1.10: Dear Starlight

Machines break. So do people. Both can be replaced. Jax is a failing children's performer who has just received some bad news: there's a 50% chance that they're about to die. Their wife begs them to take it seriously, but Jax believes that one of their best qualities is never taking anything seriously for their whole life. Unable to cope with the prospect of their own death, they train a household robot to replace them in hopes that their wife won't notice when they're gone. With two coin flips that determine the course of the play, this performance has four different iterations. There's a 50% chance it will end in tragedy. Written by Alex Kingsley. Performed by Grace Griego, Jaymes Rodriguez, and Alex Kingsley. Presented by Cannonball Festival. Hosted at Fidget. Performances dates: FREE preview at The Deep End August 26, 8:00pm September 4, 9:30pm September 6, 8:00pm September 9, 7:00pm For more information, visit unplannedobsolescenceplay.wordpress.com

Written by Dee Engan. Performed by Kendell Byrd.  Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima-Noorani Kamtekar.  Dee Engan is a writer. Learn more at deeengan.com.

Written by O. Wulf. Performed by Roanna Cruz. Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. O. Wulf is a writer and teacher living in Minnesota, where she enjoys hiking near Lake Superior, relaxing with her cat, and visiting the library. Her work has been published previously in "Minnow Literary Magazine." Roanna Cruz is a bilingual Filipino-American voice actor based in Los Angeles. She loves collaborating with creators to bring their characters to life! She’s professional, friendly, and makes sure to always have fun behind the microphone! Since starting her voice acting career in 2020, her voice has been heard in video games, animations, audio dramas, apps, commercials, and more. Visit Roanna’s website at www.RCruzVO.com.

Written by Len Klapdor. Performed by Michelle Goff.  Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Len Klapdor is a queer, autistic writer from the sprawling Ruhr region of Germany. Enthralled with the art of storytelling from an early age, she has worked as a story developer for gaming and theater projects for more than a decade before committing full-time to novel writing. Len writes speculative fiction from dark fantasy to solarpunk and published her first book, the sci-fi noir thriller "The Hand That Feeds", in 2021. Her short stories are published in Etherea Magazine and Flourish Fiction, her novel-length work is represented by Lauren Bieker at FinePrint Literary. Michelle Goff: "I am a British voice actor who has been acting since the age of 17. I have been in many theatre productions and shows, both professional and amateur. Having had my own YouTube channel since 2017 where I have uploaded over 200+ comic dub videos that I have both edited and voice acted, I have also used this knowledge and experience to further assist me in the vocal world. I have provided voices for different video games and animations during my time as an actress. I have a unique, dynamic, strong, emotive and extremely versatile voice with years of acting experience in theatre and voice over. my normal speaking voice is clear, mid-to-low in pitch with a Northern Accent. Easy and pleasant to work with, I will deliver work punctually, take direction easily and strive to make my work the best quality it can possibly be."

Written by Nicklas Berild Lundlad. Performed by Mike Cuellar.  Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Nicklas Berild Lundblad writes speculative fiction, essays and books. His latest book - written with professor Fredrrik Stjernberg in Swedish and published in 2021 - was called Frågvisare, or Wiser by asking and explored the philosophy, history and literature of questions. He has a PhD in informatics, an LLM and a BA in Philosophy and works at DeepMind LLC in London with questions about artificial intelligence, law and the future of society. Mike Cuellar is a voice actor, audiobook narrator and podcaster from Marietta, Ga. He can be heard narrating your favorite weird fiction on The Weird Tales Podcast, and has appeared in @PatronSaintPod, @reignitionpod and the forthcoming @hgwontdiepod among many, many others.

Multiple stories by Griffin Raynor. Performed by Sammy Burchell.  Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Griffin Raynor is a writer and editor from Texas who enjoys colorful and often uncanny stories. He also likes playing games, making jewelry, and nerding out about scifi and fantasy. Griffin's other work can be found in Dark Cheer from Improbable Press and Volume Six of Paddler Press. They can be found on Twitter @griffinraynor. Sammy Burchell is an occasional voice actor and podcaster who plays the ill fated Mel on Strong Branch Productions’ debut podcast, The Stench of Adventure. When not struggling to speak into a microphone she delights children as a museum STEM educator and spends time with her very good cat, Beans. You can find her at burchell_sammy on Twitter, assuming she figures out how to post on twitter before it becomes entirely obsolete.

Written by Sean Donaghue Johnston. Performed by Jason Cryer. Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Content warning: violence, death Sean Donaghue Johnston writes speculative fiction and teaches philosophy at Niagara University and Canisius College. His fiction has appeared in Space Squid, Every Day Fiction, and Broken Pencil Magazine. He lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, with his wife Caroline and their two children, Atticus and Finula.

Written by Taylor Poulos. Performed by Beus Lunaire. Content warning: reference to death. Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Taylor Poulos is a speculative fiction writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Beus is from Madrid and living in Austria. By profession musician and Spanish teacher, among a million other things. Lover of theatre and poetry.

Dear Starlight by Delphi Foster. Performed by Katlyn Griffin. Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Content warning: disease, death Katie Griffin: Actor. Drag Queen. Storyteller. Nerd. In her 22 years on the stage, Katie has worn many hats. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Folklore and Ethnomusicology, as well as a certificate in Theatre and Drama. Since then, she has been performing wherever the wind takes her through the world. She is excited to join the Strong Branch family in Tales from the Radiator.

The Moth by Cormack Baldwin. Performed by Elliot Yordy. Directed by Alex Kingsley. Theme song by Optima Noorani-Kamtekar. Cormack Baldwin is a speculative fiction author and editor, as well as aficionado of the law of unintended consequences. He worries that even knowing about this episode has, in some way, altered the course of your life in ways that cannot yet be perceived. He is the Head Archivist (Editor-in-Chief) of Archive of the Odd, a found-fiction magazine. You can find a list of his works at cmbaldwin.carrd.co or the man himself @cormackbaldwin on Twitter. His favorite moth is the Eri silkmoth.