DeepSummary
The podcast episode is a live performance of selected short stories hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser of Radiolab. They chose stories related to the theme of 'flight' and had actors perform them on stage. The stories included a Brian Doyle essay about hummingbirds, a Miranda July story about a woman sitting next to a celebrity on a plane, a Don Shea flash fiction about paramedics dealing with suicides, and a Margaret Atwood story about a person who believes they were previously incarnated as a bat.
The performances aimed to take the audience to imaginative places beyond the realm of typical non-fiction stories covered on Radiolab. The hosts treated it like producing a Radiolab episode by curating stories around a central theme that explored the concept of flight from unique perspectives.
The live show format allowed the audience to experience great writing performed by talented actors. The eclectic mix of stories pushed the boundaries of what the hosts could normally explore on their fact-based podcast.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The live Radiolab show explored the theme of 'flight' through fiction, allowing the hosts to tackle imaginative concepts beyond their typical non-fiction format.
- The show featured actors performing short stories by acclaimed writers like Brian Doyle, Miranda July, Don Shea, and Margaret Atwood.
- The performances aimed to push boundaries and take audiences to places the Radiolab hosts can't normally explore through their fact-based reporting.
- Some of the stories provided insightful social commentary and challenged perspectives on reality and belief.
- The live format allowed audiences to experience great writing through skilled actors' interpretations.
- The eclectic mix of stories unified by the 'flight' theme demonstrated the versatility of the concept across genres and styles.
- The live show was treated like a curated Radiolab episode, selecting pieces that spoke to a central theme from unique vantage points.
- Using fiction allowed the show to transcend the limits of non-fiction reporting and fact-based storytelling.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “You shouldn't underestimate a man's capacity for feeling threatened. You don't have to be a great beauty for men to come to blows over you.“ by Molly Bernard as Narrator
- “If you ask a human being what makes his flesh creep more a bat or a bomb, he will say the bat it is difficult to experience loathing for something merely metal, however ominous. We say these sensations for those with skin and flesh, a skin, a flesh unlike our own.“ by Zach Grenier as Narrator
- “I screamed at these filmic moments, but not with fear, rather with outraged laughter at the insult to bats.“ by Zach Grenier as Narrator
- “My life was far below us in an orangey pink stucco apartment building. It seemed as though I might never have to return to it now.“ by Molly Bernard as Narrator
Entities
Company
Book
Person
Location
Episode Information
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
5/10/24