On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. Our pilot episode asks the question: What if they crashed? This story is based on a real speech written for Richard Nixon in 1969 called "In Event of Moon Disaster." Performed by Matt Evans and Ed Herbstman, with John Ottavino as Richard Nixon. Written and produced by Jonathan Mitchell, and edited by Hillary Frank.

Moon Graffiti

Running from Wisconsin to Indiana: 80 miles, 12 hours, 1 day. Performed by Peter McNernery, with Elana Fishbein, Louis Kornfeld, Julia Hynes, and Teddy Shivers. Based on an interview with Brian Foy. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Keep Running

A collection of horror stories that take place in the world of electoral politics. This one-hour special was produced in 2012 for broadcast on public radio, and made possible by the generous support of the Public Radio Exchange (prx.org) and SoundCloud.com, with editorial support provided by American Public Media. 

The Devil You Know

NASA's Voyager spacecraft has landed: meet the aliens who found it. Performed by Chet Siegel and Peter McNerney. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Voyager Found

This episode features a story made by Audio Smut (http://audiosmut.ca), a podcast about "your body, your heart, and your junk." Directed and produced by Kaitlin Prest in collaboration with composer Shani Aviram, this story is about how our thoughts can deceive us when we're falling head over heels. This story was developed and written based on 17 interviews on the topic of perception in early romantic relationships.  

Audio Smut's editors and story guides are Mitra Kaboli and Sharon Mashihi. Their associate producer is Shira Bannerman. 

Special thanks to Jen Ng, Megan Detrie, Samara Breger, and Ann Hepperman. And to the people interviewed for this piece, especially Ayinde Bennet, Armen Bazarian and Caroline McKeown.


Audio Smut

Finding inner peace is difficult... especially when you're sitting next to Harvey Keitel. This story was produced by Pejk Malinovski as a Falling Tree production, and originally aired on BBC Radio 3.

Everything, Nothing, Harvey Keitel

Based on Philip K. Dick's short story "Upon the Dull Earth," originally published in 1954. Performed by Andy Moskowitz, Rebecca Robles, Diana McCorry, Ben Jones, and Al King. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

(image by Victor Eredel)

Silvia's Blood

An elf gets a new job in the Naughty or Nice division of Santa's workshop. This story was commissioned by NPR's All Things Considered. It was written by Jonathan Mitchell and Seth Lind, and directed & produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Naughty or Nice

Hoping the dream date never ends... until it doesn’t. Performed by Adam Wade, Chrissie Gruebel, Dan Fairall, and Blanche Ames. Written by Alejandro Kolleeny, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. 

Living the Dream

Two pieces by the great Joe Frank: Rent-a-Family and Fragments for Mixed Voices. These originally aired on his show Work In Progress, which aired on KCRW from 1986 to 1992. You can learn more about Joe Frank on his website, http://joefrank.com

These pieces are being used on our show with the permission of Joe Frank.

Joe Frank

A girl is lost and can't find her mom. Why won't anyone help her? Performed by Bee Herbstman, Melanie Hoopes, Ed Herbstman, Evan Sudarsky Abadi, Gregory Jones, and Blanche Ames. Written by Diana McCorry, Produced by  Jonathan Mitchell. 

(Image by Luis Mariano González)

Can You Help Me Find My Mom?

No one knows what it is, or why we can't see it. All we know is that without it, the universe would fall apart. 

Performed by Kevin Corrigan, Chet Siegel, Ed Herbstman, Dennis Pacheco, Alexis Lambright, Rob Webber, and Anna Sale. Written by Diana McCorry, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. Inspired by listener Christopher Tunnell.

Dark Matter

In Louris van de Geer's Tuesday, adapted here from a stage production, the lives of four shoppers get tangled up as they float from aisle to aisle, battling suburban drudgery while they wait for something to happen. The story in this episode comes to us by way of Australia, it was made by ABC RN's Creative Audio Unit, for their program Radiotonic.  It was produced by Jesse Cox and Timothy Nicastri. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/radiotonic/

Plus, hear Jonathan's favorite sound in the world, from Robert Ashley's opera for television Perfect Lives. http://www.robertashley.org/productions/perfectlives.htm

Tuesday

Two stories: one turns dating into a video game, and the other is about a young girls' preoccupation with a big prawn. "Call of Dating" was originally produced for CBC's Wiretap by Mira Burt-Wintonick and Cristal Duhaime. And "The Big Prawn" was originally produced for Paper Radio, written and performed by Katia Pase, with sound design by Jon Tjhia.

Call Of Dating & The Big Prawn

Two stories: A blind man gets a Seeing Eye App, and a personal GPS gets really personal. With performances by Russell G. Jones, Ann Carr, Rachel Hamilton, and Kerry Kastin, and writing by Louis Kornfled & Diana McCorry, and Jonathan Goldstein, Mira Burt-Wintonick & Cristal Duhaime.

Visible & Drive Straight Ahead

A struggling indie band finds a drum machine that transports them into their songs. 

Performed by Jonathan Mann, Elena Skopetos, Bianca Casusol, Tom Ligon, Louis Kornfeld, and Jimmy O'Connell. 

Written by Jonathan Mann and Jonathan Mitchell.
Songs by Jonathan Mann.
Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.
Special thanks to Rich Victor and Bill McCool.

Songonauts was created by Jonathan Mann and Jonathan Mitchell. It's available only on The Truth Podcast.
http://thetruthpodcast.com

Songonauts (episode 1)

Dan's college roommate won't stop talking. Even when he's asleep. Performed by Brian Miskell and Mark Gessner, with Lusia Strus and Hannah Chase. Written by Chris Kipiniak, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.


