Podcast: The Inverse Theater Podcast

This episode features my conversation with actress Melanie Martinez. I met Melanie in 1996 when she performed Lydia in Want’s Unwisht Work, and we’ve done numerous other projects together since then. She’s an amazing actor, a generous bright spirit, and a true NYC theater icon. And during our talk I learned some things about her…

In the first of my conversations with actors starring in Icarus and Aria, I talk to Chris Thorn, who plays Jimmy Jones Junior. Chris was in a number of Inverse plays between 2006 and 2012. A true scholar of theater and force of nature on the stage, it’s always fascinating to talk to Chris about…

Check out my second conversation with composer/musician, John Gideon. We cover the second half of our initial years of theatrical collaboration (we are currently in a new round of collaborations focused on audio plays). Gideon (as most of us call him) is always thoughtful, meticulous, and intensely passionate about his compositions, and the quality of…

Here he is – Hank Wagner. I’ve known Hank since 1996 when he was cast as Dick Skills in Want’s Unwished Work and delivered a performance that blew the LES wide open. Since then he’s been Johnny Freeman (The American Revolution), Coyote (Midnight Brainwash Revival), Syms (On The Origin of Darwin), and countless other roles….

This episode of Inverse Theater Podcast wraps up my conversations with Daniel Martin Berkey, the actor who performs and is the inspiration for our first audio play, Remission. We hear about the experiences depicted in the latter third of the play, including his escape from schizophrenia, all laced with the usual brilliant frenzied fervor that…

Here’s the second half of my conversation with actor/director Joshua Spafford. We chat about his work on some of the later Inverse plays, a few of the amazing actors he worked with in those productions, and the projects he directed and how we decided to have him do that. Always great to hear from this…

I’m excited to share my conversation with actor Mick O’Brien in this episode of the Inverse Theater Podcast. Mick has been in numerous Inverse shows and has always turned in a stellar performance. He’s a thoughtful, thorough, diverse, and dare I say “literary” actor whose sparkling facility with language is as good as it gets….

My conversation with Daniel Martin Berkey, the performer and inspiration for Remission, continues. We work our way through the middle section of the audioplay version, which includes discussions about how acting muted yet exacerbated the voices in his head, the experience of feeling parts of his body fly off, his eventual commitment to a psych…

This is part 2 of my conversation with Howard Thoresen. We hear more about his experiences and thoughts from decades of acting, directing, zen, yoga, and theater. I love Howard and have learned so much from him. Any actor who’s ever worked with Howard knows what a joy it is. Thank you, Howard, for all…

Episode 5 of the Inverse Theater Podcast features Bob Laine. Bob has the distinction (probably) of being in more Inverse plays than any actor and (with strong competition from Mick O’Brien) of being the most “book perfect” actor we’ve ever worked with. A long-time poet, forensics champion, and now art gallery owner, Bob is a…

This is the first of three episodes featuring Daniel Martin Berkey, the actor who performed Remission and about whom it was written. Dan and I talk about the genesis of the play, then we move our way through the text, discussing the incidents depicted therein and Dan’s journey into and out of schizophrenia. Dan is…

In this week’s episode of the Inverse Theater Podcast, I talk with composer and musician John Gideon. Gideon, as we all call him, has been the music to my plays for two decades, and we have much more work on the way. He’s not only an incredible songwriter, but he’s equally amazing at sitting in…

I talk with actor, director, photographer, and Inverse founder, Joshua Spafford. We hear about how he came to theater, how we met at an audition on the Lower East Side at Nada, his early performances in my plays, and his thoughts about theater in general. Josh is a true theater legend. Listen here, or on Apple…

I talk with actor, director, friend, Inverse stalwart, yogi and light of love, Howard Thoresen, about his experience in the theater, his work on my plays, and the connections between yoga and theater. Listen here, or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.