The stories on this program start out in one place and end up somewhere completely different. Which pretty much describes our world at the moment. The three authors also talk about how people connect—something that seems important right now. Colin Nissan’s “Wedding Announcement” escalates comically in the reading by John Cameron Mitchell. A wary housewife is surprised by beauty in Michel Faber’s “The Eyes of the Soul,’ performed by Kirsten Vangsness, and teenage lovers grow up quickly in James Lasdun’s “Lime Pickle” performed by David Schwimmer. (The pickle is really not—do not try this at home!)
ACTORS & ARTISTS
Michel Faber is a novelist, poet, and journalist best known for his novels The Crimson Petal and the White, which was adapted into a four-part television series, Under the Skin, which was adapted into a film, The Fire Gospel, and The Book of Strange New Things. He is also the author of five short story collections, a book of poetry, and contributes literary reviews to The Guardian. Two of his novels were honored with the Saltire Book of the Year Award, in 2000 and 2015. His next novel, D: A Tale of Two Worlds, is forthcoming.
Jane Kaczmarek is best known for her role as Lois on Malcolm in the Middle, for which she received 7 consecutive Emmy nominations as well as nominations for the Golden Globe and SAG Awards. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Yale School of Drama, Kaczmarek made her television debut on The Paper Chase and Hill Street Blues and most recently can be seen on The Big Bang Theory, This Is Us, Carol's Second Act, and Mixed-ish. In New York, Kaczmarek has appeared on Broadway and off at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, the Public Theatre, New York Theater Workshop, and 6 seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her recent theater credits include in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Our Town with Deaf West Theatre, and The Year to Come at La Jolla Playhouse. Kaczmarek’s favorite job is raising her three kids and reading/hosting Selected Shorts across America.
James Lasdun is the author of the story collections Delirium Eclipse, Three Evenings, Besieged, and It’s Beginning to Hurt; the poetry collections A Jump Start, Landscape with Chainsaw, Woman Police Officer in Elevator, and Bluestone; the novels The Horned Man, Seven Lies, The Fall Guy, and Afternoon of a Faun; and a memoir, Give Me Everything You Have. He was a finalist for The Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and his essays and reviews have appeared in Harper’s, Granta, The London Review of Books, The New York Times, and The Guardian. He co-wrote the screenplays for the films Signs and Wonders and Sunday, which won Best Screenplay and Best Feature at the Sundance Film Festival.
John Cameron Mitchell is the co-creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He also directed the films Shortbus, Rabbit Hole, and How to Talk to Girls at Parties. His film and television credits as an actor include Girls, Vinyl, Mozart in the Jungle, Shrill, and The Good Fight. Recently, he's been on a world tour with The Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig, which culminated at Town Hall for 50th Pride in June 2019. Mitchell is the co-creator of the new musical Anthem: Homunculus with Bryan Weller and featuring himself, Glenn Close, Denis O'Hare, Patti Lupone, Cynthia Erivo, and Nakhane, presented as a podcast by the Luminary Podcast Network.
Colin Nissan is a freelance humor writer, copywriter, and voice actor. His writing has been featured in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, The New York Times, The Onion, and other publications. His work has been recognized by the Emmys and Cannes, among other organizations.
David Schwimmer is best known for his work on Friends, for which he earned an Emmy nomination. Additional television credits include the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Feed the Beast, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, for which he received his second Emmy nomination, and most recently, Intelligence. He directed the films Run Fatboy Run and Trust, and has appeared in the films Uprising, Nothing But the Truth, and the Madagascar series. Schwimmer is a co-founder of the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, winner of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. He directed the off-Broadway production of Stephen Belber's Fault Lines and has appeared on Broadway in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
Kirsten Vangsness is best known as Penelope Garcia on the CBS drama Criminal Minds; however, she can be found in other places, including a few podcasts (Selected Shorts and Voyage to the Stars), the film noir spoof Kill Me Deadly, and Curtains, the animated short she created, which was released in 2020. She was nominated for Playwright of the Year by LA Weekly and is a company member of Hollywood's Theater of NOTE. Vangsness recently returned from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where two of her plays, Mess and Cleo, Theo and Wu, were performed at Assembly Rooms. In her spare time, Vangsness buses tables at the Blinking Owl Distillery, which she co-owns, in Santa Ana.
