from the Bronx, Nina Hellman performs an ER nurse from the Midwest, and Dan Domingues plays Andrew Anastasio, who owns a funeral home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lastly, Emily Rossell and James Rickman sing a murder ballad written by Michael Friedman. Many thanks to our interviewers for this episode: Ian Daniel and Jay Stull.





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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Occupy Your Mind, Part II


Our Judson Church performance from earlier this year featured monologues about the Occupy movement. The interviews were conducted as part of our open-sourced investigative call to action, Occupy Your Mind. Mark Stetson from Arts Diaspora performs an Occupy Activist who participated in Occupy in New York, D.C., and Oakland, and who was around when things got very tough in Oakland. Aidan O'Shea, a member of Judson Church, performs the Pastor of Judson, Michael. Indika Senanayake performs Manissa, a member of the POC caucus, and an activist who interviewed Eliot Spitzer. She tells her now legendary story of blocking consensus at Zuccotti Park. Many thanks to those who conducted these interviews: Mark Stetson, Aidan O'Shea, and Jackie Sibblies Drury!





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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Death, Part 1


The Body Farm in Knoxville, TN is the world's first research facility dedicated to the study of human decomposition. The two monologues in this episode are from interviews conducted there by Civilians Associate Artist Alix Lambert as part of ongoing projects of her own. We're very grateful that she has shared this fascinating material with us. Greg McFadden plays Bill Bass, the founder of the Body Farm, then Emily Ackerman plays a forensic artist. Lastly, Meghan McGreary sings a song by Shaina Taub called "Sleep and Death" accompanied by Kris Kukel. This episode was recorded during our Let Me Ascertain You: Death cabaret at Joe's Pub.





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