Dream Boston
A New Series of Audio Plays Sponsored by The Huntington
Dream Boston Playlist:
Free (but donations gratefully accepted!)
Welcome to “Dream Boston,” a future vision of our city that is somewhere between dream and reality.
Through short audio plays, Dream Boston asks local playwrights to imagine favorite locations, landmarks, and their friends in a future Boston, when we can once again meet and connect in our city. These micro-plays take place at locations such as the MIT Great Dome on the 4th of July while the sounds of the “1812 Overture” float in the background, at the Boston Public Library where a librarian and library patron debate the ethics of reserving a book, and a not-so-perfect first date on the edge of the Boston Common.
Supported in part by a grant from the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation.
Dream Boston is a Boston Globe CRITIC’S PICK
Listen to the Latest Episodes
Episode 16: Playing Mas by Fedna Jacquet
Directed by John ADEkoje | Featuring actors Becky Bass and Shannon Lamb
Celebrating the annual West Indian Parade, best friends/sistas-from-another-mista Danisha and Kalisa-Ann try to unplug from the corporate world to enjoy their traditions of elaborate Mas costumes, beef patties, rum punch, and more! But a big surprise will change their lives and friendship in the best way possible. Playwright Fedna Jacquet says “these women represent the multiple layers that create who we are.”
Episode 17: Orchard by Catherine Epstein
Directed by Dawn M. Simmons | Featuring actors Sharmarke Yusuf and Eliott Purcell
In the fall of 2038, high school students Sam and James wander through an orchard on a field trip, kicking apples and wondering out loud about ethics, crushes, donuts, and time travel. As they get farther from their group and discover something unexpected in the orchard, their conversations circle around the question: How do we make choices, and live with compassion, in a changing and uncertain world?
Episode 18: Sunday Swings an Old-New Gospel by Micah Rose
Directed by Des Bennett | Featuring actors Maurice Palmer and Jupiter Lê
How are we giving our beloved their flowers, and speaking toward their futurity, in abundance? Where does our attention go when we face millennia-old violence? What does care for our yester/today/tomorrow selves taste like? In this 8-minute spell spanning centuries, twin flames Buwan and Xena reunite over a public kitchen, battle horns, and the eternal songs of kindred, as they live into the forever we deserve together.
Episode 19: Wonderland by Andrew Siañez-de la O
Directed by Melinda Lopez | Featuring actors Luz Lopez, Cristhian Mancinas, and George Yip
Everything changed after the Flood left most of Revere underwater. Well, everything except being a father. Maribel has grown up in a world where trains and cars have been replaced by boats and Henry is starting to notice a look in his daughter’s eyes. The same look he had when he was outgrowing his home. As the two go out to celebrate Maribel’s birthday, Henry has to find the right words to let his daughter know he isn’t afraid of her growing up.
Episode 20: Un verano en Egleston Square by Jecenia Figueroa
Directed by Veronica Wells | Featuring actors Yaritsa Sanchez, Chantie Parrilla, Carla Mirabal Rodriguez, and Armando Rivera
For everyone else, it’s the intersection of Washington and School. But for many, it’s the intersection of our cultures – the paved American streets filled with Caribbean passion. But is Julissa’s vision for the neighborhood too much, too soon? Quién sabe. What you do know is, you have errands to run before you head up to the festival, too.
Episode 21: El voicenote tiene que ser menos de 1 minuto by Paloma Valenzuela
Directed by Carla Mirabal Rodríguez | Featuring actors Alexander Castillo-Nuñez, Jessibel Falcón, Adobuere Ebiama, Jon Rodriguez, Ricky Holguin, Michael Hisamoto, Inés de la Cruz
In “El Voicenote Tiene Que Ser Menos de 1 Minuto” (The Voicenote Needs to be Less Than 1 Minute) we get a glimpse into a moment in time for Segundo, who is simultaneously dealing with grief and loss and experiencing the fact that the mundane tasks of everyday life continues despite. Now, he has to catch up with several voice notes that were sent to him on WhatsApp. This audio play was written by Dominican-American screenwriter and playwright Paloma Valenzuela.
Produced in collaboration with Teatro Chelsea.
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This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA Collective Bargaining Agreement.