Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz – Details, episodes & analysis

Jazmine holds space for Ms. Lorraine as she shares her story of substance abuse, inspiring a conversation about grace and self-acceptance. Meanwhile, back in the 70s, a younger Lorraine confesses her substance abuse to Ella, generating a difficult impasse between the two. 

Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smith with Musical Direction by Tammy L. Hall and Sound Design by Collin Gerald Thomas. Original Music by Tammy L.  Hall and Jana Naomi Smith and performed by Renée Wilson, Loretta Devine, and Jordan Hull featuring the Red for Revolution band, Tammy L. Hall on piano, Kofy Brown on electric Bass, Ruth Davies on acoustic Bass, Ruthie Price on drums, Kristen Strom on saxophone and flute, and Vicki Randle on percussion. Cover art by Shefon N. Taylor. The series is executive produced by Renée Wilson, Jana Naomi Smith, and Meta Mana Media with associate producers Jordan Hull, Adrian Snegg, and Vanessa E. Williams. All episodes produced by Liz McBee.

The Red for Revolution team would like to thank each person who helped bring this project to life. Please visit redforrevolution.com for the complete credit and gratitude list. For additional resources and to sign up for our newsletter visit redforrevolution.com.

This audio drama was recorded under the SAG-AFTRA 2020 New Media Principal Performer Contract. 

Episode Four Cast:
Jordan Hull a s Jazmine James
S. Epatha Merkerson as Ella Ali (Present Day)
Loretta Devine as Lorraine Giovanni (Present Day)
Renée Wilson as Lorraine Giovanni (1970s)
Rutina Wesley as Ella Ali (1970s)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Delores Ali
Danny Glover as Howard Ali
Caro Guzman as Kathy
David Alan Graf as Dean McKenna
Xavier Miles Temple as Robber
adrienne maree brown as series sonic guide 

Music Featured:
“He Looked Beyond My Fault”
Written by Dottie Rambo
Performed by Loretta Devine
Courtesy of Tomorrowland Music, Designer Music, Brandee-Vah Publishing, Capitol CMG Publishing

For Radiotopia Presents, Yooree Losordo is the Managing Producer. Audrey Mardavich is the Executive Producer. Red for Revolution is part of Radiotopia Presents, a podcast feed that debuts limited-run, artist-owned series from new and original voices. 

As Jazmine grapples with self-acceptance, Grandma Ella and Ms. Lorraine feel compelled to share their respective insecurities. This leads to a poignant recollection of the day a power outage compelled a young Ella and Lorraine to reveal their deepest secrets and vulnerabilities.

Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smith with Musical Direction by Tammy L. Hall and Sound Design by Collin Gerald Thomas. Original Music by Tammy L.  Hall and Jana Naomi Smith and performed by Renée Wilson, Loretta Devine, and Jordan Hull featuring the Red for Revolution band, Tammy L. Hall on piano, Kofy Brown on electric Bass, Ruth Davies on acoustic Bass, Ruthie Price on drums, Kristen Strom on saxophone and flute, and Vicki Randle on percussion. Cover art by Shefon N. Taylor. The series is executive produced by Renée Wilson, Jana Naomi Smith, and Meta Mana Media with associate producers Jordan Hull, Adrian Snegg, and Vanessa E. Williams. All episodes produced by Liz McBee.

The Red for Revolution team would like to thank each person who helped bring this project to life. Please visit redforrevolution.com for the complete credit and gratitude list. For additional resources and to sign up for our newsletter visit redforrevolution.com.

This audio drama was recorded under the SAG-AFTRA 2020 New Media Principal Performer Contract. 

Episode Three Cast:
Jordan Hull a s Jazmine James
S. Epatha Merkerson as Ella Ali (Present Day)
Loretta Devine as Lorraine Giovanni (Present Day)
Renée Wilson as Lorraine Giovanni (1970s)
Rutina Wesley as Ella Ali (1970s)
Jennifer Beals as Suzanne Sands  
David Alan Graf as Pilot
Ashley J. Hobbs as Ruby
adrienne maree brown as series sonic guide 

Music Featured:
“Stormy Weather”
Written by Harold Arlen
Performed by Loretta Devine and Renée Wilson
Courtesy of BMG, Round Hill Music, Sony Music Publishing and S.A. Music

For Radiotopia Presents, Yooree Losordo is the Managing Producer. Audrey Mardavich is the Executive Producer. Red for Revolution is part of Radiotopia Presents, a podcast feed that debuts limited-run, artist-owned series from new and original voices. 

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - The Recipe with Kenji and Deb - “Popcorn”.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support audio with vision. Thank you! 

