This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Daniel Prillaman: Hello, my name is Daniel Prillaman. I am the author of today's play that you're about to hear for a limited time only, The Bread Play. And you are listening to Gather by the Ghost Light.

[0:24] Jonathan Cook: Alright, welcome back to Gather by the Ghost Light. Original Stories for Radio Theater. I'm Jonathan Cook, your host, producer, and sometimes voice actor on this thing. And I got a couple of announcements before we get started here. First off, we're gonna be at the Southeastern Theater Conference this year. We're really excited about this. It's gonna be in Mobile, Alabama, March 13th through the 16th. We're gonna be in the Exhibitor Hall of the Convention Center, and we're gonna be spreading the good word of Gather by the Ghost Light, and might even have a couple of cool announcements. So if you're there, if you're at SCTC, stop by, give us a high five, a fist bump, a hug, whatever you're into, we're excited to see you.

Also, coming up very soon is our season four finale episode as we prepare for the off-Broad Street Short Play Festival in Augusta, Georgia. Now, if you haven't seen the lineup of plays for this event, go check it out at the Gather by the Ghost Light website. We have a lot of amazing writers. It's gonna be a great time, a great show, and we really hope to see you there. And now, I present to you today's story. This one comes from playwright Daniel Prillaman. Mr. Prillaman is a neurodivergent actor and writer based out of Ohio, and he has a fondness for absurdism, folklore, and horror. His play that you're about to hear is a romantic horror comedy called For a LIMITED Time Only. You are about to meet a couple named Arlo and Val.

After getting the unlimited bread deal at an Italian restaurant, they're both stuffed and ready for the check. But their server doesn't bring them their check. He brings them more bread. He just keeps bringing them more bread. He won't stop. He won't ever stop. You see, the bread is unlimited, and there is no escape. Now, before we begin, I do want to warn you this story does contain adult language, sexual content, and violent situations. Now, gather around the ghost light. Sit back and enjoy. This is for a limited time only, written by Daniel Prillaman. And be sure to stick around after the story to hear an interview with this writer.

[2:23] Val: Oh my god. I am stuck. I literally don't feel like I can get up.

[2:33] Arlo: Well, start making room. We're gonna have to leave eventually.

[2:36] Val: You don't think they'll just let us stay here indefinitely?

[2:41] Arlo: Nope. You can only do that at home.

[2:44] Val: We can dream.

[2:45] Arlo: Can we?

[2:46] Val: Oh yes. I long for the day when we can just sleep right in the restaurant.

[2:52] Arlo: I'm pretty sure you have to own the place to do that.

[2:55] Val: And even then you sleep on a different floor, like above it.

[2:59] Arlo: Can you not crush my dreams for just a minute?

[3:02] Val: Nope. Besides, you can dream better dreams than just being able to sleep wherever you want.

[3:07] Arlo: Can I shut up?

[3:09] Val: Love you.

[3:09] Arlo: And love you too. Uh, can you handle that last piece of bread? Because I don't know if I can.

[3:15] Val: Uh maybe. Maybe I'll finish it. Maybe I'm wrong.

[3:27] Arlo: Well, maybe I'm right. It's like it's mocking us.

[3:34] Val: No. It's sneering. Finish me. Finish me. I'm a limited. Get your money's worth.

[3:47] Arlo: What are you doing?

[3:48] Val: I'm being the bread.

[3:49] Arlo: Why?

[3:52] Val: We're the only ones here. Hey, what time do they close?

[3:56] Server: Hello again, folks. More bread?

[4:00] Val: Uh uh. Bit stuffed.

[4:02] Arlo: More than a bit. You aren't about to close, are you?

[4:05] Server: Oh no, not at all. Looks like you two love birds have the place to yourselves. Relax as long as you want.

[4:11] Val: You hear that?

[4:12] Arlo: Uh, thanks. Um, we can probably go ahead and take care of the check, though.

[4:16] Server: You sure? No dessert? Coffee?

[4:18] Val: Thanks. No, no. Just the check is good. Could not eat another bite.

[4:23] Server: You want a doggy bag for the bread? Don't want to let it go to waste.

[4:27] Arlo: Sure. That's fine. Alright. Well, I'll just leave this fresh basket here while I go fetch that. Just in case you find a little more room in the meantime. Get your money's worth.

[4:40] Val: They get it. $5.99. It's a hell of a deal.

[4:44] Arlo: Hell of a deal. Oh, we should not have eaten this much.

[4:49] Val: Probably not. The get your money's worth. That's how they get you.

[4:54] Arlo: Hell of a deal. Hell of a deal. But it's gonna ruin the whole night.

[4:58] Val: Well, you're not having a good time.

[5:01] Arlo: No, no, I am. But it's all downhill from here. We're both gonna feel bloated and sluggish the rest of the evening. We'll get home and plop down in front of the TV to watch the latest episode of something we'll only pay attention to halfway because you know the other half is on our phones. We're not gonna have any energy to do anything else because we just ate our weight in carbs. And uh you're also gonna use that as an excuse around 11 o'clock to say that you're too lazy to fuck me.

[5:28] Val: I'll say, well, you could just go down on me. And you'll make a pun which I won't laugh at about how you're still too full from dinner, and we'll wind up masturbating next to each other looking at our preferred style of porn. Lesbian BDSM for me, and foot shit for you.

[5:45] Arlo: Are you saying I don't go down on you enough?

[5:48] Val: Yes. But I'm also saying that I think unlimited bread deals cause more trouble than they're worth.

[5:55] Arlo: I am digesting that idea now and forming that opinion. I can go down on you more.

[6:00] Val: I like it. Do it. Right now.

[6:03] Arlo: What?

[6:04] Val: There's nobody here. Get under the table.

[6:07] Arlo: Um.

[6:08] Val: I'm kidding. I mean, if you want to, I won't stop you.

[6:13] Arlo: Well. You're too full from dinner.

[6:17] Val: Look, if this is a serious conversation, I wanna take it seriously.

[6:23] Arlo: I'm kidding. It's okay if you're not. You always say every joke has a little bit of truth.

[6:28] Val: I do say that. It's true. You feel like I don't go down on you enough?

[6:32] Arlo: I said yes earlier. You haven't gone down on me since I can't tell if you're messing with me or not.

[6:38] Val: When in doubt, eat me out.

[6:40] Arlo: Oh, that's a personal conversation. Here is a to-go box for you, folks.

[6:45] Server: Uh, thanks. I hope I'm not overstepping my place, but I have to agree. If one's partner's not pulling their weight downtown.

[6:52] Val: Oh, okay. Uh, where's the check?

[6:55] Server: Hmm? The check?

