Radio Play Revival

S. 3, Ep. 9: Cathedral by Raymond Carver Feb 19, 2024

Connecticut, 1983: In a strained marriage, a narrow-minded, prejudiced man- and his wife- host the wife’s former coworker for the night. Their guest is a blind man, and that’s the last person in the world this man wants to host... until the blind man opens the sighted man’s eyes for the first time in his life.

Cast (in speaking order):

BRYAN CRANSTON as The Narrator

STEPHEN McKINLEY HENDERSON as Robert

AUBREY PLAZA as The Narrator's Wife

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 8: A Bush League Hero by Edna Ferber Feb 12, 2024

The Midwest, 1912: Ivy Keller is on summer vacation and bored limp. Until her father takes her to a baseball game. What ensues is a love triangle between Ivy’s father wanting the best for her, the star baseball pitcher and Ivy, and Ivy’s love of the game.

Cast (in speaking order):

ALLISON JANNEY as The Narrator

ED O'NEILL as Pa Keller

TAYLOR MISIAK as Ivy Keller

KATHRYN GRODY as Ma Keller

JOHN SKELLEY as Rudy Schlachweiler

PAUL URCIOLI as The Proprietor

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 7: The Swimmer by John Cheever Feb 05, 2024

The Suburbs, 1964: Neddy Merrill is lounging poolside at a friend’s party, gin in hand, when a genius thought materializes in his mind. He’s going to swim home! His ensuing pilgrimage across the familiar neighborhood swimming pools- a symbol of everything right in his life- leads him back to his own house, where everything has gone so wrong.

Cast (in speaking order):

PATRICK PAGE as The Narrator

NATHAN MALIN as Donald Westerhazy / The Lifeguards

KELLY FAIRBROTHER as Lucinda Merrill / Shirley Abbott

GIA MANTEGNA as Helen Westerhazy / Enid Bunker

REBECCA KUZNICK as Mrs. Graham

JOSH JOHNSTON as Neddy Merrill

KITTY SWINK as Mrs. Halloran

LASHETTE SHOWERS as Helen Halloran

TIA DeSHAZOR as Grace Biswanger

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 6: Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville Jan 29, 2024

New York City, 1853: An elderly lawyer reflects on an employee he had thirty years prior, and the havoc that his passive resistance inflicted upon everyone around him.

Cast (in speaking order):

SAM TSOUTSOUVAS as Every Character

with JOSH JOHNSTON, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 5: Bodies in the Moonlight by Langston Hughes Jan 22, 2024

The West African Coast, 1927: With their ship stuck in port for over a month, half the crew sick with fever, and food running low, two best friends fall for the same woman.

Cast (in speaking order):

JON HAMM as The Narrator

TYLER HANSEN as The Chief Mate / The Second Cook

NATHAN MALIN as The Young Swede

DAVID ZAYAS as Porto Rico

KATHRYN ALLISON as Nunuma

JOHN SKELLEY as The Jamaican Baker / Wireless Man

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 4: The Enchanted Bluff by Willa Cather Jan 15, 2024

Nebraska, 1909: Six friends enjoy the final night of their final summer together under the stars and the moon, in this coming-of-age tale about friendship, innocence, and adventure.

Cast (in speaking order):

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS as The Narrator

ASHTON MUÑIZ as Otto Hassler

COLEMAN HEMSATH as Percy Pound

DARREN CRISS as Tip Smith

AARON ALCARAZ as Arthur Adams

YOUNG DYLAN as Fritz Hassler

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 3: Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Jan 08, 2024

Spain, 1927: While waiting for a train, a young couple passes the time with drinks and observations, discussing everything they can think of before they must finally have the conversation they’ve been dreading.

Cast (in speaking order):

JESSICA LANGE as The Narrator

SAMI GAYLE as The Girl

JOSH JOHNSTON as The MAN

MARILYN CASERTA as The Waitress

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 2: Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe by Nathaniel Hawthorne Jan 01, 2024

New England, 1834: Mr. Higginbotham was murdered last night in Kimballton. Or was it the night before last? Two travelers on the road tell our protagonist, Dominicus Pike, differing stories of Mr. Higginbotham’s murder. But everyone else Dominicus meets on his journey to Kimballton says they’ve seen Old Man Higginbotham alive today. Can you solve the mystery before the end of this horror-comedy?

Cast (in speaking order):

JEFFERSON MAYS as The Narrator

CLAYBOURNE ELDER as Dominicus Pike

LUKE WISE as The Traveler

ARMIN SHIMERMAN as The Farmer

AARON ALCARAZ as The Ethiopian

PAUL URCIOLI as The Lawyer

LASHETTE SHOWERS as Mr. Higginbotham's Niece

ROB NAGLE as The Toll Gatherer

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 3, Ep. 1: A Worn Path by Eudora Welty Dec 25, 2023

Mississippi, Christmas Day: Never get in the way of a grandparent. Old Phoenix Jackson makes her way through the woods, in search of medicine for her grandson. On her familiar journey, she faces new obstacles, friends and foes, and an ever-changing world.

