Heard about the actor’s nightmare? It’s a variation of the dream in which you find yourself completely out of place and unprepared for a given situation. You know, like being in the produce section of a grocery store, standing behind a stack of vegetables and hoping no one notices you’re naked. Or perhaps it’s the COVID-era dread of sitting in a crowded classroom and realizing you’ve left your mask at home.
In the actor’s nightmare, a performer stands clueless before a packed house, unable to remember a single line of dialogue.
The dream is so prevalent among actors that Christopher Durang devoted an entire play to it, fittingly titled The Actor’s Nightmare.
The premise also provides a central conflict in Season Two of the Prime Stage Mystery Theatre podcast, which returns February 25 and continues with new installments each Thursday in March. Titled “The Play’s the Thing,” this new story reunites the characters from Season One’s “A Knavish Piece of Mystery” and pushes them into a puzzle featuring a performer who goes missing on opening night. And yes, before it’s over, one of the characters will stand clueless in the footlights.
You can read more about the show at Tribe-Live or the Prime Stage website, where you’ll also find links to last season’s mystery. The podcast is free, made possible by support from listeners like you. If you like what you hear, consider helping to ensure future podcasts by becoming a patron. And please remember to rate, follow, and tell your friends about the show. Doing so increases our visibility and helps bring new eyes and ears to Prime Stage’s virtual season.
And keep in mind, since each PSMT episode ends with a question or prompt regarding the story’s mystery, you’re invited to chime in by leaving a comment on the Prime Stage website or Facebook page. Listener feedback played an exciting role in Season One, and we’re hoping to build on that spirit of interaction in Season Two.
Prime Stage Mystery Theatre is available just about anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple, Libsyn, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Each installment runs about fifteen minutes, so you’ll be able to fit them in between trips to the produce section or crowded classroom.
Just remember to dress accordingly … and I’ll meet you there.
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