Forge Theater Labs

Episode 1.6 FORGE THEATER LABS LIVE: “PLAY DATES” Record Date: Monday, March 16th, 2026 Air Date:‍ ‍Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 Recorded live at Argenta Brewing Company, Portland, MainePresented in Partnership with Maine Playwrights FestivalWritten by Dr. Janna SegalSound Design by Cory MacgowanEdited by Sam Rapaport Hosted by Liz Carlson and Joshua N HsuFeaturing Todd Brian Bachus, Dr. Beka Bryer, Kate Hunter, Joshua W. Jackson, Micki Kleinman, Mark Macey, Jack Allen Murphy, and Shannon Wade. SYNOPSISIn this unique, one-night only show, Founder of Forge Theater Labs Joshua N Hsu and Maine Playwrights Festival Artistic Director Liz Carlson will act as matchmakers for eight playwrights and dramaturgs from Maine. Will they discover their ideal writing collaborators? Anticipate a flurry of creativity in this unparalleled theatrical dating show. A Quick Note on Audio Quality:You may notice some audio inconsistencies during Act 1 of today’s episode is due to a technical glitch during recording. We’ve worked hard in post-production to make it as clear as possible, and the issue is fully resolved by the start of Act 2. Thank you for bearing with us—we didn’t want you to miss out on this conversation!© 2025 Forge Theater Labs LLC. All rights reserved.

Episode 1.5 Dramaturg Spotlight: Afrikah SelahRecord Date:Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 Air Date:‍ ‍Monday, March 30th, 2026Hosted by Joshua N HsuFeaturing Afrikah SelahSYNOPSISHost Joshua N Hsu and Dramaturg/Critic/Director Afrikah Selah (they/them) talk about who gets to discuss art, what critical frameworks we’re bound to, and what it means to critique responsibly in a moment shaped by speed, trends, and urgency.

Episode 1.4 Director Showcase: Nelson T. Eusebio III Record Date: Thursday, February 12th, 2026 Air Date:‍ ‍Monday, March 23rd, 2026Hosted by Joshua N HsuFeaturing Nelson T. Eusebio IIISYNOPSISHost Joshua N Hsu and Director Nelson T. Eusebio III discuss the power and responsibilities directors have in casting and the use cases for and dangers of merit-based casting.

Episode 1.3 Company Showcase: Portland Theater FestivalRecord Date: Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 Air Date:‍ ‍Thursday, March 19th, 2026Hosted by Joshua N HsuFeaturing Dave Register Post production by Sam Rapaport SYNOPSISHost Joshua N Hsu and Director/Actor/Artistic Director Dave Register discuss lessons learned after 5 years with Portland Theater Festival and how to build artistic leadership that lasts.

Episode 1.2 Forge Theater Labs Roundtable: Design-or-Bust Big Love by Charles MeeRecord Date: Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 Air Date:‍ ‍Tuesday, March 10th, 2026Hosted by Joshua N HsuPost Production by Sam RapaportFeaturing Sage Bartlett, Chris DeFillip, Anna Halloran, Kimmarie McCrann, Cory Macgowan SYNOPSISWe ask a crackpot team of directors and designers minutes to design Big Love by Charles Mee in 90 minutes or less. Can tehy make it? Listen to see what they came up with, and see their theoretical design here.

Episode 1.1 “THE WILL TO ADAPT”Record Date: Monday, February 16th, 2026 Air Date: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026Recorded live at Novel Book Bar and Club, Portland, Maine. Written by Megan TripaldiDirected by Sararose WilleySound Design/Live Engineering by Cory MacgowanPost Production by Sam RapaportFeaturing Caroline Chung, Joshua N Hsu, and Megan Tripladi SYNOPSISHost Joshua N Hsu and guest host Megan Tripaldi meet Will Shakes, a writer with writer’s block, and help him navigate it and the process of adaptation. © 2025 Forge Theater Labs LLC. All rights reserved.

