Stories Found

About This Episode ​This ​week on Stories Found, ​we're ​talking ​to ​one ​of ​our ​favorite ​playwrights, ​Clinton ​Festa, ​and ​then ​hearing ​his ​surreal ​comedy, ​The ​Experience. The play follows a couple dining at a restaurant with a twist - instead of food, they serve emotions. Frustration, rejection, nostalgia - it's all on the menu. With snappy dialogue and excellent pacing, Clinton creates a surreal world where feelings truly become tangible menu items. It's a thoughtful and hilarious look at the experience of human emotion. About the Playwright  Clinton Festa began his career as a writer and cartoonist for his campus humor magazine. Since then he’s had short plays produced around the U.S. and Canada, comedy sketches that have placed in national competitions, and a novel recently published with CamCat Books. During the pandemic, he wrote and directed a seven-episode action-comedy podcast called The Malone Family in the Enchanted Forest (produced by the Cary Playwrights’ Forum). Clinton runs an online book drive for inmates in prisons and juvenile detention centers called Sentences Book Donations. He lives in Greensboro, NC with his wife and children. Listen to Clinton's hilarious zombie play in Episode 10: PICKY ZOMBIES. Order Clinton’s book, Ancient Canada: a Mythological Tale at CamCat Find Clinton on NPX, The New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/74998/clinton-festa About the Cast The Experience was performed for us by: Gabriella Headley as Wife Joe Llorens as Husband Tonie Knight as Waitress Manuel Solis-Bauza as Take Out Customer   About the Crew Audio Engineer: Paul Hanna and ELA Studios Featured Organization Our featured organization this week is Sentences: Book Donations. Their goal is to network readers with prison librarians and juvenile detention centers to determine their needs and donate books for use in their facilities. Let's be BFFs! Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Pocdasts or Spotify! Find out how to Support the Show! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday. This week we've got the one-minute comedy, Burger Bard by Patrick Bates. About the Playwright Pat Bates has been writing plays since he was a kid. Now, he's written for stage and screen, optioned a screenplay, and won some awards along the way. In his spare time, he writes crime/horror/science fiction under the name Jack Bates. About the Cast Manuel Solis-Bauza as Burger Bard Boy Gabriella Headley as Customer About the Crew Audio Engineer - Paul Hanna Let's be BFFs! Want to show your support for Stories Found? Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/storiesfound Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode This week we're talking to Mark Gifford and hearing his hilarious story, The Brink of Chaos. About the Storyteller Mark has been a full-time professor of composition and rhetoric at The University of Texas at San Antonio for 18 years and counting. He is also a producer for Testify, a monthly storytelling show in Austin, Texas. Mark is also the co-creator and co-producer for Like Minded Lunatics, where he helps create a weekly television show for Austin Music T.V., as well as short-form video content for the Like Minded Lunatics YouTube channel. When Mark finds himself with free time, he enjoys trying to remember his own name. About the Cast Storyteller: Mark Gifford About the Crew This version of Mark's story was recorded at the live storytelling show, Testify, in Austin, Texas Featured Organization Our featured organization this week, is one of our very favorite shows, TESTIFY - a live storytelling show in Austin, Texas.   The amazing crew at Testify love stories -- hearing them, crafting them, and sharing them. Each month, Testify offers a live show featuring true stories told by the people that lived them.   If you're in the Austin area and have a story to tell, they'd love to hear it. You can submit your own story to one of their themed opportunities on their website, TestifyATX.com Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday -- Halloween Eve edition. This week we've got a special treat, the one minute dark comedy, The Palatka Museum of Natural History by Kimberly Murray-Patel. The Palatka Museum of Natural History recently won the coveted top honor at the Whiskey Theater Factory's annual one minute play competition. That means that this play was written in only ten minutes in front of a live audience. It's a phenomenal feat to write anything that quickly, but this play is truly spectacular.   