Explore every episode of the podcast Wordplay: Theater for the Ear and the Imagination
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE CALL OF PETER AND ANDREW | 01 Jul 2025 | 00:08:46 | |
Jesus calls Peter and Andrew from their fishing boat to be his apostles. | |||
| THE CRIPPLED MAN AND SAINT ANTHONY: A MEXICAN FOLK TALE | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:09:36 | |
A charming folk tale which illustrates the words of Jesus,"Pray always and do not lose hope." | |||
| THE INTERLOPERS by Saki | 21 Feb 2025 | 00:15:29 | |
Two enemies meet is a disputed forest on a cold windy night and realize too late the importance of reconciliation. | |||
| POEMS AND CAROLS FOR CHRISTMAS | 01 Dec 2024 | 00:20:50 | |
Six poems and four carols to celebrate the birth of Jesus. | |||
| THE BRIDE OF CANA by Kahlil Gibran | 26 Oct 2024 | 00:08:36 | |
The Bride of Cana speaks about her encounter with Jesus. | |||
| MY UNCLE SOSTHENES by Guy De Maupassant | 12 Sep 2024 | 00:13:48 | |
Audio comedy from a humorous story by 19th century French writer, Guy Da Maupasant. Freemasons,Jesuits, and a joke that backfires. | |||
| THREE ITALIAN FOLK TALES | 15 May 2024 | 00:16:38 | |
Three Italian folk tales that affirm the Italian values of hospitality and the circumstances needed for happiness. | |||
| JUDAS, MY SON | 24 Mar 2024 | 00:09:44 | |
Judas and his mother tell their stories. From Jesus, Son of Man by Kahlil Gibran. | |||
| PILATE'S WIFE | 14 Feb 2024 | 00:10:47 | |
Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia Procula, look back at their encounters with Jesus. | |||
| BELLS | 01 Dec 2023 | 00:06:16 | |
Two poems for Christmas & the New Year: Christmas Bells by H. W. Longfellow & Ring Out, Wild Bells by A. L. Tennyson | |||
| SHAM, a comedy by Frank Gerow Tompkins | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:21:50 | |
In this comedy, a discriminating thief exposes the sham of a pretentious couple. | |||
| THE LAST LEAF by O. Henry | 06 Sep 2023 | 00:13:32 | |
A story about love and sacrifice with a typical O. Henry surprise ending. | |||
| A MATE FOR THE CREATURE from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley | 12 Jul 2023 | 00:19:00 | |
The Creature asks Dr. Frankenstein to create a mate for him. An episode from the novel by Mary Shelley. | |||
| A Salute to Brevity 1: Ain't I A Woman? by Sojourner Truth | 14 May 2023 | 00:03:43 | |
| A Salute to Brevity 2: Eulogy for the Dog by George Graham Vest | 14 May 2023 | 00:04:28 | |
| A Salute to Brevity 3: Call for a Last Council of the Tribal Chiefs by Chief Plenty Coups | 14 May 2023 | 00:04:13 | |
| A Salute to Brevity 4: If by Whiskey by Noah Sweat | 14 May 2023 | 00:04:27 | |
| A Salute to Brevity 5: Sermon to the Birds by Saint Francis of Assisi | 14 May 2023 | 00:03:01 | |
| A Salute to Brevity 6: Address to Her Troops by Queen Elizabeth I | 14 May 2023 | 00:03:33 | |
| THE ONION & OTHER TALES - TOLD BY THREE GREAT RUSSIAN WRITERS | 12 Apr 2023 | 00:17:57 | |
"The Onion" from "Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, "The Little Demon and the Crust of Bread" by Leo Tolstoy and "On the Day of the Crucifixion" by Leonid Andreyev | |||
| NAILS by Charles Wharton Stork | 14 Feb 2023 | 00:05:50 | |
Three Roman soldiers speak to Jesus as they nail him to the cross. | |||
| WAR PRAYER by Mark Twain | 14 Feb 2023 | 00:13:25 | |
Twain's condemnation of the celebration and glorification of war and his revealing of the true consequences of praying for victory in war. | |||
| THE NATIVITY MONOLOGUES | 01 Dec 2022 | 00:22:47 | |
A series of brief monologues spoken by persons and animals associated with the birth of Jesus. Compiled from works by several authors, including Dorothy L. Sayers and Madeleine L'Engle
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| THE CHRISTMAS GHOST by Stephen Leacock | 01 Dec 2022 | 00:08:03 | |
A comedy in which a ghost, whom no one is afraid of any longer, shares his woes with a writer on Christmas Eve.
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| UNWANTED MIRACLES by Edgar Lee Masters | 17 Oct 2022 | 00:09:55 | |
Not everyone was happy about the miracles of Jesus. Edgar Lee Masters imagines what the reactions of three people in the Gospel might have been to the miracles.
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| THE RECKONING by Percival Wilde | 23 Aug 2022 | 00:16:50 | |
"The wheels of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small." - H W Longfellow. A barber chair is the location for the dispensing of justice. | |||
| THE HAPPY PRINCE by Oscar Wilde | 11 Jul 2022 | 00:18:16 | |
A fairy tale about a statue and a bird and about giving and self sacrifice.
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| EIGHT VOICES: THE ARREST AND TRIAL OF JESUS | 04 Apr 2022 | 00:18:17 | |
A series of monologues spoken by people associated with the arrest and trial of Christ.
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| 2 scenes from DEATH ON VACATION by Alberto Casella | 19 Mar 2022 | 00:19:48 | |
Death takes on human form for three days to investigate life among mortals.
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| The Wise Rabbi: Jewish Folktales | 10 Jan 2022 | 00:20:50 | |
The Wise Rabbi is a series of short Jewish folktales, both humorous and serious, which reflect the wisdom of the traditional rabbi and his place of respect in the Jewish community. The tales were gleaned from various Eastern European Jewish collections. | |||
| The Lightning Rod Man by Herman Melville | 10 Sep 2021 | 00:17:02 | |
The Lightning Rod Man is a short audio play based on the story by Herman Melville. Melville is best known to us as the author of such classic novels as Moby Dick and Billy Budd. But Melville also had a lighter side. In The Lightning Rod Man he has fun contrasting the person who appreciates and embraces life, despite all of its hazards, with the person who fears it. The short play opens during a thunder storm, when a man selling lightning rods shows up at the door of a man who is in awe at the majesty of thunder and lightning. | |||
| The Blind Spot by Saki | 20 Jul 2021 | 00:14:50 | |
The Blind Spot by Saki. Saki, the pen name of early 20th century British writer Hector Hugh Munro, was known for his witty stories with surprise endings. In The Blind Spot a lady gourmand finds the truth inconvenient and must choose between justice and pleasure. | |||
| Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying by Dominic Rover, O. P. | 15 Jul 2021 | 00:08:17 | |
Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying. Dominican Father Dominic Rover wrote this monologue after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. | |||
| At the Smithville Methodist Church by Stephen Dunn | 23 Feb 2021 | 00:03:13 | |
An irreligious father sends his child to an arts and crafts program at a local church. 3.5 minutes | |||
| The Atheist’s Mass by Honore de Balzac | 23 Feb 2021 | 00:18:22 | |
The Atheist’s Mass by Honore de Balzac In 19th century France a young intern physician tries to discover why his mentor, a great surgeon and strident atheist, occasionally attends Mass. 19 minutes | |||
| The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain | 23 Feb 2021 | 00:23:34 | |
The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain Twain’s comic twist on the book of Genesis. What if the first man and first woman had kept diaries? 24 minutes | |||