Episodes

  • LAKE SONG makes its debut today on the Tribeca Audio Premieres podcast! Listen here.

    Starting on October 13, listen to LAKE SONG on its own podcast feed.

    Available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and on the web at lakesong.fm.

    Follow or subscribe to LAKE SONG to hear new episodes as they appear each week.

  • Lake Song co-creator Nate Marshall talks about what Chicago poets have always done. . . and what they're *going* to do.

    Lake Song, the epic new audio-drama series from Make-Believe Association, will debut October 12 as an official selection of Tribeca Audio.

    For more, visit lakesong.fm.

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  • OFFICIAL SELECTION - Tribeca Festival Audio Premieres. It's 2098 and the Republic of Chicago has what the world needs: fresh water. But with new opportunities come new threats, especially for a pair of siblings on the South Side. Can the people come together to save their city--and each other?

    LAKE SONG is the joint creation of seven multidisciplinary Chicagoans. Combining sci-fi and music, politics and poetry, it's a collective response to our times, and a shared dream of our future.

    Go to the new LAKE SONG feed to subscribe. Coming in mid-October.

  • Following the cancellation of Shakespeare in the Park, Oskar Eustis talks about a utopian story in one of Shakespeare's plays. A practical guide to what a vision of the future can do--and what it can't.

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    Hosted by Jeremy McCarter

    Music, mixing, and mastering by Mikhail Fiksel

    Graphics and social media by Carly Pearlman

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  • Can a new society arise from a cataclysm? Does humanity deserve a second chance? Chicago author and journalist Natalie Moore joins a virtual audience to explore utopia, dystopia, and the radical imagination while discussing the great Chicago dramatist's "What Use Are Flowers?".

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    Listen to Lorraine Hansberry’s What Use Are Flowers?:
    https://makebelieve.fm/flowers

    Listen to Natalie Moore and Jeremy McCarter’s City on Fire: Chicago Race Riot 1919:
    https://makebelieve.fm/city-on-fire

    Credits for this episode:

    Hosted by Jeremy McCarter

    Music, mixing, and mastering by Mikhail Fiksel

    Graphics and social media by Carly Pearlman

    Credits for What Use Are Flowers?:

    Directed by Daniel Kyri

    Music by Mikhail Fiksel

    Sound by Erisa Apantaku and Mikhail Fiksel

    Production manager - Madeleine Borg

    Stage manager - JC Widman

    Cast:

    Hermit – Billy Branch

    Charlie – Daniel Kyri

    Lily – Khloe Janel

    William – Tevion Lanier

    Narration read by Kiayla Ryann

    Thank you to the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust for allowing us to produce the audio drama; and to the Chauncey and Marion Deering McCormick Foundation and the Poetry Foundation for making season one possible

  • To tide us over until baseball returns, sportswriter Will Leitch breaks down the most famous athletic contest of all time, and a lively virtual audience debates its moral today.

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    Subscribe to Will Leitch's newsletter:
    https://tinyletter.com/williamfleitch

    Consider an actual tortoise vs. an actual hare:
    https://metro.co.uk/2016/10/15/someone-staged-an-actual-race-between-a-rabbit-and-a-tortoise-6194091/

    Hosted by Jeremy McCarter

    Music, mixing, and mastering by Mikhail Fiksel

    Graphics and social media by Carly Pearlman

  • The sky might or might not be falling, but the story that gave rise to that phrase is everywhere. In episode two of our series inspired by Boccaccio, Stephanie Ybarra and a group of fascinating people from all over the country reconsider the tale of the moment.

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    Hosted by Jeremy McCarter

    Music, mixing, and mastering by Mikhail Fiksel

    Graphics and social media by Carly Pearlman

    Join the conversation - @MakeBelieveFM

  • Inspired by Boccaccio, a new series of conversations in which we share a story and invite a fascinating person to talk about what it means. In episode one, Martin Edlund of Malaria No More interprets the Zen fable about the tiger and the strawberry.

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    Hosted by Jeremy McCarter

    Music, mixing, and mastering by Mikhail Fiksel

    Graphics and social media by Carly Pearlman

    Special thanks to Maria Tatar

    Join the conversation - @MakeBelieveFM

  • A docudrama about the summer that ravaged a city--and remade it. Co-produced with WBEZ.