About the Playwright: Kimberly Murray-Patel Kimberly Murray Patel considers herself a Renaissance woman in regard to the world of theater, and not just because she is thick and prefers clothing that is lacking in structure. The majority of her time is spent as a freelance costumer for companies in the Central Florida area. When she needs a break from the sewing machine she loves to perform and write short plays. "The Palatka Museum of Natural History" recently won the coveted top honor at the Whiskey Theater Factory's annual one minute play competition. We'll be featuring Kimberly' ten-minute play, Upgrade, in a future episode, so make sure to subscribe on your favorite app so you don't miss it! About the Cast Joe Llorens as Joe Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot. Manuel Solis-Bauza as Brandon A born and raised Puerto Rican native, Manuel Solis-Bauza is a graduate of the Rollins College class of 2020, having acquired a BA in Theatre Studies and Communication Theory. Seen on the Rollins stage as Shu Fu in Good Person of Setzuan and Solomon in Speech and Debate, Manuel has recently performed in a variety of acclaimed Central Florida shows such as Nick in The Wingman, produced by New Generation Theatrical, Nelson in Our Lady of the Tortilla, produced by Descolonizarte Teatro, and most recently as Kennedy in The Vast of Darkness, produced by Whiskey Theatre Factory and voted as Critics' Choice for Best Drama at Orlando Fringe 2023. About the Crew Audio Engineer: Paul Hanna and ELA Studios Fun Stuff We've added this play to our Spooky Stories Found playlist on Spotify. It's the perfect playlist for a dark comedy filled Halloween night! If you enjoyed this episode, it'd be the perfect Halloween treat if you left us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! For more exciting ways to show your support, visit our Support the Show page. Happy Monday and Happy Halloween from all of us at Stories Found! Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode Thanks for joining us for our special Halloween edition of Stories Found! This week we're talking to one of our very favorite playwrights, Brian Rust, and then hearing his eerie dark comedy, Spam Calls from Hell. About the Playwright Brian Rust (he/him) is a Boston-based actor and writer who makes chocolates and searches for cryptids in his spare time. High points of his career include being killed by a pillow during The Robin Hood Faire, appearing on stage with Le Tigre as a member of the Art School Cheerleaders, and using a plunger and ten pounds of jello to create an unforgettable foley effect for a live radio version of CHICKEN HEART.  Most recently he wrote the audio drama, The View from the Inside, which was selected by Dashingly Quirky for a live performance this November. About the Cast Joe Llorens - Dave Tonie Knight - Ruby About the Crew Engineer - Paul Hanna Featured Organization Open Air Circus is a is a non-profit community-based group that teaches children circus and performing skills. They offer classes and performances every summer. To find out more about them and how you can help support their mission, visit them at openaircircus.org Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.

About This Episode Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday --  Spooky Edition. This week we've got the eerie 1-minute play, A Foggy Day in a Certain Part of Scotland by Mark Harvey Levine. About the Playwright / Storyteller Mark Harvey Levine has had over 2000 productions of his short plays everywhere from Bangalore to Bucharest and from Lima to London. His plays have won over 45 awards and been produced in more than ten languages. His work has been published in over two dozen anthologies by Applause, Smith & Kraus, Routledge and Vintage. Full evenings of his ten-minute plays, such as “Cabfare For The Common Man”, “Didn’t See That Coming” and “A Very Special Holiday Special” have been shown around the world, including at the Edinburgh Fringe and in a multi-year tour of Brazil. A Spanish-language film of “The Kiss” (“El Beso”) premiered at Cannes and aired on HBO and DTV (Japan). Two of his plays were adapted for Brazilian television. Listen to more of Mark's work in these episodes: Episode 5: The Interview Episode 12: A Very Special Hanukkah Special About the Cast Kelly: Liz Bernstein Terry: Gabriella Headley   About the Crew Engineer: Paul Hanna and ELA Studios Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode This week we’re talking to the uber talented Austin writer and storyteller, Jeff Knight, before hearing his fantastic story, Bella and Blue. About the Storyteller Jeff Knight is a storyteller, poet, songwriter, and aspiring novelist in Austin, Texas. He is currently working on a murder mystery set in the world of craft beer, and featuring an intrepid Great Dane as part of a heroic crime-fighting duo. Special Thanks Bella and Blue was performed by the author, Jeff Knight. This story was recorded live at Testify, a popular storytelling show in Austin, Texas. It was recorded by Mark Gifford. We’re thankful to Ladi Loera, Mark Gifford, and the whole crew at Testify for letting us use it in this episode! Featured Organization The mission of the McCallum Fine Arts Academy is to foster and advance a diverse group of student artists who will create, lead, inspire, and contribute to a global community.​ If you’re in the Austin area and want to know more about their advanced fine arts curriculum for your student, visit mccallumfinearts.austinschools.org Support the Show We know you love Stories Found. But have you ever wondered "how can I let other people know JUST HOW MUCH I love Stories Found?" Fortunately, we're here to help! Head over to https://storiesfound.com/support We've got a list of fun free or paid ways to show your support and to help us keep paying our amazingly talented writers and actors. Thanks!   Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.

