Gather by the Ghost Light

By: Jonathan Cook
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  • Summary

  • GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT is storytelling podcast in radio theater format. Think of the Ghost Light as your campfire. Gather around and listen to stories from a variety of genres. Playwright, Jonathan Cook, is the host of the series and most of the stories you hear were originally written as short stage plays that have been produced in theatres around the World. Short play festivals have become wildly popular in recent years and they have given playwrights a platform for their work. The audio plays produced on this podcast range from festival award winners to brand new world premieres giving these talented playwrights an even wider audience for their stories. We welcome you to join us in this journey as we extend the voices of playwrights!
    Copyright 2024 All rights reserved. Gather by the Ghost Light is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) company. Donations are tax deductible and always welcome!
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Literature & Fiction Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
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Episodes
  • "SHOWMANCE" by Chad Beguelin

    "SHOWMANCE" by Chad Beguelin
    Sep 24 2024
    In this episode, Jonathan and Devon chat with six-time TONY Award Nominee Chad Beguelin about his new novel "SHOWMANCE" and his life as a Broadway writer. About SHOWMANCE: Noah Adams’s career as a playwright is circling the drain, thanks to a scorching review of his first Broadway musical. So when a family emergency sends him back to his Podunk hometown of Plainview, Illinois, he figures he’ll hide out for a bit. But to Noah’s horror, his agent has secretly arranged for him to stage an amateur version of the career-ruining musical at the local community theater. As if trying to work with a bunch of artless amateurs wasn’t enough, Noah runs into Luke, the jerk from his high school years, everywhere he goes. Luke somehow grew up to be beloved by everyone in town…and undeniably gorgeous. As rehearsals begin, Noah is surprised by his cast’s insights, the warmth of the town he’d dismissed, and the reality of what happened with Luke all those years ago. Just how much has Noah misjudged? Available at Penguin Books Guest - Chad Beguelin Chad Beguelin is a six-time Tony® nominee. His works include Disney’s Aladdin (Tony Award nomination for Best Book and Best Original Score, Drama Desk Award Nomination for Best Book and Outstanding Lyrics), The Prom (Tony Award nomination for Best Book and Best Original Score, Drama Desk Award Nomination for Best Book and Outstanding Lyrics) and The Wedding Singer (Tony Award nomination for Best Book and Best Original Score, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Lyrics). He also wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical Elf, which broke several box office records at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. His play Harbor premiered Off-Broadway at Primary Stages. He is the recipient of the Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Awards, the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award and the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. Chad is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Dramatic Writing Program. He currently lives in Bridgehampton with his husband Tom and their dog, Tucker. Produced and edited by Jonathan Cook Intro music by JK/47 You can watch the full video of this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@GatherbytheGhostLight Gather by the Ghost Light merch is available at www.ghostlightpubs.com (Ghost Light Publications) If you would like to further support this podcast, please visit Gather by the Ghost Light is increasing public knowledge of emerging writers and actors (buymeacoffee.com) If you enjoy this podcast, please please please leave a rating on your preferred podcast app! For more info or if you wish to contact us, please visit www.gatherbytheghostlight.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • "LIFELINE" by Robin Hiley & Becky Hope-Palmer