Cast (in speaking order):

COREY HAWKINS as The Narrator

PHYLICIA RASHAD as Old Phoenix

SAM ROBARDS as The Hunter

MEGAN BEARD as The Woman on the Street

KATHLEEN MULLIGAN as The Attendant

KITTY SWINK as The Nurse

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 8: The Bee Play by Elizabeth Savage (Live from St. Louis, MO) Feb 12, 2023

The Bronx, 2016. 18-year-old Carver Washington wrestles between going off to college and pursuing his dreams, and staying at home to take care of his kid sister Paris and his wheelchair-bound Grandmother, Ma’Dear.

Cast (in speaking order):

JOHN SKELLEY reading Stage Directions

MILES BRENTON as Carver Washington

RILEY CARTER ADAMS as Paris France Washington

MARGERY A. HANDY as Ma'Dear

ELLIE SCHWETYE as Devora

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 7: Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald Feb 05, 2023

Minnesota, The Roaring ‘20s: Popularity is everything to teenagers, and some will stop at nothing to keep their place at the top of the food chain, in this “Mean Girls of The Jazz Age”.

Cast (in speaking order):

LAURA BENANTI as The Narrator

TAISSA FARMIGA as Marjorie Harvey

VINCENT RODRIGUEZ III as Warren McIntyre

REMY GERMINARIO as Otis Ormonde

MICHAEL KUSHNER as G. Reece Stoddard

DeLANNA STUDI as Bernice

HARRIET HARRIS as Aunt Josephine

BUCKLEY HUFFSTETLER as Charley Paulson

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 6: The Last Taste of Barry Growler by Jonathan Mastro Jan 29, 2023

Chicago, recently: In defiance of his grim diagnosis, a beloved wine shop owner throws an epic party, opening his rarest bottles for his favorite customers. But none of them are fully prepared for the complexity, body, and depth of what is about to pour forth.

Cast (in speaking order):

BOBBY CANNAVALE as The Narrator

TIA DeSHAZOR as Heather

JOE MANTEGNA as Barry

JEFF STILL as Mitch

ANDERSON COOPER as Raymond

ANDY COHEN as Ned

GIA MANTEGNA as Tara

TYLER HANSEN as Matthew

PATTI LuPONE as Myra

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 5: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates Jan 22, 2023

America, 1966: Connie is fifteen- so the only two things in the world she cares about are her friends and flirting with boys. Her summer vacation passes by in a haze of those boys, those friends, and the ever-present music... until she meets a stranger named Friend.

Cast (in speaking order):

PATTI LuPONE as The Narrator

KATHLEEN MULLIGAN as Connie's Mother

KATHRYN GALLAGHER as Connie

CLAYBOURNE ELDER as Arnold Friend

MEGAN BEARD as Betty

JOHN SKELLEY as Ellie Oscar

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 4: The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe Jan 15, 2023

Italy, The Carnival Season: A man can only take so much. When Fortunato insults Montresor, Montresor concocts a plan to ensure Fortunato never insults again. Far away from the sounds of celebration on the streets, the two men descend into the dampness of the catacombs below, in search of a rare vintage of wine.

Cast (in speaking order):

MICHAEL STUHLBARG as Montresor

KEITH DAVID as Fortunato

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 3: The Comet by W.E.B. Du Bois Jan 08, 2023

New York City, 1920: With the exciting news of the comet passing so close to earth, everyone in Manhattan steps outside to observe its passing overhead… and that, it turns out, would be the last thing they all would ever do.

Cast (in speaking order):

LAURENCE FISHBURNE as The Narrator

DULE' HILL as Jim

ALEX AQUILINO as The Junior Clerk

HANNAH ROSE HONORE' as Passerby / Jim's Wife

SAM TSOUTSOUVAS as The Bank President / Julia's Father

LENA HALL as Julia

COLEMAN HEMSATH as Fred

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 2, Ep. 2: The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell Jan 01, 2023

The Caribbean Sea, 1924: After falling off a yacht while en-route to South America, big game hunter Sanger Rainsford swims to a nearby island, where he is met and cared for by another big game hunter… only this man hunts a different type of big game.

Cast (in speaking order):

LUKE WISE as Whitney

MICHAEL URIE as Sanger Rainsford

JEFFERSON MAYS as The Narrator

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN as General Zaroff

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

Operatic pieces performed by JAMES DE BALLIOL-CAVENDISH, BARON OF BUITTLE

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S. 2, Ep. 1: Christmas, or The Good Fairy by Harriet Beecher Stowe Dec 25, 2022

Anywhere, Christmastime: Well-off Ellen Stuart frets about what presents to get her family and friends for Christmas that they don’t already have or won’t just throw away. Her Aunt’s wise words open Ellen’s eyes to the world around her, and how others as close as across the street may not have the same luxuries as she does. A short story nearly 200 years old, a message that is timeless.

