Table Read

Manifest Media / TABLE READ
  • 4.0 (384)
  • FICTION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Cinema for your ears. Performed by Hollywood’s best. Step inside the studio where Hollywood’s top actors bring award-winning screenplays to life... complete with a full cinematic score, immersive sound design, and the energy of a live performance. Each episode is a front-row seat to a one-of-a-kind production: 20-plus working actors, world-class scripts from acclaimed writers, and film-quality sound crafted by Emmy-winning producers. It’s not just a podcast... it’s a movie you hear. Recent guests include Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Ty Burrell, Joe Mantegna, Fred Armisen, and more. Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell Manifest Media. #1 Fiction Podcast | 2025 Webby, Shorty, and Signal Winner | Cinema for your ears. 👉 TableReadPodcast.com

  1. THE UNDERSTUDY - Act Three

    2D AGO

    THE UNDERSTUDY - Act Three

    The clock runs out. The curtain comes up. With opening night looming, the magic begins to fail. Bodies ache. Secrets surface. And the line between who Natalie and Ava were… and who they’ve become… finally disappears. Natalie must confront what she’s been chasing her entire life — and what it cost her to get there. Ava must decide whether stepping into the spotlight is worth stepping away from who she is. The Sugar Plum Fairy is no longer just a role. It’s a reckoning. As rivalries peak and loyalties collide, the question is no longer who deserves the part — but who’s willing to let it go. And whether the universe will allow either girl to walk away unchanged. Act Three is where the story lands. Where ambition meets consequence. Where magic demands payment. Because sometimes you get exactly what you wished for. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do… is give it back. It’s still funny. It’s still sharp. But now it’s honest. Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John. Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso as Narrator Only on Table Read. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    45 min
  2. You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    2D AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing JAMES CAMERON: Inside the Mind of One of the Most Iconic Filmmakers in History (Greatest Risks, Biggest Failures, & His KEY Principles to Success) from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Today, Jay welcomes the legendary James Cameron. Award-winning filmmaker, explorer, and innovator known for pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology, to explore the inner world behind one of the most influential storytellers of our time. The conversation extends beyond filmmaking to an exploration of imagination, purpose, and the courage it takes to follow your calling before the world validates it. James shares how his childhood fascination with science fiction, nature, and drawing became a refuge for creativity, long before success ever entered the picture. From sketching imaginary worlds as a child to trusting his instincts without formal film training, he reveals how curiosity, solitude, and relentless self-belief quietly shaped a life of visionary storytelling. James reflects on failure, rejection, and the unseen moments that nearly ended his journey before it truly began. He opens up about being fired early in his career, the constraints that led to creating The Terminator, and why commitment often requires choosing conviction over comfort. Through stories of sacrifice, creative pressure, and building teams that feel like family, James reveals that success was never about money or recognition but about honoring the responsibility of meaningful storytelling. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Trust Your Creative Instincts Early How to Turn Failure Into Fuel How Constraints Unlock Creativity How to Lead Without Losing Empathy How to Balance Solitude and Collaboration How to Create Work That Moves People How to Stay Purpose-Driven Through Success How to See Others With Deeper Understanding  Every challenge you face is a lesson in resilience, empathy, and courage. The world doesn’t need perfection, it needs presence, honesty, and people willing to care deeply. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here.  Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast  What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:43 An Early Fascination With Science Fiction 04:44 Inspiring the Next Generation of Artists 06:34 The Solitary Nature of Creative Work 08:44 When Storytelling Becomes a Calling 12:16 Finding a Market for Your Imagination 16:33 How to Capture and Record Your Dreams 22:42 Different Approaches to the Creative Process 24:17 What is Your Creative Vision? 29:29 Lessons on Family, Community, and Belonging 32:01 Why We Only Protect What We Love 38:58 Can AI Ever Develop Consciousness? 39:14 What Creation Really Requires 44:33 How to Bounce Back After Failure 47:16 Creating Within Constraints 51:28 Learning What You Can Negotiate 53:34 Are You a Risk Taker? 01:01:32 Recognizing Consciousness Beyond Humans 01:04:15 Exploring the Depths of the Ocean 01:09:57 Letting Go of the Work You’ve Created 01:14:41 The Deeper Message Behind Films 01:21:28 Humanity’s Natural Capacity for Empathy 01:24:14 James on Final Five  Episode Resources: James Cameron | Instagram James Cameron | Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. THE UNDERSTUDY - Act Two

    DEC 16

    THE UNDERSTUDY - Act Two

    The wish came true. Now the consequences begin. Natalie Primavera is trapped in a hospital bed, her body broken, her future uncertain — while her mind is stuck inside Ava Ross, a dancer who was never supposed to be good enough for the spotlight. Ava, meanwhile, is living inside Natalie’s perfect body… and discovering that perfection is a prison with great lighting. As Nutcracker rehearsals intensify, the magic destabilizes. Roles are threatened. Loyalties fracture. The Sugar Plum Fairy becomes a battleground. And the line between ambition and identity starts to blur. Friendships turn sharp. Parents get complicated. Romance gets messy. And a Romanian ballet master with secrets of his own begins pushing both girls toward a reckoning neither of them is ready for. Act Two is where the comedy deepens, the stakes rise, and the story stops being about switching bodies — and starts being about who deserves the life they’re fighting for. Because wanting something badly doesn’t mean you understand the cost. It’s still funny. It’s still chaotic. But now it hurts in the best way. Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John. Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso as Narrator Only on Table Read. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    50 min
  4. THE UNDERSTUDY - Act One

