Second Stage Podcast

Rediscovering the plays missing from today's classrooms and stages.

A monthly podcast where we read, watch, and unpack plays that rarely appear in high school classrooms, but should. Each episode explores why a play is overlooked, what it offers in performance, and how it could reshape the canon for today's students secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    S1E21: Discovering American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown | Second Stage Podcast

    This week, we wrap up our July series for America's 250th with American Son, Christopher Demos-Brown’s gripping 2018 drama. The play features two parents (a black mom and a white father) desperately searching for answers after their teenage son Jamal goes missing following a traffic stop. What starts as a search for information spirals scene after scene into a relentless and unsolvable argument about race, rights, family, identity, and the complicated ways we experience America. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  2. Jul 20

    S1E20: Are There Angels in America 250? with Mark Creter | Second Stage Podcast

    This is our 3rd week of July 2026, celebrating America’s 250th on the stage, and we’re rewinding to 1985 and Tony Kushner’s groundbreaking play, Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  3. Jul 13

    S1E19: What Do You Mean "American Dream" in A Raisin in the Sun? | Second Stage Podcast

    As America celebrates 250 years of its promise, A Raisin in the Sun asks us to consider whose dreams have been realized, whose remain deferred, and what that disparity reveals about the American experience today. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  4. Jul 4

    S1E18: Bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton to the Classroom

    For the 4th of July, we’re taking it back to the founding fathers and reconsidering the educational and literary merits of teaching Lin-Manuel Miranda’s insanely successful musical, Hamilton. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and a brief excerpt of the instrumental “You’ll Be Back” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’ Hamilton, used for commentary and educational discussion. All music remains the property of its respective creators and rights holders. No ownership of the music is claimed by this podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  5. Jun 29

    S1E17: An Encore with The Importance of Being Earnest | featuring Mark Creter

    Mark Creter teaches at Tennessee Tech University, and for years he himself was the Theater department. Mark and his wife Jennifer Dotson-Creter have dedicated much of their adult lives to theater, dance, and the performing arts in the Upper Cumberland. This week, he took time out of his day to sit down with me, his former student, and discuss this play that is coming to mean so much to me and my class this year. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  6. Jun 22

    S1E16: A First Timer's Take on Reading The Importance of Being Earnest

    This year I assigned The Importance of Being Earnest for summer reading. And I’m approaching the play as most of our students will: knowing little to nothing about the play, the writer, or what significance we’re expected to get out of it. I'll read it, watch it, annotate it, and then—and only then—do I get to look up some stuff about it. And also meet up with a friend who also read the play to discuss our findings. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  7. Jun 2

    S1E15: Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling

    It’s the 1st of June, and June is the month for marrying. Join us for a wedding as we reconsider Robert Harling's 1987 play Steel Magnolias. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

  8. May 11

    S1E14: Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry

    This week is Mother’s Day, and we are providing a two-episode gift to mothers everywhere. Two episodes that reconsider the impact, the humor, and the role of mothers in our lives. In this episode, we take a drive with Alfred Uhry’s play-turned-famous-movie, Driving Miss Daisy. I’m joined here by Drew Haston and our school librarian, Jaclyn Broyles. Together we’ll take a drive through whether or not the play still has its chops and whether it’s worth featuring in the classroom. Second Stage is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find it and our other podcast, With Honors, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brotherly podcast with Coach Haston, A Deadman’s Books. He’s also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts This episode’s music features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondstagepodcast.substack.com

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A monthly podcast where we read, watch, and unpack plays that rarely appear in high school classrooms, but should. Each episode explores why a play is overlooked, what it offers in performance, and how it could reshape the canon for today's students secondstagepodcast.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rediscovering the plays missing from today's classrooms and stages.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jason Crockett
  • Show Website
    Second Stage Podcast

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