The Yay - A Bay Area Theatre Podcast

The Yay is back for 2022! We bring back Robert Estes, the founder of Anton’s Well, a local bay area company that is known for delivering rich, creative and challenging theatre pieces like Dirty Butterfly, The Human Ear and 4.48 Psychosis, featuring some of our favorite actors like Kim Donovan (Episode 80) and Crystal Brown (Episode 62). We talk about how COVID-19 and the Omicron variant has disrup...

For our (possibly) last Yay episode of 2021, we have a special treat. We welcome Julian Lopez-Morillas – not just a veteran actor that has graced the stages of the ACT, Berkeley Rep, the San Diego Rep, Theatreworks, the Magic Theatre and the Traveling Jewish Theatre among others, – he is also a living repository of Shakespearian history, having taught at Solano College, San Diego State, Foothill C...

Curtis Manning (aka CJ Strickland) is a budding actor who won last year’s Plethos Fammy Awards for best actor for his portrayal of James Baldwin in my play Four Men in Paris, back in 2018. Curtis was recently cast to perform in A Chorus Line at the Pinole Community Theatre. We talk about how Curtis got into acting, his experience at Chabot College, his role as James Baldwin (and the parallels betw...

Our next guest is Lana Palmer, a playwright and filmmaker. Her works has been featured at Bread & Butter Theatre, Dragon Theatre and the Potrero Stage, where her first full length play, Funeral Game, was featured. I had the pleasure of being a part of the Playwright’s Center of San Francisco’s showcase, where Lana’s one act play, The Cosmic Void, was featured. Lana is also a gifted composer, with...

Kehinde Koyejo is an actress, a mother, artist and healer – she runs Kalm Korner, an aroma-therapy gift line, designed specifically for women of African descent. Kehinde is a collective member of The Goddess Commune (https://www.thegoddesscommune.org)– the Commune works to restore balance to the emotional, spiritual and physical aspects in the lives of Black Women and Women of color. Kehinde and I...

With the tragedy of the shooting of Halyna Hutchins at the "Rust" set, the need to talk about safety on the set and on the stage is all the more important. What better person to address the issue than our next guest. Sydney Schwindt is the founder/artist at True Edge Art – she’s an actress and a fight coordinator who also teaches at the ACT, and she is our next guest. Sydney talks about the need f...

Raymond Rea is our next guest – he and I were involved in the production of Water Buffalo, the last production of BayStage and he created Density over Duration, where he produced The Marriage of Bette & Boo – he’s also written the autobiographical play The Sweet New, performed at Exit Stage Left. Ray is now the professor of film at Minnesota State University. Ray has a new film out – Put The Brigh...

The Hutch is back! John Hutchinson, who was on Episode 57 and 103, is a returning guest and is meeting Norman Gee for the first time. Hutch was a longtime member of Eastenders Repertory Company, a member of the men’s singing group Stagebridge and just celebrated his 85th birthday. In this show, we get mostly into current events, especially the Chappelle show and the focus on being culturally appro...

Patricia Silver is an actress who was last in a Word for Word show: The Blues I’m Playing, by Langston Hughes. It was featured on KALW’s Open Air Program - check out their webpage here: https://www.kalw.org/show/open-air Patty talks about her life in Boston, her short stint in Dallas in the late 50's, her work with the SF Mime Troupe and what she's doing these days. You can reach Patty directly vi...

Michael Vega is currently in Hollywood and has been in movies as Cash Money, Mary and Strapped, but he has his rich theatre history here in the bay area and I’ve had the pleasure of working with him when Eastenders partnered with Theatre Rhino in 2008 for 100 Years of Queer Theatre. Michael talks about how he experienced September 11th, 2001 while in New York, his time in the bay, what he’s doing...

Tammy Berlin is a member of Central Works, our sponsor – she is an actress and a costume designer and she is our guest for this Wednesday afternoon. We talk about how Central Works is handling yet another season under COVID, Tammy’s background and where she sees herself in the future. You can find Tammy on Instagram: @berlindesigns DON'T FORGET TO ORDER YAY JERSEYS!! $20.00 Send me (Twitter or IG:...

Lauren Garcia is a young and vibrant actress, writer and director who is a member of the Chikahan Company, the new Filipino Theater Company – Alan Quismorio (Episode 201) and Eli Sonny Orquiza (Episode 139) are also members. I had the pleasure of working with Laura on the Bindlestiff stage and at ACT. Laura talks about her upbringing, how she got involved in theatre, and where she sees herself in...