[6:56] Val: You want the check.

[6:57] Server: We asked for the check.

[6:58] Val: We did.

[7:00] Server: Oh my god, you did. I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll go get that right now, be back in a jiff. If it's that big a problem, I wanna fix it, you know?

[7:11] Arlo: We definitely asked for the check.

[7:13] Val: What?

[7:13] Server: Oh, yeah. More than once.

[7:16] Val: Cut them some slack, honey. It's a stressful job. They just forget. It happens.

[7:22] Arlo: We're the only ones here.

[7:23] Val: Yeah, but it's the end of a long day. They've been on their feet. A bunch of other people also probably took advantage of the bread deal. It happens.

[7:31] Arlo: Yeah. Still annoying.

[7:33] Val: Fair enough. So, what do you want to do tonight?

[7:38] Arlo: I mean, I can't. I want you to fucking go down on me.

[7:41] Val: Totally. I'm in. 100%.

[7:43] Arlo: Then maybe more bake-off?

[7:45] Val: Accents. See, there's a good bake on this. Golden brown. Looks a bit half-eaten, though. Did you eat this before you brought it up here?

[7:53] Server: Uh, I did.

[7:55] Val: Why would you do that?

[7:56] Server: It looked good. I'm sorry.

[7:58] Val: Well, you should be.

[8:00] Arlo: Hmm.

[8:01] Val: Hmm. I don't like it.

[8:05] Arlo: I love it.

[8:06] Val: Oh, thank God. You're Star Baker!

[8:08] Arlo: Oh, thank God. I'm going to call my mum.

[8:14] Val: Oh my god, why did I eat that? Why did you let me do that?

[8:19] Arlo: It was for the bit.

[8:20] Val: Oh, why do you let me do things for comedy that I wouldn't do otherwise?

[8:24] Arlo: I don't know. I feel like I do a lot of things for comedy that I wouldn't do otherwise.

[8:28] Val: Ugh, what is taking so long?

[8:31] Arlo: I'm having a good time.

[8:32] Val: I am too. I just don't like waiting.

[8:36] Arlo: They said to relax.

[8:39] Val: Is it just me or is this place more creepy than romantic?

[8:44] Arlo: With no one else here? It's lots of space for activities.

[8:48] Val: I'm just ready to go home.

[8:49] Server: Hey folks, little bit of bad news. I'm so sorry. What is- We are actually having a little bit of a problem with our computer right now?

[8:57] Val: Oh no.

[8:58] Server: I am so sorry, but your check is going to take just a little bit longer. I'm so sorry.

[9:03] Arlo: That's okay. It happens.

[9:05] Val: Why'd you bring more bread?

[9:06] Server: Hmm? You're holding more bread. Why?

[9:08] Server: Oh, uh, for you, as an offer of apology.

[9:12] Val: Oh, that's uh you really really don't have to.

[9:15] Server: It's already made. No trouble. If you don't, it's going to go to waste.

[9:23] Val: Well, we'll eat it later, if we don't now.

[9:25] Server: Okay, great. Well, I'll go check in that check for you. Again, I am so sorry.

[9:31] Val: Uh-huh. Okay, that interaction was a little more strangely pointed.

[9:37] Arlo: Are they fucking with us?

[9:38] Val: No. I think they're fucking with us.

[9:40] Arlo: If their computer's broken, they literally can't do anything, though.

[9:43] Val: I mean, is their computer broken?

[9:45] Arlo: Val. I'm just asking, is it?

[9:48] Val: We don't know. There's no one else here. Maybe this is how they get their kicks.

[9:53] Arlo: I highly doubt that's the actual case.

[9:55] Val: They could do the check by hand. Computers just make things faster.

[9:59] Arlo: Well, when he comes back, we can ask him that.

[10:01] Val: Do you have any cash on you?

[10:03] Arlo: Uh yeah. I have enough. We can ask him when he comes back.

[10:07] Val: Uh, okay, thank you. I'm having a good night.

[10:12] Arlo: I am too. I'm just. Uh I'm ready to be out of here. You know?

[10:17] Val: Yeah. Ready to be home.

[10:20] Arlo: Yeah, I understand. Okay. Thank you. I love you.

[10:25] Val: I love you too. What do you want to do with the bread?

[10:28] Arlo: Is there room in the box?

[10:30] Val: Uh, not really.

[10:31] Arlo: Then we'll just leave it.

[10:34] Val: Yeah. It's clearly not our fault if it doesn't get eaten.

[10:37] Arlo: Yeah. We've made it clear we're full.

[10:40] Val: I know. It's not on us.

[10:43] Server: I am so sorry, folks. Computer is still in the fritz, but I have more bread.

[10:47] Val: What the fuck? Why? Why do you keep bringing us bread?

[10:51] Server: You ordered the unlimited bread deal, silly. $5.99.

[10:55] Arlo: Yes, but we're done eating.

[10:57] Val: We're clearly done eating. We're not going to eat more.

[11:01] Server: If you don't, it will go to waste.

[11:03] Arlo: We don't care.

[11:03] Val: Arlo, come on. Bring us our check, please.

[11:06] Server: I would if I could. I am so sorry.

[11:08] Arlo: Then write it by hand. We'll pay with cash.

[11:12] Server: I can't do that either. I'm so sorry.

[11:14] Val: Why not?

[11:15] Server: Because I can't bring you your check until you finish the bread.

[11:19] Arlo: What?

[11:20] Server: If you want your check, eat the bread.

[11:23] Server: Looks like you two are still working, so I'll give you some more time. Just holler if you need anything.

[11:30] Val: Uh fuck this.

[11:33] Arlo: I don't know what's going on, but I am not staying here another minute.

[11:38] Val: Come on.

[11:38] Arlo: Okay, yeah, yeah. This is this is weird. Fucking leave the to-go box.

[11:43] Val: Just come on. It's gonna go to waste.

[11:45] Arlo: Right, yep. Sorry. This is ridiculous. Why the fuck did we even come here?

[11:50] Val: What the hell?

[11:51] Arlo: What?

[11:51] Val: Where's the door?

[11:52] Arlo: What?

[11:53] Val: Where is the fucking door?

[11:55] Arlo: What the hell? Where is the fucking door?

[11:57] Val: We came in from there.

[11:59] Arlo: Yeah, we did. Where's the what the fuck is going on?

[12:02] Val: The door's gone.

[12:03] Arlo: Yeah, I can see that.

[12:07] Val: What the fuck? What the hell in the fuck the shit? What the fuck?

[12:11] Arlo: There are no fucking windows in this place. No windows! No doors! Oh my god! Where did every way out of here fucking go?

[12:19] Val: Can we get out through the kitchen?

