The Third Act

We’re gonna take the long way down to the underground and delve into the myths and stories that make up the world of Anaïs Mitchell’s HADESTOWN. Following an in-depth analysis of the important players, we’ll talk about our favorite songs and how this musical has touched the hearts of so many theatre kids around the globe. REFERENCES: Hadestown Wiki https://hadestown.fandom.com/wiki/Hadestown_Wiki...

Oops, ya dropped em. Better pick em up! We’re trying out a new thing where we bring you a "special" episode each month. Instead of reviewing a specific show, we get to go ravenous on an element of theatre we find delicious. This month, Jared chose the art of picking up your cues. We’ll go as far back as Shakespeare, as far out as Meisner, and cover everything in between. #theatre #music...

Brought to you by unemployment, we dive deeper into John Cariani’s play “Almost, Maine” for a closer look at one of its most poignant scenes. The play is about people dealing with one of the scariest things there is, love. We want to spend more time enjoying this work and all the ideas it has to share AND… we want to share it with you!#theatre #music #musical #musicaltheater #broadway #offbraodway...

As Gracious battles her frog symptoms, Jared introduces the actor, playwright, and all-around-great guy, John Cariani. A little bit of history, some interviews, some stories, and just a smidgeon of goofy. It’s the guy that brought us the play Almost, Maine, it’s… John Cariani! REFERENCES: New York Times ⁠ https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/theater/reviews/down-east-so-much-love-exciting-and-new.ht...

Jared and Gracious decided that the best way to fight off the chilly weather is to head to Maine (well, almost) and break down some love stories composed by the charming John Cariani, who brilliantly captured some couples who fall head-over-heels for each other, tumble out of love, and ask hard questions in a hysterical fashion. It’s… Almost, Maine. REFERENCES: New York Times: ⁠ https://www.nytime...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO JARED AND GRACIOUS! This episode is all about the couple behind the podcast. What’s their theatre background? What are their craziest stage stories? What are their favorite shows? Tune in and get the answers to these questions and more in this episode celebrating the Mattsons’ three-year wedding anniversary! #theatre #music #musical #musicaltheatre #broadway #theatrekid #podca...

Hey… we’re back again to talk even more about this play.  Come for the drama, stay for the comedy! REFERENCES: Callboard.com https://community.schooltheatre.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread? GroupId=133&MessageKey=c5d44017-ae9f-4356-b0a0-7b08052bf680&CommunityKey=35d3756e-031c-447e-a020-14aeb57718f1&tab=digestviewer Dramatists.com https://www.dramatists.com/pdf/Yo...

Jared finishes his rant about the importance of “being specific” and goes on to discuss the hit-play by George Kaufman and Moss Hart (the dream-team). Their American play explores self-fulfillment through the lens of anti-establishment with a twist of romance and a spritz of insanity. You’ll get your fill of ballet practice, snake tanks, candies, and xylophones, with enough firecrackers to light t...

In our first-ever “Wild Card” episode, instead of discussing a stage play or musical, we delve into “36 Questions” a PODCAST musical produced by Two-Up Productions. You’ll get an update from our lives, Gracious will give us some background on the musical and its leading players, and Jared will lead us in some laughs as we discuss our favorite moments and how ICONIC this production is! REFERENCES 3...

This episode takes place in the wild frontier of Oklahoma with your favorite slew of bumpkin characters. Gracious plays some games, Jared tells some stories, and our favorite cowboy helps us remember the values and ideas that built up the American spirit. Join us for a rootin'-tootin' good time! REFERENCES Ian McKellan on Acting https://youtu.be/m5CX00i4uZE?si=MdmiK8QizmFsSdip Oklahoma His...

In this second part of our two-part series on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town , Gracious and Jared discuss more about the significant themes in the show, and summarize the second and third acts: “Love & Marriage” and “Death & Eternity”. We delve into some history and ask…what did Thornton Wilder think about theater during this time and how was he going to change it? Was Our Town successful in f...

In this first part of a two-part series on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town , Gracious and Jared set the stage–how is Our Town different from the plays that preceded it? We’ll introduce the beloved characters, give some tips on how to act within the style of the play, and take you through the first act of the show. “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder (Foreword by Donald Margulies) Published by Harper Perennia...

In the second episode of their new podcast, Jared and Gracious boogie their way through the toe-tappin’, hand-clappin’ musical of MAMMA MIA and discuss whether it is actually a *good* musical or just a money machine pushed by powerful producers. It’s fun, it’s energetic, it’s MAMMA MIA!SHOUTOUT TO: Music_For_Videos on Pixabay for our theme song!https://pixabay.com/users/music_for_videos...REFERENC...

In The Third Act’s first ever episode, Gracious and Jared talk about Stephen Sondheim’s monumental musical, ‘Company’. They delve into the background and creation of the musical, what a “concept” musical is, the songs, the characters, and WHY Sondheim chose to write this important piece of theatre. REFERENCES: Playbill https://playbill.com/article/game-changers-the-broadway-musicals-that-shaped-th...