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    CITY ON FIRE: CHICAGO RACE RIOT 1919


    A co-production of WBEZ Chicago and Make-Believe Association


    Written by Natalie Moore and Jeremy McCarter
    Original music and sound design by Mikhail Fiksel


    Executive produced by Cate Cahan for WBEZ and Jeremy McCarter for Make-Believe


    Recorded at WBEZ Studios and The Revival, Chicago


    CAST
    Ayanna Bria Bakari - Mrs. Ellis, Witness
    Brenda Barrie - Wife
    Terry Bell - Ensemble
    Eduardo Curley-Carrillo - Ensemble
    Charles Andrew Gardner - Oscar Dozier, Eugene's Friend
    Lawrence Grimm - Officer, Alderman, Minister
    Francis Guinan - Motorman, The Chief
    Sam Hubbard - George Stauber, Alderman
    C. Anthony Jackson - The Reverend
    Timothy Edward Kane - Eugene Temple, Dispatcher
    Ryan Kitley - Homeowner, Husband, Minister
    Tevion Lanier - Eugene Williams, Civic Leader
    Al’Jaleel McGhee - Migrant, Son
    Marcus D. Moore - Ensemble
    A.C. Smith - Migrant, Father
    Andre Teamer - Witness, Husband
    Anji White - Migrant, Mother
    Jacqueline Williams - Ida B. Wells


    PRODUCTION STAFF
    Casting director - Laura Alcalá Baker
    Production manager - Madeleine Borg
    Production coordinator - Erisa Apantaku
    Stage manager - Heather Sparling


    SOUND TEAM
    Recording engineers - Adam Yoffe, DeShun Smith, Shelly Steffens, and J. Kyle White-Sullivan
    Editing by Mikhail Fiksel
    Mastering by Adam Yoffe and Shelly Steffens


    Credits voiced by Melba Lara


    Equipment provided by TechMagic Designs


    Graphic design by Carly Pearlman


    “St. Louis Blues” composed by W. C. Handy


    SPECIAL THANKS
    Adam Green; Liesl Olson; Cindy Abbott, Betsy Berger, Steve Edwards, Janet Gould, Alden Loury, Tracy Brown, Jennifer Bell and the staff of WBEZ; the Make-Believe Writers’ Room (Sydney Charles, Nancy García Loza, Nate Marshall, and Kristina Valada-Viars); Carolyn Casselman and Rima Pancholi of Paul Weiss; Catherine Allen of The Den Theatre; John Stoops of The Revival; Giselle Castro; and Robert Hornbostel

    To support Make-Believe with a tax-deductible contribution, please visit:

    https://makebelieve.fm/support-us/

  • Odysseus, the “man of twists and turns”, goes on five new adventures, portrayed by five amazing actors. Sing for our time, too.

    To contact Make-Believe, email us at [email protected]

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    Lost Books of the Odyssey
    By Jeremy McCarter
    Adapted from the novel by Zachary Mason
    Music composed and sound team led by Mikhail Fiksel
    Directed by Jess McLeod
    Executive produced by Jeremy McCarter

    Performed and recorded live at the Harold Washington Library, Chicago

    CAST (in order of playing Odysseus)
    Kareem Bandealy
    Kristina Valada-Viars
    Lily Mojekwu
    Ian Paul Custer
    Henry Godinez

    SOUND TEAM
    Sound designer - Mikhail Fiksel
    Associate sound designer and audio technician - Robert Hornbostel
    Recording engineer - Joe Palermo

    PRODUCTION STAFF
    Production manager - Madeleine Borg
    Stage manager - Brennan T. Jones
    Community manager - Kaitlin Fine

    POST-PRODUCTION
    Editing, mixing, and additional recording by Mikhail Fiksel
    Additional sound design, final mixing and mastering by Joe Palermo

    Graphic design by Carly Pearlman

    Equipment provided by TechMagic Designs

    Make-Believe theme music by Mikhail Fiksel

    SPECIAL THANKS
    Catherine Allen and The Den Theater; Brian Bannon and the staff of Chicago Public Library; Carolyn Casselman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison; Bill Clegg; Nancy García Loza; Nate Marshall; Kevin Reader, Max Temkin, and Cards Against Humanity; Chris Rooney; SAG-AFTRA.

    PRODUCTION SPONSORS
    The Chauncey and Marion Deering McCormick Family Foundation, for an essential launch grant
    The Poetry Foundation, our lead season sponsor
    Joyce Chelberg, whose generosity supports the work of Make-Believe’s actors
    All our donors and supporters

    To support Make-Believe with a tax-deductible contribution, please visit:
    https://makebelieve.fm/support-us/




  • Brer Rabbit, the iconic trickster of African-American folklore, returns in new tales by the poet Nate Marshall: It’s a whole new briar patch now.

    To contact Make-Believe, email us at [email protected]

    This program is dedicated to the life of George Terrell, a storyteller and enslaved man on the Turnwold Plantation in Eatonton, Georgia. He is one of countless storytellers with names that we will never know or get right.