[12:20] Arlo: We're about to find out.

[12:25] Server: I am so sorry, folks. Only employees are allowed into the kitchen.

[12:30] Val: What the fuck is going on?

[12:31] Server: Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I have to ask, can you tone down your language? The other customers!

[12:37] Val: Like fuck! There's nobody else here.

[12:39] Arlo: Is there?

[12:40] Val: I'm just kidding.

[12:41] Arlo: No, there isn't. But what is it you say, Val?

[12:44] Val: Every joke has a bit of truth.

[12:47] Arlo: Let us out of here. Right now.

[12:50] Server: I'm afraid I can't do that. Not until you both eat your bread.

[12:54] Val: We're not eating any more fucking bread.

[12:56] Server: Ma'am, again, please tone down your language. I don't want to have to ask you again.

[13:01] Val: Or what?

[13:03] Server: Hey, hey.

[13:04] Val: Or I'll cut down your tongue, Val.

[13:08] Arlo: Please put her down. Please. We just want to go home.

[13:19] Server: You better start eating then.

[13:27] Server: Have you heard about the new unlimited bread deal?

[13:30] Val: Sounds expensive.

[13:31] Server: It's only $5.99.

[13:32] Val: $5.99.

[13:33] Server: $5.99.

[13:34] Val: Oh fuck yeah.

[13:35] Server: That's right. Unlimited bread. Unlimited bread. Here at the Italian Garden Factory, we give you all you can eat. Think we'll stop giving you bread like all those other restaurants? Hell no. For just $5.99, get unlimited bread with your meal. It's a hell of a deal. Hell of a deal. How I mean the Italian Garden Factory. When you're here, you're eating bread. So come on down and join us. We'd love to put a smile on your face.

[14:05] Val: Oh god. Come on. Uh oh we got.

[14:14] Arlo: I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm not gonna throw and here is some more bread for you. You folks doing okay? You need any more Diet Coke?

[14:25] Val: Oh, be careful. You don't want to have to eat it again if it comes off. Tastes a lot worse the second time.

[14:31] Arlo: Why are you doing this? You ordered the unlimited bread deal. What do you think the word unlimited means? It means limitless, dear. Infinite.

[14:42] Val: Then how are we ever supposed to eat all of it?

[14:45] Server: I'll be back with some more in a little bit. Enjoy.

[14:49] Arlo: We can't keep doing this. We'll burst. Should we try and call someone again?

[14:57] Val: Did you suddenly get a signal?

[14:59] Arlo: No.

[15:00] Val: Then no. What do we do?

[15:02] Arlo: Okay. When he comes back, you distract him.

[15:06] Val: How?

[15:07] Arlo: I don't know. It doesn't matter. Just get him facing back toward the kitchen.

[15:11] Val: Why?

[15:12] Arlo: So I stab him from the back instead of the front.

[15:15] Val: What?

[15:16] Arlo: It's a bread knife. But it should do enough to give us time to run.

[15:19] Val: You're talking about killing him?

[15:21] Arlo: Wounding. At best, probably.

[15:23] Val: Arlo.

[15:24] Arlo: What other choice do we have?

[15:25] Val: That's that's what? That's uh violence.

[15:30] Arlo: Are you really debating ethics in this situation? Of all situations?

[15:36] Val: No, I don't believe in violence. I'm a pacifist.

[15:40] Arlo: Then you should be fine, since I'm the one doing the stabbing.

[15:43] Val: Arlo!

[15:43] Server: Everything okay out here?

[15:45] Arlo: Yep. Yep. Okay. She'll be back with some more bread in just a bit.

[15:50] Val: Look. If you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears. But drastic and existentially surreal situations call for drastic measures.

[16:02] Arlo: Do you want to get home or not, Val?

[16:05] Val: Okay. Okay. Okay. What what do I say?

[16:09] Arlo: Whatever you have to. Okay, here he comes. Let's do this.

[16:13] Server: And here's some more. I do hope you two love birds are enjoying your evening.

[16:17] Val: We are so much.

[16:19] Server: Well, that's just great to hear. That's great to hear that you think that's great to hear.

[16:25] Val: Are you okay?

[16:26] Server: Uh yeah, yeah. I'm I'm fine. Uh uh ac actually, I wanted to ask you a favor.

[16:33] Server: Anything. I'm here to serve. What can I do for you?

[16:36] Val: I was just wondering. We've had so much bread, you know?

[16:40] Server: I do. And it's it's it's been great. Our bakers are the best.

[16:47] Val: But I kinda wanna mix it up as a surprise for my partner.

[16:51] Server: Oh, how sweet. Everything okay, Val?

[16:54] Val: Um, yep. Great. Um, you were saying um, yeah. Could I order a dessert?

[17:02] Server: Oh, that is so sweet. Unfortunately, our kitchen is closed right now.

[17:04] Val: What?

[17:04] Server: Our kitchen is closed.

[17:10] Arlo: But but my god!

[17:13] Val: Come on! Arlo!

[17:16] Server: Kitchen's closed.

[17:17] Val: Where's the bread coming from?

[17:19] Arlo: No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Fuck no. It's just a brick wall.

[17:28] Val: This kitchen! It's the size of a closet! What the fuck is going on?

[17:34] Arlo: I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming this is just a bad dream. This is just a bad fucking dream.

[17:41] Val: You're not dreaming.

[17:43] Arlo: Oh my god. If you were dreaming, you would have eaten all this bread by now.

[17:48] Val: Oh, Arlo. I did warn you. I'll go get you something to scoop it up.

[17:53] Arlo: Fuck. And a mint.

[17:56] Val: Arlo! What the actual fucker you gave up?

[18:07] Arlo: Should we try and call someone again?

[18:09] Val: There's no signal. Can't you still call 911 even though you don't have service?

[18:14] Arlo: You have to at least have a signal.

[18:17] Val: No signal means nothing, you dumb fuck.

[18:21] Arlo: Hey.

[18:31] Val: Hey. Are you okay?

[18:35] Arlo: I have to poop.

[18:36] Val: And poop. Where?

[18:38] Arlo: I don't know. Pick a corner.

[18:41] Val: Uh what? What if they make me eat it?

[18:49] Arlo: How many days has it been?

[18:51] Val: I lost count. You think anyone's looking for us?

[18:54] Arlo: Definitely. People notice when people just disappear.

[19:00] Val: Do they?

[19:01] Arlo: Yeah. They're not gonna find us.

[19:03] Val: Don't say that.

[19:05] Arlo: It's true. I'm sorry I called you a dumb fuck the other week.

[19:10] Val: Or however long ago it was. Um gonna be okay.

