Podcast Picks: Spotlight 814

If you always enjoyed diving into the Erie Times-News's Showcase section each Thursday, then the new Spotlight 814 is the podcast for you. 

Spotlight 814 comes from Idiotville Productions — the brains behind Erie Reader's Best of Erie 2020 winner Idiotville: Erie PA's Favorite Podcast — and this venture, launched in late-April, is being marketed as "Erie's Local Theatre Podcast." Hosts Brenna Thummler and Ryan Dawley are active in the local theater scene and, from the very first episode, it's clear that this is a passion project designed to keep the community informed on the happenings of our local stages as well as to inspire conversations surrounding them. 

Guests so far have included Amanda Hill, star of recent All an Act Theater and Dramashop productions, and Julia Kemp, the artistic director for Meadville's Academy Theatre. Other episodes have included one-on-one conversations between Thummler and Dawley discussing everything from the 76th Tony Awards, horror musicals, and the upcoming A Devoted Surrender: The Pizza Bomber Play. They also provide written reviews on the podcast website. 

As the episodes progress, their desire is clearly to highlight all of the local productions and those who help make them a reality, whether it's the larger venues such as Erie Playhouse, more intimate stages like Performing Arts Collective Alliance (PACA), community theaters such as French Creek Community Theatre, or even local high school and university productions.

Hosted by: Brenna Thummler and Ryan Dawley // idiotvillepodcast.com/spotlight-814