    DEC 9

    THE UNDERSTUDY - Act One

    What happens when you wish you were someone else… and the universe says bet? Natalie Primavera has a million followers, perfect technique, and the lead role in every show. Ava Ross has a cracked phone, a boyfriend who sings like naked Miley Cyrus, and a work-study job sweeping up after other dancers. One ancient snow globe. Two desperate wishes. And suddenly they wake up in each other’s bodies. There’s just one problem: Natalie’s body is now in a hospital bed with a shattered hip. And Ava’s body? It’s about to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy… with ankles like wet spaghetti. What follows is the funniest, most chaotic Nutcracker rehearsal season in history... zombie cats, possessed dolls, a Romanian ballet master who might actually be a warlock, his terrifying nine-year-old son, and a love triangle nobody ordered. But underneath the chaos is something real: two girls discovering that the lives they envied aren’t what they seemed. It’s Freaky Friday meets Center Stage, and it hits. THE UNDERSTUDY: ACT ONE Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John. Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso as Narrator Only on Table Read. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    47 min
  5. THE UNDERSTUDY - Trailer

    EPISODE 39

    THE UNDERSTUDY - Trailer

    THE UNDERSTUDY What happens when you wish you were someone else... and the universe says bet? Natalie Primavera has a million Instagram followers, perfect technique, and the lead role in every show. Ava Ross has a cracked phone, a nerdy boyfriend who dresses as naked Miley Cyrus, and a work-study job sweeping the dance studio. One ancient snow globe. Two desperate wishes. And suddenly they wake up in each other's bodies. There's just one problem: Natalie's body is now in a hospital bed with a shattered hip. And Ava's body? It's about to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy... with ankles like wet spaghetti. What follows is the funniest, most chaotic Nutcracker rehearsal season in history. We're talking zombie cats, possessed dolls, a Romanian ballet master with a terrifying nine-year-old son, and a love triangle nobody asked for. But underneath the chaos is something real: two girls discovering that the lives they envied aren't what they seemed, and that maybe the grass isn't greener, it's just... different grass. The Understudy. It's Freaky Friday meets Center Stage, and it slaps. Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John. Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso is the Narrator Only on Table Read. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1 min
  6. Small Block - Act Three

    NOV 25

    Small Block - Act Three

    The countdown to eleven builds like a pressure valve. Dizzy waits in the driveway holding on to hope. Kev hides nerves behind jokes. P keeps tugging at a shirt that has never felt right on his body. Everyone is pretending this morning will fix something they are too scared to name. A car turns the corner and it is the wrong one. Dizzy breaks. Kev fires the blame at P. The friendship between them starts to shake. P disappears inside and comes back with a Sprite because it is the only comfort he knows how to offer at fourteen. Then the sound hits. Guitar blasting out of an engine that should not exist in a town this small. The DeLorean pulls in for real. Dizzy lifts his head. Kev goes silent. P feels the world shift. Miss World steps out with a sunflower in her hair and for a moment everything feels possible. She takes them on the ride they have been imagining all week. Kev laughs in the back. Dizzy shouts for more speed. P sits in the front seat trying to hold himself together. Miss World asks what they want from the future. Dizzy talks about cars. Kev talks about family. P cannot answer. Miss World waits. P finally admits he is afraid to look ahead. Kev jokes that P might not make it to adulthood. Miss World hears something deeper than the joke. She sees him. When they return, nothing is magically fixed. But something inside P cracks open. He cannot keep disappearing into other people’s expectations. Not after being seen this clearly, even for a moment. Act Three is the ride, the break, and the first honest step toward who P is becoming. SMALL BLOCK is a feature screenplay by Ashley Lauren, performed live and mixed like a feature film for your ears. From the award-winning team at TABLE READ / Manifest Media Productions. Content Advisory: This episode contains suicidal ideation, transphobic and homophobic language, and minor fatphobic language, used intentionally to serve the story and its period portrayal. New episodes drop Tuesdays. Subscribe now. Cast (Full Feature): P – Levi Dafferner Kev – Kosi Eguchi Bex – Piper Kingston Dizzy – Deryck Hak Miss World – Lydia Tinsley Dad – Adam Pilver Mrs. D – Gemma Kyle Mom – Leah Zhang Britt – Eric Miller Tiff / Martha – Avery Norris Mr. Welch / Kev’s Dad – Eddie Aguirre Dan / Zach – Aidan Dick Jack – Kellen Rose James – Michael Amir Nash Rob – Jack Murphy Janet / Video Store Clerk – Sabrina Ariss Narrator – Paula Tiso Written by Ashley Lauren Produced by Jack Levy, Mark Knell, and Shaan Sharma for TABLE READ / Manifest Media See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    37 min
  7. Small Block - Act Two

