Gather by the Ghost Light
GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT is storytelling podcast in radio theater format. Think of the Ghost Light as your campfire. Gather around and listen to stories from a variety of genres. Playwright, Jonathan Cook, is the host of the series and most of the stories you hear were originally written as short stage plays that have been produced in theatres around the World. Short play festivals have become wildly popular in recent years and they have given playwrights a platform for their work. The audio plays produced on this podcast range from festival award winners to brand new world premieres giving these talented playwrights an even wider audience for their stories. We welcome you to join us in this journey as we extend the voices of playwrights!
Episodes
July 22, 2024 • 78 mins
"THE EVENT: A MUSICAL JOURNEY" - An ecological sci-fi song cycle. A rogue rocket launch sets off a chain reaction that traps humanity on Earth. The fallout is explored through eight musical vignettes, bound loosely by the musings of a mysterious narrator.
Music composed by Michael R. Ray.
Book & lyrics by Dani Ray.
Performed by Vaughan Duncan, Krys Bailey, Jamie McAteer, Audrey Robertson, Adam Kronowski, Dani Ray, Ashley Rivera, A...
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July 8, 2024 • 39 mins
A GOOD FIT: Two women visit a coffee shop. One is there for a job interview. The other for a blind date. Unfortunately, they accidentally sit at the wrong tables. Romantic comedy.
Written by Jaclyn Stiller
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Marian Thibodeau as "Tessa", Amy Thorne as "Shannon", Sol Baird as "Jon", & Andre Williams as "John".
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: Jaclyn Stiller is an actor, director, and pla...
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June 24, 2024 • 40 mins
3x3 - A SHORT PLAY IN THREE SHORTER ACTS: A married couple face struggles as they try to have a baby, but hope keeps them moving forward ... accordingly.
Written by Eric Odom
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Devon McSherry as "Stephanie" and TJ McSherry as "Marcus"
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: Eric Odom is a stage and voice actor from Augusta, GA. Eric can be heard in several audio plays on the Gather by the Gho...
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June 17, 2024 • 51 mins
GROUND CONTROL TO BABY TOM: Two female astronauts, charged with the important mission of carrying the first pregnancy to full term in space, find themselves entangled in patriarchal nonsense, even 400 million miles away on a spaceship orbiting Jupiter's moon Io.
Written by Emily McClain
Directed by Devon McSherry
Performed by Karla Daly as "Celeste" and Amy Pickrel as "Natasha".
Cover art by: David Curtis Studio (david-curtis.com)
...
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June 10, 2024 • 56 mins
POSTPARTUM: The Mother had a baby a month ago. Her Husband knows something is wrong. And the baby monitor keeps making these weird noises...
Written by Jillian Blevins
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Marian Thibodeau as "Mother" and Matt Hoffman as "Husband".
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: Jillian Blevins is a playwright and theatre artist whose short plays have been performed in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, ...
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May 13, 2024 • 74 mins
IT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR: Deutero-Fung, a mold spore with big ideas, attempts to rally his fellow mold spores into blooming immediately and take over the apartment-verse, but Hyphae-Fung, a mold spore with even bigger ideas, warns the community that blooming early will be a mistake. Look out! Cuz it's Happening in your Refrigerator!
Written by Greg Kotis
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Sol Baird as "Deutero-Fung";...
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April 15, 2024 • 61 mins
THAT NIGHT "BUTCHER" PETE GOT KNOCKED OUT BY JESSIE "THE CANNON" TESORI: World class heavyweight champion fighter, “Butcher” Pete Wilcox, is at the peak of his career – a living legend with a winning streak to brag about. He never expected, however, that his undefeated record would end in an exhibition match with Jessie “The Cannon” Tesori – a lightweight contender from the women’s fighting division.
Written and directed by Jonatha...
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March 27, 2024 • 36 mins
UNKNOWN NUMBER: As a snowstorm rages outside, a woman receives phone calls from an entity that attempts to lure her outside.
Written by Greg Mandryk
Directed by Chris Plumridge in association with Ruby Sky Productions
Performed by Jacquie Floyd as "Samantha", Barbara Guinan as "Mom", Morey Norkin as "Dad", Scott Sickles as "Dispatcher", Dana Hall as "Operator", & Chris Plumridge as "Joe".
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: ...
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March 5, 2024 • 60 mins
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY (aka THE BREAD PLAY): After getting the unlimited bread deal at an Italian restaurant, Arlo and Val are both stuffed and ready for the check. But their server doesn’t bring them their check. He brings them more bread. He keeps ... bringing them more bread. He won’t stop. He won’t ever stop. The bread is unlimited. And there is no escape. A romantic horror comedy about the hard truth that nothing lasts foreve...
