Trent and Gaby team up to give you a quick update on CATF, and announce the release of our "Summer Recap" podcast series (available now!)
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Trent Kugler: Hello everyone and welcome back at long last to CATF's UNMUTED podcast. I am as always Trent Kugler CATF's production manager. And as always, I'm joined by our PR manager, Gaby Tokach.
Gaby Tokach: Thank you, Trent. Um, I would like to begin this podcast episode with a confession. On the very last episode that we dropped last year.
I lied to you all. I didn't mean to lie, but I lied. Um, I told you that we were going to be dropping episodes every month or so, and that did not happen. Trent and I really, really thought it was going to, uh, so I apologize for unintentionally lying to you all.
Trent Kugler: But in our defense, we've had some changes at the festival that really required the focus and dedication of the full staff. Uh, the first big change is that Peggy McKowen who was CATF's associate artistic director, is now CATF's producing artistic director after our founder, Ed Herendeen retired in September of 2021.
Gaby Tokach: and the second big change is-
Trent Kugler: In June of 2022, we welcomed to Jeff Griffin to CATF as the managing director, which is a position we haven't had in quite a few years.
Gaby Tokach: I would also like to add, um, a special thank you to everyone who is able to join us in Shepherdstown this summer for the 2022 season. These six plays were originally slated for 2020 and we finally were able to get them up on their feet this summer. Uh, but if you weren't able to join us in Shepherdstown, please know that you are deeply missed in the theaters.
Trent Kugler: And while we're being honest with each other, uh, I'll say that this was an incredibly busy summer, just getting everything up and running after taking a few years off thanks to COVID. So, uh, while we did record a number of podcast episodes, we just ran out of time to edit and publish them during the season.
Gaby Tokach: Trent and I are actually recording this in October, so you've definitely had some time to think about the plays and let them get under your skin. Uh, I say that in a good way. So we wanted to give you some dessert after the main course that is the 2022 season.
Trent Kugler: So right now we are dropping eight episodes all at once. Uh, we've caught up with the playwrights and actors from Whitelisted, The Fifth Domain, Babel, and Ushuaia Blue. And now you can binge all of those episodes in one sitting if you'd like.
Gaby Tokach: But Trent and Gaby, you're thinking those are only four plays. Uh, well, last year we did an UNMUTED podcast series on the other two shows from the season that focused on Sheepdog and The House of the Negro Insane. So if you haven't yet listened to those or would like to listen to them again, put those in your queue.
Trent Kugler: In this recap series, we have two awesome interviewers, David Emerson Toney and Hans Fogel, both of whom are current CATF trustees. David is a director and an actor, and he's an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. And if you remember the play Stick Fly in 2008, that was in the old Sarah Cree Theater, which is now a parking lot. You've seen David on stage.
Gaby Tokach: Hans is a former radio host of a local station. Every summer he would host a CATF Week on his show. He would bring artists in, talk to them about their career, their experience in developing new plays, and their time in Shepherdstown. And we are very thankful for him sharing his radio voice with us and his interview skills. Uh, And since Hans and David are some new voices for you, we just wanted to give you an idea of who the interviewers are before you begin your listening journey.
Trent Kugler: And before we send you off on that journey, we wanna offer a huge thank you to the West Virginia Humanities Council for supporting the UNMUTED podcast over the past two years. And we'd also like to remind you that thinkahead passes for the 2023 season are available online at catf.org/thinkahead. And while you're there, you can check out the rest of the website at
Gaby Tokach: catf.org
Trent Kugler: you can find us on Facebook
Gaby Tokach: @CATFatSU
Trent Kugler: or connect with us on Instagram and YouTube
Gaby Tokach: @thinktheater. And remember at CATF, we do theater with an -er.
Make sure you subscribe to the podcast. We have some new things coming up and we don't want you to miss out on those episodes.
Trent Kugler: Thanks again for listening. We promise there's more episodes coming, and don't forget if it's not a new play, it's not CATF.