Parabasis is a device from ancient Greek comedy referring to when the chorus steps forward to express the views of the dramatist on politics and other matters. The Parabasis podcast series was launched in 2018 by Next Day Theater, a sketch comedy company founded in Washington, DC, in 2015. The series takes on race, religion, the environment and other pressing issues of the day using, to paraphrase Mark Twain, laughter as its chief weapon.