The Play Typer Guy

Laramie Dean, author of the upcoming book There’s No Such Thing As a School for Witches , which you should pre-order right now, returns to discuss a major inspiration for his book — the delightful Angelique Collins (née Bouchard), aka Cassandra Blair Collins, aka Angelique DuVal (or DuBois, depending on the episode), aka Angelique Rumson, aka Valerie Collins, aka Miranda DuVal, from the classic 19...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. My friend Laramie Dean returns for our annual Halloween special. The author, playwright, and distinguished gent has a new book coming out on November 24, There’s No Such Thing As a School for Witches, which you can and should pre-order. We talk witches and schools for witches that aren’t Hogwarts.  You will hear: Laramie talks about his new book about witc...

This is the continuation of my discussion with former political commentator Evan Barker. In this episode, we will continue talking about difficult conversations within the Democratic party. Go back to the previous episode to listen to our enlightening discussion. Guest Info:  Evan Barker is a political and cultural commentator who has worked in Democratic politics, primarily as a fundraiser for pr...

Evan Barker is a former Democratic campaign operative and political strategist, whose new book Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative has not pleased mainstream Democrats or progressives. Evan joins me for a two-part discussion of some topics she covers in the book, which I do recommend reading, even if you’re tempted to find her positions heretical. Nothing is ever gained from shutti...

This week, we lost an absolute LEGEND - Judy Gumbo. I was fortunate enough to have interviewed Judy when her book, Yippie Girl , came out in 2022 and in her honor, I am posting that interview in full. In 1972, the FBI described Judy as "the most vicious, the most anti-American, the most anti-establishment, and the most dangerous to the internal security of the United States." She took on...

This is Part Two of my discussion with author and activist Maya Contreras about the recent Democratic primary elections in Michigan and Wisconsin, and why some Democrats struggle with a true “big tent.” Maya lives and works in New York City. She’s just finished a new book, The Language of Theft: How The Wealthy Fund Narratives That Rob America of Our Common Sense , in which she offers a blueprint...

Author and activist Maya Contreras joins me to discuss the recent Democratic primary elections in Michigan and Wisconsin, and why some Democrats struggle with a true “big tent.” Maya lives and works in New York City. She’s just finished a new book, The Language of Theft: How The Wealthy Fund Narratives That Rob America of Our Common Sense , in which she offers a blueprint of strategies Democrats c...

This is the final act of my Angels in America discussion with Evan Stern from the Certain Thoughts Substack. Tony Kushner’s Roy Cohn has a lot in common with politicians whose animating philosophy is the pursuit of power. The late Lindsey Graham is a sobering example, despite the curious tributes to him by Democrats who should know better. Of course, as Belize says about the dead Cohn: “He was a t...

Evan Stern from the Certain Thoughts Substack joins me to discuss my favorite play, Angels in America . Evan just saw the 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner’s masterwork, and we discuss how a play written in 1991 and set in the 1980s is both simultaneously a snapshot of the period while also offering a shocking preview of modern politics. In so many ways, Angels in America feels as if...

Joining me on the podcast today is Meg Reid, the executive director of the Hub City Writers Project in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the publisher of Hub City Press, where she finds and champions new and overlooked voices from the American South, including Carter Sickels, Drew Lanham, Ashley M. Jones, and Anjali Enjeti. An editor and book designer, Meg’s essays have appeared online in outlets l...

My friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the editor in chief for TDF Stages and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York . She joins me once again to discuss this year’s Tony Awards. This is part two of our kibbitz session, and we discuss Death of a Salesman , the musical flop Queen of Versailles ,...

My friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the editor in chief for TDF Stages and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York . She joins me once again to discuss this year’s Tony Awards, but first, we chat about Rocky Horror , Chicago , and the current state of musicals. (This was recorded before the sa...

Reality Checking the Bulwark is the ongoing project by Steward Beckham and Evan Stern . As Steward says, “We believe that institutions matter, but when institutions fail, democracy falters. And institutions that are built to counter Trump should not repeat the same mistakes that laid the groundwork for Trump. We respect and value the The Bulwark, but when it becomes a central pillar of our pro-dem...

