PODCAST · arts
No Script: The Podcast
by No Script: The Podcast
No Script is a podcast designed to encourage unscripted conversations about theatre’s best scripts. Hosts Jackson Nickolay and Jacob Mann Christiansen sit down every week to discuss some of their favorite plays in dramatic literature, and how they still affect us to this day.
Episodes
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"House of Desires" by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz | S17.E07
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is often considered the first Latina playwright. Her door-slamming farcical comedy "House of Desires" contains all the great elements of classic comedy: eavesdropping, ridiculous disguises, witty exchanges... and drag! Listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss this...
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"Twelfth Night, or What You Will" by William Shakespeare | S17.E06
Themed Month is here! Join Jackson and Jacob as they explore four "classic" plays. First up, William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," also titled "What You Will." Sometimes referred to as Shakespeare's perfect comedy, "Twelfth Night" is a love-triangle-romantic-comedy with a heavy dose of disguise,...
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"Cambodian Rock Band" by Lauren Yee | S17.E05
What happens when the music you love is also tangled up with the history you’re trying to forget? Lauren Yee’s play "Cambodian Rock Band" follows a father and daughter as they return to Cambodia, confronting the ghosts of the Khmer Rouge regime, and the choices made so long ago. Oh, and there’s a...
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"Athena" by Gracie Gardner | S17.E04
Gracie Gardner's play "Athena" follows two rival fencers who become training partners and, maybe, friends? Listen in as Jackson and Jacob celebrate Gardner's brilliance in dialogue writing and explore the play's structural twists and turns. ------------------------------ Please consider…
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"Stop Kiss" by Diana Son | S17.E03
Jackson and Jacob discuss Diana Son’s play "Stop Kiss." The story follows Callie and Sara, two women whose unexpected friendship develops into something more... and whose first kiss has devastating consequences. It’s a tender, often playful, and popular play. Listen in as J&J examine how Diana…
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"Eureka Day" by Jonathan Spector | S17.E02
What happens when a community built on inclusivity, empathy, and (especially) consensus suddenly has to make a decision that not everyone can agree on? In Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day, the progressive parents and administrators of a Berkeley private school find themselves facing a mumps...
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"A Chorus Line" by by Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood Jr., and Nicholas Dante | S17.E01
Season 17 has arrived! Jackson and Jacob discuss the landmark musical "A Chorus Line" by Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, James Kirkwood Jr., Nicholas Dante, and Edward Kleban. Set during an audition for a Broadway musical, this deeply theatrical piece asks what happens when performers are...
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"Crimes of the Heart" by Beth Henley | Special Summer Episode
Jacob hosts Eve Bianco, Ana Radice-Morras, and Violet Levinson of Red Door Productions to talk about their upcoming production of "Crimes of the Heart" by Beth Henley. See the show at Theatre 154 on Christopher Street in NYC (July 15-26, 2026). Get tickets here:...
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"untitled hamlet play" by Rory O’Neill | Special Summer Episode
Director Cora Therber joins the podcast to talk about "untitled hamlet play" by Rory O'Neill, which opens this weekend by LOVECHILD Theater in NYC. See the show at the John DeSotelle Studio, May 29 - 31, 2026. Get tickets through the LOVECHILD Insta (@lovechildtheaterco) or here:...
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"Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" by Dave Malloy | S16.E015
Jackson and Jacob discuss Dave Malloy's hit musical "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812." This fiery piece adapts a small segment of Tolstoy's "War and Peace." Listen in to this final episode of Season 16! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low…
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"Mr. Wolf" by Rajiv Joseph | S16.E014
Rajiv Joseph's play "Mr. Wolf" follows the family of a kidnapped child when that child returns home. It's a poignant, theatrical story in which Joseph assembles the most complicated possible cast of characters to undergo this highly unlikely event. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss Joseph's...
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"How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel | S16.E013
This season's Themed Month, Paula Vogel Month, wraps up with her most famous play. The incomparable "How I Learned to Drive" is a haunting, hilarious piece of theatre. Listen in as Jackson and Jacob revisit its whirling theatricality and specificity. ------------------------------ Please enjoy...