William Bivins is our next guest on the Yay. Bill is the creator of Apocrypha Media and its podcast, Pulp Scripture – a unique way to listen to verses of the bible with an audio drama twist. Norman and I talk to Bill to find out his motivation on creating Pulp Scripture, his upbringing and where he sees himself in the future. Apocrypha Media’s website is here: https://www.apocryphamedia.com/listen...

Madeline Puccioni has been a stalwart at the Playwright’s Center of San Francisco for years and you may also know her and her work at SF Playground. She’s a playwright and her new play, Piercings, has been published by Next Stage Press! Norman and I talk to Madeline to learn about her upbringing and to get her take on how things are going in the bay area theatre community and where she’s heading i...

A warning: this episodes talk about suicide and postpartum depression. Please do not listen if you are easily triggered by these subjects. We handle the subject with as much care and sensitivity as we feel is proper and necessary. If you're having issues of depression or suicide, you can find many resources here: https://www.mentalhelp.net/depression/hotline/ Sonia Sawkar is a budding bay area pla...

Happy pre-Independence Day! Brennah Kemmerly is a rising talent in the bay area – an excellent actress and singer I had the pleasure to work with on my mini musical Nia (Musical Café). Brennah is in a new musical, Circus: Knives, Blood and Water(Cabrillo Stage). Brennah tells Norman and I about Circus, how she got into theatre and where she sees herself in the future. Circus opens July 9 for five...

Norman and I welcome Sean Owens, the head writer of Pride Inside, the sketch comedy show streaming from June 25 until the 27th. Sean talks about working with Killing My Lobster, the company that is in it’s 24th year of providing original sketch comedy, his studies at SF State and learning from the great Bill Peters (and his teaching about “the moment between the lines”), Sean’s upbringing and wher...

Norman and I welcome Alan Quismorio, former chair of GAPA – the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance social welfare organization, a former longtime artistic director at Bindlestiff Studios – he’s an actor and a director – he directed me for 2011’s Stories High. Norman, Alan and I talk about Alan’s upbringing in the Philippines, how he came to the bay, his thoughts on theatre and where he sees himself in the...

Two Hundred Episodes! Wow! Norman and I never thought this humble little podcast would last for four years and over a hundred and fifty diverse guests that span the complete spectrum of the bay area theatre world. But here we are, and our consulting producer Mallory Somera hosts this special podcast episode. We talk about the origins of the Yay, what the podcast means to us, some clips of past epi...

Denmo Ibrahim, our next guest, is a prolific playwright, who is connected with the Berkeley Rep, the ACT, Crowded Fire and the Marin Theatre Company who just produced her latest play Brilliant Mind. Her play, Judith – an adaptation of the Jewish Wife – was part of the Brecht Project late last year. We talk about her current projects, her upbringing, her training and where she sees herself in the f...

Our next guest is Christian Wilburn. Chris has a play that was selected as part of Best of Playground. Chris talks about his background, his views on theatre and the state of theatre in the age of the pandemic, and where he sees himself in the future. Chris can be contacted directly via Facebook and Instagram: @christianwontburg SHOWS: The Next Big Thing (Moxie Arts NY) www.moxiearts.org Radhika R...

The techniques of Michael Chekov. Dialect politics in theatre. Oa-Kanda! All of these things and more are part of the discussions of this episode of The Yay with our guest Carolina Morones. Carolina is a Latina singer, dancer and actress – I shared the stage with her when we did Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She joins Norman and I and shares her experience doing bay area theatre, her...

Joe Cascasan​ has been a regular at Bindlestiff since its opening at the 5th and Market Street space since 2011. Comedian, writer, actor, director, creator of Late Night with Joe Cascasan – he does it all. Norman Gee​ and I talk with Joe on how Bindlestiff has influenced him, how he got involved in acting and where he sees himself in the future. You can follow Joe via Instagram: @joedotcas SHOWS:...

Our next guest, Molly Olis Krost, is a finalist for the 10th Annual National Jewish Playwriting Contest for her play What We Found. Ms. Krost has also worked for Awesome Theatre and SF Playground. A snippet of the play can be seen in this Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/535298207 Norman Gee​ and I talk to Ms. Krost on her playwriting style, her upbringing and her views on bay area theatre and where...

Norman Gee​ and I welcome Elizabeth Curtis​ as our next guest. I had the pleasure of working with Elizabeth when we did Civil War Christmas at Town Hall Theatre – we also worked together with Musical Café. Liz is a singer and actress having worked at Broadway by the Bay, Ray of Light Theatre (where she played Lizzie Borden in the musical Lizzie), Boxcar Theatre, The Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre an...