Cast (in speaking order):

ZOE LISTER JONES as Ellen Stuart

RANDY RAINBOW as The Narrator

BLAIR BROWN as Ellen's Aunt

ROB NAGLE as Cousin Tom

SAM TSOUTSOUVAS as Will

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 1, Ep. 8: Bachelor Holiday by Alan Ball Feb 12, 2022

New York City, the 1990s: A mouse, caught in a glue trap, causes three roommates to discuss the meaning of life, death, yuppiedom, karma, and the harsh reality of their place on the food chain.

Cast (in speaking order):

BOYD GAINES reading Stage Directions

VINCENT RODRIGUEZ III as Ford

BRANDON MICHEAL HALL as Norris

JOSH JOHNSTON as Hunter

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 1, Ep. 7: Titee by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson Feb 05, 2022

New Orleans, 1895: Titee is a brilliant young boy, but his mind isn't on school or home. His mother, teacher, and friends wonder what goes on in Titee's mind, but when Titee gets caught out in a storm, his family must find him and uncover his secret.

Cast (in speaking order):

LaTANYA RICHARDSON JACKSON as The Narrator

YOUNG DYLAN as Titee

HANNAH ROSE HONORÉ as Mother

ASHTON MUÑIZ as Edgar

LONNIE CHAVIS as Older Brother

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

Ragtime and Blues music composed by: Henry Ragas, Tony Sbarbaro, Tom Brown, & Frank Warshauer, respectively.

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S. 1, Ep. 6: Xingu by Edith Wharton Jan 29, 2022

Hillbridge, 1916: The ladies of the local lunch club have invited the celebrated novelist of their latest read to be their guest. However, their own internal competition and inferiority complexes send the meticulously planned afternoon of literary discussion wildly off the rails.

Cast (in speaking order):

HARRIET HARRIS as The Narrator

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH as Miss Van Vluyck

MICHELLE WILLIAMS as Fanny Roby

BLAIR BROWN as Mrs. Plinth

CHARLES BUSCH as Mrs. Ballinger

BRIDGET EVERETT as Mrs. Leveret

KATHRYN GRODY as Laura Glyde

EVA MARIE SAINT as Osric Dane

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

Piano excerpts performed by JOSEPH THALKEN

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S. 1, Ep. 5: The Red Coat & Let Us Go Out Into the Starry Night both by John Patrick Shanley Jan 22, 2022

Two actors, two plays, one playwright.

In the first:

The Bronx, present night: Outside of a party, the moon and a street light shine down upon two teenagers on the brink of discovery.

In the second:

A cafe, present day: She longs for meaningful connection with the man across the room. He longs to leave agony behind and find joy. She may be able to help.

Cast (in speaking order):

SAM TSOUTSOUVAS reading Stage Directions

JHARREL JEROME as John/Man

MARILYN CASERTA as Mary/Woman

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 1, Ep. 4: The Californian's Tale by Mark Twain Jan 15, 2022

California, the 1860s: It's the Wild West and the gold has dried up; only a few naive souls remain. A chance encounter between strangers leads to more than just friendly salutations.

Cast (in speaking order):

STEPHEN McKINLEY HENDERSON as The Narrator

JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY as Henry

SAM ROBARDS as Tom

JOSH JOHNSTON as Joe

KELLY FAIRBROTHER as Charley

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

Original music by THE DOWNHILL STRUGGLERS

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S. 1, Ep. 3: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Jan 08, 2022

The country, summertime: Physician John thinks the fresh air will help his ailing wife. He tells her not to write, so, naturally she documents everything about the estate: the garden, the house's history, her husband... and the bedroom wallpaper.

Cast (in speaking order):

JESSICA CHASTAIN as The Narrator

MICHAEL URIE as John

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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S. 1, Ep. 2: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce Jan 01, 2022

Northern Alabama, The Civil War: A Confederate farmer stands on a bridge, a noose around his neck. He contemplates his life, and the choices that led him to this moment. What follows is his breakneck escape from an impossible situation.

Cast (in speaking order):

BOYD GAINES as The Narrator

RYAN MAC as Peyton Farquhar

ROB NAGLE as Soldier

ALEX AQUILINO as Lieutenant

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

Original music by HARRIS OWENS

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S. 1, Ep. 1: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry Dec 25, 2021

New York City, Christmas Eve: Della has less than two dollars with which to buy her husband Jim a Christmas present. In a story known the world over, listen to the lengths a husband and wife will go to show their love for each other.

Cast (in speaking order):

KEITH DAVID as The Narrator

SAMUEL L. JACKSON as Jim

LaTANYA RICHARDSON JACKSON as Della

KATHRYN ALLISON as Madame Sofronie

with SAM TSOUTSOUVAS, the voice of RPR

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