New Conservatory Theatre Center Announces IN GOOD COMPANY, New Episodic Podcast Series

New Conservatory Theatre Center has announced the release of a brand-new podcast, In Good Company, available for streaming and download starting August 26, with weekly episodes made available every Wednesday. Written by a diverse group of talented playwrights including Jewelle Gomez, Eric Reyes Loo, Laurel Ollstein, Tim Pinckney, and Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder and directed by Founder and Artistic Director Ed Decker, NCTC's newest medium uses radio plays of the past to take steps toward the future of theatre in this kind-of-semi-true, behind-the-scenes story about a Bay Area theatre grappling with its place in society as Coronavirus spreads.

In Good Company premieres on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and all major podcast platforms on August 26. Episodes of this limited series will be released weekly on Wednesdays, culminating in the final episode on October 21. Learn more at nctcsf.org.

The drama onstage is nothing compared to what's happening behind the scenes at Bay City Theatre. Artistic Director Lola Grant is performing the ultimate balancing act: running a small, LGBTQ+ theatre during a pandemic, keeping her family together, and producing a new play- that's still missing an ending. Written by a diverse community of playwrights and inspired by real-life struggles of local theatre artists, In Good Company is a love letter to the resilience of art, artists, and the places they call "home".

Jewelle Gomez is a novelist, poet and cultural worker. She's the author of eight books including the first Black Lesbian vampyre novel, The Gilda Stories, which has been in print more than 25 years. New Conservatory Theatre Center commissioned and produced two of her plays - Waiting for Giovanni and Leaving the Blues. Her new work, Unpacking in Ptown will receive its world premiere with NCTC as part of their 2021 Season.

Eric Reyes Loo is a television writer and playwright, having most recently written for Netflix's A.J. and the Queen. His plays have been produced across the country and his play This is Only a Test will premiere in May 2021 at the Broken Nose Theatre in Chicago. He's also the Artistic Producing Director of Chalk Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles.

Laurel Ollstein is an award winning playwright/director based in Los Angeles. Most recent production They Promised Her the Moon - its critically acclaimed west coast premier at The Old Globe theatre in San Diego, directed by Giovanna Sardelli. The Northern California premiere opened March 6 of this year at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and unfortunately had to close due to the virus on March 10. Laurel directs playwriting programs, writing and arts education in schools, and creates plays on social justice themes. She is an adjunct faculty member at Cal Arts, UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, and Otis College of Art and Design.

Tim Pinckney's plays include Message to Michael (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), Still at Risk (world premiere at the New Conservatory Theatre, NYC premiere at Theater for the New City) and Ever So Humble (world premiere Hangar Theatre, recently featured in the Plays in the House series as a benefit for The Actors Fund starring Michael Urie and Andréa Burns). Other plays include A Prehistoric Ritual, Stir Until Smooth, A Perfect Blendship and First Refusal, as well as the stage adaptation for the world premiere of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. TV: staff writer on Halston, an upcoming Netflix limited series, starring Ewan McGregor. Tim is represented by Charles Kopelman at Abrams Artists. www.timpinckney.com

Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder's plays include Gee's Bend, Fresh Kills, The Flagmaker of Market Street, The Furniture of Home, White Lightning, Provenance, Everything That's Beautiful (NCTC World Premiere), and Looks Like Pretty. Her plays have been produced at the Royal Court (London), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center, Cleveland Playhouse, KC Rep, Northlight, the Arden, B Street Theatre, and Hartford Stage, among others. She is the recipient of the Osborn Award given by the American Theatre Critics Association, a Sloan Commission, and has been featured on The Kilroy's. Elyzabeth is the current Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence at Sewanee: The University of the South. www.wilderwriting.net

The cast of In Good Company includes Toni Lynn Guidry (Narrator), James Arthur M. (Andre / Dugie / Jasmine), Chris Morrell (Skip Markley / Brick / Manicurist / Skateboarder / TV Announcer), James Aaron Oh (Kaiser), Desiree Rogers (Lola / Frannie), Elena Ruggiero (Bridget / Gaby), Chris Steele (Constance / CJ), and Vaho (Javier / Dr. Sorenson / YouTube Knitter). Sound design by Kalon Thibodeaux.

New Conservatory Theatre Center has been San Francisco's premier LGBTQ+ and Allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to continue expanding the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.

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