Socially distanced production is currently the safest way to go in this industry so I could imagine a platform like Audible would have ample opportunity to release a broad range of creative content during these unprecedented times.
One of those creative ventures is Animals, a dark comedy written by Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen), presented by Williamstown Theatre Festival (Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director) and Audible (Kate Navin, Artistic Producer) and starring Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away With Murder) and William Jackson Harper (The Good Place).
The synopsis, via the official press release sent to The Root:
Lydia (Aja Naomi King) and Henry (Jason Butler Harner)’s dinner guests (Madeline Brewer and William Jackson Harper) are about to arrive when Henry’s spontaneous marriage proposal threatens to burn the evening to a crisp. Wine bottles and years of unspoken tensions are uncorked, and, before the evening is through, Lydia must confront her long-held fears and feelings if she’s going to commit to a future with Henry. Directed by Whitney White, Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s world premiere comedy marches into the muddy intersection of romantic entanglement, identity, pride, and survival.
You may be wondering what kind of shenanigans this arrangement would entail. Well, we have a sneak peek for you before the audio performance drops! The Root has obtained an exclusive clip from the performance via Audible:
The exchange in the above clip is...awwwwwwkwaaaaaarrrrrrd.
More info about Audible and Williamstown Theatre’s partnership:
Forged during and in response to a fraught moment in history, the unprecedented collaboration between Williamstown Theatre Festival and Audible Theater preserves the Festival season in a different format, provides continued work for the artists involved in the Festival season, and produces a body of work that will be made available for global Audible listeners to enjoy and experience. It also marks the first time that a theatrical season of work will be produced on Audible.
The rest of WTF’s 2020 season on Audible includes the Tennessee Williams masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire and Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler, both out now; the world premiere Chonburi International Hotel & Butterfly Club written by and featuring Shakina Nayfack, available Dec. 29; and Dominique Morisseau’s Paradise Blue; the world premiere musical Row with a book by Daniel Goldstein and music & lyrics by Dawn Landes; and Sanaz Toossi’s world premiere Wish You Were Here—to be released in early 2021.
Animals makes its world premiere on December 17 at 3 a.m. ET via Audible. Williamsburg Theatre Festival donors will be granted full access to the seven-title season on Audible. For more information, head to www.wtfestival.org.