Triggering Love - featuring Robert O'Hara (he/him)

Featuring award winning playwright and Tony Award nominated theater director Robert O'Hara | he/him

This creative conversation kicks off with frank discussions of the practical and physical: this industry is tough, success is not promised, and backstage Broadway is far from glamorous. In short, it's a job! Robert and Will connect on the value of voicing the risks to young artists early - "It's a profession, not a hobby." This leads to an interrogation of trigger warnings in general and specifically with regards to Robert's hotly publicized direction of Jeremy O. Harris' SLAVE PLAY on Broadway. Will takes the opportunity to ask Robert about the difference of developing new work when directing MACBETH at The Denver Center. Robert suggests approaching all projects like new plays, a project that has never appeared before, by bringing a personal perspective to every choice that is made. Only by making informed, personal choices can audiences learn who you are and clarify your artistic voice. After a rigorous discussion of reality, Robert's brave tarot pull explores how to shepherd grace personally and professionally.

In Teacakes and Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists, host Will Wilhelm (they/them) welcomes an artistic crush for an intimate chat and a reading. Each episode features a new queer guest discussing art, life in our industry, and their dreams and intentions while the world of performance waits in the wings. Together, they hold space to summon more inclusive, exciting, and queer-friendly ways to create. As the candle burns low, Will offers their guest a unique tarot reading to give them greater insight on a personal journey. It's one part cocktail party and one part slumber party that will leave you stirred but never shaken.

Teacakes & Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists is produced by Island Shakespeare Festival as part of the Shakespeare Playground Series. The series presents socially distanced programming that upholds ISF’s mission of accessible Shakespeare that embraces intersectional storytelling and artistic excellence. Find out more at islandshakespearefest.org!

Co-Created by Will Wilhelm (they/them) and Erin Murray (she/her)
Graphic Design by Ray Kathryn Morgen (they/them)
Theme Song: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.
Audio & Mixing: Nigel Saskrotch (they/them)

Protecting Softness - featuring Jéhan Òsanyin (they/them)

Featuring theater director, actor, playwright, storyteller, and lead facilitator of earthseed Jéhan Òsanyin | they/them

Our evening begins as Will invites Jéhan to illuminate the audience about their company, earthseed, which is committed to decolonizing theater through examining the wilderness as the quintessential scene partner and inspiration. This leads to a fruitful discussion about what theatre artists too often fight to control when preparing to perform and what they unknowingly yield when sitting in community. Will then seizes the opportunity to ask Jéhan about their one-person show, "Yankee Pickney," as Will prepares for their own one-person show, "Gender Play, or what you Will." Besides one-person show development, the two discover a shared mischievous delight in titling their gender defiance - Jéhan enjoys "Gender Vacillator" whereas Will prefers "Gender Traitor." Jéhan speaks openly about the heartbreak and new resolve they have felt in equal parts while creating Art in a capitalistic American society especially in the wake of the pandemic. As the cards of chance flip, we hear a valuable conversation around relishing rest and peace after a lifetime of holding labor in high regard.

In Teacakes and Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists, host Will Wilhelm (they/them) welcomes an artistic crush for an intimate chat and a reading. Each episode features a new queer guest discussing art, life in our industry, and their dreams and intentions while the world of performance waits in the wings. Together, they hold space to summon more inclusive, exciting, and queer-friendly ways to create. As the candle burns low, Will offers their guest a unique tarot reading to give them greater insight on a personal journey. It's one part cocktail party and one part slumber party that will leave you stirred but never shaken.

Teacakes & Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists is produced by Island Shakespeare Festival as part of the Shakespeare Playground Series. The series presents socially distanced programming that upholds ISF’s mission of accessible Shakespeare that embraces intersectional storytelling and artistic excellence. Find out more at islandshakespearefest.org!

Co-Created by Will Wilhelm (they/them) and Erin Murray (she/her)
Graphic Design by Ray Kathryn Morgen (they/them)
Theme Song: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.
Audio & Mixing: Nigel Saskrotch (they/them)

De(a)ftly Queer - featuring Joshua Castille (he/him)

Featuring Deaf performance artist and actor Joshua Castille | he/him

Get ready for an effervescent exchange as Josh shares his experience as a queer and Deaf actor who has done it all from the Broadway stage to the Hollywood screen. Jokes and anecdotes bubble throughout the interview as Will learns more about the Deaf community culture and how it mirrors and deviates from queer community culture. Josh tells stories about his process when part of a large cast of Deaf actors like Deaf West's Spring Awakening and as the only Deaf actor in ACT Seattle's Tribes before delving deeper into the embrace he receives from fellow queer actors. All seriousness aside, Will and Josh then reveal their lesser known skills and niche interests as a reminder that people contain multitudes beyond their artistry and identities. In the reading, we look to the future (with a cameo by Lisa Frank's tarot) by sourcing inner strength and trusting ourselves when faced with other's expectations. Check out the video of this sparkling dialogue at www.gender-play.com!

In Teacakes and Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists, host Will Wilhelm (they/them) welcomes an artistic crush for an intimate chat and a reading. Each episode features a new queer guest discussing art, life in our industry, and their dreams and intentions while the world of performance waits in the wings. Together, they hold space to summon more inclusive, exciting, and queer-friendly ways to create. As the candle burns low, Will offers their guest a unique tarot reading to give them greater insight on a personal journey. It's one part cocktail party and one part slumber party that will leave you stirred but never shaken.

Teacakes & Tarot: Conversations with Queer Futurists is produced by Island Shakespeare Festival as part of the Shakespeare Playground Series. The series presents socially distanced programming that upholds ISF’s mission of accessible Shakespeare that embraces intersectional storytelling and artistic excellence. Find out more at islandshakespearefest.org!

Co-Created by Will Wilhelm (they/them) and Erin Murray (she/her)
Graphic Design by Ray Kathryn Morgen (they/them)
Theme Song: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.
Audio & Mixing: Nigel Saskrotch (they/them)