The Beginning
Play-Mates was created in 2020 by Director of Community Engagement, Brynn Hambley. Originally the show was created as a way to promote the work of non-male playwrights across the world. Each episode was divided into three parts: Dramaturgy, Performance, and Discussion. Dramaturgy covered the history and background of the work; Performance was a monologue or scene from the work performed by a voice over actor; and Discussion was usually an interview with the playwright or a director that worked on the piece.
Brynn hosted this version of the show semi-regularly until 2022.
Merge with First Kiss Theatre
Brynn Hambley joined the board of FKT in March of 2023 and proposed the annexation of Play-Mates as an audio theater platform that summer. Each episode would be an audio theater production of a short play or an excerpt from a longer work. The first episode released under the FKT banner was an excerpt from Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Lily Welsh in August of 2023.
Since then, FKT has produced one episode monthly of a short play or excerpt written by an artist within our community. To replace the discussion portion of the episode, FKT’s monthly Instagram livestream, Artist Crush Discush, began to interview each playwright about their work in conjunction with the release of their episode.
The Mission
Play-Mates as a platform endeavors to support the work of the artists within the FKT community, which are overwhelmingly non-male and queer. We strive to promote work that aligns with our artistic mission of finding the magic in everything, from the mundane to the strange. The work Play-Mates produces is new, risk-taking, and thought provoking, and we put our all into doing each piece justice.
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Play-Mates Podcast
