F*ing & Dying: The Brink

Let Me Ascertain You is back with the third episode in our series about all things sex and death related. In this episode we are leaning towards the sex side of the sex and death equation, looking at those elements of life that in one context might seem unpleasant or downright awful, but in another context can be well, kind of sexy. 

First, Dan Domingues performs an interview we did with Peter, a man who recounts how bondage became a path to self-discovery, and then Rebecca Hart performs Emily, a woman who dated a sometimes hitman who taught her her how to strangle people without leaving any marks. To close out this episode we have special guest Adam Cochran accompanying himself on guitar with a song by writing team Erato Kremmyda and Maggie-Kate Coleman. Erato and Maggie-Kate are both members in our R&D Group for writers, directors and composers. “I Don’t Want To Know Your Name” is based on interviews about “terror and catastrophe sex,” a phenomenon where cataclysmic events drive you into the bed of a stranger.




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Civilians at The Met: Micharne Cloughley

Image from Daily Review

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australian playwright Micharne Cloughley previously worked with The Civilians on Be the Death of Me. Now, as part of our residency with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Micharne is returning to New York to serve as resident writer on our investigation into the American Wing, titled The Way They Live.



A recent article from Daily News features Micharne's array of impressive accomplishments, her thoughts on the differences in theatrical cultures between Australia and New York, and her excitement in this rare "moment of opportunity" to work on an original project in conjunction with a globally recognized museum. 

“We’re asking the question of what it is to be an American,” Cloughley says. “The Wing has work from the 1700s through to the early 1900s, so it’s very exciting with that broad a scope to look at — particularly the divisions and the idea of ‘how the other side’ lives, whether that be the wealthy and the laborers, the colonizers and the native people, or the free and the slaves.”

We're so looking forward to having Micharne back at The Civilians! Check out the full article from the Daily Review HERE.

To get tickets to all of The Civilians' programming at The Met go HERE. 

F*cking & Dying: The White Light

We are in the thick of exploring our competing sex and death drives, and that interesting space where the two overlap and even coalesce.

In this episode, we are searching for the "white light," that surreal experience that can really open happen in sex or death, when we glimpse the soul. First up is actor Parker Drown performing Trevor, an NYC “rent boy,” followed by Jeanine Serralles performing Kelli Dunham, a writer/performer with the tag line “Everyone’s Favorite Ex-Nun, Genderqueer, Nerd Comic.” Learn more about Kelli’s fascinating story at kellidunham.com. To close out this podcast, we welcome back Grace McLean, whose layered vocals you may remember from our Sex Variants series. Grace’s original song, “Where is the White Light,” was inspired by an interview we did with Veronica, an energy healer.



TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!