About This Episode It's Micro Monday! This week we've got the hilarious one-minute play, Dog Park, by one of our very favorite playwrights, Bethany Dickens Assaf. About the Playwright / Storyteller Bethany Dickens Assaf is a freelance playwright, dramaturg, and theatre artist and a co-founder of Whiskey Theatre Factory. As both a writer and producer, she is obsessed with plays that deconstruct and take unusual perspectives on gender and sexuality, challenging audiences and serving untapped artistic voices by creating meaningful roles for women. Listen to more of Bethany's fantastic work in these episodes: Episode 7: What's in the Basement, Honey? Episode 14: Bird Girl and The Hammer About the Cast Jesse: Liz Bernstein Sam: Gabriella Headley   About the Crew Audio Engineer: Paul Hanna Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode This week we're featuring Christian Missonak and his hilarious ten-minute play, A Great Fall. About the Playwright  Christian Missonak is a NYC-based playwright originally from Chicago, where he was a graduate of Columbia College and The Second City Conservatory. Plays: Sheridan (Madlab Theatre), Save Ferris (Under the Gun Theatre), Cooperative (Metropolitan Playhouse). Audio: Banana Bread is a Myth (Earworm Audio Theatre podcast, Ep 9). Publication: Nowhere to Go Nights (The High Plains Register), Sheridan excerpt (The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2022 by Smith & Kraus Publishers). You can also read more of Christian's work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. About the Cast Joe Llorens as HD Manuel Solis-Bauza as Nathan Liz Bernstein as Alana   About the Crew Audio Engineer: Paul Hanna NEW! Outtakes from this episode available on YouTube: A Great Fall - Outtakes Featured Organization The Catskill Mountain Foundation believes that art can transform the lives of those touched by it and so they aim to combine high-quality performances, artist residencies, and arts education in a multi-faceted program. Find out more about the Catskill Mountain Foundation, their programs, and how you can help further their vision at catskillmtn.org   Show Your Support! We know you love Stories Found. But have you ever wondered "how can I let other people know JUST HOW MUCH I love Stories Found?" Fortunately, we're here to help! Head over to storiesfound.com/support   We've got a list of fun free or paid ways to show your support and to help us keep paying our amazingly talented writers and actors.   Soon, the whole world will know just how much you love comedy and supporting the arts. storiesfound.com/support Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode It's Micro Monday! Just in time for Talk Like A Pirate Day on the 19th, we've got the hilarious one-minute nautical adventure, Color Guard by Ned Eckhardt Make sure to catch our full episodes every other week featuring some of the most talented humorists in the country. Next week, we've got a fantastic full length episode featuring the ten-minute play, A Great Fall by Christian Missonak. Find us on your favorite podcast app or at Stories Found.com Happy Monday from all of us at Stories Found! About the Playwright / Storyteller Ned Eckhardt is a documentarian and writer based in northern Connecticut. He began his writing career as a playwright in New York City and created a successful career as a practitioner in the writing and visual arts. He is a writer across many genres. Currently, he has been focused on writing plays and opera librettos. About the Cast Captain: Joe Llorens Bosun: Manuel Solis-Bauza About the Crew Audio Engineer: Paul Hanna Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.