[19:20] Arlo: How?

[19:21] Val: I don't know. But it is.

[19:24] Server: Hey folks, here's some more bread.

[19:44] Arlo: What?

[19:49] Val: What? The cat's probably dead.

[20:02] Server: Good morning, you two. You're sure you don't want any more diet coke?

[20:07] Val: I want you to die the most painful death mankind could ever conceive.

[20:16] Server: Okay, well, there's no need to be rude, ma'am. I don't make enough to put up with your attitude.

[20:21] Val: You son of a bitch! I'm gonna fucking kill you!

[20:25] Server: Hey! You didn't have to do that!

[20:27] Arlo: Val, did you wanna refill? Is she okay? Or ignore the question. That's fine too. Fuck me, right?

[20:34] Val: Is Arlo okay? Who got fired first? Me or you?

[20:43] Arlo: Definitely me. Yeah. Your job likes you more than my job likes me.

[20:49] Val: Liked. Um. Uh, we should start working out.

[20:53] Arlo: What? All these carbs. Try to slow the waking.

[20:58] Val: Right. You think we could order other food as time goes by?

[21:03] Arlo: Will we really do that? Wait, the kitchen is open, yes.

[21:07] Val: But it will be added to your bill.

[21:09] Server: Where do you come from?

[21:14] Arlo: One, two, three, four.

[21:17] Val: No. Oh my god, pal, are you okay?

[21:21] Arlo: Hey! Hey! Hey! It's okay. It was just a dream. It was just a bad dream.

[21:26] Val: I I dreamt we were in this restaurant and they wouldn't stop bringing us bread and and fuck.

[21:35] Arlo: Oh god damn it.

[21:37] Val: Yeah. Okay. Still want me to go down on you?

[21:41] Arlo: Right now? What else are we ever going to do?

[21:43] Val: Pfff. I mean, fuck yeah.

[21:45] Arlo: Oh. Oh my god.

[21:52] Val: Oh my god, I love you.

[21:55] Arlo: I love you too.

[21:58] Val: Are you crying?

[22:01] Arlo: You don't taste like bread.

[22:12] Val: Hey, where'd you learn to spin me like that?

[22:14] Arlo: Watch what you just happened. Watch the chair.

[22:18] Val: Oh my god. This is fun. You're surprisingly good.

[22:26] Arlo: You know, I forget how long it's been since I've danced.

[22:28] Val: Maybe the wedding?

[22:30] Arlo: Maybe the wedding, yeah.

[22:33] Val: I don't get it.

[22:34] Arlo: What?

[22:35] Val: What is this? Are we dead? Is this purgatory? Is it hell?

[22:41] Arlo: It can't be. If this was hell, we wouldn't be together.

[22:48] Val: Sure you would. Your beard is starting to get really big.

[22:57] Arlo: You think?

[22:58] Val: Mm-hmm. Too big.

[22:59] Arlo: Aww. I kinda like it.

[23:01] Val: I do too, but moderation, you know.

[23:06] Arlo: We should figure out a way to shave.

[23:08] Val: We?

[23:09] Arlo: Your face ain't the only beard getting big.

[23:12] Val: What? Oh, you're not gonna sing, are they?

[23:25] Arlo: God, I hope not. Fucking hate it when he sings.

[23:27] Val: Is that is that a cake? He lit a candle on a breadstick.

[23:35] Arlo: Fuck me. Son of a bitch. Happy happy birthday from all the breads of you. Happy happy birthday. May your wishes all come true.

[23:42] Val: Hey, happy, happy birthday from all the breads of you. Happy happy birthday, may you.

[23:55] Arlo: You're doing great, pal. You're doing amazing.

[23:59] Val: I know I am! Hold my hand tighter!

[24:03] Arlo: Okay, let's get this bun out of the oven! One more big push for me, okay?

[24:15] Server: Congratulations! It's a girl!

[24:18] Val: Oh my god. Can I hold it?

[24:24] Server: Of course.

[24:31] Val: Okay. I think she's asleep.

[24:35] Arlo: What? I had a dream last night.

[24:38] Val: Bad?

[24:39] Arlo: No. I mean, I guess it wasn't a nightmare, I guess.

[24:44] Val: You want to tell me about it?

[24:45] Arlo: Yeah. We were here.

[24:48] Val: Still. This place.

[24:52] Arlo: We had gotten old, like really old. Ancient. Shouldn't have been alive, kind of old. We couldn't move by ourselves. The server was feeding us the bread like babies. Little airplane noises.

[25:08] Val: Uh, that's a comforting thought.

[25:12] Arlo: But we were happy though. Content. I could tell. You were at peace.

[25:21] Val: I don't know how, but we were.

[25:24] Arlo: What about the baby?

[25:26] Val: I didn't see her. This is all my fault.

[25:30] Arlo: What?

[25:31] Val: It's my fault.

[25:33] Arlo: No. No, it is.

[25:35] Val: You wanted to go to Olive Garden. I said no. All their food is frozen. Let's go to the Italian garden factory.

[25:43] Arlo: Val. It's my fault.

[25:45] Val: Arlo, this is not your fault.

[25:49] Arlo: Whatever this is. There is no possible way you did it.

[25:57] Val: I don't know what's gonna happen next.

[25:59] Arlo: Neither do I. But we'll get through it together. Okay?

[26:05] Val: Okay? I'm sorry.

[26:07] Arlo: Don't be sorry.

[26:08] Val: But I am sorry.

[26:09] Arlo: Don't be. Don't say that.

[26:14] Val: We're trapped in some parallel bread world. Like fuck being sorry. Fuck fuck feeling bad. Fuck blame. Fuck. Fuck bread.

[26:27] Arlo: I can't. You can't put words to.

[26:33] Val: You know what? If this is our life now, so goddamn be it. If we're gonna grow old and ancient as fuck in this claustrophobic tacky ass wallpaper excuse for a dining room, eating basket after basket of bread that isn't Texas Roadhouse, no matter how hard you wish it was. If our if our arteries fucking turn black and carbonate because of all the diet coke, we never see our families again, or hold our loved ones. If this is our life now, I'm not gonna live it any less than the fucking fullest I can. Okay? Don't be sorry. Don't give them that.

[27:21] Server: Hey there, folks, here's some more bread for you.

[27:24] Val: Thank you. How are we doing with everything?

[27:27] Server: Good.

[27:28] Val: Well, that's great to hear. What's with the chair?

[27:33] Server: To be perfectly honest, I've been in my feet for a while now. I just wanted to sit while we talked.

[27:38] Val: Talked about what?

[27:40] Server: Something has come up.

[27:41] Val: What?

