Our live celebration of 1000 weeks of podcasting onstage at Chicago's Annoyance Theater continues this week as Annoyance founder and directors Mick Napier and Jennifer Estlin discuss the evolution of their mentalism and closeup magic double-act. Mick and Jen share their early inspiration; a special appearance from telephone psychic Vanessa Sawyer from the Kenny Kingston Psychic Hotline; shout-out Chicago’s Magic Lounge, where Napier and Estlin have played before; and how the danger of knowing too much or overthinking a thing can sometimes destroy the magic of that thing; a fantastic definition of magic; how the value of most institutions is the generations of artists who’ve contributed to its legacy; and a partial answer to the question “Are magicians born or made?” (Length 26:17)

It's our 1000th episode! And we celebrated in high-style with a live recording onstage at Chicago's Annoyance Theatrewith Annoyance's founder and artistic director Mick Napier (Paradigm Lost, Exit 57) and its executive director Jennifer Estlin. Mick and Jen discuss the theatre's origins; how Mick wanted to set the Annoyance apart from what Second Citywas doing (but ended up returning to the mothership to direct a landmark production that changed the culture there forever); how Jen kept the Annoyance going during the pandemic; and how they both have made the Annoyance an artistic home for generations of multi-talented actors and improvisers. PART TWO OF OUR CONVERSATION WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK, OR YOU CAN WATCH THE WHOLE THING ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW! (Length 22:44)

Author James Finn Garner (Politically Correct Bedtime Stories) returns to discuss his latest satire, Politically Correct Peter Pan, and the difficulties of staying ahead of contemporary sensibilities. Garner reveals how his background as an actor informs his writing; how he gets to do what he loves; how he prefers editing what he's written to actually writing; the fun of playing in sandboxes other authors have created; the opportunities of his glorious Substack; and finally, the phenomenon of "Pansplaining." (Cover art by Lia Garner.) (Length 21:24)

What happens when you’re a five-person theatre company whose stage manager is too sick to fly and the shipping company won’t deliver your props and costumes? Reed Martin explains what happened last month when those hiccups affected our performances of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) in Oregon and Washington. It’s a tale of improvisation; scrambling and calling on reserves; promoting from within; early mornings and late nights; the beauty of muscle memory; all hands being on deck all across the country; getting the chance to admire beautiful scenery; not panicking; the show going on; and the whole thing turning into a Christmas (ultimate) miracle. (Length 19:47)

Mary Hartman, the director of education at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada, shares her philosophy for Shakespeare education and its emphasis on play. Mary reveals why threads is a better term than themes; how Shakespeare’s plays should not be poetry readings; how she's developed the Discovery Zone, an extensive free resource for both students and educators; and how so much of Shakespeare’s power is not just in his words, but in the relationship of actors to each other and to the audience. NOTE: This conversation was recorded the night before we learned Tina Packer, the Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts and an acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher, died at the age of 87. Tina was a mentor to generations of artists, scholars, and educators, including Mary, and so this conversation is an unintentionally timely tribute to and celebration of the legacy of Tina Packer. (Length 19:30)

Cathy Sandrich is the Emmy-winning casting director of The Pitt, HBO's Emmy-winning outstanding drama beginning its second season this week. A veteran of various "big boy movies," Cathy reveals how she sees thousands of actors for hundreds of roles; the supreme importance of lists; how one starts over with every project; the importance of strong and truthful choices; how casting directors have to audition just like actors and, also like actors, don't like to be pegged; how good is always good but sometimes not quite right; and, most encouragingly, how great auditions are never wasted. (Length 22:09)

On its 30th anniversary, we present the complete audio of The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas, which walked so The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) could run, and was first recorded and broadcast on Public Radio International in 1995. Featuring conversations with both the crew of Yule-Sat and Charles Dickens; festive (and occasionally dated) partying at the RSC HQ in Northern California; the ten-minute "The Complete Christmas Carol (abridged);" and the original in-context version of that would-be holiday classic "Mrs. Santa Claus." (Length 47:35)

Jon Hudson Odom and Helen Jon Lee (above) reveal how they bring surprising joy to their portrayals of the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit in this year's Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. Jon and Helen share the various productions that have inspired them; how they keep the performances fresh; how their own families shape their instincts; how the Cratchits code-switch; the moving and very personal interactions they've had with audience members; the value of avoiding "toxic positivity;" the Shakespearean nature of this classic text; and the importance of scorning the kind of modern-day Scrooges who would find this kind of diversity too "woke." Also: a special appearance by Erin Allen, producer and host of the WBEZ podcast Curious City. (Length 22:52)