I’ve enjoyed Reality Checking the Bulwark , an ongoing project by Steward Beckham and Evan Stern . As Steward says, “We believe that institutions matter, but when institutions fail, democracy falters. And institutions that are built to counter Trump should not repeat the same mistakes that laid the groundwork for Trump. We respect and value The Bulwark, but when it becomes a central pillar of our...

Evan Barker is a former Democratic campaign operative and political strategist. Her upcoming book Nothing Left explores her departure from the party. Eric Swalwell, the disgraced former congressman and gubernatorial candidate, perhaps represents everything Evan dislikes about her former party.  Evan and I discuss the Swalwell fallout and debate how to maintain the balance of believing victims whil...

Author Patricia Martin joins me to discuss her new book, Will the Future Like You? Reflections on the Age of Hyper-reinvention. Martin has written four books, and her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review , Huffington Post, The New York Times , and Psyche Magazine . She holds an MFA in non-fiction from Bennington College, with post-graduate work in medical narrative at Duke University....

The Wall Street Journal article reported recently that some young voters are starting to regret their vote for Donald Trump, who set the world on fire and didn’t even lower the price of eggs. A new poll finds 58 percent of voters under 30 disapprove of his job performance. This is actually good news, if you’re up for Democrats winning elections. I know many liberals insist that Trump won because h...

My friend Lynne Streeter Childress answered the Bat signal for an emergency session about what the hell just happened at the BAFTA awards. John Davidson, the Scottish Tourette’s syndrome activist and the inspiration for the film I Swear , shouted the “n-word” — the full Tarantino — at presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. That was unsettling but even worse was the BAFTA response. The usua...

Donald Trump’s ongoing assault on non-MAGA America continues with no end in sight. My friend John Stoehr from The Editorial Board joins me on the podcast to discuss the federal occupation of Minneapolis, as well as the encouraging signs of resistance from congressional Democrats. You will hear: John discusses how quickly Trump has turned the tides with white, middle class, property-owning American...

I’m delighted to welcome on the podcast Teal Sherer and Jessica Wallenfels . Teal is an actor, writer, mom, and disability advocate who has teamed up with Jessica, a fabulous director and choreographer, for the upcoming production The World Looks Different Sitting Down , which runs at Seattle Public Theater for two weekends only from February 20 to March 1. Combining comedy and confrontation, Teal...

Author and activist Maya Contreras joins me to discuss the aftermath of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory, and what that means for a Democratic Party that might have a restrictive definition of “big tent.” Maya lives and works in New York City. She’s just finished a new book, The Language of Theft: How The Wealthy Fund Narratives That Rob America of Our Common Sense , in which she...

Joining me on the podcast is my friend Lynne Streeter Childress — playwright, actor, teaching artist, singer, director, and (whew!) the founder and artistic director of Building Better People Productions, an organization based in Annapolis, Maryland, that produces theatre-based shows, workshops, and classes based in themes of empathy, kindness, and respect—Traits that don’t seem particularly promi...

My friend Jane Jones is founder of Seattle’s Book-It Repertory Theatre, and along with co-founding Artistic Director Myra Platt, she built a company that brought world premiere adaptations of great literature to the stage for 30 years. The pandemic silenced Book-It for a while, just like many other theatre organizations, but Book-It is back in a new form that I was happy to discuss with Jane. You...

There’s so much I love about Thanksgiving — the food, the official kick-off of Mariah Carey Music Season, and of course, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day marathons, which I’ve enjoyed since 1993. This magical combination of gluttony and cheesy movies are an annual treat. Joining me on the podcast for a special tribute to MST3K is Erik Barnes, a writer, comedian, and aspiring swashbuckle...

Writer Noah Berlatsky from Public Notice and Everything Is Horrible joins me as we defy the authoritarian state and frankly discuss Charlie Kirk and his posthumous deification. You will hear: How the discussion around Charlie Kirk’s murder is overriding other shootings and why his supposed “good faith attempts” to cross the aisle is not what was happening at all Kirk was often spoken of as someone...