How Amanda Parris lost and found her way back to art + Turning the frustration of finding child care into music

Amanda Parris is the type of artist who believes in sharing the spotlight. As an award-winning playwright, writer, TV producer and broadcaster, she’s used her success to amplify the work of other Black artists throughout her career. Amanda sits down with Tom to talk about the lightbulb moment that pushed her toward writing, how she convinced an Oscar-winning actor to drop a few bars on stage, and why her latest project has her reconsidering the direction of her life. Plus, Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava run a theatre company called Quote Unquote Collective where they create theatre that examines issues through a feminist lens. Their new production, “Universal Child Care,” is an eight-person a capella show that’s part theatre piece and part concert. Amy chats with Tom about how the show came to be and sets up a song from it.