No Script: The Podcast

Tracy Letts is famous for his gut-churning family drama "August: Osage County." After the manic energy around that script that occupied American theatrical life for several years, Letts returned to work and wrote another fantastic, complex story about a donut shop. This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob explore "Superior Donuts" - Letts' first play set in Chicago (his home town).  -------------...

In one of her newest works, "For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday," Sarah Ruhl imagines a group of adult siblings gathered together by the death of their father. In this loss, the siblings reflect on religion, their childhood, and what it means to grow up. This week on No Script, listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss this delightful, enchanting script and try to uncover the mysterious Ruhl-ian magi...

The "angry young men" are an absolute force in middle 20th century literature. John Osborne is widely thought to have sparked the genre with his 1956 play "Look Back in Anger." This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob look frankly at this piece of theatre history and discuss what its significance is in the modern world.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For...

Paula Vogel's 2015 play "Indecent" is a real treat for theatre lovers. It follows the early productions of God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which premiered on Broadway in 1923. This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob take a look at Vogel's highly theatrical take on the power of community representation on the stage.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as...

How does a dark secret poison the present reality for one Illinois farm family? Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize winning play Buried Child catapults audiences into a farmhouse filled with repressed hatred and longstanding pain. The play is thrilling and stuffed with poignant, nearly surreal images. This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob dive in to this dark comedy and discuss (again) the brilliant...

Season 4 is here! In this first episode, Jackson and Jacob return to the deep, deep well that is Lynn Nottage's body of work. Her early play "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" is a beautiful indicator of the genius that would come later in her career. Listen in as J&J explore the memorable images Nottage employs throughout the script.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Pa...

In the last episode of Season 3, the boys of No Script return to Jeffrey Sweet's impressive body of work. Sweet's 1997 play "With and Without" is sharp, witty, and an absolute masterclass in forcing characters to make tough choices. In what Jacob calls one of his "favorite plays ever," Sweet tells the tale of a married couple who just wants to spend a relaxing weekend at the lake. Instead, they en...

This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob visit a classic: Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night." This tragic, heartbreaking piece is considered one of America's best plays. O'Neill's VERY autobiographical play won the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It chronicles the pain and suffering endured by one American family across one day of their lives. Listen in as J&J try to grapple with the...

This week on No Script... a special guest! Dr. Dennis Brewer, a professor of Mathematics at the University of Arkansas, joins Jacob to talk about David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Proof." Dr. Brewer provides his expertise on some of the plays more math-specific items: "new math," prime numbers, and wild mathematics conferences. Listen in!   ------------------------------ Please consider...

In an admittedly slow transition away from Magic Month, Jackson and Jacob discuss a play that's definitely not about magic... though witches do appear. "Vinegar Tom" is Caryl Churchill's play on the 17th century witch trials in England. Listen in as J&J discuss Churchill's use of music and the similarities between this script and Miller's "The Crucible."   ------------------------------ Please con...

In the last episode of Magic Month, Jackson and Jacob turn to Tony Kushner's incredibly influential play "Angels in America." The story follows two couples (Prior & Louis and Joe & Harper) living in New York in the 1980s. The AIDS crisis is raging, and Prior is dying of the horrible disease. Louis, unable to cope with the stress of caring for a severely sick partner, leaves Prior and eventually en...

What happens next? "Into the Woods" by Sondheim and James Lapine asks this question of some of our most popular fairy tales. What happens next in... Cinderalla's marriage to the Prince? Jack's life post-giant killing? Red Riding Hood's relationship to wolves after her narrow escape? These plots and many others converge into one rhapsodic collection of magical tales. This week on No Script, Jackson...

What if the body-switching plot found in popular movies like "Freaky Friday" were used in a romantic dramedy? Well, you'd get Craig Lucas' Pulitzer Prize-nominated "Prelude to a Kiss." As part of Magic Month, Jackson and Jacob explore this funny, poignant story about a newly-wed couple who find themselves in a wild, supernatural situation involving an old man. This week J&J examine Lucas' brillian...

