MIDDLEBURY — Live from New York City on Tuesday, July 28, hosts of several of the biggest and best podcasts in the world will convene for “Cast Party,” a festive, rousing original variety show beamed live via satellite into Town Hall Theater at 8 p.m. “Cast Party” will feature brand new stories and performances by WNYC’s dynamo “Radiolab”; NPR’s newest mega-hit, “Invisibilia”; Gimlet Media’s deep dive into the Internet, “Reply All”; Earwolf’s improv comedy show, “With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus,” and PRX’s bold (and often hilarious) radio drama, “The Truth.” The show also features surprise guests, music and dance performances, original videos, and more. It is presented by BY Experience.
“We envision this as the ‘Lollapalooza’ of podcasts,” says “Cast Party” co-creator and producer Seth Lind. “Podcasts are having this moment, what everyone’s calling a golden age, so we thought why not gather shows from different genres and networks and just have a huge celebration? And let’s rent a satellite so everyone can see it.”
Once a niche medium, podcasts have exploded in popularity, with iTunes podcast subscribers surging to 77 million, up from 25 million just five years ago.
“Getting audiences together to watch their favorite podcasts come to life, from the live stage to the big screen, will be exhilarating,” says Julie Borchard-Young, co-president of BY Experience, Executive Producer and co-creator of Cast Party. “These podcast hosts talk right into our ears each week, which is an intimate, often solitary pleasure. We’re thrilled to transform that individual listening experience into a live, collective, visual one. With some actual song and dance.”
A few of the featured podcasts at this event include:
• “Radiolab” — Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich bring to the stage WNYC’s wildly popular, multi-award winning, obsessively sound-designed exploration of science, philosophy and human experience.
• “Invisibilia” — Co-host Lulu Miller performs a brand new story reported for NPR’s mega-hit podcast about the hidden forces that guide our lives.
• “Reply All” — Hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman perform a live episode of Gimlet Media’s breakout show featuring riveting stories about the Internet.
• “With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus” — Earwolf’s improv comedy show features comedian and “Orange Is the New Black” star Lauren Lapkus. In every installment, another comedian pretends to be the host of an imaginary long-running show and tells Lapkus on the spot what her character is. Improvised comedy of the highest caliber ensues.
• “The Truth” — Created by Jonathan Mitchell, “The Truth” is contemporary radio drama, like old-timey radio serials but without any of the throwback cheesiness — completely fresh and with 3D soundscapes. Mitchell and his team of writers and actors will create a completely original dramedy to be performed live on stage at “Cast Party.” “The Truth” is part of “Radiotopia,” a collective of story-driven podcasts from PRX.
Tickets are $15 and are available at the Town Hall Theater box office (Monday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m.), 802-382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org.
This event may not be suitable for those younger than 15. Discretion is advised.