About This Episode This week, we're excited to welcome the amazing storyteller, Ladi Loera, and then listen to his hilarious true story, 5 Calls. About the Playwright / Storyteller Ladi Loera is an artist, animal lover and award winning storyteller. He won the Moth with a story about sympathetic nausea and what it teaches us about love and connection. He is a homebody, whose idea of traveling the globe is going to a different HEB. If you're ever looking for him, he's most likely at home. Chapters (00:00) Welcome to Stories Found (00:31) This week's featured organization is Testify, a live storytelling show in Texas (02:17) Tell us a little bit about your story (04:41) This story takes place in Houston, and you do such a great job describing the setting (05:54) Austin has such a fantastic storytelling scene (08:38) When did you tell your first story (13:30) How do you personally know when something is a story versus just an anecdote (16:59) One thing I have run into is explaining this genre (18:12) I do have one final question for you (19:55) 5 Calls read by Ladi Loera (32:35) Thanks for listening to Stories Found Featured Organization Testify is a live storytelling show in Austin, Texas. All the stories told at Testify are true stories told by the people that lived them. Join them each month to hear folks share a part of their lives with you. And, if you have a story to tell, they'd love to hear it. They take submissions all year long. They have themes suggested for each month, but they give wide room for interpretation of the themes. What's your story? Support the Show Want to show the world how much you love comedy and supporting the arts? We've got a list of fun ways to help support the show: https://storiesfound.com/support Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode This week, we're excited to welcome the very talented and funny Jonathan Wickremasinghe-Kuhn and then listening to his hilarious story, Off-Target. About the Storyteller Jonathan Wickremasinghe-Kuhn grew up in Selma, Alabama and attended the University of Southern California, where he received both his BFA in Writing for Screen and Television and his Master of Professional Writing degree. He has performed story-telling multiple times at The Moth and for the Two Truths & A Lie podcast. His plays have been produced by the A Light in Dark Places Festival, the Paragon Festival, Exposition Review, Stage Left Theater, Laughing Pig Theatre, Carrollwood Players Theatre, Magnetic Theatre, and Crafton Hills College. About the Cast Off-Target was performed by: The author, Jonathan Wickremasinghe-Kuhn, and a Target Shopping Basket Featured Organization 826 National helps foster a love of creative writing in children. Their mission is to help young people use writing as a tool to ignite and channel their creativity, explore identity, advocate for themselves and their community, and achieve academic and professional success. You can help 826 advance this goal by volunteering at a local chapter, buying the children's published works, or shopping at one of their stores which each have a different creative theme. New Orleans offers the The New Orleans Haunting Supply Company. Listeners in Los Angeles can visit The Time Travel Mart, while those in Boston can stop by the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute. There are currently 9 really cool stores like this in cities across the country. Visit 826national.org to learn more about this amazing program and to see how you can help them continue to foster a love of creative writing in children. Featured Sponsors Magikjaz Creations is a woman, minority, and LGBTQ+ owned business based in Austin, Texas. Jazmyn is a proud Latinx artist who creates jewelry and wearable art and specializes in chainmail and wirework. She offers creative, original pieces that are truly one of a kind. Visit her website at Magikjazcreations.com. Want to see your company name here? Reach out for rates: hello@storiesfound.com Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode In this episode of Stories Found, we’re talking to one of our very favorite playwrights, Bethany Dickens Assaf, and then listening to her ten-minute comedy, Bird Girl and The Hammer. About the Playwright Bethany Dickens Assaf is a freelance playwright, dramaturg, and theatre artist, and a co-founder of Whiskey Theatre Factory and the Fragmented Theatre Festival. As both a writer and producer, she is obsessed with plays that deconstruct and take unusual perspectives on gender and sexuality, challenging audiences and serving untapped artistic voices by creating meaningful roles for women. Other favorite ideas/themes include female separatism, evangelical Christianity, bisexuality particularly in period settings, gender complementarianism, women in male-dominated spaces (gaming, cosplay), and the exploitation of women’s bodies for media such as reality television and true crime podcasts. Almost 100 of her plays have been performed or read across the country including her twisty sci-fi play, The Consciousness, which has been performed at over 10 fringe festivals across the country and won Best Play at the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival (director: Liz Colvert, stage manager: Meghan Pratt). She’s also had the amazing honor of working with organizations that are truly making an impact through storytelling such as Threshold Theatre, Theatre Works, FUSION Theatre, Road Theatre, EMBer Women’s Theatre, Central Florida Community Arts, Birdhouse Theatre, the Bechdel Group, and more. You can learn more through Bethany’s website: www.BethanyDickens.com. You can also read more of Bethany’s work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. About the Cast Kate O'Claire as Bird Girl Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics. Joe Llorens as The Hammer Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot. About the Crew Engineering by Paul Hanna and ELA Studios. Featured Organization Whiskey Theatre Factory is a theatre collective based in Orlando, FL with the mission to produce meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. We challenge our community through provocative, authentic pieces, examining our culture and revealing the grace of humanity. Interested in reading our Credo or connecting with us? Visit WhiskeyTheatreFactory.com to learn more. Featured Sponsor Magikjaz Creations is a woman, minority, and LGBTQ+ owned business based in Austin, Texas. Jazmyn is a proud Latinx artist who creates jewelry and wearable art and specializes in chainmail and wirework. She offers creative, original pieces that are truly one of a kind. Visit her website at Magikjazcreations.com. Want to see your company name here? Reach out for rates: hello@storiesfound.com Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode It's a special Valentine's Day themed Stories Found Micro Monday! Today, we've got the one-minute play, CRIME of PASSION by Ava Love Hanna About the Playwright / Storyteller Ava Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up. When she’s not co-hosting the Stories Found podcast, Ava can be found producing comedies, hanging out reading plays at NPX, or skulking around these other seedy internet joints: Facebook, Instagram, Post, or Mastodon. Ava is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild and ScriptWorks. About the Cast Viv - Ava Love Hanna Patrol-Bot - Paul Hanna   Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.  

About This Episode Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday -- take a super quick break with us to kickstart your week with a laugh. Today, we've got the one-minute play, Lying in a Pine Forest by Greg Romero About the Playwright / Storyteller Greg Romero is originally from Louisiana, Cajun blood on both sides. His plays, site-specific projects, and sound-art collaborations have been presented in performance spaces, found spaces, and through the airwaves of the United States as well as Switzerland, Canada, The United Kingdom, and Jamaica. Romero was selected as the first-ever ArtsEdge Resident, was one of three playwrights to inaugurate the Philadelphia Dramatists Center/Plays & Players Playwriting Residency, and was a pilot member of Hyde Park Theatre's Playwright's Group. He may be the only playwright to have presented a play in the bathrooms of Actors Theatre of Louisville during the Humana Festival of New Plays. He is an alum of the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory, The Last Frontier/Valdez Theater Conference, The William Inge Theater Festival, The Midwest Dramatists Conference, and his works are published by Heinemann Press, Next Stage Press, YouthPLAYS, and Playscripts. Romero received a BA in Liberal Arts from the Louisiana Scholars' College and an MFA in Playwriting from The University of Texas at Austin where he held the James A. Michener Fellowship. He is a member of ScriptWorks, The Dramatists Guild of America, and teaches at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he visits the alligators. He loves being outside. He would love for you to find more of his work at the New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/5432/greg-romero About the Cast Voice: Ellie McBride About the Crew Engineer: Lowell Bartholomee Featured Organization Lying in a Pine Forest  was originally written for a ScriptWorks fundraiser. ScriptWorks is an Austin based playwriting organization that offers programs to help playwrights in Austin and beyond. Visit them at ScriptWorks.org Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.

Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday -- take a super quick break with us to kickstart your week with a laugh. Today, we've got the one-minute play, Living a Lie by Max Langert   About the playwright Max Langert is a playwright, producer and storyteller living in Austin. His plays have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas and elsewhere. He’s told stories for Listen to Your Mother, The Vancouver Story Slam, Testify and Austin Bat Cave, and is a regular performer at FronteraFest. He’s produced benefit shows for The Autism Society of Central Texas, The SAFE Alliance, and VELA Families. He’s excited to be working with the great team at Stories Found! Read more of Max’s work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. Max is a favorite at Stories Found. Listen to his first story in Episode 2: The First Time I Got Naked in Front of a Bunch of People I Didn’t Know or his ten-minute play in Episode 6: Personality Test.     About the Cast Liz - Ava Love Hanna Tom - Paul Hanna   Living a Lie was originally written for a ScriptWorks fundraiser. Visit ScriptWorks.org to learn more about their programs and see how they can help you further your writing goals.   At Stories Found we're creating opportunities for emerging voices in comedy writing. Make sure to catch our full length episodes every other week featuring some of the most talented humorists in the country. Want to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future full length episode or a Micro Monday? We’re accepting submissions!   Be our BFF! Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, submission opportunities, auditions, merch, and more! Join us at storiesfound.substack.com  

Welcome to our very first Micro Monday -- a quick laugh to brighten the start of your week! Every other Monday, we'll be offering up a short play, story, or sketch in under 5 minutes.  Today, we've got the one-minute play, The Murderlators by Ava Love Hanna   About the playwright Ava Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up. When she's not co-hosting the Stories Found podcast, Ava can be found producing comedies, hanging out reading plays at NPX, or skulking around these other seedy internet joints: Facebook, Instagram, Post, or Mastodon. Ava is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild and ScriptWorks.     About the Cast Flynn - Paul Hanna Fiona - Ava Love Hanna     Want to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future full length episode or a Micro Monday? We’re accepting submissions!  

About This Episode It’s time for a special Christmas episode of Stories Found! In this episode, we’re talking to the charming playwright, Brian Rust, before hearing his hilarious ten-minute play, Under a Christmas Moon.   About the Playwright Brian Rust (he/him) is a Boston-based actor and writer who makes chocolates and searches for cryptids in his spare time. High points of his career include being killed by a pillow during The Robin Hood Faire, appearing on stage with Le Tigre as a member of the Art School Cheerleaders, and using a plunger and ten pounds of jello to create an unforgettable foley effect for a live radio version of CHICKEN HEART. Most recently he wrote and directed ‘Plan 8 from the Outer Ether’ (a steampunk prequel to the infamous Ed Wood film), and directed and produced ‘Strange Tales of Davis Square’, an interactive audio tour that took participants on a hunt around a local neighborhood to discover mp3s of stories set in the exact spot they were standing. Read more of Brian’s work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. Facebook Twitter   About the Cast Under a Christmas Moon was performed by: Kate O’Claire as Kel Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics. Joe Llorens as Scout Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot. Facebook Instagram Twitter Paul Hanna as Santa Paul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer. When he’s not playing guitar, showing up in one of Ava’s plays, editing this podcast, or hanging out with his super cool teenager, he can be found hitting the ice at his favorite hockey rink or working as lead engineer at ELA Studios.   Featured Organization: The Post-Meridian Radio Players The Post-Meridian Radio Players are a Boston-area group of creatives dedicated to exploring audio theater as a unique art form. They offer live performances and studio productions of both classic tales from the Golden Age of Radio and original works, with a special emphasis on science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. You can find out more about them at https://pmrp.org Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter! Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!  Join us at storiesfound.substack.com Want to be a featured playwright or storyteller in a future episode? We’re accepting submissions!