[27:42] Server: As you're both aware you had a child. Congratulations again, Massel Tov.

[27:46] Val: Thanks.

[27:47] Arlo: Thanks. And therein lies the root of our talk. If you recall, you both ordered two unlimited bread deals.

[27:54] Val: Yes.

[27:55] Server: Well, now there are three of you.

[27:57] Val: Does that w what are you saying?

[28:01] Server: It's time for one of you to go.

[28:03] Val: You can't have three people taking advantage of two unlimited bread deals. Do you know how much trouble I will get? And if I let that happen?

[28:11] Arlo: You mean go like Good Lord?

[28:15] Server: No, no one's going to slit your throat with a bread knife. Go.

[28:18] Val: You mean just go?

[28:21] Server: Yes. Go?

[28:22] Val: Go leave the part of the establishment?

[28:25] Server: Go is the simplest phrase. I thought it would be clear. Just go.

[28:32] Server: Yes, one of you needs to leave this restaurant.

[28:36] Val: No. Don't look at me with those faces on your faces. Nothing lasts forever, dears. This shouldn't be a shock to you. Well, except for bread, of course. But everything else. I'll give you a couple of minutes to decide.

[28:53] Val: You should go.

[28:54] Arlo: You don't deserve to be.

[28:56] Val: Neither do you.

[28:57] Arlo: Look me in the eyes and tell me you would handle whatever the rest of this is better than I will.

[29:03] Val: I take offense at that.

[29:04] Arlo: That's exactly why you should be the one to go.

[29:07] Val: Oh yeah?

[29:08] Arlo: Well, I don't know what to say in response to that. But I'm not leaving.

[29:12] Val: So I guess you better get used to the idea.

[29:16] Arlo: Because I'm not leaving.

[29:19] Val: And if you're not leaving, then that only leaves... We can't.

[29:22] Arlo: What if she was taken care of?

[29:24] Val: She would never know us.

[29:26] Arlo: But it would give her a life outside of whatever this is.

[29:31] Val: Is it the most ethical option to—

[29:31] Arlo: Are you really debating ethics in this situation?

[29:38] Val: When else are we supposed to?

[29:38] Arlo: I mean, it's either that, or we—

[29:43] Val: What?

[29:44] Arlo: We order a third bread deal.

[29:46] Val: And we all stay together.

[29:49] Arlo: Ethically, I know it's... I guess it's just as murky, but I don't know. What do you think?

[29:57] Val: Do you remember when we first moved in together?

[30:00] Arlo: Of course.

[30:01] Val: I had gotten that job at the hardware store.

[30:04] Arlo: And I was working all those hours while you were still at home every day looking for places to apply.

[30:10] Val: A lot of good that English degree did me.

[30:13] Arlo: That was the first time we really spent a lot of time apart.

[30:17] Val: Yeah.

[30:18] Arlo: I missed you.

[30:20] Val: I missed you.

[30:22] Arlo: I remember thinking every morning you walked out the door, my god, what if that was the last time we ever spoke to each other?

[30:30] Val: If some horrible accident happens.

[30:33] Arlo: What if I lose her?

[30:35] Val: I mean, that's a little dramatic.

[30:38] Arlo: I can't bear the thought of being without you.

[30:41] Val: I love you too.

[30:44] Arlo: Hell of a deal.

[30:46] Val: Hell of a deal.

[30:48] Server: Alright, have you two decided? Or do you need a few more minutes?

[30:52] Val: Nah. I think we're ready.

[30:54] Server: Great! What will it be?

[31:08] Jonathan Cook: That was "For a LIMITED Time Only," written by Daniel Prillaman. It was performed by Roshelle Simpson as Val, John D. Nelson as Arlo, Valentin Angel Fernandez as the Server, and Jacquie Floyd and myself as the Advertisement Announcers.

[31:23] Jonathan Cook: Alright, so with me now is the author of the story you just heard. He's a neurodivergent actor, a writer, and a ginger based out of Northern Ohio. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Daniel Prillaman. How are you, sir?

[31:36] Daniel Prillaman: I am well. Uh, how are you?

[31:38] Jonathan Cook: I'm doing pretty good, man. Thank you so much for having me.

[31:41] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah, it's uh what I wanna uh I want to start off with uh with the hard-hitting questions that I know everyone is wanting to hear. And uh you got it. So here we go. Uh so if they were making a movie about you, who do you think Hollywood would choose to play you in that movie?

[31:57] Daniel Prillaman: Oh god, that is not the hard-hitting question I was expecting. Uh, let's see. I mean, it would have to be another ginger, most assuredly, I had to guess. And if I was not cast in the role myself, which I—I don't know if you want to get into the whole meta trauma experience of playing your own self in your own biopic. I don't know if anyone's ever done that. Um, let me see. You know, maybe Rupert Grint, just because he's the first ginger to come to mind.

[32:26] Jonathan Cook: Okay. I like it.

[32:27] Daniel Prillaman: But uh I like it. I could see a little Seth Rogan. If you gave like Seth Rogan some red hair and a beard, I think I—you.

[32:30] Jonathan Cook: That too.

[32:36] Daniel Prillaman: Oh, yeah. So we'll uh I'll if I think of a better answer by the end of our conversation, I will let you know.

[32:41] Jonathan Cook: Alright, alright, alright. So for real, for real. Uh so you you've got uh you've done a lot with theater. You're an actor, you've done uh you eventually started writing plays. And uh from what I found on the dark web, you've also done a lot of improv. So give us your writing journey of how you got started in theater and how you eventually started writing plays for theater.

[33:01] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah. So I mean, I got into acting first, which was my first love. And really that is—that was more the story of just I was shy as a child, but when I performed, suddenly people came up to me and spoke to me and were like appreciative and were like, "Hey, you did a really good job."

[33:20] Jonathan Cook: Nice.

[33:20] Daniel Prillaman: And I was like, "Whoa, this thing like makes me—makes people like me, and I didn't have to talk to them first. This is what I want to do. Can I do this with my career?" Um, but no, over time it was acting just became something that was a fun outlet for a shy kid who was always bad at small talk and developing his crippling anxiety into the amazing force that it would one day be. And um over time with acting, you know, I went to University of Virginia and I did a BFA—sorry, BA program. I didn't get the F. I wasn't fine. I was uh, but that exposed me to all the other aspects. The—you know, we had to do costume tech, we had to run crew, um, do sound design. So I got a little bit of taste of everything that designers of theater also get to do.

And I had always liked stories and was writing from a very early age, but it wasn't until about a couple years out of college that I realized that it was kind of dumb that I wasn't trying to also make it a part of my professional career in a bag of hats, so to speak. And so I started seriously trying to write plays with the intention of people doing them in about 2016, I think now. And we started from the bottom. Now we're—we're still at the bottom, I guess. I don't know.