    "LIFELINE" by Robin Hiley & Becky Hope-Palmer
    Sep 17 2024
    In this episode, Jonathan and Devon chat with composer Robin Hiley & writer Becky Hope-Palmer about their musical "LIFELINE" currently running off-Broadway. LIFELINE tells the story of Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming’s world-changing discovery of penicillin in 1928, charting the rise and fall of antibiotics. Fleming’s historic story is interwoven with Jess’, a present day doctor whose childhood sweetheart, Aaron, is recovering from cancer treatment, almost 100 years after antibiotics were discovered. But just as Aaron is desperate to resume normality and rekindle the romance, his life hangs in the balance, as he waits to see if Fleming’s miracle cure will still work well enough to save him. The musical is a two-time Edinburgh Festival Fringe sell-out (2018 and 2022). It has toured to London, Glasgow and the east coast of the USA (2022). It has also been showcased at the UK Houses of Parliament and in Barbados for Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Previously entitled The Mould that Changed the World, the show underwent significant re-development in 2023 to incorporate numerous modern day patient stories that the producers had collected from around the world. More info available at LIFELINE The Musical (lifelinemusical.com) Guests - Robin Hiley & Becky Hope-Palmer Robin Hiley was a founding partner of Charades Theatre Company upon the company’s inception in 2010. In 2017 he took the company forward as Artistic Director & CEO, overseeing its transition to a Scottish Incorporated Charitable Organisation and establishing partnerships and collaborations with major national and international organisations. As a composer, and lyricist Robin is passionate about writing and creating musical theatre that tackles pertinent social issues and also gives opportunities for the community to get involved in performing. Developing LIFELINE has been a signifcant focus for Robin over the past 6 years, immensely enjoying collaborating with writing partners Becky Hope-Palmer (book writer), his long-time friend and songwriting partner James Ross, as well as the rest of the creative team. Robin holds an undergraduate degree in music from Newcastle University and a MSc in enthnomusicology from the University of Edinburgh. Becky Hope-Palmer is a Scottish writer and theatre director from Edinburgh. She trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was a finalist for the prestigious JMK Directing Award in 2019 and 2021. She is an associate artist for She Productions in East Yorkshire and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2017-2019. Recent credits include work for the Lyceum Theatre and Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Perth Theatre, Dundee Rep and A Play, a Pie and a Pint in Glasgow. Her directing and facilitation work spans musical theatre, Shakespeare, classic and new writing in various forms and capacities. As a writer, Becky’s first play with music, Seven Against Edinburgh, was produced by the Lyceum Theatre in 2022. She is delighted to be making her Off-Broadway debut with Lifeline as a book writer in collaboration with Robin, James and the wonderful team. Produced and edited by Jonathan Cook LIFELINE music tracks were used in this episode with permission from the creators. Intro music by JK/47 You can watch the full video of this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@GatherbytheGhostLight Gather by the Ghost Light merch is available at www.ghostlightpubs.com (Ghost Light Publications) If you would like to further support this podcast, please visit Gather by the Ghost Light is increasing public knowledge of emerging writers and actors (buymeacoffee.com) If you enjoy this podcast, please please please leave a rating on your preferred podcast app! For more info or if you wish to contact us, please visit www.gatherbytheghostlight.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • "PARK AND PLAY" by Kara Emily Krantz

    "PARK AND PLAY" by Kara Emily Krantz
    Sep 10 2024
    "PARK AND PLAY" by Kara Emily Krantz. Archibald and Jessie frequent the park every Thursday afternoon, but today holds a special, slightly disturbing and definitely disrupting surprise. Written by Kara Emily Krantz Directed by Devon McSherry Performed by Avery Lewis as "Jessie", Brad King as "Archibald", and Korilyn Hendricks as "Lucy". Intro/Outro music by JK/47 Cover design by Jonathan Cook Produced and edited and sound design by Jonathan Cook About the writer: Kara Emily Krantz is a playwright/poet and director from Sturbridge/Worcester, MA. She self-produced her first play, ALL BARK, NO BITE, in 2016, which has gone on to be published and produced around the country. She earned an MFA from NHIA (Dir. Buzz McLaughlin) and penned six full-lengths, including YOU, ME, & ENNUI (W Festival 2018), a screenplay, GRACE NOTE (Storypros International Winner), and her first original pilot, TRACE MEMORY (w/co-writer Amanda Kay Burdine). Over the summer, her short play, “Recess,” won the People’s Choice at the Hollywood Brisk Festival, and more recently she was offered a full-time faculty and directing position at Worcester Academy. She is drawn to the places of our deepest hope and suffering, and inspired to infuse them with meaning, whimsy, and joy. She believes we are all telling the story of our lives and have the wonderful opportunity each moment to choose something better. You can watch the full video of this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@GatherbytheGhostLight Gather by the Ghost Light merch is available at www.ghostlightpubs.com (Ghost Light Publications) If you would like to further support this podcast, please visit Gather by the Ghost Light is increasing public knowledge of emerging writers and actors (buymeacoffee.com) If you enjoy this podcast, please please please leave a rating on your preferred podcast app! For more info or if you wish to contact us, please visit www.gatherbytheghostlight.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 mins

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