The Truth

Sleep Some More

Shopping can make you work up a thirst. Performed by Lauren Adams and Peter Grosz, written by Casper Kelly, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

The Dark End Of The Mall

While tracking the Soviets, a submarine crew goes deeper than they thought possible...

With Gregory Jones, Chris McKinney, Russell G. Jones, Billy Griffin Jr., Reynaldo Piniella, and Michael Cullen. Written by Louis Kornfeld and Chris Kipiniak. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

A Drop in the Ocean

The Lord works in mysterious ways.  With Joanna Hausmann as Alice and T.J. Mannix as God. Written by Sarah Siskind with Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Miracle on the L Train

What will they find? Performed by Rebecca Robles and Louis Kornfeld. Story by Louis Kornfeld, produced by Jonathan Mitchell. Recorded on location in New York City.

Scavenger Hunt

Spring is in the air and so are the bees. To celebrate, we made this collection of comedy sketches! Learn how Quantum Mechanics can help solve that familiar dilemma: scone or muffin? Meet the most conscientious mom on the playground. And hear the only game show that explores the futility of trying to make the world a better place in the face of today's biggest news: What Can You Do!

Hey Bumblebee

On the island of Thassos grows a very rare variety of the Lotus flower, Nymphaea Anamnesis. If you drink its extract, whatever you say or do for ten minutes after drinking it, you won’t remember. It's kind of like Snapchat but "in life". On this episode we’ll meet a group of friends who partake in the Lotus extract.

Performed by Leonard Lyzner and Florencia de la Lorca. With Russell Jones, Gillian Glasco, Lipica Shah, and Jordan Mahome. Written by Jaymes Jorsling, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

(Lotus image by Olivia Fraser - http://oliviafraser.com)

Intimacy Challenge

The voice of a cartoon boy breaks into live action. 

Starring Erica Schroeder as Betsy and Happy Louie. With Brian Dykstra, Marc Thompson, Justin Morgan, Rosie Whalen, Susan J. Jacks, Chris Kipiniak, Lorena Russi, Eric Molinsky, Kerry Kastin, Asher Herbstman, and Rob Webber.

Written by Eric Molinsky, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Do the Voice

Doc, Penny, and Jojo have found the elusive music journalist Gina Staxx. But will she help them save the Songoverse? Written by Joshua Perillo, with songs by Jonathan Mann. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Songonauts (episode 6)

Doc, Penny, and Jojo learn what it's really like to live in Obscurity. With Jonathan Mann, Elena Skopetos, Bianca Casusol, Tom Ligon, Livia Scott, and Nikiya Mathis. Written by Jonathan Mann & Joshua Perillo, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Songonauts (episode 7)

Doc, Penny, and Jojo are trapped in a cell in Obscurity. How will they ever save the Songoverse from in there? Written by Jonathan Mann, Jonathan Mitchell, and Joshua Perillo, with songs by Jonathan Mann. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Songonauts (episode 8)

Frankie isn’t a real Media Influencer, but the Government saw the 500k followers he bought for his Instagram profile and arrested him anyway. Now he’s in a Media internment Camp.

Written by Benjamen Walker, with help from Louis Kornfeld.
Produced by Jonathan Mitchell

Part 2 is available now on Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything.
https://toe.prx.org/2017/06/influencers-part-ii-of-ii/

Influencers (part I of II)

Terry Bisson's classic short story "They're Made Out of Meat" originally appeared in Omni Magazine in 1991. This version was produced for WNYC's Studio 360 last November, and has been remixed especially for this episode. In our podcast we also talk with Bisson about the origins his story, and his new novel, Any Day Now.

Our story was performed by Russ Armstrong & Miriam Tolan, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. Special thanks to David Krasnow and Derek John at Studio 360.

They're Made Out of Meat & Terry Bisson Interview

Keep your knees in, chest up, stay low, elbows soft... let's go, let's GO! Performed by Chet Siegel, Emily Tarver, and Ed Herbstman. Written by Chet Siegel, produced by Jonathan Mitchell. http://www.thetruthpodcast.com

Everybody SCREAM!!!

This story was inspired by a submission from listener Matthew Mercier, for our Halloween/Election crowd-sourcing experiment. It's based on his experience as caretaker of the last home of Edgar Allan Poe, and imagines what Poe's last living hours may have been like. Performed by Christian Paluck, Ed Herbstman, Chet Siegel, and Louis Kornfeld. Produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

The Death of Poe

You're cordially invited to spend New Year's Eve with Walt Avery. To attend, simply play this podcast. Performed by Ben Jones and Tom Ligon, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. 

Happy New Year

Everyone thought you were missing, maybe even dead. And now you’re back.

Performed by Ed Herbstman, Ben Jones, Christian Paluck, Chet Siegel, Louis Kornfeld, Amy Warren, and Asher Herbstman. The story was developed collaboratively by The Truth, with dialogue improvised by the actors. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Where Have You Been?

Are you hearing voices? You're not alone. Performed by Christian Paluck, Carly Monardo, Tom Stephens, Louis Kornfeld, Jon Keller, Kerry Kastin, Nick Mykins, Aina Rapoza, and Ashley Wilson. With special musical guest Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth and the Catapult). Written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

You're Not Alone

THE TRUTH is movies for your ears. We make short, often darkly funny stories that take you to unexpected places. Every story is different, and they're usually around 10 to 20 minutes long. If you're new, some good starting places are: In Good Hands, You're Not Alone, Do You Have a Minute for Equality, Tape Delay, or whatever's most recent. Listening with headphones is encouraged!

We're a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

http://www.thetruthpodcast.com

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