In March of 2020, something happened.

A pandemic or something.

We were suddenly all alone at home. Actors were torn from the stage, playwrights had no one to read their words, and directors had nothing to move from page to stage.

What a perfect time to make an Audio Play.

I had always wondered what my play Simon Dawes Becomes a Planet (produced in 2016 by the wonderful Tony Hagopian and Michael Lluberes) might sound like as a radio play, and here was an opportunity. I emailed many friends and asked them to join, and we were off.

A group of actors around the country received a script and some instructions, then recorded themselves reading the script on their smartphone, and sent these recordings to me. None of the actors even knew who they were playing their scenes with, let alone what they sounded like. And they made something beautiful.

After much editing in my small Brooklyn apartment (hooray GarageBand!), the play is ready to be heard. Sometimes you may hear a baby or airplane in the background, or a microphone pop. I think that adds to the joy of it. We were all stuck, and we were all doing our very best.

I owe such a debt of gratitude to these actors for putting so much into this little project.

Making Simon Dawes Becomes a Planet helped me get through the darker days of this pandemic. I hope it brings you joy in the days to come.

-Alex.