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"Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief" by Paula Vogel | S16.E012
Jackson and Jacob discuss Paula Vogel's play on "Othello." "Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief" (great title!) explores the behind-the-scenes action of "Othello." It contains Vogel's characteristic humor and irreverence, while also asking important questions about our relationship to...
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"The Long Christmas Ride Home" by Paula Vogel | S16.E011
Paula Vogel Month continues! Jackson and Jackson discuss Vogel's hauntingly brilliant one-act play "The Long Christmas Ride Home." The story follows one family across a particularly memorable Christmas holiday. Vogel deploys her characteristic sense of theatrical intimacy, using puppets alongside...
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"Mother Play" by Paula Vogel | S16.E010
We kick off Paula Vogel Month with her newest play, "Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions." Jackson and Jacob discuss this theatrical look at a family across time. A semi-autobiographical piece, "Mother Play" is described by Vogel as her way of saying "Hi Mom." Listen in!...
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"Peter Pan and Wendy" by Lauren Gunderson | S16.E09
Lauren Gunderson's adaptation of JM Barrie's famous Peter Pan stories is full of humor, imagination, and robust stage challenges! Listen in as Jackson and Jacob discuss "Peter Pan and Wendy," a play in which Gunderson refocuses the narrative on Wendy and Tiger Lily, even while she delivers much…
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"The Best We Could" by Emily Feldman | S16.E08
This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss a play which has been called a combination of "Death of a Salesman" and "Our Town." Emily Feldman, a sharp and theatrical emerging playwright, has always wanted to write a play with a Stage Manager character, like in Thorton Wilder's famous play....
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"Woman and Scarecrow" by Marina Carr | S16.E07
In this episode of No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Irish playwright Marina Carr. Her play "Woman and Scarecrow" is a gallows comedy about a woman on her death bed, and the strange figures (some supernatural!) which surround her. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider...
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"Clarkston" by Samuel D. Hunter | S16.E06
Jackson and Jacob discuss a play from a pair of plays by popular contemporary playwright Samuel D. Hunter. "Clarkston" is set in a small town along the Lewis and Clark Trail. It follows two men working night shift at a Costco. Listen in as J&J discuss the play's complicated discussions of legacy...
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"Mothers and Sons" by Terrence McNally | S16.E05
This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob (finally) discuss a play by Terrence McNally. "Mothers and Sons" is a small, intimate play about two people meeting nearly two decades after they both lost someone close to them. The play also tracks how the world has changed since the AIDS crisis. Listen...
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"Two Trains Running" by August Wilson | S16.E04
Jackson and Jacob discuss one of America's most influential, profound playwrights: August Wilson. Wilson's play "Two Trains Running" is part of the Century Cycle. This play follows a group of regular's at a diner in the Hill District, a diner which is about to be torn down. Listen in!...
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"The Night Witches" by Rachel Bublitz | S16.E03
In this episode of No Script, Jackson is joined by Hope College professor Eric Van Tassell and director Dr. Daina Robins in a conversation about Hope's upcoming production of "The Night Witches," a powerful drama by Rachel Bublitz. The play follows the real-life bravery of the Soviet Union’s...
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"Ballad of Yachiyo" by Philip Kan Gotanda | S16.E02
This time on No Script, Jackson and Jacob explore Philip Kan Gotanda's play "Ballad of Yachiyo." This powerful and poetic drama is set in the early 19th century in Hawaii. The play follows a young Japanese-American woman whose life is shaped by cultural expectations and personal yearning. She...
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"Merrily We Roll Along" by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth | S16.E01
In this episode of No Script, we dive into the fascinating world of "Merrily We Roll Along" — Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s bold musical that turns the traditional Broadway story backward. Based on the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the show traces the lives of three friends...
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"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert | S15.E16
In the final episode of the season, No Script turns its attention to one of Broadway’s sharpest, wittiest, and most unsettling musical comedies: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Based on Shepherd Mead’s satirical guidebook, How to Succeed skewers mid-century corporate culture…
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"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare | S15.E15
This week on No Script, Jacob sits down with singer-songwriter, composer, and emerging theatre-maker Grace Yurchuk for a rich conversation about Julius Caesar. They, of course, discuss the power of rhetoric in Shakespeare’s original political thriller and how Grace’s bold musical adaptation takes...