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    Bruh Rabbit
    And the Fantastic Telling of Remington Ellis, Esq.
    By Nate Marshall
    Music composed and sound team led by Mikhail Fiksel
    Directed by Wardell Julius Clark
    Executive produced by Jeremy McCarter

    Performed and recorded live at the Harold Washington Library, Chicago

    CAST (in order of appearance)
    Interviewer/Mayor/Tar Baby - Sydney Charles
    Remington/Fam Bear - Osiris Khepera
    Fam Wolf - Charles Andrew Gardner
    Fam Fox - Kiayla Ryann
    Bruh Rabbit - Al’Jaleel McGhee

    SOUND TEAM
    Sound designer - Mikhail Fiksel
    Associate sound designer - Robert Hornbostel
    Recording engineer - Steve Labedz
    Audio technician - Maddie Doyle

    PRODUCTION STAFF
    Production manager - Madeleine Borg
    Stage manager - J.C. Widman
    Community manager - Arrion Jones

    POST-PRODUCTION
    Editing, mixing, and additional recording by Mikhail Fiksel and Robert Hornbostel
    Mastering by Joe Palermo

    Graphic design by Carly Pearlman

    Equipment provided by TechMagic Designs

    Make-Believe theme music by Mikhail Fiksel

    SPECIAL THANKS
    Catherine Allen and The Den Theater; Brian Bannon and the staff of Chicago Public Library; Carolyn Casselman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison; Nancy García Loza; Chris Rooney; SAG-AFTRA; Maria Tatar

    PRODUCTION SPONSORS
    The Chauncey and Marion Deering McCormick Family Foundation, for an essential launch grant
    The Poetry Foundation, our lead season sponsor
    Joyce Chelberg, whose generosity supports the work of Make-Believe’s actors
    All our donors and supporters

    To support Make-Believe with a tax-deductible contribution, please visit:
    https://makebelieve.fm/support-us/

  • A brave girl's journey through a land of many monsters, adapted from a Mexican folktale by Nancy García Loza. Performed and recorded live in Chicago, followed by audience conversation.

    To contact Make-Believe, email us at [email protected]

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    Brava
    A folktale con música
    Script and corrido by Nancy García Loza
    Music direction and additional music by Eréndira Izguerra
    Sound team led by Mikhail Fiksel
    Directed by Laura Alcalá Baker
    Executive produced by Jeremy McCarter

    Performed and recorded live at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, Chicago

    CAST (in order of appearance)
    Young Girl - Ilse Zacharias
    Father/Patrón - Christian Castro
    Viejita/Cook - Ana María Alvarez
    Walking Stick/Servant - Brandon Rivera
    Guard/Soldado - Carlos Rogelio Diaz
    Prince/Bolumbí - Eduardo Curley-Carrillo

    BAND
    Violin - Eréndira Izguerra
    Guitarron - Jeanette Nevarez
    Vihuela - Laura Velazquez

    SOUND TEAM
    Sound designer - Mikhail Fiksel
    Associate sound designer - Robert Hornbostel
    Recording engineer - Steve Labedz
    Audio technician - Maddie Doyle

    PRODUCTION STAFF
    Production manager - Madeleine Borg
    Stage manager - Jaclynn Joslin
    Community manager - Jennifer Aparicio
    Folk music adviser - Juan Dies, Sones de México Ensemble

    POST-PRODUCTION
    Editing, mixing, and additional recording by Mikhail Fiksel
    Additional recording by Robert Hornbostel
    Mastering by Joe Palermo

    Based on a folktale in Tales from Jalisco, Mexico by Howard T. Wheeler, published by The American Folklore Society.

    Casting by Paskal Rudnicke Casting

    Graphic design by Carly Pearlman

    Equipment provided by TechMagic Designs

    Make-Believe theme music by Mikhail Fiksel

    SPECIAL THANKS
    Catherine Allen and The Den Theater; The American Folklore Society; Carolyn Casselman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison; Erica Daniels and Victory Gardens; Maria Hinojosa; Nate Marshall; Chris Rooney; SAG-AFTRA; and Carlos Tortolero and the National Museum of Mexican Art

    PRODUCTION SPONSORS
    The Chauncey and Marion Deering McCormick Family Foundation, for an essential launch grant
    The Poetry Foundation, our lead season sponsor
    Joyce Chelberg, whose generosity supports the work of Make-Believe’s actors
    All our donors and supporters

    To support Make-Believe with a tax-deductible contribution, please visit: https://makebelieve.fm/support-us/

  • How can creative artists make each other more creative? As we count down to the release of Make-Believe's first audio drama, we talk with Monica Beletsky, acclaimed writer for TV and film, about artistic collaboration, the highs and lows of the TV writers' room, and the fable of the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.

    See Monica's thread on storytelling:

    https://twitter.com/MonicaBeletsky/status/946479909903282177

    See @edithdrod's visualization:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/16AMvLZhqHvX9KpwLRYmFPhuJ_Ez4SpaP/view

    Talk to Make-Believe: [email protected]

  • A preview of the first audio drama in our season of Grown Folks Fables, a Mexican folktale con música by Nancy García Loza. A brave girl faces many monsters. #muchowowwow #muchoguaoguao

  • Michael Sandel, philosopher and showman, helps us prep for Season 1 by showing how it's done. Plus: the art of listening, upstaging Matt Damon, and the case of Grasshopper v. Ant.

    Want to talk with us? We're at [email protected].

    Want to support our work? Please consider a tax-deductible contribution here.

  • Welcome to Make-Believe Association, a Chicago-based company producing new audio dramas--recorded live--and conversations about how stories shape our world. It's independent. It draws from the breadth of our vibrant city. And it's coming very soon.