No Script: The Podcast

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...

Beautiful. Simple. Theatrical. Thorton Wilder's "Our Town" is a carefully crafted answer to what Wilder saw as theatre's increasing dependence on spectacle. This week on "No Script," Jackson and Jacob stroll through Grover's Corners, walking alongside Wilder's characters in their growing up and their marrying and their living and their dying.  ------------------------------ Please consider support...

Specificity is at the core of Jenny Laird's beautiful, tender play "Ballad Hunter." It's the story of a specific family, in a specific community, at a specific time. This Monday on No Script, Jackson and Jacob peel back the layers of this complex, poetic story. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No...

Season Three is here! In this first episode, Jackson and Jacob return to their tradition of using Lynn Nottage scripts for the season beginning. Nottage's play "Intimate Apparel" is a tender, heart-wrenching portrait of a young woman whose dreams come into conflict with each other. Listen in!  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can...

In the final episode of Season 2, Jackson and Jacob discuss Sarah Ruhl's retelling of a classic myth. Her play "Eurydice" departs in many respects from the traditional story of "Orpheus and Eurydice." Instead of focusing on the romance, Ruhl tells us of Eurydice's journey rekindling a relationship with her father in the Underworld.    After this episode, "No Script" will be on a short break. Seaso...

This week on "No Script," Jacob is joined by special guest Karen Bohm Barker. Together, they discuss Wendy Wasserstein's play "The Heidi Chronicles," which documents one woman's journey through late 1900s feminism.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/nos...

The landscape of American theatre is shaped by many amazing playwrights. Without a doubt, Tennessee Williams occupies a central place in that list. In this episode of "No Script," Jackson and Jacob take on his most enduring work: "A Streetcar Named Desire." In his haunting portrayal of a New Orleans neighborhood, Williams has created a cast of instantly recognizable characters.   -----------------...

The title is shocking. The characters wild and unpredictable. But Stephen Adly Guirgis' play "The Motherf*cker with the Hat" is something like . . . a romantic comedy? This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss this foulmouthed play and all its tender, hilarious genius.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure t...

Episode 50 has arrived. For this momentous occasion, Jackson and Jacob celebrate the world's most famous playwright: William Shakespeare. Together, they dive into the dastardly plans of Shakespeare's mad tyrant. In "Richard III," Shakespeare asks his audience to consider a man who is both the play's protagonist . . . and its villain.   ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us o...

The plot? It seems simple enough. Two couples meet to discuss the fight between their children. But what occurs over the course of this sharp play is anything but simple. Yasmina Reza's "God of Carnage" asks questions about the masks we wear and the loyalties we keep . . . or pretend to keep. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob weave through the complicated shifting alliances and power dynamics of this...