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"Pride's Crossing" by Tina Howe | S15.E14
This week on No Script: The Podcast, Jackson and Jacob dive into Tina Howe’s lyrical memory play Pride’s Crossing — winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play and a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play centers on 90-year-old Mabel Tidings…
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"The Oregon Trail" by Bekah Brunstetter | S15.E13
In the finale of Adaptation Month, Jackson and Jacob discuss Bekah Brunstetter's play "The Oregon Trail." You guessed it -- the play is based on the famous video game and follows two sisters in two different timelines as they navigate life's difficult choices. Listen in!...
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"Carrie" by Lawrence D. Cohen, Dean Pitchford, and Michael Gore | S15.E12
Jackson and Jacob continue Adaptation Month by discussing the cult-classic musical adaption of Stephen King's Carrie, by Lawrence D. Cohen, Dean Pitchford, and Michael Gore. Listen as J&J chat about how musicals inherently alter the storytelling, and how Carrie: The Musical gained its infamous...
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"Pride and Prejudice" by Kate Hamill | S15.E11
Jackson and Jacob continue their themed month, Adaptation Month, by discussing Kate Hamill's adaptation of one of the most famous novels of all time: "Pride and Prejudice." Listen in as J&J chat about Hamill's unique and brilliant techniques of adaptation. ------------------------------ Please...
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"John Proctor is the Villian" by Kimberly Belflower | S15.E10
Jackson and Jacob kick off Adaptation Month by discussing Kimberly Belflower's recent Broadway hit "John Proctor is the Villian." Based on Arthur Miller's famous play "The Crucible," this contemporary play ignites a fire in a close-knit school community. Listen in! ------------------------------...
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"The Whale" by Samuel D. Hunter | S15.E09
This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Samuel D. Hunter's play "The Whale." Recently adapted into a film starring Brendan Fraser and Sadie Sink, "The Whale" is a complex play about hard-won hope. Listen in as J&J discuss the way Hunter has layered his themes and questions into…
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"Cry It Out" by Molly Smith Metzler | S15.E08
Jackson and Jacob discuss Molly Smith Metzler's play "Cry It Out," which premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays. This touching drama follows two women who become fast friends during their maternity leaves. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon....
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"The Playboy of the Western World" by John Millington Synge | S15.E07
Jackson and Jacob discuss John Millington Synge's famous comedy "The Playboy of the Western World." This Irish classic has been adapted countless times, but it's original story remains a quirky comedy which relies heavily on dramatic irony. Listen in! ------------------------------ Check out this...
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"The Walworth Farce" by Enda Walsh | S15.E06
Jackson and Jacob discuss Enda Walsh's wild, Beckett-like comedy "The Walworth Farce." In a small flat in London, a father and his two sons replay the same day of their lives over and over again. But what happens when, one day, a stranger knocks at their door? Listen in!...
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"Surely Goodness and Mercy" by Chisa Hutchinson | S15.E05
"Surely Goodness and Mercy" by Chisa Hutchinson is the story of a middle school boy and his unlikely friendship with the school lunch lady. Listen in this week as Jackson and Jacob discuss the play's tenderness and heart. J&J also discuss the techniques Hutchinson uses to keep the audience…
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"Rock 'n' Roll" Tom Stoppard | S15.E04
This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss Tom Stoppard's epic play about the Velvet Revolution: "Rock 'n' Roll." Listen in as J&J breakdown the play's intricate scene work. They also discuss Stoppard's powerful portraiture of theoretical ideas in everyday life....
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"King James" by Rajiv Joseph | S15.E03
Jackson and Jacob discuss Rajiv Joseph's play King James. This two-hander loosely follows the career of LeBron James as a Cleveland Cavalier, with all it's unexpected twists and turns. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you...
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"McNeal" by Ayad Akhtar | S15.E02
Jackson and Jacob discuss Ayad Akhtar's new play "McNeal" which starred Robert Downey Jr. in its Broadway debut. In the play, Akhtar takes on the issue everyone's talking about: AI. ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to...