[34:50] Jonathan Cook: No.

[34:51] Daniel Prillaman: And now we're here. So it's been a fun collection of years.

[34:57] Jonathan Cook: Yeah, and I mean, having started, you know, only since 2016, you have a lot of plays that you've written. You know, people can look at your New Play Exchange and see all the works you put out there, and one of those plays people just heard it's called For a LIMITED Time Only, also known as the BREAD PLAY.

[35:15] Daniel Prillaman: Um, yes, this is a—New Play Exchange is highly recommended. A lot of people have commented, they've left good reviews, and what you took is you took three genres. You got romance, comedy, and horror, and you put them all in a blender, and you came up with this masterpiece of a story. Uh, so tell us what the heck you were thinking when you pushed the start button on that blender and came up with this idea.

[35:39] Daniel Prillaman: I ask myself that question every day. Now, um, so I can tell you how this one started. Um, and I—it from what I can remember, because this—I wrote this. Uh, we'll get back to this later. But I wrote this in uh smack dab in the middle of 2020, I think, like April, May, um, maybe June. But uh it started with an honest to God just internet meme. I saw it was one of those. I tried to find it and pull it up, but I could not, so I'm sorry. But it was one of those just like you're at Alpha Olive Garden, the bread is coming, but it doesn't stop. And they did sort of like a small like increment of like day, you know, three, it's flying out of the kitchen, all everything in hat is happening, and it like this is like a—you know, a cut a three screenshot meme or whatever of like a progression of the bread just piling up and piling up.

It gets into a little like cosmic horror territory, and uh I remember looking at it and going, "That's a play." That's the one I play very easily. That could be okay. So what uh what what I—I was—I remember being very intrigued by what would actually be going through a person's head if that was happening to them. I'm a big fan of people reacting realistically to unrealistic situations and figuring out the human condition through that way. And so it was a lot of fun to write. And what wound up happening was uh my partner whom I was living with at the time too. We were also in quarantine. What I didn't expect was how much of our own relationship or like little jokes that we would make to each other or things that we would say wound up in that script. Like the line, uh, you know what you always say, every joke has a little bit of truth. My—my wife, my now wife was—spoiler alert, we got married. Um, uh says that. She says that all the time.

[37:34] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah. Every joke has a little bit of truth. So it was like little bits like that would find their way into the script. And at the close of it, it surprised me how much the piece was not just its own sort of hodgepodge of all these different disparate, what you might consider disparate elements, but also turned into the story of just these people being trapped in this place, which turned out to be maybe a lot of subconscious writing about the quarantine itself that we were going through.

[38:06] Jonathan Cook: Yeah, you know, it's weird. Uh, inspiration can come into strangest places. Here you are. You found this meme of Olive Garden and you created a whole play idea, you know, it's so interesting hearing about stuff like that. Uh, and I love the way that you incorporated, you know, this classic horror trope of isolation and no escape. You know, you see this in a lot of scary movies, like, you know, Evil Dead, the bridge goes out, so they can't leave the cabin.

[38:31] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah.

[38:31] Jonathan Cook: And yeah, Night of the Living Dead, there are zombies outside, so they can't leave the house. And even in the movie Vivarium, this couple stuck in this empty neighborhood and they just age endlessly in there, kind of like what happens in uh in uh in this one. And but I like your fresh take on it because, you know, it's a hell of a deal. And and and so they're there for a reason. They ordered these unlimited bread deals, and that's why they, you know, this literal unlimited bread deal, you're there until you eat this infinite amount of bread. So it's—I love the fresh take that you put on this trope. And um, you know, and so that speaking of that slogan, hell of a deal. Do you imagine this? Is this—do you want this open to interpretation, or is this hell for them, or is this a subdomain of hell, or what was you thinking with that?

[39:21] Daniel Prillaman: Uh, my—well, my coy playwright answer would just be yes. Uh, to—and expound on it probably a little farther. I don't know. I—I love ambiguity, so it's like I—if you think it's hell, that's great. If you think it's something else, that's also great. I mean, one of the things that I enjoy about ambiguity is that especially for plays, if—since the intent behind the story is to um—well, no production is ever the same twice, right? Uh, it's always different with a different group of people, different uh directors behind it, maybe a little bit of a different vision, and you're—everybody's using that script as a blueprint in somewhat of a different way in order to get to the production that they wind up with.

And that's the beauty, I think, of theater is the little differences between all those little things. You can always sort of dig up something new. So, in terms of ambiguity, I like it because it allows so much more room to play. If you do want to go that it's fully hell, you can do that and go full out with uh, you know, and then put that into your set design, put that into your sound design. And if you want it to be sort of more like a limbo-esque type thing where it's, you know, a test of their patience or their ability to uh eat or their uh or a punishment for gluttony, what have you? There, there's all kinds of different routes that you can sort of play with it. So uh yeah, I don't know if that was a good answer or not.

[40:52] Jonathan Cook: No, that's a good answer. Good answer. I like it. Uh, and I want to kind of touch on the Server character for a little bit, you know. Because ultimately he's, I guess you would call him the villain of the story. But you know, if you listen back to it or you reread the script, he really—he only gets violent with them when they get violent first. You know, he's just doing his job.

[41:09] Daniel Prillaman: Uh, he's just doing his job.

[41:11] Jonathan Cook: And the only time that it gets dark is when they attack him. And in a way, the way you wrote it, it almost makes him not completely unlikable. He's, you know, you by especially by the end, uh, even Arlo and Val start to accept what's happened to them, and you know, he helps them with the baby and all this, and he becomes this sort of part of their life. I mean, was that as you started the story? Was that intentional to not make him this torturous guy, but you know, or or girl or whoever plays the role, um, but just to be an entity there that's doing his job, and you know, he has to keep you there because you got to eat your infinite bread, you know.

[41:50] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah, I—I would say so. Yeah, they're definitely—I—I don't know if I expected him to become as much of a fixture in their lives because he's the only other sort of entity that they have to interact with, but very much, I think from the beginning, it was definitely a role where this is a person who is doing their job. They know where they are in whatever hierarchy there is going on behind the curtain or kitchen.

[42:18] Daniel Prillaman: And their job is to sort of not necessarily be their tormentor, although maybe that's part of the job description, but he is the one in charge of their experience at the restaurant, if you will. And so it—it was a very fun thing to write in terms of, well, how is he going to react to this escape attempt? Or uh, how is he going to react to being stabbed in the back? It was—it was a lot of fun to sort of anytime you're working with high concept stuff where you're get into surreal doors disappearing or or skin a marinking, if you will. You—you gotta have rules. Um, and figuring out those rules is one of the more fun parts of writing for me, is just that world building and and asking because as you're writing, you just have to keep going, "Okay. What if—what is this allowed?"