Episode 0.10 “GUEST ARTIST COMPILATION”Record Date: Various Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Sam RapaportSYNOPSIS: On each of our live shows, we invite local Maine storytellers, musicians, and artists to share their work with us. At the end of each season, we compile their work here. Featuring Amanda Eaton, Sam Fin Cutler, Parker Hough, Ryan Higgins, Cory Melancon, Tara McDonough, Megan Tripaldi, and Ashanti Williams

SYNOPSIS: Josh asks a team of dramaturgs and playwrights: how do we continue to build upon the roles dramaturgs have in established and new works? How can they better integrate with our teams? How do we nurture the next generation of dramaturgs? Record Date: Tuesday, June 11th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua Hsu Featuring John Patrick Bray, Andrew J. Henkes, Alicia Tycer, and Dr. Janna Segal © 2025 Forge Theater Labs LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS: Chelsea Sutton, interim artistic director at Rogue Artist Ensemble, and Josh explore how Rogue Artists Ensemble brings to life their hypertheatrical pieces with design at its inception. We explore how she and the Rogues approach the "Why Now" test to ensure their work stays relevant.About Chelsea SuttonChelsea Sutton (she/her) is an LA-based writer and director. She’s a PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, a graduate of the 2022 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside. Her macabre steampunk adaptation of Pinocchio written with Rogue Artists Ensemble, Wood Boy Dog Fish, appeared in the inaugural season at the Garry Marshall Theatre. She also co-wrote the Emmy-nominated Welcome to the Blumhouse Live, an interactive film event for Blumhouse/Amazon. She has worked with Rogue Artists Ensemble in Los Angeles for over 12 years, and is currently serving as the Interim Artistic Director; she previously served as Associate Artistic Director for two years and Marketing Manager for a decade before that. At Rogue she also co-founded the Rogue Lab New Play Incubator in 2018 with Lisa Sanaye Dring. Also a fiction writer, she has over 25 short stories published and her first novella is forthcoming February 2026 from Split/Lip PressRecord Date: Tuesday, July 17th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua Hsu Featuring Chelsea Sutton© 2025 Forge Theater Labs LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS:A crackpot team of director and designers has ONLY 90 minutes to design Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Can they make it?! See what they came up with by visiting forgetheaterlabs.comRecord Date: Wednesday, June 5th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua Hsu and Sam RapaportFeaturing Liz Carlson, Christopher Sousa Wynn, and Elisha Griego© 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS: Josh speaks to Leland Faulkner, a former artistic director and former co-owner of Celebration Barn Theater in Maine, about his experience with experimentation and how to sustain the spirit of experimentation after all these years. About Leland FaulknerLeland Faulkner is an acclaimed performing artist with over thirty years of experience in theater and film. A master of visual storytelling, Leland has created original productions that have toured internationally, from Japan to Turkiye, Russia, Canada, and China. A pivotal chapter in Leland’s career began when he served as Artistic Director and co-owner of Celebration Barn Theater in Maine. There, he launched his journey as a teaching artist, curating intensive training forums that brought world-renowned masters of mime, movement, physical comedy, Commedia dell’arte, and voice to teach aspiring performers. His commitment to arts education grew through programs like Arts for Learning and the RAISE teaching artist initiative, and continues today with “The Kinetic Connection,” a virtual workshop series for professionals. Leland’s legacy includes directing award-winning stage works such as Shadowplay, recognized by the Kennedy Center, as well as innovative film and media projects, including the acclaimed The King O’ Cats and his contributions to The Polar Express. As both artist and educator, Leland Faulkner blends imagination, global experience, and a deep dedication to the transformative power of the arts.Record Date: Tueday, June 17th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua Hsu Featuring Leland Faulkner© 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS: Maya and Josh speak to Jasmine Joshua (they/them) about their groundbreaking work with Reboot Theatre Company in Seattle, WA, their journey developing their new musical Here and Their, and how they go about choosing their next project About Jasmine JoshuaJasmine Joshua (they/them) is the founder and Artistic Director of Reboot Theatre Company, a queer and trans-focused company in Seattle. Jasmine graduated magna cum laude from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Creative Writing. They studied with the Larry Moss Studio and the Groundlings. Directing credits: Book-It (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd); Intiman (The Mystery of Irma Vep); Reboot Theatre (Private Lives, Cabaret); Cafe Nordo (Down the Rabbit Hole, Christmas Killing at Corgi Cliffs); Annex (Gold); assistant director at 5th Avenue Theatre (Bliss); associate director at Village Theatre (XY, Sherwood). On stage: 5th Avenue Theatre, Village, Seattle Shakes, Seattle Public Theatre, Book-it, Intiman, Reboot, Seattle Musical Theatre. Jasmine is also a musical theatre writer and composer (And So That Happened, 5th Ave; Bread Crumbs, ACT and ArsNova), their musical Here and Their will premiere at 12th Avenue Arts in June 2025. Before moving to Seattle, Jasmine was a theatrical publicist in the Bay Area, managing clients from LORT theatres and Broadway tours to opera, ballet, and a monster truck rally. Learn more at www.jasminejoshua.comRecord Date: Wednedsay, June 18th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua Hsu and Maya WilliamsFeaturing Jasmine Joshua© 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS : Josh speaks to Counter/Current: Collective, Belfast ME’s newest theater company, about how they're finding ways to bring immersive theater to Maine, how they choose their shows, and their experience building a theater that’s rooted in community. About Counter/Current: Collective: John and Courtney have been partners in life, art, and business for over 20 years, and recently founded Belfast's newest immersive theatre company, counter/current: collective, dedicated to bringing adventurous, thought-provoking theatre and dance to Midcoast Maine that inspires conversation and creates space for transformation. Find out more at www.becountercurrent.com.Learn more about them: https://www.becountercurrent.comRecord Date: Thursday, May 29th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Hosted by Joshua N HsuFeaturing Courtney Hayes and John Jurcheck© 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.

