The Play Typer Guy

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...

Author and playwright Laramie Dean ( Black Forest ) joins me for The Play Typer Guy ‘s Third Annual Halloween Special! Last year, we celebrated witchy women in media, including the weird sisters from Agatha All Along . This year, we’re discussing Laramie’s new novel, Haunt Me, Then , which he describes as “big gay Wuthering Heights .” It’s out now, and makes a swell holiday gift. You will hear: Pi...

Joining me today is my friend NC Barton, author of The Now In Forever , a romance set along the picturesque Oregon Coast. We discuss her process, inspirations, and how a working mom finds time to write. You will hear: Nicole’s writing process and inspirations Some of Nicole’s favorite books and movies Who she would cast in a movie of her book Her next book, The Art of the Meet Cute released Octobe...

This week’s episode is the unofficial “sequel” to my interview with Thomas Beckett Kane, author of The Reckoning . Filmmaker Jessica Ellis has lived with long Covid for several years now and offers a very different perspective from Kane on the government’s management of the pandemic. We discuss some key choices the Biden administration made back in 2021 regarding the covid vaccine, as well as the...

This week I am joined by Thomas Beckett Kane, author of the book The Reckoning: A Definitive History of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Absurdities, releasing October 2, 2025. It’s been five years since the start of the covid pandemic, and Americans still don’t truly have a shared reality about the disease and the government’s response. Much of this is due to deliberate right-wing misinformation a...

Democrats are consistently winning low-turnout special elections (just as they did prior to the devastating 2024 election), but they are also falling behind Republicans in new voter registration.  I recently spoke with friend of the podcast Cliston Brown about his take on the situation and what he thinks about the party’s long-term prospects. You will hear: Why the “Never Trump” movement didn’t ha...

My friend Emily Taylor from the Hot Feminism: Letters from South Carolina newsletter (go subscribe) returns to the podcast for a rousing discussion about the fallout from the 2024 election and how we move forward in even Republican-dominated areas like my home state. You’ll hear: Catching up since Emily’s last visit to the podcast Can we ever have a woman candidate for president? Why the Harris ca...

My friend Lee Heidel from Neighborhood Comics in Savannah, Georgia, joins me to discuss geek kid summer with Superman and Fantastic Four movies both releasing this month. Lee had me on his own podcast a few months ago to chat Superman, which you can check out below. You will hear: How the current run of superhero movies are moving beyond the origin story James Gunn using unusual source material fo...

Joining me today is my friend Lisa Tolin, author of fiction and nonfiction for children. Her latest work is the picture book, Can You Imagine? The Art and Life of Yoko Ono . Lisa and I go way back. We met in New York when I worked at SPY and she worked at another magazine in the same office. She was a student at Barnard College at the time, and I lived not far away in Morningside Heights so we oft...

I’m happy to welcome back to the podcast theater maker Jasmine Joshua, one of the brilliant minds responsible for the new world premiere musical Here and Their , which runs at 12th Avenue Arts in Seattle from June 13th to June 28th. I had the pleasure of working with Jasmine on the Curiouser and Curiouser production at Cafe Nordo, and they were a wonderful steward during those early days back on s...

Joining me to discuss this year's Tony Award is my friend Raven Snook, editor in chief and digital services manager at TDF and a theater critic for Time Out New York. She is also a Drama Desk nominator, which she describes as “sort of the Golden Globes to the Oscars.” *Note: This episode was recorded before the Tony Award show aired in June 2025 You will hear: Thoughts on nominations for this...