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The off-off-Broadway podcast
417 Episodes
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Listen in as What If They Ate the Baby? playwrights, directors, & performers Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland—Xhloe & Natasha—discuss being fascinated by history, deep absurdity, dressing up in femininity (as opposed to the masculinity of their last NYC show), zooming into a slice of life, true crime re-enactments, green spaghetti, candy-coated plasticky artifice, and not letting anything go to waste.
“…my biggest tip when you come see this show is, let it happen to you—don’t hurt yourself trying to get to the bottom, ‘what does this mean?’…just wait for the car ride home…”
SoHo Playhouse in collaboration with Xhloe & Natasha present
What If They Ate the Baby?
written, performed, and directed by Natasha Roland & Xhloe Rice
thru December 22, 2025 EXTENDED! thru December 31, 2025
SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street
Manhattan
tickets: $45.50, available via OvationTix
photos by Morgan Mcdowell
photos by Molly White
Listen in as Dimension Zero co-creators, performers, and Boxcutter Collective members Joe Therrien, Ali Dineen, Darkin Brown, Tom Cunningham, Sam Wilson, & Jason Hicks discuss consensus not compromise, salad bars, writing and shaping earworms, grant-writing as production impetus, outside eyes, reality catching up to dark comedy, “following the giggle,” and how a collective comes together to create an anti-capitalist musical puppet show.
“…one of the reasons we made this show, is to not go insane…art allows you to take that thing you can’t deal with, and it allows you to put it into your hands to mess with. For us, with this show, it’s taking this planetary moment of terror…it allows us to at least put it in front of us, and put it in front of the audience, in a way we can feel empowered, and hopeful…”
Dimension Zero
created by Boxcutter Collective
thru October 30, 2025
HERE
145 6th Ave
Manhattan
tickets: $30, $60, or $120, available via HERE’s website
photos by Richard Termine
Listen in as Helen in Her Homeland playwright Alexandra Haddad discusses immersion & implication, fragments of poetry, working outward from dialogue, leaving arts admin jobs, listening without responding, writing as a director, what propels us through the difficulty of production, and “the spectrum between Sarah Ruhl and Sarah Kane.”
“…early on, Helen says, ‘you might think you’re above that,’ like, judging people by their appearance, but ‘you have a body, too, you have a face, too,’ and you know that those things have consequences in the world. And so, I do want the audience to feel both invited, and implicated in that conversation…”
Frayed Knot Collective presents
Helen in Her Homeland
written by Alexandra Haddad
directed by Jessica Wastchak
thru October 26, 2025
Loft Story
748 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn
tickets: $28, available via TicketLeap
photos by @jowastchak
Listen in as The Goo director Eliza Palter, along with performers Vena Howard & Kat Quiñones, discuss unintended distance from your friends, efficient vibes, the built-up pressure of your 20s, creating compelling stage pictures on a picnic blanket, activating ideas & notions, sitcom framing, being real & having the hard conversations, and what a modern examination of the themes of The Importance of Being Earnest could look like.
“…it’s an ensemble piece, it’s funny, it’s about a bunch of people sitting around and talking about nothing, getting nowhere…and while this play isn’t a one-to-one adaptation…you have this sense that there’s something burbling under the surface that we’re not quite getting at. It’s a meditation on authenticity, on performance…”
New Relic Theatre presents
The Goo
written by K. Rose Dallimore
directed by Eliza Palter
thru September 28, 2025
The Chain Theatre
312 W. 36th Street, Floor 4
Manhattan
tickets: $35-$50, available via HumaniTix
photos by Jon Tylor
Listen in as I’ll Take It performer Ryan Shinji & composer Book Kennison, along with director Mark Lonergan, discuss success by proximity, coexisting in small spaces, conceptualization and minimizing, bodies and boxes in space, object manipulation, possible futures, dancing around each other, and what’s going on with this wild ride of a show in a box.
“The concept is three friends who are living together in a very tiny apartment, and over the course of the show they drift apart, they come back together…it’s a very classic New York story, and experience, and it’s told through the mediums of circus & physical theatre. So it’s not just people standing and having a relationship…it’s people doing spectacular, extraordinary things with their bodies…”
Parallel Exit presents
I’ll Take It
created & conceived by Joel Jeske
directed by Mark Lonergan
May 22-24, 2025
3AM Theatre
920 35th Avenue
Astoria
photos by Maike Schulz
Listen in as Road Kills playwright Sophie McIntosh, along with performers D. B. Milliken & Michael Lepore, discuss dramaturgical road trips, literal roadkill, finding your way to the darker places, tossing props in full dark, radio plays between scenes, “the two worst days of your life,” creating a special environment, and the strange mishaps that bring us closer together, and sometimes push us apart.
“…a lot of this play has to do with the ways that we interact with animals, across the spectrum…”
“They are us, we are one of them…”
Good Apples Collective & ryan duncan-ayala presents
Road Kills
written by Sophie McIntosh
directed by Nina Goodheart
thru September 6, 2025
Paradise Factory
64 E. 4th Street
Manhattan
tickets: $19.50–$53.25 (sliding scale), available via TicketTailor
photos by Nina Goodheart
Listen in as Not Our Home, Not Our Home playwright Ned Du, director Sissi Chen, performers Didi Won, Boyu Chen, Tien-Li Wu, John Jiang, & Josh Lau, and composer Hannah Limbrick, discuss the meaning of family, lost cats, enough or too much, freedom, enmeshment, what twists us apart, “love and responsibility,” mirrors of ourselves, and the purpose of guilt.
“…this show is really about the concept of guilt. How does guilt move us, how does guilt animate us to do very, very silly things. Also, it’s about the question of immigration; who do we leave behind, how does it change us, and more importantly, how do we maintain ourselves as a family despite, for example, straddling the Pacific…”
Not Our Home, Not Our Home
written by Ned Du
directed by Sissi Chen
September 22–28, 2025
Theater for the New City
155 1st Avenue
Manhattan
https://not-our-home.github.io/play-info/
photos by Meggie Hool Photography
Listen in as director Eliza Palter and performers Enrique Huili & Isabel Sanchez of In the Mouth of the Beast discuss spelunking, climate change, father-daughter relationships, highs and lows, worldly stakes vs. the personal, trust, pushing the limits of your resources, life and death, making impossible choices, and what we’re willing to sacrifice.
“…you really get to see how people perceive themselves, as compared to how they really are…”
New Relic Theatre presents
In the Mouth of the Beast
written by Baylee Shlichtman
directed by Eliza Palter
October 17–20, 2024
MITU 580
580 Sackett Street
Brooklyn
photos by Jennifer Loo
Listen in as the co-writers of Steve Burns ALIVE—Steve Burns, performer, and Matthew Freeman, director—discuss the performer-audience relationship, going through some weird experiences, holding hands, asking for help, hermit crabs out of their shells, humans & humanity on the internet, having a conversation with an old friend, ancient technological testaments, the “inherent unsatisfactory nature of being alive,” and the kind of show that can only come from a place of deep friendship and creative respect.
“…it’s built to be a story for the audience, not just a confessional; it’s thematic, about the nature of the authenticity of our relationships through screens, and our relationships to each other…it’s an exploration of communication…”
“…in modern terms, it is really kind of an exploration of what a para-social relationship is, mediated by technology…”
Mechanical Raven Productions presents
Steve Burns ALIVE
written by Steve Burns & Matthew Freeman
directed by Matthew Freeman
thru July 25, 2025
The Club at La MaMa
74A E. 4th Street
Manhattan
tickets: $27.32, available via TicketLeap
Listen in as writers/performers David Carl & Katie Hartman of David and Katie Get Re-Married, along with director Michole Biancosino, discuss litigation possibilities, drama school in the ’70s, heading to Edinburgh, psychopathy, wrangling, 9 a.m. dramatic improv (without a director), writing for yourself, confusing your audience, improvising into weird emotional places, and working with your friends and idols.
“…this man wears boat shoes, and quotes ‘The Zoo Story’…”
“And now I wear crocs!”
The Women in Theater Festival presents
David and Katie Get Re-Married
written by David Carl & Katie Hartman
directed by Michole Biancosino
thru June 29, 2025
A.R.T./NY Theaters
502 W. 53rd St
Manhattan
tickets: $28.52, available via EventBrite
photo by Mindy Tucker
photo by Andrew Patino
Listen in as Xhloe Rice & Natasha Roland, the creators and performers of A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First, discuss doing your own everything, learning curves, making your show mobile, finding a tire, the sinister myth of nostalgia, dressing up in masculinity, chemistry, “becoming people together,” going through a traditional writing process before tearing the script apart, settling disputes with your creative partner, and pulling the rug out from under your audience.
