A Blind Play

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Abandoned by her mother, twelve-year-old "Kid" takes on the mother role to care for her only father figure, her profoundly disabled step-father Pal. A visit from her classmate Evander, terrified by what he sees in the house, illuminates just how precarious this unconventional relationship is.
Pal is adapted from the short story “Pal,” a 2020 finalist for the Bristol Prize in the UK. It was published in the Bristol Prize Anthology.
The screenplay adaptation has garnered several awards including an Independent Shorts Award, Cult Critic Movie Award, and Indie Short Fest award, all for best short screenplay. It was an official selection in the Paris International Short Festival and Vienna Indie Short Film Festival. Pal is, at its heart, a story of family.
The story takes place over two days, flashing backward and forwards in time.
CAST
Narrator--Sarah McGuire
Kid--Hannah Rose Dorph
Pal--Steve Kasan
Linda Sears--Julia Garlotte
Evander--Keillor Mau
Byers--Michael Mau
Additional Music--"Sad Reflection and Grief Piano" by MusicLFiles
Sound Effects--Pixabay
Special Thanks to Annie Weaver, Shenandoah Evans, and Kelsea Hume
"Sad Reflection and Grief Piano" by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8272-sad-reflection-and-grief-piano
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

All episodes directed and edited by Michael Mau
Original Music by Trevor Tremaine
Podcast cover art created by Geneva Hicks

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Earlier this year, I recorded the audiobook for Wes Blake’s debut novel, Pineville Trace. I’ve narrated several audiobooks, but this one was special for me. Wes and I met in grad school at the Bluegrass Writers Studio in 2014. We taught in the same school district in Jessamine County Kentucky. And we shared a few drinks and some adventures in Lisbon.

So when he asked me to narrate his novel, I immediately asked, "How much will you pay me?"

Critics have praised Pineville Trace; readers adore it:

--This was an utterly compelling read.

--Pineville Trace is a quiet odyssey, an unexpectedly meditative journey of a minor outlaw.

--Good first book

--The cat is my favorite, and not just because I am a super-fulfilled old cat lady.

--... an achingly beautiful story with a complex character at it center.

--... beautifully read by Michael Mau.

And I sure loved recording it. To hear the whole novel, you’ll have to buy it yourself, but I wanted to share a couple of chapters just to tease you.

So here, for your listening enjoyment, is Pineville Trace by Wes Blake.

If you want to hear more, or even read the book yourself, you can go to https://wesblake.com/ . There you can read interviews with Wes, find out where he’ll be speaking, and look at his face, which doctors say is too small for his head.

All episodes directed and edited by Michael Mau
Original Music by Trevor Tremaine
Podcast cover art created by Geneva Hicks

Support the show

You can leave a note for a writer or cast member. Click here to text the show.

After his girlfriend Andi disappears, Michael desperately searches for her while struggling with his own identity separate from her.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
Michael MauSTARRING

Danny Gavigan as Michael

Nneka as Andi

Reagan Prum as Errol

Ryan Goffman as Ross

Juan Pablo Suarez as Serge

Toni Poe as the Neighbor

And featuring Alton Leonard as the Neurologist

The theme music was composed by Trevor Tremaine

With additional music by Kevin MacLeod and Aleksey Chistilin

Geneva Hicks created the podcast cover art

Additional sound effects courtesy of Pixabay

Writer, comedian, and actor Nina Dicker helped produce this episode.

Special thanks to assistant casting director Annie Weaver who has been with me every step of the way.

You can find out more about our cast and crew at ablindplaypodcast.com or on Instagram @mauhausproductions

I also want to thank Seed & Spark and all of the show’s supporters for making season two possible:

I’ll be dropping names all season, but today I want to thank Amanda Holt, Aaron May, Aaron Kerfoot, Faith Jennings, Tony Sarrecchia, and Andi Hage after whom Andi was named.

Next week on A Blind Play of Social Forces: Episode 13, This is Our North Dakota

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Reawakening by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4267-reawakeningLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Midnight by Aleksey Chistilin
Audio File URL: https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-midnight-123895/

All episodes directed and edited by Michael Mau
Original Music by Trevor Tremaine
Podcast cover art created by Geneva Hicks

Support the show

You can leave a note for a writer or cast member. Click here to text the show.

Two Albanian refugees find comfort in their clandestine dance rendezvous while surviving the lasting trauma of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
Adapted from the short story "Best Launderette," first published in Fifth Wednesday Journal.

Best Launderette stars

Ethan Herschenfeld as Beznik

Vassilea Terzaki as Bora

Irene Santiago as Lindita

This episode was written and directed by me, Michael Mau

The theme music was composed by Trevor Tremaine

Geneva Hicks created the podcast cover art

Additional sound effects courtesy of Pixabay

Nina Dicker helped produce this episode.

Special thanks to assistant casting director Annie Weaver who has been with me every step of the way.

I also want to thank Seed & Spark and all of the show’s supporters for making season two possible:

I’ll be dropping names all season, but today Our Tip the Editor contributors include Jason Roemer, Blaque Fowler, Adam Zopf, Daniel Wescott, Steven Chapman, and Dustin Hornsby

Finally, thank you to J. Barton Mitchell, creator of the sci-fi podcasts Derelict and Fathom for not only helping support the show financially but for being such an inspiration to independent producers such as myself. Jack, you make this look easy, and we both know it is not. You can listen to the full season of Fathom where you found A Blnd Play of Social Forces.

If you aren’t already, please follow the show. Your podcast app should have a Follow Button. And please rate and review. Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of podcasts, and they take so little time. Click those five stars. Tell us about your favorite episode. Share with friends and family. And thank you for listening.

Next week on A Blind Play of Social Forces, Episode 11, The Man from the Egg

All episodes directed and edited by Michael Mau
Original Music by Trevor Tremaine
Podcast cover art created by Geneva Hicks

Support the show

You can leave a note for a writer or cast member. Click here to text the show.

From MauHaus Productions, A Blind Play. Bonus Episode.

As promised, we have a few post-season episodes to delight and intrigue. Today’s episode is an excerpt from the novel A Wish & A Pear, the first in her Magical Layers series, by Mary B. Reinfeld.

Performed by Irene Santiago.

Inspired by true events, A Wish and a Pear tells the story of two women, Angela and Soledad, whose lives are intertwined by pure fate.

From metropolitan Manhattan to the picturesque jungles of rural Guatemala, Angela experiences a profound journey of the mind, heart, and soul, enhanced by the charming characters who become her family and help her heal her past trauma. It’s Eat, Pray, Love meets Tuesdays with Morrie set in the jungle of South America.

Keep tuning in to A Blind Play for more bonus episodes, including an upcoming reading of Kentucky author Wes Blake’s debut novel, Pineville Trace.

Follow, rate, review, and share. And thank you for listening.

All episodes directed and edited by Michael Mau
Original Music by Trevor Tremaine
Podcast cover art created by Geneva Hicks

Support the show