    NOV 18

    Small Block - Act Two

    The morning after Homecoming week hits different. P wakes up at Dizzy’s house pretending everything is fine, even though nothing is fine. The letter from St. John’s is in his pocket like a weight. The DeLorean didn’t show. The note he wrote is still in his head. Outside, Kev and Dizzy shoot hoops like the world is normal. P pretends right along with them. The kind of pretending every kid knows too well. Then real life barges in, and the moment they were waiting for disappears before it even starts. At the video store, things get even tighter. Bex is behind the counter. Kev is cracking jokes that cut deeper than he realizes. P is trying to disappear inside a ruined shirt and a smile that doesn’t fit anymore. He escapes to the back room, plays a fighting game, and chooses the one character who feels closest to the person he can’t say out loud. For a second, he can breathe. Then everything and everyone he’s avoiding walks right in. Act Two is where the mask slips. Where jokes stop being jokes. Where P realizes he can’t keep pretending forever. SMALL BLOCK is a feature screenplay by Ashley Lauren, performed live and mixed like a feature film for your ears. From the award-winning team at TABLE READ / Manifest Media Productions. Content Advisory: This episode contains suicidal ideation, transphobic and homophobic language, and minor fatphobic language, used intentionally to serve the story and its period portrayal. New episodes drop Tuesdays. Subscribe now. Cast (Full Feature): P - Levi Dafferner Kev - Kosi Eguchi Bex - Piper Kingston Dizzy - Deryck Hak Miss World - Lydia Tinsley Dad - Adam Pilver Mrs. D - Gemma Kyle Mom - Leah Zhang Britt - Eric Miller Tiff / Martha - Avery Norris Mr. Welch / Kev's Dad - Eddie Aguirre Dan / Zach - Aidan Dick Jack - Kellen Rose James - Michael Amir Nash Rob - Jack Murphy Janet / Video Store Clerk - Sabrina Ariss Narrator - Paula Tiso Written by Ashley Lauren Produced by Jack Levy, Mark Knell, and Shaan Sharma for TABLE READ / Manifest Media See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    52 min
  8. Small Block - Act One

    NOV 11

    Small Block - Act One

    It's Homecoming Weekend in North Texas, 1994. Fourteen-year-old P is barely holding it together, shaving a single whisker in the bathroom mirror, writing a note he almost can't take back, and dialing his best friend Kev before a Zippo flame turns fear into momentum. At school, P's movie-trivia fluency sabotages Kev in a "battle of the sexes" quiz, earning heat from Kev and former best friend Bex. After class, the band - P, Kev, and Dizzy - argues Pantera vs. Korn, then mainlines '90s VHS nostalgia with Ace Ventura and The Crow. Then the impossible slides by in stainless steel: a DeLorean. Its driver, "Miss World," knows her metal, quotes regrets, and won't take three teens on a joyride yet. She'll be back tomorrow at 11 A.M. Under Friday-night lights, P pulls down a highlight-reel TD in a scrappy eighth-grade pickup game while Dizzy's hustling block saves the play. Back in the stands, P's parents pitch football and fitting in. P keeps tugging his shirt straight and his purple beanie low, but the question won't leave him alone: who is he allowed to be, especially if the words for it don't exist here? SMALL BLOCK is a feature screenplay by Ashley Lauren, performed live and mixed like a feature film for your ears. From the award-winning team at TABLE READ / Manifest Media Productions. Content Advisory: This episode contains suicidal ideation, transphobic and homophobic language, and minor fatphobic language, used intentionally to serve the story and its period portrayal. New episodes drop Tuesdays. Subscribe now. Cast (Full Feature): P - Levi Dafferner Kev - Kosi Eguchi Bex - Piper Kingston Dizzy - Deryck Hak Miss World - Lydia Tinsley Dad - Adam Pilver Mrs. D - Gemma Kyle Mom - Leah Zhang Britt - Eric Miller Tiff / Martha - Avery Norris Mr. Welch / Kev's Dad - Eddie Aguirre Dan / Zach - Aidan Dick Jack - Kellen Rose James - Michael Amir Nash Rob - Jack Murphy Janet / Video Store Clerk - Sabrina Ariss Narrator - Paula Tiso Written by Ashley Lauren Produced by Jack Levy, Mark Knell, and Shaan Sharma for TABLE READ / Manifest Media See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    36 min
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About

Cinema for your ears. Performed by Hollywood’s best. Step inside the studio where Hollywood’s top actors bring award-winning screenplays to life... complete with a full cinematic score, immersive sound design, and the energy of a live performance. Each episode is a front-row seat to a one-of-a-kind production: 20-plus working actors, world-class scripts from acclaimed writers, and film-quality sound crafted by Emmy-winning producers. It’s not just a podcast... it’s a movie you hear. Recent guests include Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Ty Burrell, Joe Mantegna, Fred Armisen, and more. Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell Manifest Media. #1 Fiction Podcast | 2025 Webby, Shorty, and Signal Winner | Cinema for your ears. 👉 TableReadPodcast.com

Information

  • Creator
    Manifest Media / TABLE READ
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Manifest Media
  • Show Website
    Table Read

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