Home for the annual-ish, holiday-ish, queer, sardonic, meta plays by Ris, podcaster and author.
Beginning in 2018, Ris, along with fellow podcasters, friends, comedians, actors, and many others, began writing a yearly play around the holidays. Usually focusing on queer relationships and representation, aired across her several podcasts, this is the home for them separately.
Do You Know the Way to Midmarais? Audioplay Outtakes
Here are the extensive outtakes and a hint to the fun of recording and editing this year's audioplay.
20 Dec 2024
Do You Know the Way to Midmarais? - An Audioplay
Marissa McCool and Bernard Naasz navigate the mysterious events unfolding on Elk Island in Northern Minnesota, where a lighthouse keeper's role holds secrets and surprises.
22 Dec 2023
Midnight in the Backrooms - An Audioplay - 2023
MIDNIGHT IN THE BACKROOMS
What if a dead mall was literally a *dead* mall? Chris and Victoria find themselves in the mall they worked in as teenagers, stuck in the same snowed-in day in 1998 that never ends. The Evergreen Glen Mall, or as it’s known on the other side, it’s the EverMall!
Their old friends are back, as are stores they thought long gone. Mall information is vague and cryptic. Their coworkers seem content to stay there forever. Their case manager is too busy swiping right on straight guys who manage to not have a dead fish in their profile. And there’s something ominous and creepy about that Things Recalled store. No one’s ever in there, but no one ever was when it was open and alive either. There has to be more to life… or whatever… than this, right? Is anyone else out there?
WRITTEN BY
Marissa McCool, Don Ford, Jr., Eric Hanna
EDITED AND CAST BY
Marissa McCool
CAST
VICTORIA - Marissa McCool
CHRIS - Don Ford, Jr.
CLAIRE - Amy Withawhy
ELLE - Bernard Naasz
WASHBURN - Asdis Karsbarn
MANDY - Ari Stillman
DON - Tony Opelt
EMERSON - Eric Hanna
DEAD MALL URBEXER - Eric Hanna
CONDUCTOR - Gem Newman
HAROLD - Tony Opelt
BARBARA - Tony Opelt
TICKET TAKER - Laura Creek Newman
THERESA - Jodi Rehlander
JULIAN - Jonathon Rehlander
AD READ NARRATORS - Don Ford, Jr., Tony Opelt
MUSIC
Playlist of all music here: https://youtu.be/VA8Jbs6_GqA?si=_LZnHYz1crHeFe6y (https://youtu.be/VA8Jbs6_GqA?si=_LZnHYz1crHeFe6y)
All credit for music belongs to the artists.
2 Feb 2023
Superiors vs Millers Outtakes - 2022
31 Dec 2022
Superiors vs Millers, Sounds About Cleveland - An Audioplay - 2022
SYNOPSIS: The Duluth Superiors, a women's football team out of Minnesota, are groggily heading toward Michigan City, Indiana. Half the team has quit, half the coaches have gone with them, and what's left of the squad still has a chance to play in the WFCA championships in Fargo if they can defeat the Millers. Lake effect weather is a thing though, and traveling through the Great Lakes region at any time of year can bring unexpected consequences, like an ice storm. With their season already in dire straits, the driver nopeing off to look for help, and the coach trying to fix the bus in frigid conditions, how will the team pass the time before their big showdown? A women's football comedy, Superiors vs. Millers, Sounds About Cleveland, tells the story of the ups, downs, and realities of the sport of women's football with likely every kind of teammate you've ever had and then some.
CAST
Ten - Marissa McCool (https://www.facebook.com/RisMcCool?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Nia - Jessica Osborne Riddle (https://www.facebook.com/josborne316?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
CJ - Ashlyn Noble (https://www.facebook.com/ashlynnoble?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Sequoia - Erin Truex (https://www.facebook.com/erintruex?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Phonebook - Asdis Karsbarn (https://www.facebook.com/asdis.karsbarn?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
TJ - Melissa MacDonald (https://www.facebook.com/mmacdonald0815?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Bearcat - Ari Stillman (https://www.facebook.com/aristillman40?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Jay - Tony Opelt (https://www.facebook.com/fuzzyasian?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
Woodstock - Jodi Rehlander (https://www.facebook.com/copygirl48?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWVIYdBaG1R1Yk5dCrSgMztqDwwlkAxMM08ZM9pkHr0DZKp0nfswrG-Ifece9rM9H3fL2qwwouSGRsJnVj3RthkAR06XM43aafAg9Rgv7ZQQvj4smIBWJuAOx78NPgwTfnhGdUCYnXCUTBRSdLhOsBkrqdul7q4ImLd6f0ijRdFeQ&__tn__=-%5DK-R)
TikTok - <a...
21 Jan 2022
Bitter Tea Outtakes - 2021
The outtakes from the play of the same name.
21 Jan 2022
Bitter Tea, the Way the Volcano Gods of Rainier Intended: An Audioplay - 2021
Support my work at paypal.me/RissyMcCool or Venmo@ThePurpleAmazon
The fourth annual-ish holiday-ish play by Marissa McCool
Bitter Tea, the Way the Volcano Gods of Rainier Intended: An Audioplay
SUMMARY
Eleanor and Rain, two non-binary recluses, live off the grid and gender binary in Northern Minnesota. Living with them is a younger college student named Alex. One day, Alex comes home and drops a bomb on them: they met a girl named Jenny at school and was invited to thanksgiving dinner with her family. The problem? Alex RSVP’d… for all of them. Alex signed up Rain and Eleanor to come… as their cisgender heterosexual parents. Now, not only do Eleanor and Rain have to figure out how to pretend to be something they’ve never been, but they have to learn how to interact with people they’ve avoided for over a decade. They have, like, a family. That comes together on holidays. And they’re all still married. And they’re straight. And cisgender. What kind of twisted world is this?