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"By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" by Lynn Nottage | S15.E01
To begin Season 15, Jackson and Jacob discuss another play from Lynn Nottage's fabulous library: "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark." In this story of an early black film star, Nottage deploys surprising meta-theatricality to cross time periods and ask powerful questions. Listen in!...
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"You Will Get Sick" by Noah Diaz | Special Summer Episode
Jacob is joined by Audrey Francis, Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, for a special conversation on Noah Diaz's incredible play "You Will Get Sick," opening at Steppenwolf later this month. Listen in! Get your tickets to "You Will Get Sick" by Noah Diaz at Steppenwolf Theatre…
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"Jesus Christ Superstar" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice | S14.E17
In the final episode of the season, Jackson and Jacob discuss the worldwide phenomena that is "Jesus Christ Superstar"! Listen in as they breakdown how Webber and Rice trouble the familiar stories of Jesus and Judas, and how the changing view on rock n' roll has altered the story of "Jesus Christ...
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"Machinal" by Sophie Treadwell (PART 2!) | S14.E16
Jacob is joined by Amy Marie Seidel, director of the New York Theatre Company's upcoming production of "Machinal" by Sophie Treadwell. Jacob and Ms. Seidel discuss the continued relevance of "Machinal," and how Treadwell uses expressionist techniques to bring the audience inside the mind of the...
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"Bus Stop" by William Inge | S14.E15
Jacob is joined by Jack Cummings III, director of Classic Stage Company's co-production of William Inge's Bus Stop with NAATCO and Transport Group. Mr. Cummings and Jacob discuss Inge's legacy and his unique portraits of American loneliness. They also discuss Cummings' upcoming production, which...
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"Into the Beautiful North" by Karen Zacarías | S14.E14
Jackson and Jacob discuss the play "Into the Beautiful North." In her stage adaptation of the novel by the same name, Karen Zacarías takes the audience across thousands of miles in an epic quest. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as...
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"Whitelisted" by Chisa Hutchinson | S14.E13
Join us as Jackson and Jacob round out Halloween in April by discussing Chisa Hutchinson's revenge-horror play "Whitelisted." They chat about how Hutchinson deploys sometimes simple, sometimes not so simple spooky effects to make a larger observation about the world. Listen in!...
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"Witch" by Jen Silverman | S14.E12
Halloween in April continues with Jen Silverman's play Witch. Jackson and Jacob discuss Silverman's loose adaptation of The Witch of Edmonton, paying particular attention to how -- though the play contains a literal devil! -- Silverman locates the real horror of the world in our trapped (and...
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"Apparition" by Anne Washburn | S14.E11
Halloween in April continues with a discussion about Anne Washburn's play Apparition. Jackson and Jacob explore her mysterious, vignette-based exploration of what scares us... and why. Listen in! ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you...
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"Covenant" by York Walker | S14.E10
Halloween in April -- our Season 14 Themed Month -- begins today! No Script begins a 4-week look at plays with spooky, frightening characters, situations, and themes. This week, Jackson and Jacob discuss York Walker's play Covenant, where a century old myth about making a deal with the devil…
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"Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov | S14.E09
This week, Jackson and Jacob visit a classic of the stage: Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. This puzzling play defies categorization. With a large ensemble cast, a surprising lack of plot, and several bids for love, Chekhov manages to gorgeously tell a story of human longing. Listen in!...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
No Script is a podcast designed to encourage unscripted conversations about theatre’s best scripts. Hosts Jackson Nickolay and Jacob Mann Christiansen sit down every week to discuss some of their favorite plays in dramatic literature, and how they still affect us to this day.
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No Script: The Podcast
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How many episodes does No Script: The Podcast have?
No Script: The Podcast currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is No Script: The Podcast about?
No Script is a podcast designed to encourage unscripted conversations about theatre’s best scripts. Hosts Jackson Nickolay and Jacob Mann Christiansen sit down every week to discuss some of their favorite plays in dramatic literature, and how they still affect us to this day.
How often does No Script: The Podcast release new episodes?
No Script: The Podcast publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to No Script: The Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts No Script: The Podcast?
No Script: The Podcast is created and hosted by No Script: The Podcast.
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