About This Episode In this special holiday episode of Stories Found, we hear the hilarious ten-minute play, A Very Special Hanukkah Special by Mark Harvey Levine. About the Playwright Mark Harvey Levine has had over 1900 productions of his short plays everywhere from Bangalore to Bucharest and from Lima to London. His plays have won over 45 awards and been produced in more than ten languages. His work has been published in over two dozen anthologies by Applause, Smith & Kraus, Routledge and Vintage. Full evenings of his ten-minute plays, such as “Cabfare For The Common Man”, “Didn’t See That Coming” and “A Very Special Holiday Special” have been shown around the world, including at the Edinburgh Fringe and in a multi-year tour of Brazil. A Spanish-language film of “The Kiss” (“El Beso”) premiered at Cannes and aired on HBO and DTV (Japan). Two of his plays were adapted for Brazilian television. Read more of Mark’s work on NPX, The New Play Exchange. Facebook Instagram About the Cast A Very Special Hanukkah Special was performed by: Paul Hanna as The Narrator, Max, Caroler Paul Hanna is an audio engineer, musician, and performer. When he’s not playing guitar, showing up in one of Ava’s plays, editing this podcast, or hanging out with his super cool teenager, he can be found hitting the ice at his favorite hockey rink or working as lead engineer at ELA Studios. Joe Llorens as Murray Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot. Liz Bernstein as Kim Liz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing  meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of “Amy” in Ava Love Hanna’s piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT’s production of Launch. Kate O’Claire as Boy and Judy Maccabee Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics. Ava Love Hanna as Caroler Ava Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for a real grown-up. Kai Hanna as Caroler   Want to be a featured storyteller in a future episode? We’re accepting submissions!

About This Episode In this special Halloween edition of Stories Found, we’re chatting with the multi-talented playwright, composer, director, and performer, Fred Tacon and then listening to his hilarious and spooky ten-minute play, Rent-a-Stiff. Rent-a-Stiff – Mr. Ut, the proprietor of a human taxidermy rental company, is at risk of losing his livelihood due to aging inventory and new competition. But, he makes shocking discovery that just might save his business. This macabre comedy is well-suited for themed evenings of short plays for Halloween, horror, or simply the strange and unusual. About the Playwright – Fred Tacon Fred Tacon is a playwright, composer, director, and performer from Hebron, Kentucky (just over the river from Cincinnati, Ohio). He recently starred as Nick Bottom in a sold-out run of ‘Something Rotten!’ at The Footlighters Inc. in Newport, Kentucky. Fred’s writing usually focuses on theatre for young audiences, and his musical, ‘The Jester Prince’, and plays, ‘Clara and the Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Pond’, have been enjoyed by audiences in Kentucky and Ohio. He has also written several short plays, musicals, and monologues that have been seen and streamed in a variety of ways and places. His 10-minute musical, ‘Puddle Jumpers’, will be a part of The Drama Workshop’s Homebrew Theatre, January 2023, in Cincinnati. Fred serves as Vice President of the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging the development of new works for the stage by Kentucky playwright Read more of Fred’s plays on NPX, The New Play Exchange. About the Cast Rent-a-Stiff was performed for us by: Joe Llorens as Mr. Ut Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot. Liz Bernstein as Ivan Liz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing  meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of “Amy” in Ava Love Hanna’s piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT’s production of Launch. Kate O’Claire as Fran Kinstein Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics. Danielle Muething as The Grisly Sisters Danielle Muething has twenty plus years of experience in professional acting and singing for the stage, voice over work for local commercials and businesses, and multiple audiobook projects. She has been seen on stages around her hometown of Cincinnati, as well as a five-year stint in Orlando, FL. In her spare time, she loves to hang out with her husband, who built her custom in home studio, and her two dogs, Wally and Willow. Featured Organization: Kentucky Playwrights Workshop Our featured organization this week is the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, encouragement, and support of playwrights who live in the state of Kentucky. Visit them at kyplays.org Featured Sponsor: The Stories Found Newsletter! Get updates from your BFFs at Stories Found. Be the first to know about new episodes, upcoming shows, our submission opportunities, auditions, and more!  Join us at storiesfound.substack.com Want to be a featured storyteller in a future episode? We’re accepting submissions!