What happens when confused humans, wily fairies, and amateur actors all intersect in a dense forest? One hilarious evening. Such is the subject of Shakespeare's ever popular "A Midsummer Night's Dream." In the first week of "Magic Month," Jackson and Jacob dig through the Shakespearean comedy for its famous quotes, powerful themes, and... its magic!   ------------------------------ Magic Month beg...

In her play "Milk like Sugar," Kirsten Greenidge take's the audience on a journey of perspective. The play follows three teenage girls who make a pregnancy pact, and the moral perspective that follows the three as they pursue the pact. Listen in as the boys of No Script take on this complicated, funny play.  ------------------------------ Magic Month begins next week! Tune in all through October a...

Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Donald Margulies' play "Dinner with Friends" is a poignant look at how relationships (marriages and friendships) change over time. This week on No Script, listen in as Jackson and Jacob gush over Margulies' incredibly subtle character work.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to...

There's nothing quite like August Wilson's Century Cycle. These ten plays, each taking place in a different 20th century decade, are largely set in Pittsburgh's Hill District, where Wilson was raised. This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob cover the most famous of these plays: "Fences." This mainstay of the American stage (recently adapted into a wildly successful movie starring Denzel Washingt...

Mary Zimmerman is known for poetic storytelling and brilliant imagery. Her play "Metamorphoses" (No Script S1 E9) remains one of Jackson' and Jacob's favorites. This week, J&J take on another of Mary Zimmerman's plays: "The Arabian Nights." Listen in as the guys gush about the power of stories.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you ca...

Known for wild comedies, Neil Simon is one of the all-time greats in American theatre. His play "Lost in Yonkers" breaks his mold of near-farcical plays, instead edging closer to the standard psychological drama of the time. In this episode of No Script, Jackson and Jacob piece apart Simon's family story - especially the worldview of "Grandma."   ------------------------------ Please consider supp...

A man dies. His cell phone rings. A woman answers it. Thus begins the whirlwind, international adventure contained in Sarah Ruhl's "Dead Man's Cell Phone." This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Ruhl's unique talent at juxtaposing wacky characters with interesting philosophical reflection.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month,...

In his Pulitzer Prize winning black comedy "August: Osage County," Tracy Letts introduces the audience to a dysfunctional family filled with secrets. As the dense plot unfolds, Letts' script is a powerhouse of clever exchanges and negotiations for power. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob dive into this boarded-up house in Oklahoma, searching for the light.  ------------------------------ Please consi...

What happens after Lorraine Hansberry's iconic play "A Raisin in the Sun?" What happens to the characters, yes, but also the neighborhood? This is the subject of Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize-winning script "Clybourne Park." This week, Jackson and Jacob explore the parallel structuring used by Norris to incredible dramatic effect.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Pat...

"Music, finished as no music is ever finished. Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall." This is one of the descriptions Antonio Salieri gives of Mozart's musical genius in Peter Shaffer's brilliant play "Amadeus." This week on "No Script," Jackson and Jacob take on the highly fictionalized account of Salieri's jealousy . . . and his war...

In the 17th century, Aphra Behn found herself as one of the first English women to earn a living primarily by playwriting. She helped to break down the barriers of the male-dominated industry, and her legacy lives on today. This week on "No Script," Jackson and Jacob explore her most well known play, "The Rover." It follows several groups of friends as they romp through Naples during Carnival time...

David Mamet is known for his distinctive style of dialogue writing and his iconic characters. Though this is not their first conversation on Mamet (see "American Buffalo," S1 Ep. 5), Jackson and Jacob are still excited to bring Mamet back to "No Script." This week they explore "Glengarry Glen Ross," perhaps Mamet's most popular script. Listen in as J&J discuss the gritty world of real estate and t...