Ark – Details, episodes & analysis

Flood myths were common to many ancient cultures — Chinese, Greek, Norse, Irish, Aboriginal, Mayan. The most famous flood myth, the Hebrew Bible story of Noah’s Ark, is theologically pivotal to all three of the world’s major religions. What happened on that boat determined the rest of history. 

Noah’s story, along with the rest of what is called the “primeval history” section of the book of Genesis, was likely written down in the 6th century BCE. Its authors were influenced by other flood myths, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem from ancient Mesopotamia written 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. 

In 2018, graduate students from the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran were excavating a portion of the Çalköy Cave system on the Black Sea coast of eastern Turkey when they uncovered 26 ceramic amphorae containing reels of ancient audio tape. 

The Institute’s scholars have since theorized that sometime during the Bronze Age, a collective of Akkadian Empire priests placed the recordings inside the caves, which lie just 300 miles from Mt. Ararat — described in Genesis as the resting place of Noah’s ark. 

AIUT researchers spent years restoring the magnetic coating before daring to place the delicate film in a playback recorder. In 2024, when they finally held their breath and hit “play,” what they heard was astounding: a clear and complete recording of Noah and Naamah — captured by their unemployed son Japheth — discussing life aboard the ark with thousands of animal pairs. 

In partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran, we have digitized a selection of those 5,000-year-old interviews and now present them publicly for the first time in this historic podcast.

Noah and Naamah interview two peacocks, Wilhemina and Chimmy Chu

Credits

Eva Lewis played Wilhemina the Peacock, and Darnell Eaton played Chimmy Chu the Peacock. Eva performs with Lena Dunham and The Broken Bones at Washington Improv Theater. She’s also on the sketch team, M.I.S.T. Follow her @EvaRLewis. Darnell Eaton performs regularly with WIT ensembles The Broken Bones and Lena Dunham. Follow him @darnellde. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @hell0newman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah get a visit from God. Then they interview two flying squirrels, Mabel and Shubert

Credits

Katie Munn played Mabel the Flying Squirrel, and Steven Karig played Shubert the Flying Squirrel. Katie and Steven perform with indie team That's So You in Washington, DC. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at Washington Improv Theater. Follow him @hell0newman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. Krystal Ali played God. Krystal’s work as a performer and director can be seen regularly at WIT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview two beavers, Cedar and Balsa

Credits

Clare Mulligan played Cedar the Beaver, and Patrick Fleury played Balsa the Beaver. Clare performs with Hellcat at Washington Improv Theater. Follow her on Instagram at @kuhlayer. Patrick performs with Lizard Girl at WIT. Find them @lizardgirlimprov. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @hell0newman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! And 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview a horse named Gingerbread and a donkey named Al

Credits

Devin Hiett played Gingerbread the Horse, and Madeline Dozier played Al the Donkey. Devin performs with Hellcat and Out Loud at Washington Improv Theater. Follow her @StairwayToDevinn. Madeline performs with Uncle Gorgeous at WIT and indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. Find them @wadelinepozier. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @thejamalnewman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. “Ark” was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. “Ark” is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview two Italian Cave Salamanders, Enzo and Rocco

Credits

Ryan McCloskey played Enzo, the Italian Cave Salamander, and Michael Williamson played Rocco, the Italian Cave Salamander. Ryan performs with Uncle Gorgeous at Washington Improv Theatre, and with indie groups 1-800-FIREDEPARTMENT and Burnt Sienna. Follow him @mccrya on Instagram. Michael performs with ensembles at Washington Improv Theatre and Rails Comedy, and with Burnt Sienna. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy with Washington Improv Theater. Follow him @hell0newman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at Washington Improv Theater, with indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch team Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli also performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. Follow him at @eli.okun. Ark was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. Cover art by small c studio. Ark is a production of Solar Driftwood in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview two dolphins, Delphia and Parvulus

Credits

Kristina Martinez played Delphia the Dolphin, and Neil Baron played Parvulus the Dolphin. Kristina performs as half of Goodison, a third of spooky improv team Doggington S. Wanderson, and a small fraction of Washington Improv Theater ensembles The Broken Bones and Uncle Gorgeous. Follow her @goodisonimprov. Neil performs with Goodison, The Broken Bones, and Doggington S. Wanderson. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @thejamalnewman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah receive another visit from God. Then they interview two armadillos, Sheila and Chud.

Credits

Bethany Coan played Sheila the Armadillo, and Alex Kazanas played Chud the Armadillo. Bethany is a Washington, DC, improviser and enjoys writing TV pilots and screenplays in her free time. Follow her @bethanycoan. Alex can be heard every week on the One Piece Podcast and can be seen occasionally doing improv in DC. Find him @DudeExclamation. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at Washington Improv Theater. Follow him @thejamalnewman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. Krystal Ali played God. Krystal’s work as a performer and director can be seen regularly at WIT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview two aardvarks, Farrah and Anthony

Credits

Isaiah Headen played Farrah the Aardvark, and Eddison Wilkinson played Anthony the Aardvark. Isaiah is a founding member and head producer of DC sketch comedy troupe Bad Medicine. Eddison is a member of Washington Improv Theater ensemble Madeline and of indie improv teams, Baggage Claim and Dead Plants Society. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @thejamalnewman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran. 

Noah and Naamah interview two dinosaurs, Flex and Nova

Credits

Krystal Ali played Flex the Dinosaur, and Samiyyah Ali played Nova the Dinosaur. Krystal’s work as a performer and director can be seen regularly at Washington Improv Theater. Samiyyah performs with Kinfolk at WIT. Follow her @kinfolkimprov. Jamal Newman played Noah. Catch Jamal performing live comedy in D.C. at WIT. Follow him @thejamalnewman. Bethany Stokes played Naamah. Bethany performs with Nox! and The Hypothesis at WIT, indie team 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT, and sketch troupe Bad Medicine. Follow her @bethanysalright. Eli Okun played Japheth. Eli performs with Nox! and 1-800-FIRE-DEPARTMENT. "Ark" was created, written, produced, and edited by Tim Townsend. It was recorded and engineered by Selcuk Karagloan at Switch and Board Studios in Washington, DC. Cover art by small c studio. "Ark" is a co-production of Solar Driftwood and Collective Echo in partnership with the Antiquities Institute at the University of Tehran.