Stories of the people who fall for a life in the theater.
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Chris Ware
Prologue
As high-school freshmen, Kim, Tiffany, and Laura were enamored of their fellow students who netted the leads in all the school plays. They're seniors now, and they're the ones landing all the lead roles. But that doesn't stop them from continuing to gush about the "stars" that went before them (3 minutes).
Act One
Act One
David Sedaris reads his story of getting the drama bug. (14 minutes)
Song:
“Brush Up Your Shakespeare” by Cybill Shepherd
Act Two
Lost In Yonkers
Host Ira Glass follows the last month of rehearsals of Oak Park and River Forest High School's production of Neil Simon's Lost In Yonkers. (22 minutes)
Song:
“Showtime” by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Act One
Act Three
From The Audience Seats
Mark O'Brien is in an iron lung and comes out for short periods of time. What does he do with those precious moments free of the machinery that keeps him alive? He goes to the theater. (6 minutes)
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Act Two: Suburban Girl
Chicago writer/musician Rennie Sparks, a member of the independent band The Handsome Family, reads "Skanks," a story of a girl struggling in a situation where some rules are strict, but other rules are up for grabs.
Act Three: Medieval Times
Ira takes a Medieval scholar from the University of Chicago, Michael Camille, to Medieval Times — a chain of fake castles where visitors eat Medieval food and drink Medieval Pepsi and watch a supposed recreation of a Medieval jousting tournament.
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