Description:

KRLN's Nostalgia Radio Hour Presents: Growing Pangs. A story of love, drama, and death.
An upfront account of two siblings who proved that no amount of blood bouts stood between them and bonding over the BS they endured from friends, family, and foes.
Brought to you by our sponsors: Guilt, Shame, Sibling Rivalry, and Ovaltine.
Ovaltine, that drink you know--from that contemporary Christmas movie--set in the past.
As always, our tale begins in front of a live studio audience.

Author's Notes

This play was born from my thesis exploring sibling relationships and the impact they have on shaping identity. Midway through my graduate school experience, my sister Shiree Shaffer died due to complications of COVID-19.

This is an autobiographical exploration of our journey together, thus I've named the sibling characters in the play Matthew and Shiree. However, I believe that the themes and questions between one's self, family, love, and grief are universal. At the discretion of the director, the names, genders, ages, and ethnicities of these characters can be changed to accommodate a relationship between a fluid range of actors portraying the siblings. All of the additional characters in correlation--played by the Station Manager--should remain the same.

While the play indicates that the siblings were born and raised in an Italian Catholic home, I encourage diverse casting for all three roles; this includes gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity.

The choreographed transitions, which happen throughout the play, are meant to be a glimpse into the siblings' past and should convey a sense of nostalgia, joy, and bonding. The length, style, or genre of choreography, and music are open to the director's discretion but should feel pedestrian, and playful; conveying context to the dialogue, direction, and movement of the play.

The choreographed transitions should be filmed and projected onto a screen or similar devices to incorporate elements of mixed media throughout the play.

In the original production of this play, the choreographed transitions incorporated actual childhood footage from the actors playing Shiree and Matthew.

Production Notes

The original production premiered at City Garage Theater in Santa Monica, California, on April 5, 2023. Angela Beyer played Shiree; AM Sannazzaro played Matthew; Jason Pereira played Station Manager. The stage was mostly bare except for an "On Air" sign, three torch mics, one café table, two chairs, and a prop table with practical props used by the Station Manager throughout to establish characters and produce sound effects for the radio show.

A more realized set is permitted, but should not distract from the action arising from the audible stage direction incorporating the mixed media, choreography, and blocking.