Listen in as Incel Vanya playwright & director Duncan Pflaster, along with actor Neysa Lozano (Selena), discuss titles from typos, the smartest character onstage, finding modern resonance in classic drama, “rehearsing with an audience,” icky grossness in charming characters, getting stuck because of your philosophy, putting the comedy back into Chekhov, and finding a way to make sure the show always goes on. “…the more I started to think about it, the more it made sense that Vanya would be an incel, if he lived today; then all the pieces started to fit into place…this is a more straightforward modernization of the story, touching on what we’re all living through today…” The Tank and Cross-Eyed Bear Productions present Incel Vanya written & directed by Duncan Pflaster thru July 19, 2026 The Tank 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $13-$33 (sliding scale) available via The Tank

Listen in as Fear & Wonder playwright Jason Tseng, director Emily Hartford, and performers Neil Tyrone Pritchard (Ryan) and Brian Tong (Jabez), discuss falling back in love with faith, grappling with the harms that can come from traditions and institutions, changing the world by changing the story, and music, communion, & service. “…it’s really kind of a meditation on queerness, faith, and how we love something that doesn’t know how to love us back…” Flux Theatre Ensemble presents Fear & Wonder written by Jason Tseng directed by Emily Hartford thru June 27, 2026 ART/NY Theaters 502 W. 53rd Street Manhattan tickets: $26–$66, available through Flux’s Living Ticket model on OvationTix photos by Justin Hoch

Listen in as I WANTTT A UNICORN FRAPPE!!! director Alex Tobey & actor Rachel Lin (Jenny) discuss obsession with limited availability drinks, romantic anxiety, blending darkness & depth along with bright humor, presentation & artifice & longing, rehearsal tone conversations, finding something magical and big while also keeping it intimate, and the difference between living in a difficult reality vs. an artificial fantasy. “…it’s a frothy, girly comedy about a young woman named Jenny…torn between ‘do I live in reality, and be unhappy, or do I go to this fantasy world that is a little distant…and maybe it’s not quite real, and maybe it’s actually unhealthy’…” The Tank presents I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!! written by Catherine Weingarten directed by Alex Tobey thru June 21, 2026 The Tank 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $28–$53, available via The Tank’s website photos by HanJie Chow

Listen in as Down Once More playwright Āsim Ali Naqvi, along with performers Yves Allen, Anissa Naji, Karan Khanna, & Nafis, discuss identity, the supernatural, expanding what’s allowed to be discussed and by whom, meeting your favorite character, wearing multiple hats, showing up as yourself, and the play’s complicated blend of science, psychology, spirituality, queerness, career, and attention. “…hella juicy…” New York Theater Festival presents Down Once More written by Āsim Ali Naqvi & Marlon Wallace December 15, 2025 @6:15 PM December 19, 2025 @9:00 PM December 21, 2025 @3:30 PM Teatro LATEA 107 Suffolk St Manhattan

Listen in as Michael Quinn, writer & performer of Feltman: World’s First Hot Dog, discusses bringing back a piece of Coney Island history, “never-ending conflict,” finding fulfillment, immigrant stories creating American classics, the hot dog business, and “doing something that scares the hell out of you.” “…I just figured this was something I really, really wanted to do…I really love this part of the journey of my play, because every time I perform it, I discover something new…for me, it’s about being a human being, onstage…” Feltman: World’s First Hot Dog written & performed by Michael Quinn directed by Peter Michael Marino thru July 29, 2026 36th Street Theatre 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $40.51 (including fees), available from the Feltman website

Listen in as actors Ally Callaghan (Maria) and Julio Cesar Gutierrez (Marc) of Aurora Stewart de Peña’s Love Story, presented in its world premiere by The Tank and Voyage Theater Company, discuss theatrical roller-coaster rides, building props and scenery in space, stage directions, feeling the space, heaviness & fun, getting from point A to point B, mid-’00s dramaturgy, and “grief, afterlife, & the unknown.” “…from the people that have come to see it, they’ve said that they’ve felt really impacted by the show, and it left them thinking a lot. I think this tackles grief in a way that I’ve never seen it tackled before…so I think because of that, it leaves a lot of questions to ask, and a lot of questions to be answered…” The Tank and Voyage Theater Company present Love Story written by Aurora Stewart de Peña directed by Rose Burnett Bonczek thru May 17, 2026 The Tank 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $28–$53, available via The Tank photos by Geve Penn

Listen in as Hook & Eye Theater ensemble members and collaborating devisers on Plan C—Carrie Heitman (director), Kyle Abourizk (assistant director), Leah McVeigh (production management), Cynthia Babak (performer), & Parnia Ayari (performer)—discuss their devising process, solving problems by hand, modern resonance, getting your people into a room together, lemons worth squeezing, trusting your collaborators, taking risks, politics and somatic experiences, and organizing to defeat a systemic problem. “…we have collaborated over the years—trust does grow. It’s a real joy to work with people who you know have your back, and the only way you can do that is by doing a bunch of things with them, and failing, and picking it up…it’s unique…” The Tank and Hook & Eye Theater present Plan C devised & written by the ensemble of Hook & Eye Theater directed by Carrie Heitman thru April 12, 2026 The Tank 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $38 ($53 supporter, or $28 discounted) available via The Tank photos by Maria Baranova

Listen in as The Mall The Mall The Mall playwright Philip Kenner and director James Wyrwicz discuss setting the conditions for the tone, early teenage friendships, double-dip playwriting, the benefit of creative restrictions, Scooby-Doo as text, playing in a video-game-like world, reference bombardment, wonderful and horrible moments of transformation, and how when everything is meaningless, anything can have all the meaning in the world. “…it’s been three years of watching this play become even more itself, sort of like the characters in the play. It started in a place of zaniness and silliness, and it’s only found more depth, and more truth, and brighter colors and louder sounds…it’s just such a blast to be part of that room…” Twin Fruit Productions and Christian & Eliza Lange present The Mall The Mall The Mall written by Philip Kenner directed by James Wyrwicz thru March 22, 2026 The Tank 312 W. 36th Street Manhattan tickets: $28/$38/$53, available via The Tank photos by HanJie Chow

Listen in as Issy Knowles, the creator & performer of Body Count, discusses imploding and exploding your work, putting a feminist lens on porn, clicking with your collaborators, how online sex culture bleeds back into society, the commodification of intimacy, audience involvement, and the ongoing loneliness of this modern world. “I think what’s interesting is everybody in this scenario is actually being dehumanized…not just the girls who are hosting, and participating, but the men that are also participating, they are being dehumanized, they are just a number in the queue. So everyone wins! But everyone loses. They get what they came for, but at what cost?” The International Fringe Encore Series presents Body Count written & performed by Issy Knowles directed by Alice Wordsworth thru March 29, 2026 SoHo Playhouse 15 Vandam Street Manhattan tickets: $45.50, available via OvationTix photos by Geve Penn

Listen in as ExtraO1dinary Aliens! playwright Carolina Ðỗ and assistant director/stage manager Isabel Criado discuss nightmares becoming reality, bureaucratic flattening, telling stories to heal, collaboration & community & education, and growing, changing, & becoming more real. “It’s about people trying to survive the American government…” “…while pursuing the American dream. Which is such a paradox. But a reality.” BETTERFLY Productions, Leviathan Lab, and JACK present ExtraO1dinary Aliens! written by Carolina Ðỗ directed by Vas Eli thru March 14, 2026 JACK 20 Putnam Avenue Brooklyn tickets: $45, available via Zeffy photos by Tudor Cucu