Filament

" Tapawingo ," starring Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite" and "Blades of Glory"), is about an oddball who becomes the bodyguard for a misfit teenager and finds himself in the crosshairs of the town's family of bullies. The quirky indie comedy is out now on VOD! Available for purchase or rental on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home and others.  In this podcast, actors Jon Heder, Jay Pichardo, Pa...

Backstage with AJ is crossing the river into family, laughter, and love. Step backstage with AJ at "Over the River and Through the Woods" as we sit down with longtime friends and castmates Karen DeHart and Deb Anderson. From carpool rides to rehearsal laughter, these two share how their characters are similar in some ways, but express love in very different ways. Plus, we celebrate Karen's 100th s...

Backstage with AJ is sinking its teeth into Halloween. AJ Jaffari sits down with director Caitlin Papp and actor Nick Mandracchia to talk all things Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors , the fang-tastic farce that recently ran at City Lights Theater Company. From gothic grandeur to 2025 punchlines, they explore how the show balances eerie atmosphere with laugh-out-loud absurdity, and what moment onstage...

Backstage with AJ is turning up the volume and the poetry. AJ Jaffari chats with director Jeffrey Bracco about Head Over Heels , the gloriously genre-bending musical now onstage at City Lights Theater Company. From Elizabethan verse to 1980s bops, Jeffrey shares what drew him to this wild mashup of styles and how he brought it to life with bold colors, modern flair, and a whole lot of heart. They...

Backstage with AJ is serving up something sweet . AJ Jaffari sits down with real-life couple Luisa Sermol and Tom Gough, who play fictional spouses Della and Tim in " The Cake ." It's their first time acting together, and they're dishing on everything from the joys and challenges of sharing the stage to how their own marriage compares to their onstage counterparts. They reflect on the play's delic...

Backstage with AJ is heading to Monkswell Manor! Mary Melnick (Casewell) and Christian Pizzirani (Christopher Wren) join AJ Jaffari to spill the tea on "The Mousetrap"—from channeling Agatha Christie's signature suspense to finding the sweet spot between humor and mystery. They talk layered characters, physical comedy, and the fun of discovering moments in rehearsal. It's a killer convo you won't...

Backstage with AJ is diving into the world of Warcraft! Actors Anna Kosiarek (Evie) and Miranda Liu (Kitty) join AJ Jaffari to chat about "In Love and Warcraft"—a raunchy, fun, and totally unique show. They share what it's like to build cast community, the high-energy rush of tech week, and the pure joy of seeing the props and costumes come to life. Seriously, that sword? Epic. Tune in for behind-...

Backstage with AJ is going festive! "Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War," director Angie Higgins, and sound designer George Psarras, join AJ Jaffari in conversation about this lovely, holiday production. They discuss the humanity of the show, the music that moves the story along, and how this version is different from the original that was produced in 2014. Plus, will AJ see more plays?! L...

'Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks.....' The tale of Lizzie Borden and what happened in Fall River, Massachusetts is one that continues to haunt American history and cultural lore. In this adaptation of the story, be prepared to get inside Lizzie's head and experience what may have lead up to that fateful event. Lizzie by Kit Wilder read by Lisa Mallette - - - - - - - - -...

AJ Jaffair is back, backstage! This time he's joined by director Mark Anderson Phillips as they discuss "An Inspector Calls." The conversation starts with talk about the cultural significance of the sinking of the Titanic and how that connects to the play, then leads into more specifics about why this script, and why now. They go over the stark, icy set, and even contemplate where the characters i...

It's a Rocky Horror/Kinky Boots crossover episode! Last summer, Bart Perry and Matt Locke won our hearts as Lola and Charlie in the musical Kinky Boots . Now the two are back together in Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show as the seductive Dr. Frank-N-Furter and the enigmatic Riff Raff. The two join AJ Jaffari as they reminisce over Kinky Boots and discuss how they first learned about Rocky Ho...

AJ Jaffari takes us to opening night of "Clyde's" at City Lights! Join for conversation with cast members and other City Lights artists and friends about the power of this show and it's story.  Clyde's  May 16 – Jun 9, 2024 cltc.org/clyde's   Written by Lynn Nottage Directed by Aldo Billingsea Supported by Producers Sandra Moll & Rick Holden Season supported by Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman &...

We're back with another episode of Backstage with AJ! Join AJ Jaffari as he interviews cast members from our current show, "King Liz." You can learn about Davied Morales' first role on stage, Caitlin Papp's opinion on playing a villanous character, and more! "King Liz" runs through April 21, so there's still time to see this vibrant, drama about life as a sports agent- and the chaos and humor that...

