Timothée Chalamet and Caitlin FitzGerald recording John Patrick Shanley's Tennessee.
Who we are
Short plays are one of playwrights’ favorite forms: punchy, challenging and dramatically lean. Yet—outside of some theater festivals—they’re rarely professionally performed.
Playing on Air is a radio program and podcast, dedicated to sharing great short theater with the public. With short plays written by some of the country’s top playwrights, cast with celebrated actors, and led by award-winning directors, Playing on Air presents the best of modern theater.
We believe that vibrant live theater should be available to everyone, regardless of time, funds, or access. But too much professional theater can be too hard to access for too many Americans. By recording and distributing short plays on public radio and podcast, we deliver the work of America’s best theater practitioners to the nation—for free.
We bring award-winning artists, performing short plays across every genre, into headphones, cars, subways, living rooms, classrooms, and kitchens across the country. Every episode includes an interview between the creators, ranging from actors’ theatrical process, to the playwright’s method, to the quirks and themes of each particular work.
Playing on Air brings contemporary plays and playwrights into the public space.
Join us by subscribing now.
Bobby Cannavale and Peter Gallagher recording 2 Dads, by David Auburn
“The one-act play is to the full-length as the short story is to the novel- the etude to the symphony... It’s a jab as opposed to a knockout punch — a sprint compared to a marathon.”
— Frank Gilroy (Pulitzer- and Tony-winNING PLAYWRIGHT)
Our Story
In 2010, veteran theater producer Claudia Catania was seeing a lot of plays. She knew that for many readings and workshops, the design was minimal: no set; no costumes; no fancy lighting. The entire show would manifest through the actors’ voices alone.
At some point, she asked: Who can this play reach? Why just the 50 listeners in the room? Why not a thousand? Why not a million? Why not the whole country?
From this realization, Claudia created Playing on Air. Launched in 2012, Playing on Air has since been broadcast across 14 states and the District of Columbia. In podcast form, our works have been heard by millions of listeners.
Blake DeLong and Louisa Krause recording Winter Games, by Rachel Bonds
Why radio? WHY PODCASTS?
Theater, radio, and podcasts all live where dialogue and imagination meet.
Unlike the historical ‘radio play,’ our broadcasts don’t rely heavily on ‘sound effects’. Our productions, both via radio and podcast, are fully fledged in the world of theater. They’re complete audio recordings of work originally intended—and often produced—for the stage. Some have been performed in nationally-recognized festivals, while others are commissioned specifically for Playing on Air.
But podcasts offer some crucial advantages over traditional theater. Unlike live productions, our work can be accessed anywhere, anytime—and there’s no need to buy a ticket first!
The artists also find some perks in making audio theater. As Jesse Eisenberg will tell you, “Playing on Air allows actors to have the thrilling experience of acting without having to look in a mirror first.”
Audra McDonald and Tonya Pinkins, directed by Seret Scott, recording Lynn Nottage's Poof!
Why INTERVIEW THE ARTISTS?
Following every episode, we conduct an interview with the playwright, actors and director, sharing the artists’ thoughts on the piece they just performed. What inspired the play? What was that character really thinking? What might happen after the curtain falls?
Through these candid conversations, we hope to serve as a ‘gateway’ and whet our audience’s appetite for other forms of theater, whether community, regional, or Broadway.