[43:15] Jonathan Cook: Is this not allowed? And why? And if you can make that happen through any of the actions or the dialogue, that stuff just comes across, I think, more subtly during the—you don't question it as much.

[43:28] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah, I guess. Yeah, and um, and towards the end, you came up with this clever loophole, you know, there's—they only ordered two bread deals and then they have this baby, and now there's three of them. So one of them has to go. Uh, so uh, was that an original—was that your original idea for the ending of how that would wrap up, or did that just kind of come along, or what—do you have any alternate ideas of how this was gonna end?

[43:52] Jonathan Cook: Probably this. Um, I definitely would probably say that's something that came probably halfway through writing it and figuring out that ending. Whereas sometimes, you know, there are playwrights who get advice every once in a while that it's like you should know the ending before you start. But sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. And it's fun to figure it out as you're doing it sometimes, or at least in the first draft form, when um, I think—I don't know if it was Stephen King or if it was—or who to attribute the quote to, but it's a quote that it is the first time you are writing a draft, you're telling yourself the story, and then every subsequent draft after that, you're taking out all the bits that aren't the story.

So that's—that's the editing. Um, sometimes that—the best ending or the ending that is most appropriate can sneak up on you just through how the characters are reacting to one another, how the characters are changing tactics in order to achieve their goals, in this case getting out or accepting their fate, whatever this is, and the last curveball in that then is the ending of, well, okay, one of you gets to leave. Which one is it? And what—whoa.

[45:08] Jonathan Cook: Um, yeah, I know it's very, very well done. Um, unexpected because uh, all of a sudden that scene comes up and you hear her struggling, like, oh my god, you know, she's having the baby, and it's like, oh my gosh, what happens now? Um, so dead, yeah, a lot, a lot, a lot of tension there uh, with you know, trying to anticipate what was gonna go on. So very, very well done. Uh, so let me ask you: is there anything unlimited that you would accept in this situation? Not bread, just what—what if there is—is there something out there that if you were in this situation, the unlimited might be okay?

[45:39] Daniel Prillaman: I don't know. You know, the one thing that I would say is it's almost kind of like the question of like if you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I can think carefully. Uh, I would honestly have to say probably tacos. Oh, just because they're so versatile. You can put them in a bowl without the tortilla. You can have them in a tortilla, you can have soft or hard, crunchy tortillas. Um, the ingredient choices are endless. Uh, you know, you—fish, chicken, beef, avocado. So I mean, I think—in terms of sheer versatility, that's what I would say. Just because uh, you'd probably get bored the slowest.

[46:18] Jonathan Cook: No, that makes sense. You could always mix it up if you're feeling—uh, bread is just—if you're—if you're eating one kind of bread for the rest of your life, that's so, so, uh, I can't—I can't think of the word, but samey. So um, so not—uh, not versatile, I guess. I don't know. That—that's—that's good. I—that would be my bad. To change it up to tacos because yeah, eating—eating just the same bread over and over again, but you know, with tacos, like you said, uh, just change up the ingredients. You know, I—I kind of like your answer now. I like tacos because I mean—

[46:46] Daniel Prillaman: I convinced you, yeah.

[46:51] Jonathan Cook: You did, you convinced me? So you're really active on the New Play Exchange, and um, I really like how you have your page set up because in your description of yourself, you have it laid out of uh, you know, if you're looking for this genre, try reading this play, or—and you have like—because you have a long list of plays, so someone scrolling through if they just read your description, they're looking for a certain type of genre, they can kind of go ahead and get a little short list of what plays to read first of yours, yeah.

[47:19] Daniel Prillaman: And um, and you have some great um, horror pieces, you have Water Damage, uh, Apothecary, Heartburn. I've read all these among others. Um, but there's one—there's one that I'm gonna read next, and uh, it's called In the Slush. And you—you have it—you have it labeled as a—as a cosmic horror. And I really—I like that genre. And I—I've read the synopsis, so I kind of got an idea what it's about. It was also the 2023 finalist of the Princess Grace Award. But I want to hear your pitch on this and—and why do you want—why should I go read this script and why do you want people to produce it?

[47:50] Daniel Prillaman: It's my wife's favorite play of mine, actually. I'll say that. But um, it's uh, the quick pitch of it is it's two editorial assistants who are just tasked with reading through their publishing house's uh, slush pile, which is what you call that big stack of manuscripts, um, with the hope of trying to find something good. And one of the manuscripts that the—our main character encounters, however, is not a manuscript at all. Like it's not poetry, it's not, you know, prose, it's not—it's not even a story, it's a letter written directly to her telling her that she is not human, that her new baby—she is a newlywed and just got pregnant—is not a human baby, but basically the next incarnation of Cthulhu or uh, insert cosmic force here, and uh, her husband is not the man that she thinks she is, and we go from there.

[48:50] Jonathan Cook: Uh man, that sounds—yeah. I'm gonna let me read that with the night actually. That sounds great. I actually—the way you described it, I actually like that better than when I read the synopsis. That's—that sounds like an awesome play.

[48:59] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah, I'll go work on that then. Um, but yeah, that—that one came about just because uh, I love the idea of two characters sort of—I'm a big fan of uh, destabilizing moments in plays or for characters where—and I think that's just the kind of thing is because I was an actor first, getting to play those kinds of moments are so much fun where you suddenly in a snap, everything you thought you knew about uh, your life or your character uh, changes, and then you just get to play the what-if game again from there, um, in the same terms of that world building and that stuff. And so that—that one uh, was very fun to write.

[49:39] Jonathan Cook: So uh, as far as New Play Exchange goes, uh, give me—who—who is someone that you would recommend me go read? Not—not necessarily your favorite, but what has you—have you read anything recent that just like, yeah?

[49:51] Daniel Prillaman: Um, I am always a huge fan. This—I think they actually just changed the list this morning, but it was uh, Gillian Blevins' list. Uh, she just had a whole MPX list of feminist uh, reimaginings and adaptations. And uh, Gillian's a great writer in her own right. Definitely uh, check her out. But the one play that was on it that I forever will sound the horn on is Ally Cantor's Blowhole, uh, which is a—it's an adaptation of Lysistrata set in um, I think Edwardian like Wailing era. Um, and it's—it’s so funny, but it's also more so so brilliantly written in terms of its adaptation choices. Like I'll—I'll be honest, I haven't read Lysistrata. Um, I only know what it's about. Right, right. Um, just because there's so many plays in the world, you know, the old Greeks were not the—their not at the top of my reading list right now.

