Episode Details

Quantum Theatre is starting 2025 off with an American Premiere! We sat down with playwrights Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker, to talk about their production of "The Return of Benjamin Lay" opening on January 31st. Marcus describes who the legendary figure of Benjamin Lay was in the late 17th century. Naomi describes collaborating with Marcus on this play after Marcus's book, "The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf who became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist". Naomi talks about the multiple staged readings, drafts, and revisions this play went through over the years. She also talks about how they finally found director Ron Daniels and actor Mark Povinelli to bring this play to life. Marcus talks about Benjamin's life, and how over 300 years later, we are still asking what freedom means to us. Listen to this in-depth conversation about a radical man ahead of his time, and how his words continue to resonate today. You can see Quantum Theatre's Return of Benjamin Lay from January 31st to February 23rd at the newly renovated Braddock Carnegie Library. Opening night is already sold out, so get your tickets soon! Visit https://www.quantumtheatre.com/lay/ to learn more and find tickets. Thanks for tuning in to WQED's Voice of the Arts, Pittsburgh's trusted source for arts and culture in our region. Whether you're passionate about classical music, film, theater, opera, or local music, we’re here to bring you closer to the heart of Pittsburgh's local arts scene. Don’t miss our musician interviews, the latest local music news, and performing arts insights from across the Southwestern Pennsylvania region.  Subscribe and follow to stay connected with the vibrant voices shaping Pittsburgh’s creative community. Visit https://www.wqed.org/ to see what else WQED is doing in our community. Until next time, keep supporting the arts and keep listening to Voice of the Arts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.