“…all of our work is historically influenced. We play a lot with clown, and absurdity…a lot of American movies, especially about the ’60s and ’70s…are so, like, ‘remember when everything was great, and it was the good ol’ days?'”
“We call it this ‘mythic American boyhood,’ that everybody wanted, but not necessarily anyone got…”
The SoHo Playhouse and Xhloe & Natasha present
A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First
written & performed by Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland
thru June 29, 2025
SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street
Manhattan
tickets: $40, available via OvationTix
photos by Morgan McDowell
Listen in as actors Kana Seiki, Celeste Samson, Anuka Sethi, Josie Rose Hand, Mason Forringer of Alexandria discuss “Category-5 dystopia,” clinging to things we shouldn’t, ominous vibes, finding hope in the library, collaboration and trying and exploring weird new things, overnight set changes, post-apocalyptic skills, & how “saying and doing are two very different things.”
“…as much as we’re talking about doom and gloom, of survival in an apocalyptic world, I do think that there is a lot of love and humor and kindness that comes out of that. In this play in particular, when you don’t have the fluff of everything that is important to us in 2025, you get to witness people at their rawest, the very human experience…”
Pop Up! Productions presents
Alexandria
written by Markley Bortz
directed by Jack Morrill
thru May 25, 2025
Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street
Manhattan
tickets: $59.50 ($35 for under-35), available via OvationTix
photos by Tiffany Zhou
Listen in as Hellish Delights playwright Scott C. Sickles, director Jesse Edward Rosbrow, and performers Amanda LaPergola, Brian Silliman, Alyssa Simon, discuss finding delight in characterizations, humor traps, storytelling, second chances and the effects of time on the work, finding the through-line, puppets, and what it means to be in hell.
“…I feel like the plays, parts of them, feel very different now than they did five years ago. I don’t know much of that is just that, our world has changed…how much of it was, it was in the back of our minds, ‘working’ for five years, or, we’re five years older, with five years more experience…”
Theatre Beyond Broadway presents
Hellish Delights
written by Scott C. Sickles
directed by Jesse Edward Rosbrow
thru May 10, 2025
The Chain Theatre
312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor
Manhattan
tickets: $25, $15 students/seniors, available via TicketLeap
photos by Kent Meister
Listen in as the cast of this timely production of Fat Cat Killers—Christopher Lee (co-producer), David Carl, & Philip Cruise (co-producer)—discuss bumbling buddies, coincidental Caribbean encounters, the brilliance & great works of playwright Adam Szymkowicz, finding “more murdery” stuff, status shifts, continuous character discovery, and just how two lonely cogs in the corporate wheel could get in way over their heads.
“…as soon as we read the play, we were like, ‘we have to do it.’ […] And we don’t promote Luigi, and I don’t think the play does—but I think the play really addresses American exceptionalism…”
SparkPlug Productions, in association with Thin Duke Productions and The Gene Frankel Theatre, presents
Fat Cat Killers
written by Adam Szymkowicz
directed by Andrew Block
thru May 17, 2025
The Gene Frankel Theatre
24 Bond Street
Manhattan
tickets: $38.10 (includes all fees), available via OnTheStage
photos by Scott Fetterman
Listen in as Bread of Life playwright Frank Pagliario, director Leslie Kincaid Burby, along with the cast of Nikaury Rodriguez, Jesse Castellanos, Miguel K. Reis, Laura Fois, & Cameron Mark Russell, discuss Catholic School upbringing, charismatic cults, Biblical and modern language, vibrant colors, what Jesus asked us to do, and the wreckage that is left behind.
“…I just think it’s a really interesting way to look at…a charismatic cult leader, about what happens to women who are left behind when partners go off to do their adventure, and they’re left to somehow hold things together…”
UP Theater Company presents
Bread of Life
written by Frank Pagliaro
directed by Leslie Kincaid Burby
thru April 12, 2025
Fort Washington Collegiate Church
729 West 181st Street
Manhattan
tickets: $25 ($15 students/seniors), available via EventBrite
photos by Edward Lopez
Listen in as Lilith in Pisces playwright Kayla Eisenberg, along with director Stephanie Cox-Connolly, discuss missed connections, revealing secrets, Jekyll & Hyde, starting from anywhere, campfire plays, designer collaborations, staging the unstageable, adjacency to horror, “a little bit of not-sympathy,” Stephanie’s recipe for making stage-ready mac & cheese, and things that are funny until they’re not.