AJ Jaffari takes us into rehearsal for the Northern California premiere of Nora: A Doll's House . Join us as AJ talks with the cast about the unique timeline within the show, the multiple characters, and more. We hope you enjoy this sneak peak before the show opens in a few weeks! Nora: A Doll's House January 18 – February 18, 2024 cltc.org/nora Written by Stef Smith, after Henrik Ibsen Directed b...

We're backstage with AJ Jaffari after opening night of Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot; Or Holmes for the Holidays.  We talk to the audience members about the show, some of the actors let us in on their favorite moments, and we even hear from Producer Clint Moore, who's beautiful green car is in our production photos! Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot; Or Holmes for the Holidays Runs Nov 16 – Dec 17, 20...

Spooky Lights 2023 - - - - - - - - - Our annual Halloween episode, this year filled with all true spooky tales and haunted stories. Hosted by Steve Cortopassi. "Nutcracker," written and read by Derek McCaw "A Cold Show" written by Adam L. Brinklow and read by AJ Jaffari "Ghost Stories" written by Jen Groening and read by Anne Younan "Our Ghost" written by Nikki Huth and read by Rebecca Wallace - -...

Lights Up! 2023! Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company.  Please leave a 5 star review and subscribe to Filament on Apple Podcasts or your podcasting platform of choice. You can email us at filament@cltc.org with any questions or comments. Learn more about the podcast, City Lights in general, and listen to our back catalog of episodes on our website at CLTC.org/filament . Second Hand...

City Lights first worked with Music Director Katie Coleman in 2017's rock musical "LIZZIE." Since then Katie has gone on to work on many exciting projects. She most recently completed a national tour as Music Director of the smash hit musical "Six." And before that she worked on the worldwide sensation that is "Hamilton," while it was in San Francisco. She recently caught up with City Lights actor...

Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company Music, Editing, and Sound Design by George Psarras. - - - - - - - - - Our annual Halloween episode filled with spooky tales and haunted stories. Narration by Steve Cortopassi. - - - - - - - - - "Creepypasta" written and performed by Allie Costa "They're in There" by John Busser Voice acting provided by Caitlin Papp and Samantha Resch "Tell-Tale"...

Lights Up! 2022: Episode 2 Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company. Music, Editing, and Sound Design by George Psarras, featuring guitars by Paul Psarras. Directing for this episode by Melinda Marks. Amelia, Still was written and performed by Allie Costa It's Time to Come Out Now by Guy R. Newsham Voice acting provided by: Arcadia Conrad as Robbie Kyle Smith as Sam Viewer Discretion Ad...

Lights Up! 2022 Episode 1  Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company. Music, Editing, and Sound Design by George Psarras, featuring guitars by Paul Psarras. Directing for this episode by Sarah Younan. Jenny's In Hell by Courtney Bailey Voice acting provided by: Catie Sheley as Automated Voice Mary Lou Torre as Petitioner Pippy by Russell Weeks Voice acting for provided by: Carol Amalia a...

Ever wonder how long it takes to make a Pixar movie? 1 year? 3 years? Try 7. Pixar senior creative Dan Scanlon drew from a very personal story when writing the 2020 Academy Award-nominated Pixar film Onward , starring Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, who play two brothers trying to reconnect with their father who has long since passed, through the world of magic.  But Pratt and Holland didn't always v...

Spooky Lights: Episode 2 - Halloween/Samhain Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company Music, Editing, and Sound Design by George Psarras. "Stones" was written and read by Rebecca Wallace "Don't Throw the Doll Baby Out with the Bloodbath Water" was written by Allison Fradkin and read by Erin Southard "Singed" was written by Sophie Mallette and read by Lisa Mallette "The Watchers" was wri...

Spooky Lights - Chapter 1 Filament is produced by City Lights Theater Company Music, Editing, and Sound Design by George Psarras. "Paranoid" was written by Sophie Mallette, read by Lisa Mallette  "Deadbolt" was written by Kirstyn Petras, read by Sarah Younan  "Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch" was written by Jackie Hall, read by Mary Lou Torre "Symphony" was written by Robert Martin Chase, read by...

Created in 2013 by Julia Halprin Jackson, Melinda Marks and Nicole Hughes, Play on Words is a literary arts series that unites emerging and established artists. More than 60 writers have seen their words spotlighted on stage: playwrights, poets, fiction writers, memoirists and more. This 1st episode of Filament's 3rd season features writer Melissa Flores Anderson interviewed by Rebecca Wallace on...