Spacebridge tells a largely-forgotten saga of the late Cold War, when despair about the prospects of a nuclear conflict gripped the world. Both Soviets and Americans grasped at emerging communication technology via satellite and early Internet “spacebridges” that brought together citizen diplomats ranging from New Agers to tech-enthusiasts to astronauts. The urge to “just connect” helped tilt the world from top-down broadcasting to the more horizontal, Internet-levelled society where we all now live…for better and/or for worse.

Co-hosted by Julia Barton and Charles Maynes, Spacebridge is a production of Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia with additional funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Our Russian content partner is the history site Arzamas.Academy.

Find out more at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

The Stoop talks to interracial couples having difficult conversations around race, love and identity at a time when racial tensions are high. And when there’s kids in the mix, these conversations can be even harder. We also hear from Professor Shantel Buggs—author of the study “Dating in the Time of #BlackLivesMatter”—who shares her findings from talking with with dozens of women about whether awareness of racial issues mattered when they were choosing a partner.

This mini-series of The Stoop is produced especially for Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s hosted and produced by Leila Day and Hana Baba, edited by Julie Caine and Casey Miner, engineered by Seth Samuel and Chris Hoff, and associate produced by Jessica Jupiter. Music by Daoud Anthony and artwork by Neema Iyer. Special thanks to KALW, the NPR Story Lab, and California Humanities.

Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy, Secrets, Errthang and The Great God of Depression at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

It’s called “the nod,” that silent acknowledgement of solidarity that especially happens when Black folk see one another in spaces where they are “the onlys.” In this episode, The Stoop hits the streets with black radio producers to give the nod and report back from New York, Seattle, and North Carolina.

This mini-series of The Stoop is produced especially for Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s hosted and produced by Leila Day and Hana Baba, edited by Julie Caine and Casey Miner, engineered by Seth Samuel and Chris Hoff, and associate produced by Jessica Jupiter. Music by Daoud Anthony and artwork by Neema Iyer. Special thanks to KALW, the NPR Story Lab, and California Humanities.

Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy, Secrets, Errthang and The Great God of Depression at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

Lean in for this one, as The Stoop heads to the lowcountry of South Carolina to celebrate the language and culture of the Gullah Geechee, a people rooted in a mix of African cultures.

Meet Gullah royalty Queen Quet, unwavering defender of Gullah Geechee culture, and Professor Sunn m'Cheaux, who found himself teaching a language he’d often been told not to speak while growing up.

This mini-series of The Stoop is produced especially for Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s hosted and produced by Leila Day and Hana Baba, edited by Julie Caine and Casey Miner, engineered by Seth Samuel and Chris Hoff, and associate produced by Jessica Jupiter. Music by Daoud Anthony and artwork by Neema Iyer. Special thanks to KALW, the NPR Story Lab, and California Humanities.

Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy, Secrets, Errthang and The Great God of Depression at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

Thin nose, high cheekbones, kinky hair, what you got in your blood? Your blood won’t lie, but does it determine your identity? We meet two women – Uzaz Shami, a Nubian woman who didn’t expect her results, and Shonda Buchanan who has always identified as Native American but isn’t always accepted as that. What percent of an ethnicity makes you part of that group? Does it even matter? Co-hosts Leila and Hana also take the test, and things take an unexpected turn.

This miniseries of The Stoop is produced especially for Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s hosted and produced by Leila Day and Hana Baba, edited by Julie Caine and Chris Miner, engineered by Seth Samuel and Chris Hoff, and associate produced by Jessica Jupiter. Music by Daoud Anthony and artwork by Neema Iyer. Special thanks to KALW, the NPR Story Lab, and California Humanities.

Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy, Secrets, Errthang and The Great God of Depression at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

Coming up next on Showcase: The Stoop.
 
 The Stoop celebrates black joy, digging deeper into stories about blackness that we don’t hear enough about. Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba bring you honest, lively conversations from across the black diaspora. 

The Stoop is produced and hosted by Leila Day and Hana Baba, edited by Julie Caine, engineered by Seth Samuel, and associate produced by Jessica Jupiter. Music by Daoud Anthony and artwork by Neema Iyer. Special thanks to KALW, the NPR Story Lab , and California Humanities.

Find out more at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

Actor Tony Shalhoub is well known for his role as one of the few openly mentally ill characters in television – an obsessive compulsive detective on the long-running show Monk.

In this bonus episode of The Great God of Depression, Shalhoub sits down with co-producer Karen Brown to read passages from William Styron's work, and share his perspective on mental illness and creativity.

If you haven’t yet heard The Great God of Depression, all five episodes are available now. For links, photos and more information visit radiotopia.fm/showcase.