The BSR Podcast: Dive into February theater with Jesus Hopped the A Train and Plantation Black

We're welcoming playwright Phaedra Michelle Scott as Plantation Black gets its world premiere at InterAct, running through March 1, 2026. The show, directed by Kimille Howard, has an unusual format: the story unfolds from a different point in the narrative every night, with the starting point chosen 20 minutes before the curtain. An ensemble of six play contemporary and Civil War-era characters, telling a story of plantation owners and the people they enslaved, and their descendants on both sides. Get your tickets, listen to the interview on Apple Podcasts, or watch it below on YouTube. Look out for the BSR review of Plantation Black.

Also running this month is Stagecrafters' new production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the A Train, at the company's Chestnut Hill venue. It's directed by Dave Ebersole, and it's onstage through February 22, 2026. Via Stagecrafters, "A young man with little hope, Angel, has shot a cult leader for brainwashing his best friend; his confession to the public defender then cripples Angel’s defense when the cult leader dies. Ironically, while in The Tombs, the serial killer in the next cell sparks Angel’s spiritual conversion." Ensemble members Jon Owens and Carlos Jiga join Darnelle in the virtual studio, along with director Dave, to bring you behind the scenes of this exciting production. Get your tickets, listen to the interview on Apple Podcasts, or watch it below you YouTube.

BONUS: Did you catch Darnelle's conversation with Joshua Crone of Yellow Bicycle Theater, a new black-box venue just off Love Park at 15th and Arch? (We recently spotlighted a new show there in our preview of Everybody Loves Italians.) Find out how Yellow Bicycle got started, and go behind the scenes of running a small theater venue and engaging the community in today's tough market. Listen on Apple Podcasts, or watch below on YouTube.