| Around the Sun: An Episodic Audio Drama | |
| Genre: | Radio Play |
| Creator: | Brad Forenza |
| Length: | 10-15 minutes per episode |
| Production: | Best Version of Yourself, LLC |
| Num Seasons: | 4 |
| Num Episodes: | 30 |
Around the Sun: An Episodic Audio Drama is a scripted podcast series. Each anthology episode pairs two characters in a short scene that addresses a specific social issue.[1] Production began during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[2]
Around the Sun is written and produced by Brad Forenza. The first season was co-produced by Suzanne Ordas Curry and Brian Dashew and launched via the Broadway Podcast Network in October 2021.[3] In September 2022, Forenza and Adassa announced on NPR Illinois that a second season would premiere that autumn.[4]
Season 1: Urban Dwellers premiered on October 21, 2021, via the Broadway Podcast Network,[5] [6] with episodes taking place throughout New York City.[7] A special video version of Episode 8: "The Museum," starring Forenza and Vincent Pastore, was produced as an addendum to the season.[8]
| Episode | Title | Starring | Synopsis | Themes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Park Bench | Marsha Mason,[9] Austin Pendleton[10] | Manhattanites consider their future | marriage, retirement | |
| 102 | Subway Car | Sally Struthers,[11] Ryan Wotherspoon | Happenings on the 1 train | commitment, existential panic | |
| 103 | Off-Broadway | Lilli Cooper, Veanne Cox | Fellow theatricals meet at a crossroads | friendship, ambition | |
| 104 | Red Light | Dolores Catania,[12] David LaRosa | A sex worker stays wary on a professional date | destiny, purpose | |
| 105 | Upper West | David Alan Basche, Alysia Reiner[13] | College professors discover the unexpected | parenting, thwarted plans | |
| 106 | Apothecary | Christine Nagy, BD Wong | A woman explores Eastern medicine | infertility, heartache, intercultural connection | |
| 107 | Wall Street | Joanna Bonaro, Maureen Van Zandt | Neighbors root for their home teams | reciprocity, coercion | |
| 108 | The Museum | Brad Forenza, Vincent Pastore[14] | A janitor confronts an uninvited guest | childhood memory, acceptance | |
| 109 | Marathon | François Clemmons[15] | A runner tackles the NYC Marathon | ||
| 110 | Be Here Now | Marsha Mason, Austin Pendleton | A cosmic reunion occurs | the afterlife, infinity |
Season 2: Desert People premiered on October 26, 2022, via the Broadway Podcast Network.[16] [17] The season featured a new cast, with episodes unfolding in and around the American Southwest.[18] Episodes 6 and 10 starred three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie in her last credited roles.[19] [20]
| Episode | Title | Starring | Synopsis | Themes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Red Earth Realty | Adassa,[21] Richard Kind[22] | A retiree trades New York City for life in the desert | serenity, ambition | |
| 202 | Fallout Girls | Caroline Aaron, Jennie Kwan | Two Earth Warriors contemplate their fate | compassion fatigue, protest | |
| 203 | Area 51 | Taylor Purdee, Bruce Vilanch | Military personnel have different interpretations of their oath | hierarchy, value conflicts | |
| 204 | Off the Reservation | Richard Kline, Jennie Kwan | A father chases his youth at a desert music festival | empty nest syndrome, dissociation | |
| 205 | Mirage | Mindy Cohn,[23] Taylor A. Purdee | A hydroponic farm says goodbye to its first intern | youth, sustainability | |
| 206 | Coyotes | Piper Laurie | A grandmother regales her grandson with natural stimuli | intergenerationality, grandparenting | |
| 207 | Lonely Planet | Mindy Cohn, Bruce Vilanch | Two Trekkies ponder life beyond their convention | unrequited love, suspension of disbelief | |
| 208 | After the Apocalypse | Caroline Aaron, Richard Kline | An estranged husband and wife confront each other | running away, rejection | |
| 209 | Borrowed Land | Adassa, Richard Kind | A semi-retired realtor enforces her "no refunds or exchanges" policy | role reversal, balance | |
| 210 | Intelligent Life | Brad Forenza, Piper Laurie | On their return trip, two aliens reflect on their visit to "miserable" planet Earth (posthumously dedicated to the memory of Piper Laurie[24]) | perspective, the human condition |
Season 3: Pinecones premiered on October 18, 2023, via the Broadway Podcast Network. The Season 3 announcement was confirmed by cast member Jai Rodriguez on WPIX television.[25] The season features a mostly new cast with two performers (Forenza and Clemmons[26]) returning to the project in new roles. The final episode includes an original song written by series creator Brad Forenza and interpreted by François Clemmons.[27]
In a first for the series, Pinecones follows a single story arc, with each episode offering a different conversation between varying members of an extended family (along with members of their local community). The narrative takes place in an undisclosed mountain town in the American Northeast during the winter holiday season. It makes literal and thematic references to Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
| 301 | Prologue | Estelle Parsons[28] | Family matriarch, Bibi, ponders a lifetime on her mountain | introspection, later life | |
| 302 | Advent | Season 3 ensemble | Bibi's family angles for an unexpected holiday reunion | family dynamics, winter holidays | |
| 303 | Cold Snap | Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jai Rodriguez[29] [30] | Andrew and Kyle face two different kinds of tundra | family planning, grief | |
| 304 | Snow Bunnies | Judy Gold, Terry Hu[31] | Will divine intervention reach the Snow Bunny Skate before Paula and Jay? | hormones, adolescence, menopause | |
| 305 | Xmas Past | Robert Funaro,[32] Cady McClain | Childhood friends, Grace and Max, strive to see each other in a new light | first loves, functional substance abuse | |
| 306 | Blue Squares | Season 3 ensemble | The Pinecone family says goodbye to Bibi | expectations, closure | |
| 307 | Mountaintop | François Clemmons,[33] Brad Forenza, Estelle Parsons[34] | Spike catches his bus to enlightenment, with natural memories in tow | personal growth, metamorphosis |
In 2024, a series epilogue (Artists Within) was announced via a documentary-style profile of its voice actors.[35] [36] All three epilogue cast members identify as writer-performers and/or theater-makers and all have been recognized by the Drama Desk Awards. Epilogue episodes are set amidst the constellations, addressing the expanses of the universe.
| 401 | Eternal Flames | Gretchen Cryer, Joe Gilford | Andromeda the Maiden wants to connect with Perseus | monogamy, eternity | |
| 402 | Sister Stars | Gretchen Cryer, Sarah Saltzberg | Sister stars in Orion's Belt work to change their lot in life | patriarchy, liberation | |
| 403 | Gods and Demigods | Joe Gilford, Sarah Saltzberg | Zeus wants the Mirror Ball, but Hermes needs a break | artistic success vs. commercial success |
Since its initial debut, Around the Sun has become an award-winning drama, receiving both international film festival and internet entertainment honors. These include: