Second Stage Podcast

About Second Stage Podcast

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 (https://secondstagepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

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

Category

arts · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Sept 2025

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Aug 2026

   S2E2: The Verdict Is In. 12 Angry Men Is More Relevant Than Ever.

   Should the play Twelve Angry Men be required reading for high school students, or for law students? The world has moved on from the 1950s and the 1990s, but as we say in my class: people are people are people. What do other teachers today think about adding a play like Twelve Angry Men to our curriculum? 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, “Free Jazzy” by PulseBox, “Detective Music” from Board games and game Night!, “Dirty Dog” by Beat Mekanik, and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This episode also includes brief excerpts from Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. These excerpts are included for purposes of discussion, commentary, criticism, and education. Twelve Angry Men and its music are the property of their respective copyright holders. No ownership of these materials is claimed or implied. All copyrighted works featured in this episode remain the property of their respective creators and rights holders. 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 (https://secondstagepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   17 Aug 2026

   S2E1: On the Road to Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell | Second Stage Podcast

   Hadestown is Anaïs Mitchell (https://substack.com/profile/25090877-anais-mitchell)’s 2006 musical, and it has been stirring up fires onstage. The play revolves around the ancient Greek myths of two couples: Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone. It reimagines the ancient Greek myths of these two couples in a post-apocalyptic, Great Depression-inspired setting: a train station juke joint between the world above and the mining town below. Her composition for the show blends folk music, indie rock, and traditional New Orleans jazz. The musical arrived in 2006 as a DIY community theater project in Vermont. Ten years later, it debuted off-Broadway in 2016. It opened on Broadway in 2019, garnered eight Tony Awards, and was filmed for movie release. This week, we hear from a variety of my students and our school’s drama teacher about the merits of bringing Hadestown to the high school 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 features “Caught in the Middle” by Amarent and “Flea Bop” by Mr. Smith, used under their respective Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licenses. All rights remain with the original artists and copyright holders. This episode also includes brief excerpts from Hadestown, music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. These excerpts are included for purposes of discussion, commentary, criticism, and education. Hadestown and its music are the property of their respective copyright holders. No ownership of these materials is claimed or implied. All copyrighted works featured in this episode remain the property of their respective creators and rights holders. 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 (https://secondstagepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   27 Jul 2026

   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 (https://secondstagepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Contact Second Stage Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.