CAST
Eleanor - Ari Stillman
Rain - Tom S Tea
Alex - Murphy Lennex-McCool
Jenny - Jen Aldrich
Gloria - "Dr. Mac" Melissa MacDonald
Aunt D - Giovannie Espiritu
Grandma Ruth - Jodi "Moose" Rehlander
Grandma Emma - Erin "Redwood" Truex
Aunt Kathy - Amy Withawhy
Vi - Marissa Lennex-McCool
Jack - Tim Wick
Uncle Frank - Don Ford, Jr. "Voice of Fantasy and Adventure"
Uncle Dave - Eli Dadabhoy
Grandpa Roger - Tony Opelt
WRITTEN, DIRECTED, CAST, AND EDITED BY
Marissa McCool
Music by The Midnight
Sound effects and scene music from creative commons and sound effects libraries
21 Jan 2022
Dinner With the Binaries - Outtakes - 2020
The outtakes and adorable failures to complement the play.
21 Jan 2022
Dinner With the Binaries - An Audioplay - 2020
Support my work at paypal.me/RissyMcCool or Venmo@ThePurpleAmazon
DINNER WITH THE BINARIES - An Audioplay
Written and Edited by Marissa Alexa McCool
Starring:
Giovannie Espiritu - Alison
Marissa McCool - Heidi
Ari Stillman - Logan
Murphie McCool - Ollie
Don Ford Jr. - Matt
Amy Withawhy - Dawn
Tony Opelt - Sam
SUMMARY
When Heidi's favorite teacher from high school dies, she's forced to confront her past in deciding whether or not to attend the funeral. Will anyone recognize her since her transition? Will the same people who tormented her back then also be there? Will the one who got away know who she is? And, how will her polyamorous, non-binary communist roommates half her age react to her decision? A Northern Minnesota comedy will see where Heidi's new journey takes her when worlds collide against the norms, the expectations of society, and the gender binary as a whole.
Artwork by Murphie McCool
Special thanks to:
Tim Wick
Alice Eve Cohen
The Midnight who supports fans using their music on streaming platforms in art.
Opening Theme: "The Years (Prologue) Instrumental"
Main/Love Theme: "WeMoveForward"
21 Jan 2022
Have a Very Meta Christmas - Outtakes - 2019
Complementing the audioplay of the same name, our fun adorable failures.
21 Jan 2022
Have a Very Meta Christmas - An Audioplay - 2019
Support my work at paypal.me/RissyMcCool or Venmo@ThePurpleAmazon
We're back for another year of sardonic holiday specials, produced in conjunction with Atheists Talk, Minnesota Atheists, and AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota.
HAVE A VERY META CHRISTMAS
By Marissa Alexa McCool
Darlene and Thomas are overwhelmingly apathetic, about the holidays and each other. The all-powerful non-binary diety takes notice and wakes up their guardian angel, Amy Withawhy from her nap, to lethargically get them back in the holiday mood. Amy is less than thrilled when the apathetic couple starts guessing her plans, and a three-part series of adventure and holiday vengeance ensues.
Darlene/Various - Marissa Alexa McCool
Thomas/Various - Don Ford, Jr.
Amy - Amy Withawhy
Stargod - Callie Wright
Hoity-Toity VoiceOver - Stephanie Zvan
Femme Commercial Voice - Jen Aldrich
Masc Commercial Voice - Tim Wick
Bill - Tony Opelt
Debra/Madeline - Alli Armstrong
Jake - Matthew Saxe
Quinn - Jamie Lombardi
Eustis - Ari Stillman
21 Jan 2022
Fall of Frosty: A War on Christmas Retrospective (Radioplay) - 2018
Donate to support my work at paypal.me/RissyMcCool or Venmo@ThePurpleAmazon
Originally aired in 2018.
In coordination and with permission from Hertzey Hertz, AtheistTalk, and Minnesota Atheists, this play aired on AM950, The Progressive Voice of Minnesota. This is a Ken Burns-esque historical parody of the War on Christmas persecution complex, and a non-binary trans person is the protagonist, so you know who is the star. We hope this helps you get through the holidays with some snark at your beckon call.
Fall of Frosty: A War on Christmas Retrospective
Executive Producer Hertzey Hertz
Script by Marissa Alexa McCool
Sound production & editing by Maddy Love
Starring:
Marissa Alexa McCool as Kendra Burns, Takeioclaus, & Pete Zorria
Jordan as Levi Ticcus
Stephanie Zvan as Dee Calf
Mahad as A. Postate & Colin Kapernot
Tony Opelt as Declan Halls
Molly Coddle as Annie Hausfrau
Amy Withawhy as Hilla Beans
Julie as Mille Neal
Matthew as Marshall Fields & Christian Clause
Nancy as Sallie Bell
and as the non-binary hero we all need,
Ari Stillman as They
Who has been a guest on Queer Drama in Northern Minnesota
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Bernard Naasz
Melissa MacDonald
Gem Newman
Don Ford, Jr.
Tony Opelt
Podcast Authority Score: 2 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
5
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
Contact Queer Drama in Northern Minnesota
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