I’ve written about how I’m obsessed with the What It Is Podcast, but there’s a few more podcasts I listen to that aren’t strictly theatre podcasts but have recently published a couple great episodes related to theatre.
I’ve listened to audiobooks of both Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics and absolutely loved them. So, I was excited when I found out the same economist/journalist team behind the books produces a weekly podcast discussing various social phenomena and data that provides insight into those phenomena. The “Fear Thy Nature” episode of the Freakonomics Podcast discussed the immersive theatre experience Sleep No More which plays in New York and juxtaposes the show against the Stanford Prison Experiment. The podcast was a fantastic discourse on human behavior, psychology, and how that can be manipulated or explored in a contrived setting. Check out the “Fear Thy Nature” episode of the Freakonomics Podcast on iTunes.
I’m also a huge fan of the Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin Podcast. Having no training in journalism or interviewing techniques, I’ve learnt a ton about interviewing just by listening to Alec’s interviews with various politicians, activists, artists and athletes. Episode #60: Patti Lupone and Jon Robin Baitz, and Stacy Keach was a discussion with three different theatre artists all with vastly different experiences with and philosophies on their art form. Listen to Episode #60 on WNYC Radio’s website.