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January 29, 2024 • 56 mins
COMMUNAL TABLE: Have you ever had to share a table in a café with the wrong people? On one summer afternoon in June, the day of the summer solstice, three characters end up at the same café table. Minna enjoys eavesdropping, but this time is different — this guy is getting so many things wrong, she may just need to interrupt. Gary loves meeting new people, but it looks like his latest flirtation is getting sabotaged. Allie has come...
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January 16, 2024 • 50 mins
IMMERSION THERAPY: The best husband in the world gives his wife the ultimate birthday present.
Written by David MacGregor
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Devon McSherry as "Melissa", Jonathan Cook as "Doug", and Tommy Cooper as "Droppo the Clown"
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: David’s plays have been performed from California to New York to London and Hobart, Tasmania. He is a resident artist at The Purple Rose T...
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December 18, 2023 • 31 mins
SANTA DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE: Mom and Dad have never gotten around to telling Jeffrey that there’s no Santa. He’s 30, and he still believes. This Christmas the truth comes out about Santa, as well as a few other family secrets.
Written by Patrick Gabridge
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by Marian Thibodeau as "Mom", Krys Bailey as "Dad", and Michael Silvio Fortino as "Jeffrey".
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
About the writer: Patr...
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December 4, 2023 • 24 mins
SANTA THE CLAUSE: Santa Claus and his elf Beedle visit the holiday office party of Mr. Hargraves, the rich CEO of Awesome Toys, to make him an offer he can't refuse. (*contains Adult language)
Written by Ron Burch
Ron Burch is a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. From 2015-2018, he was an Executive Producer/Showrunner on Dinotrux, a DreamWorks Animation TV show for Netflix. His movies include Ferdinand, Head Over Heels, Yours,...
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November 13, 2023 • 61 mins
This episode was recorded on stage in front of a Live audience on October 21st at Le Chat Noir Theatre in Augusta, GA.
KINGDUMB: This episode is ACT 2 of the full-length play KINGDUMB. KINGDUMB is a fun story full of absurdist humor and illogical behavior. There’s a new King in the land that has initiated a mysterious new tax on the citizens. Outraged, the region’s finest Clock fixer, aka “Time Repair Specialist”, recruits some of ...
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November 13, 2023 • 85 mins
This episode was recorded on stage in front of a sold-out Live audience on October 21st at Le Chat Noir Theatre in Augusta, GA.
KINGDUMB: This episode is ACT 1 of the full-length play KINGDUMB. KINGDUMB is a fun story full of absurdist humor and illogical behavior. There’s a new King in the land that has initiated a mysterious new tax on the citizens. Outraged, the region’s finest Clock fixer, aka “Time Repair Specialist”, recruits...
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October 30, 2023 • 34 mins
SECONDHAND SOUL: Em and Vi are a couple in love who just moved into a new house. When Em attempts to use Vi's Ouija board to come out to her dead mother, she finds herself bargaining to save her soul from what she accidentally summons instead.
Written by Ava Love Hanna
Ava Love Hanna is a professional writer, published playwright, and award-winning speaker and storyteller. She is continually amazed by how often she is mistaken for ...
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September 14, 2023 • 36 mins
AIN'T THE BIGGEST CITY: When an inmate dies at the county jail under suspicious circumstances, the EMT who oversaw the affair is brought in for questioning. She might have a secret or two, but as connections arise more and more secrets arise to the surface.
Written by Straton Rushing
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by:
Arelis Rivera as "Lane Hernandez" and Krys Bailey as "Office McAllen"
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
Gather by ...
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September 1, 2023 • 45 mins
THE DEMON LADY: A couple of friends decide to escape for a weekend and go camping but a sudden storm in the middle of the night destroys their tent and now they are on the run looking for shelter. But what they find instead may just be a little more dangerous than the rain.
Written by John Patrick Bray
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by:
Audrey Robertson as "Veronica", Eric Odom as "Jeremy", and Christy Roosma as "Dash".
In...
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July 31, 2023 • 37 mins
TOOTH OR DARE: Don't piss off the tooth fairy. Just don't do it.
Written by Emily McClain
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by:
Andrew Jones as "Andrew", Jamie Johnson Turner as "Lydia", and Kayla Gardner as "The Tooth Fairy"
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
Gather by the Ghost Light merch available ONLINE HERE!
If you would like to further support this podcast, please visit Buy Me a Coffee
If you are associated with a theatre and...
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July 13, 2023 • 51 mins
WHEEL OF FORTUNE REVERSED: Death has come for Michael but Michael has a bucket list that only the Grim Reaper can fulfill.
Written by Scott C. Sickles
Directed by Jonathan Cook
Performed by:
Robert J. Leblanc as "Michael" & Dana Hall as "Death"
Intro/Outro music: JK/47
Gather by the Ghost Light merch available ONLINE HERE!
If you would like to further support this podcast, please visit Buy Me a Coffee
If you are associated w...
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