Youngblood Monday Lunch

In a fit of climate anxiety, a 16 year-old aspiring performance artist chains herself to a tree with a plan to film herself for 24 hours. But as time wears on and her body wears out, she's forced to confront the reasons she's really in the forest. A full-length audio play written and narrated by Youngblood's Julia Specht, featuring Lindsley Howard, Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, & Rache...

Two very dedicated pie eating competition contestants. An inimitable pie recipe. One dead chef. How do we continue eating? Written by Youngblood's Nia Akilah Robinson, directed by Colette Robert, featuring Erin Cherry, Sharina Martin, Lizan Mitchell & Portia, with sound designer AJ Surasky-Ysasi, & sound engineer Caroline Eng.  Help us bring more plays to the table at ESTnyc.org/lunch...

Inside The Cook County Court System, someone is searching inside the maze of the justice system. Weaving between the past and the present, for the (im)possibility of california is a look at how love and danger often mix in chaotic, explosive ways. Written by Youngblood's Sam Mueller, directed by Michael Herwitz, featuring AJ Clauss, Lynnette R. Freeman, & Zeke St. John, original music com...

Mary and Avi had a pact. Now Mary is waiting for it to be delivered. A box will try to answer the question: Are we ever alone?  Written by Youngblood's Phanésia Pharel , directed by Mikhaela Mahony, featuring Erin Cherry, Samraat Ghosh, Starr Kirkland, Drew Lewis, & Rachel Sachnoff, with sound designer Allison Kelly, & sound engineer Caroline Eng.  Help us bring more plays to the tabl...

Join Elena Frank on a brand new ASMR journey to keep you warm through the winter. Brought to you by the Smile-A-Sun Light Therapy Lamp Company. Written by Youngblood's Miz Hashimoto, directed by John Giampietro, featuring Brad Bellamy, Sasha Diamond, & Emma Kikue, with sound designer Allison Kelly, & sound engineer Caroline Eng.  Special thanks to Eirin Rognerud.   Help us bring more...

Continuing her search for Laura's killer, Annie stumbles upon a promising lead: is it possible that Laura was killed by Jonny, her mom's best friend's daughter's best friend's brother's friend? Written by Youngblood's Mara Nelson-Greenberg, directed by RJ Tolan, featuring Sasha Diamond, Yonatan Gebeyehu, Carolyn Mignini, & Chet Siegel, sound designer & en...

Sammy and Amena can't leave each other the hell alone. They've tried. Are they destiny or bad habit? Brighton Beach and their unborn baby want to know. Sammy drives a runaway Uber, but today, Amena refuses to leave his car. A Brooklyn love story about joy rides and a boundless loneliness only the end of the world can bring. Written by Youngblood's Karina Billini, directed by Peter J...

Sungho flunks out of college and his business-savvy mother is worried. But his business-savvier father turns up out of nowhere with the greatest idea he's ever had. This could be the answer to all of their prayers.    Written by Youngblood's Jeesun Choi, directed by Sarah Shin, featuring Mahira Kakkar, Jinn S. Kim, Jiehae Park, & Eugene Young with sound designer Erica Huang, & so...

Ella takes her father, Paul, to his appointments all over town. They'll probably be late. He's quiet. They're late. For a moment he seems like his old self. They're late. And getting later. Written by Youngblood's Andrew Massey, directed by Colette Robert, featuring Michael Cullen & Sasha Diamond, with sound designer Allison Kelly, &  sound engineer Caroline Eng. ...

DISPATCH: Crash landed. Learning new language. Discovering body, getting used to being meat. Making friends, but miss you.  Come find me please? Are you even looking? Co-written by Youngblood's Dylan Guerra and Julia Specht, directed by Dylan Guerra, featuring AJ Clauss, Yaron Lotan, & Julia Specht, with sound designer and engineer Caroline Eng.  Help us bring more plays to the table at E...

Lily and Sofya go to EST for the first time in a long time. But is anyone checking on the lights? The water filter? What happened to the shelves? And what was the play, the play they were here to see?   Co-written by Youngblood's Lily Houghton and Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, directed by Jake Beckhard, featuring Jacob Brandt, Lily Houghton, & Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, with sound designer Jack Mullin...

We're taking a very special lunch break with a Q&A, instead of a play!  Join the playwrights of episodes 1-6 as we talk about the shift from the stage to the soundwaves, the inspiration behind each episode,  and their takeaways on artistic life in a quarantine world.    Our Q&A panel includes Karina Billini, Jake Brasch, AJ Clauss, Michael Feldman, Dylan Guerra, & Mona Pirnot, and...

the arecibo telescope sends signals out all day. sometimes, they also receive them. :)    Written by Youngblood's Dylan Guerra, directed by Laura Dupper, featuring David Shih, with sound designer & engineer Caroline Eng. This episode is part of the EST/Sloan Project for Science & Technology. 

Doris and Dave, the duo behind one hit children's TV series, are seeking a comeback with a show about the ADORABLE sea otter. The first step in their process is a conference call set up by the network with an otter expert.   Written by Youngblood's Michael Feldman, directed by Colette Robert, featuring Catherine Curtin, Cleo Gray, Daniel K. Isaac, Jonathan Randell Silver & Akyiaa Wil...

Ezzie and Sarah, a newly married Jewish couple, discover they're carriers of a rare genetic disease. Years later, their son Mordechai and his goyishe boyfriend Dustin wrestle with faith, responsibility, and ancestral baggage.   This episode contains some sexual content.   Written by Youngblood's Jake Brasch, directed by Dara Malina, featuring Alton Alburo, Jason Liebman, Yaron Lotan &amp...

For eight generations the Eden women have been making whiskey here in Kentucky. Come join us for a quick tour on what it takes to make a strong Eden woman. Whiskey, we meant whiskey.    Written by Youngblood's AJ Clauss, directed by Lilli Hokama, featuring Helen Coxe, Carolyn Mignini & Lilli Stein, with sound design & original music by Allison Kelly, and sound engineer Caroline Eng. T...

Hay plantas que curan y hay plantas que matan. There are plants that cure you and then there are plants that kill you.  And lucky for the ailing Dominicans who frequent her botanica, Trinidad knows the difference. She hasn't had a single complaint about her herbal remedies and Papa Jesus-verified consultations. Until Paola and Mount Sinai come knocking at her door.   Written by Youngblood&apo...

Do you still love the world?   Written and directed by Youngblood's Mona Pirnot, featuring music by Peter Mark Kendall, with sound designer & engineer Caroline Eng.  This episode is part of the EST/Sloan Project for Science & Technology.

Need a little breather in your day? Join us for Youngblood Monday Lunch, a short play podcast from the writers of Youngblood, where you're always on your lunch break! Every episode features a brand new, never-before-seen-or-heard play by a member of Youngblood, Ensemble Studio Theatre's OBIE Award-winning emerging playwrights collective. Tune in on Mondays to join us for a fresh dose of...