SYNOPSIS: We throw down with Plato and Sidney to see what constitutes “Dangerous Art” and the effects of the stories we tell. Maybe one of us is a Cylon after all. Record Date: Sunday, April 27th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Brought to you in part by The Circular SeriesRecorded Live at Cassidy Point, Portland, Maine. Written by Andrew J. HenkesFeaturing Joshua Hsu, Maya Williams, Sam Rapaport, Jared Mongeau, and Mark RubinFeaturing Music by Superorder© 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional, or actual events is purely coincidental and should be treated as parody.

SYNOPSIS: Doc Brown arrives from the past to our dystopian future to bring Maya and Josh back to Ancient Greece to speak to the basis for Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, Lysimacha, and how to use theater for the greater good in these “unprecedented times.” The regime tries to take over our podcast and our ad breaks with AI Josh. Record Date: Sunday, April 26th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Brought to you in part by The Circular SeriesRecorded Live at Cassidy Point, Portland, Maine. Written by Alicia TycerFeaturing Joshua Hsu, Maya Williams, Mark Rubin, and Kendall CooperFeaturing Music by Superorder, Conor Linehan, and Joe Beninati © 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional, or actual events is purely coincidental and should be treated as parody.

SYNOPSIS: Maya and Josh meet Aristotle and explore the inescapability of Aristotelian notions of plot and of Kevin Bacon movies. Record Date: Sunday, April 13th, 2025 Air Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025Brought to you in part by The Circular SeriesRecorded live at Cassidy Point, Portland, Maine. Written by Joshua N Hsu, Rachel Price Cooper, and Maya WilliamsFeaturing Joshua Hsu, Maya Williams, Sam Rapaport, and Jared Mongeau Featuring Music by Superorder. © 2025 Forge Theater Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional, or actual events is purely coincidental and should be treated as parody.

Learn more about Forge Theater Labs as we get ready to launch all of our episodes for our pilot season this October 2025!