“…I don’t know if it was the stars in the sky as we were reading this, or the fire started getting more fire-y, but there was a feeling with this that, THIS is a play we need to produce…I wanted plays that had that living room drama kinda feel…I like that kinda feeling of…just, ‘what is happening?’ that had theatrics in it that no one in their right mind would want to do…”
Drops in the Vase presents
Lilith in Pisces
written by Kayla Eisenberg
directed by Stephanie Cox-Connolly
thru March 22, 2025
The Flea’s Siggy Theater
20 Thomas Street
Manhattan
tickets: $45, available via dropsinthevase.com
photos by Kent Meister
Listen in as Anonymous playwright & director Nick Thomas, along with performers Adam Belvo (Michael) and Azumi Tsutsui (Diana), discuss sharing a character, letting the story pour out, the relief of the audience, “embedded” theatre, “rehearsal with a bunch of strangers,” going “full Australian business-bro,” finding a character that’s far from you, taking us back to the (awesome) 1990s, and the potential of anonymity.
“…it has a different feeling of freshness. Like, I can feel the people sitting beside me, and they don’t know what’s going on, but hearing the story for the first time…I can feel, people are feeling it…”
Spit & Vigor presents
Anonymous
written & directed by Nick Thomas
thru February 22, 2025
Tiny Baby Blackbox
115 MacDougal Street
Manhattan
tickets: $30 and up, available via Spit & Vigor’s website
photos by Giancarlo Osaben
Listen in as Dan Kitrosser, playwright and performer of HOMOS! A Solo Disaster Musical, Bitch, discusses eerie timing, controlling the audience, fun Tony Kushner references, integrating children’s theatre performing techniques, the need for clowns, finding where you fit in the world, and distilling down your large-scale musical to be done by yourself (because scheduling is hard).
“…for so many years, I was like, ‘okay, I do that kind of performance, then I have my plays,’ and those are two different things. And I realized that, that in and of itself creates an antagonistic structure…I’m interested in what happens if we redefine what theatre is…”
HOMOS! A Solo Disaster Musical, Bitch
written & performed by Dan Kitrosser
directed by Kyle Metzger
thru March 23, 2025
The Stonewall Inn
53 Christopher St
Manhattan
tickets: $25, available via OvationTix
Listen in as the Director of the shows in this year’s The Fire This Time Festival, Kimille Howard, along with Producing Artistic Director Cezar Williams, discuss finding balance, discovering musical talent, bringing together black voices in the theatre, finding new collaborators, figuring out the big game of scheduling Tetris, leaning into the practicalities, and making magic.
“…it’s a theatrical event…to amplify the career of black playwrights…we pull together an incredible team of artist…and it’s always a good time.”
The Fire This Time, in collaboration with FRIGID New York, presents
The Fire This Time, Season 16 (2025)
featuring plays written by FELISPEAKS, Brittany Fisher, TyLie Shider, Garrett Turner, Jeanette W. Hill, & D.L. Patrick
directed by Kimille Howard
thru February 2, 2025
The Wild Project
195 E. 3rd Street
Manhattan
tickets: $25, available via firethistimefestival.com
photos by Dante Crichlow
Listen in as The Last Days of Judas Iscariot director Bernard Bosio, along with performers Elena Lozonschi, Camila Melgar, Claude Choukrane, Ted Thompson, & Phil Williams, discuss the culture of Heights Players, the importance of understudies, the sound of real New York dialogue, despair and hope, vibe shifts, inspiring conversations, relying on your collaborators, and the brilliance of Stephen Adly Guirgis.
“…people do make mistakes, and some of them are catastrophic…but are all of them irredeemable?”
The Heights Players presents
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
written by Stephen Adly Guirgis
directed by Bernard Bosio
thru January 19, 2025
Heights Players
26 Willow Street
Brooklyn
tickets: $20 / $18 (students/seniors), available via OnTheStage
photos by Andrea Bernardo
photo by Joe Pacifico
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