Playing on Air Singles [8-35 minute short plays, plus interviews]

Series produced by Playing on Air

Series image

Playing on Air records short plays written, directed and performed by theatrical luminaries - Timothée Chalamet, Michelle Williams, Frankie Faison, Hank Azaria, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Groff, Adam Driver, Brian Cox... Listeners enjoy a beginning, middle and knock-out punch in minutes. Plus, after hearing the actors perform, listeners essentially join the scene as all the artists converse with host, Claudia Catania, about what just went down.

The Single Series is a module version of the full-length Playing on Air Series. It features a single short play followed by lively conversation with its playwright, director, cast. The times given include the ensuing conversation although the play can, of course, stand alone.

PLAYING ON AIR FULL EPISODES (53 Minutes)

PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (10 - 42 Minutes including optional interview)

Location: Hillsdale, New York
http://playingonair.org/
http://www.facebook.com/PlayingOnAir
http://https://twitter.com/playingonair

PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (8-35 Minutes)
Playing on Air records short plays written, directed and performed by theatrical luminaries - Timothée Chalamet, Michelle Williams, Frankie Faison, Hank Azaria, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Groff, Adam Driver, Brian Cox... Listeners enjoy a beginning, middle and knock-out punch in minutes. Plus, after hearing the actors perform, listeners essentially join the scene as all the artists converse with host, Claudia Catania, about what just went down.

Our contemporary shorts, generally 10-25 minutes each, make up an entertaining and insightful 53-minute show. (Single plays of various short lengths are available from our Playing on Air Singles Series).

The topics of these short plays are wide-ranging, timely, engaging, humorous, and reflect the issues of our world today. Pulitzer, Tony, and Emmy award winning playwrights, as well as dynamic newcomers, write pieces that, like all great theater, entertain, illuminate, inform and humanize.

Each short is about 10-25 minutes and there are two or three of them on every 53-minute offering. Original music and polished, subtle sound design are composed for every bite-sized and beautifully crafted piece.

THE CRITICS, PROGRAM DIRECTORS, AND ARTISTS WEIGH IN

"An answered prayer for anyone who craves more theater in their life." -Emma Dibdin, The New York Times

"In the long-running podcast series Playing on Air, sterling actors sink their teeth into short plays by the country’s finest authors" -Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New Yorker

"Playing on Air increases the accessibility of quality theatre to theatre-hungry audiences" -Ruthie Fierberg, Playbill

“Playing On Air is a great addition to our programming lineup. There’s nothing else like it on the public radio airwaves –short plays written and performed by well-known actors and directors. Take a break from the news!” -Catie Talarski, Senior Programming Director, WNPR Connecticut

"When I first sampled Playing on Air I thought our audience would like the program, so I scheduled it during the summer and asked for listener feedback. The most amazing feedback returned with almost 100 % positive about this program. This is not typical of our listeners! This is a gem worth your review and absolutely worth adding to your schedule. Try it! You'll love the response! What's left to say? Playing on Air is a public radio winner." - Lynne Clendenin, Program Director, OPB Radio

"The playwrights and the actors are award-winning first-rate professionals you will have heard of. Because the plays are short, there's time to include insightful interviews, usually with the playwrights, in each broadcast. Playing on Air definitely fills a gap in available radio theatre programming and I'm delighted to schedule them. Your audiences will love these shows." - Linda Lopez McAlister, Producer, KUNM's Radio Theatre, Albuquerque, NM

"Playing on Air is the kind of show that should be multiplied by ten - it's fun, it's intelligent, and it reminds us how glorious radio can be." - David Ives, playwright

"Playing on Air gives actors the thrilling experience of acting without having to look in a mirror first. They produce dramatically compelling radio in a fun and accessible way." - Jesse Eisenberg, actor, playwright


We offer two different series: PLAYING ON AIR FULL-LENGTHS [53-minute offerings of 2-3 short plays followed by conversation] and PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES [a module version of the program with one play followed by one conversation, 10-42 minutes].
PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (10 - 42 Minutes including optional interview)

PLAYING ON AIR FULL EPISODES (53 Minutes)

PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (10 - 42 Minutes including optional interview)

These singles are taken from our full length 53-minute episodes, also available through PRX. Hide full description

PLAYING ON AIR FULL EPISODES (53 Minutes)PLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (10 - 42 Minutes including optional interview) Location: Hillsdale, New Yorkhttp://playingonair.org/http://www.facebook.com/PlayingOnAirhttp://https://twitter.com/playingonairPLAYING ON AIR SINGLES (8-35 Minutes)Playing on Air records short plays written, directed and performed by theatrical luminaries - Timothée Chalamet, Michelle Williams, Frankie Faison, Hank Azaria, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Groff, Adam Driver, Brian Cox... Listeners enjoy a beginning, middle and knock-out punch in minutes. Plus, after hearing the actors perform, listeners essentially join the scene as all the artists converse with host, Claudia Catania, about what just went down.Our contemporary shorts, generally 10-25 minutes each, make up an... Show full description


61 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Piece image
"Life as usual and then the sky falls in." There's a crater in the middle of the street - again. After a deadly car bomb explodes in the Sha'ab ne...

  • Added: Dec 19, 2019
  • Length: 21:40
Caption: Jim Dale
The beloved narrator of the Harry Potter audiobooks, Jim Dale stars in a wickedly clever whodunit from short play master David Ives.

  • Added: Oct 10, 2018
  • Length: 29:33
Piece image
With one hop of the fence, a star-crossed lover (Emmy nominee Rupert Friend) storms back into the life of the married woman (Golden Globe winner Mi...

  • Added: Sep 25, 2018
  • Length: 29:18
Caption: Michael Stuhlbarg, Credit: Daniel Bergeron
Starring Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name) and Amy Ryan (Gone, Baby, Gone). In Closing Costs by Arlene Hutton, a real estate broker hits thr...

  • Added: Mar 01, 2018
  • Length: 23:17
Caption: Jane Alexander
Staring Jane Alexander and Peter Jacobson. In THE HELPERS by Cusi Cram, a former client steps up to help his therapist after seeing her talking to...

  • Added: Mar 01, 2018
  • Length: 29:23
Caption: Vernon Baker
First Lieutenant Vernon Baker received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II, April 1945, near Viareggio, in Tuscany, Italy and Ca...

  • Added: Mar 01, 2018
  • Length: 34:20
Caption: John William Finn
Chief Petty Officer John William Finn was stationed at Naval Base Kaneohe Bay on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was att...

Bought by 'The Sea'


  • Added: Mar 01, 2018
  • Length: 18:46
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Lucy DeVito
In 1933, a young Jewish immigrant returns to his Polish hometown in search of a wife and sets his sights on Chava, a savvy shopgirl. Written by Car...

Bought by KZYX, KZYX, and KUER


  • Added: Feb 28, 2018
  • Length: 18:21
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Rachel Bonds
As stray cats prowl and dough rises, two sardonic twenty-somethings flirt with dreams of Olympic glory - or maybe just escape from the small town b...

Bought by KZYX and KUER


  • Added: Feb 28, 2018
  • Length: 15:27
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Elizabeth Ashley
Starring Tony winner Elizabeth Ashley, DRUNK CHRISTMAS tells the tale of a teenage runaway and a swerving mother crashing into each other on Christ...

  • Added: Feb 28, 2018
  • Length: 20:48
Caption: Peter Gallagher
Bobby Cannavale and Peter Gallagher star in this short about fatherhood. In the comic and heartbreaking 2 Dads by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award win...

Bought by KUNM and KUER


  • Added: Feb 26, 2018
  • Length: 21:39
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Clarence Sasser
The story of Clarence Sasser is a portrait from Stephen Lang's one-man show, Beyond Glory, based on the book by Larry Smith of the same title. He p...

  • Added: Feb 23, 2018
  • Length: 15:14
Caption: Hector Cafferata
The story of Hector Cafferata is a portrait from Stephen Lang's one-man show, Beyond Glory, based on the book by Larry Smith of the same title. He ...

  • Added: Feb 23, 2018
  • Length: 22:01
Caption: Nick Bacon
The story of Nick Bacon is a portrait from Stephen Lang's one-man show, Beyond Glory, based on the book by Larry Smith of the same title. He portra...

  • Added: Feb 23, 2018
  • Length: 16:50
Caption: Jay O. Sanders
In The Press Conference by Jessica Dickey, everyone reveals a bit more of their true selves when a Sheriff's public press conference about a myster...

Bought by KUER


  • Added: Feb 23, 2018
  • Length: 29:04
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Brandon Dirden
In The Wonderful Thanksgiving Violet by Max Baker, two brothers struggle with life’s great fears: death, guilt, and spouses. With Brandon Dirden (A...

Bought by KUNM


  • Added: Feb 23, 2018
  • Length: 24:18
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Jay O. Sanders
In James McLindon’s I Don’t Know, an old school drill sergeant is faulted by his new recruits and desperately, hysterically longs for the time when...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2018
  • Length: 23:39
Caption: Steven Boyer
Starring comic legend Bill Irwin, Tony Nominee Steven Boyer, Broadway stars Len Cariou and Michael Urie. In I LOVE YOU by Lynn Rosen, a struggling ...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2018
  • Length: 24:14
Caption: Kate Robin
In Kate Robin's Inside Voice, two parents watching their toddlers having fun in an indoor playground take on the big wide world beyond. Hear an exc...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2018
  • Length: 33:45
Caption: Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) and Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick) star in Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies' Misadventure. In ...

Bought by KZYX and KUNM


  • Added: Jan 30, 2018
  • Length: 12:12
  • Purchases: 2