Um, but the choices that uh, Ally Cantor makes in adapting it to the time period and making it its own story while also set in that classic uh, sort of sitcom-esque almost plot line of the women are going to withhold sex from the men until they come home from uh, in this case not the war, but wailing. And it—it's just there's so many sight gags, there's so much fun wordplay. It's—it's a brilliantly witty piece of theater, and it's uh, I—I want to produce it honestly so bad.

[51:24] Jonathan Cook: That's—that's good to hear. It's like, I mean, there's so much material on the New Play Exchange. I—I like little recommendations like this, you know, from straight from you or whoever um, about new stuff to read. So that's awesome. Um, so as far as your personal life goes, I hear that you're uh, a D player.

[51:40] Daniel Prillaman: I am?

[51:41] Jonathan Cook: Are you a player or more of a game master? Do you tell the stories?

[51:43] Daniel Prillaman: You know, I've always been more of a player um, uh, of D&D, not of uh, anything else. Um, or rather like D&D Pathfinder, I'm a player is—I'm a—in the sense of like I'm a player, I'm terrible at words. Sorry.

[51:59] Jonathan Cook: It's all good.

[51:59] Daniel Prillaman: Um, cut all this.

[52:01] Jonathan Cook: No.

[52:02] Daniel Prillaman: Um, I've always been more of a—a participant and a player, um, just because a lot of my groups over the years, uh, we haven't really ever gotten to play in person very much. So we were—we were actually uh, not using Zoom before it was cool, but doing virtual meetings before it was uh, hip, if you will. And it—the—I—there are games that I would like to run one day, but it so far it's sort of just been like I haven't been able to get myself around to do the work of planning it all and—and it's—it's just slightly more of a commitment than I am able to make in sort of like a week to week or a bi-weekly basis. And it's—it's also more of just I've always enjoyed playing more than I think uh, leading in terms of that kind of—when you uh, when you join with your groups like that does it give you any sort of writing ideas just listening to the—you know the role-playing stories or even your acting because you—you know if you're playing a character um, does that—does it help you with acting roles and all that?

[52:41] Daniel Prillaman: Yeah, I mean like that role-playing really is also at its heart just another kind of improv exercise or a way to, you know—and your DM is definitely your scene partner and sort of coaxing out of you or guiding, but then uh, your game master or dungeon master is going to be providing all of those things that you as your character will be reacting to um, and acting is reacting. So I mean, you know, granted a lot of times uh, most D&D groups are probably gonna get a little silly um, or—or insert some, you know, humor into uh, whatever the scene at hand is, but you can also totally um, do serious improv and make dramatic choices and—and that is always going to scratch that itch and sort of uh, practice those muscles, you know, it's like an instrument, you know, if you—the more you practice it, the—the more second nature it sort of becomes.

[53:27] Jonathan Cook: Yeah, yeah, it's uh, yeah I've always uh, I—I’ve played a little bit of role-playing games growing up and I've always um, I've always liked that aspect of it of because you know, I—I started out as an actor as well um, and then you know, as—as you get into writing, it's like you—you—you when you're doing role-playing games and you know, coming up with stories and stuff, it's like, you know, I can kind of work some of this into a play or whatever.

[54:26] Daniel Prillaman: I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't actually know if I've got anything that I'm allowed to talk about yet.

[54:32] Jonathan Cook: Yeah, that—that happens.

[54:33] Daniel Prillaman: That happens.

[54:34] Jonathan Cook: That makes it sound—that makes it sound like I've got a lot more irons in the fire than I actually do, but it's just stuff that I—I either don't have a contract signed yet or I'm still in kind of a negotiation period of when it's actually happening. Um, and because I'm not sure I don't yet want to put that out into the world quite yet. The past two summers, my wife and I have been performing at the Sterling Renaissance Festival in uh, upstate New York. Um, and we're hoping to be there again this year. Uh, so that would be this summer if you're in upstate New York at all. Um, whether we're there or not, definitely uh, check it out if you like Renfairs, because they are amazing at what they do. The whole casting crew up there, they're so wickedly funny, and uh, they're a great time.

[54:39] Daniel Prillaman: Uh, yeah, but no, it's really cool.

[54:41] Jonathan Cook: Yeah. So do you have anything um, coming up, like any—any plays or any maybe you're acting on stage somewhere that uh, people can go check out what you're doing?

[55:19] Jonathan Cook: And uh, where's the best place for people to find you, your website, or are you active on any social media or anything like that?

[55:26] Daniel Prillaman: So I actually uh, just quit Twitter, um, or X, if you will, uh, purely for my own mental health. It's been great. Um, but uh, I am on Instagram, I believe as Living Dead Playwright, which is uh, a wink-wink to my tip my affinity for horror, I suppose, if you will. But uh, I've got uh, a Facebook page under the same name. And then I've also uh, if you're on NPX or the New Play Exchange, I'm there, and I've got my website as well, uh, which is just www.danielprileman.com.

[56:02] Jonathan Cook: Awesome. Well, hey, man? Thanks for uh, thanks for letting us do your play. Um, I'm—

[56:06] Daniel Prillaman: Thanks for doing it.

[56:08] Jonathan Cook: I hope you enjoyed it. And uh, we had a great time with it. Uh, but you know, just awesome. Keep—keep creating, doing all that cool stuff you do. And and next time I have you on, we'll talk about In the Slush, because I'll—I'll have it read by then and uh, can't—can't wait to dive into that one.

[56:24] Daniel Prillaman: I will be eager to hear your thoughts. There's—there's a lot to unpack without.

[56:28] Jonathan Cook: All right, man, take it easy.

[56:29] Daniel Prillaman: Awesome. You too.

[56:30] Jonathan Cook: Thanks so much for having me.

[56:32] Jonathan Cook: Thank you all for listening. And if you are associated with the theater and you would like to produce the play you heard today on your stage, send an email to gather by the ghostlight at gmail.com or contact the playwright directly at his website, DanielPriliman.com. And if you'd like some cool Gather by the Ghost Light merchandise, t-shirts are available at the merchandise link in the show notes. And you can also find the Gather by the Ghost Light annual companion books available at Amazon. Intro and outro music as always is provided by artist JK47. And if you enjoy this podcast, maybe you're a longtime listener, or maybe this is the first episode you've ever heard. Let us know. Please leave us a rating or a review in all the places that you can, and also be sure to follow Gather by the Ghost Light on social media to stay up to date on new episodes. I'm Jonathan Cook, and as always, stay safe, and I'll see you next time. We gather by the ghost light.