The BSR Podcast: Dive into June theater with The Great Privation at Theatre Exile and Franklin's Key at Pig Iron

Darnelle Radford welcomes director Ontaria Kim Wilson to the virtual studio for this conversation about playwright Nia Akilah Robinson's The Great Privation (How to Flip Ten Cents into a Dollar) at Theatre Exile, where the show was just extended to run through June 20, 2026.

The show happens on two timelines in South Philadelphia: 1832 and 2026. Wilson digs into the frenetic artistic work that went into a rehearsal time of just a few weeks, and what the show means to her personally with its roots in Philly's own AME church. She explains how a janitor became a griot central to the entire story, and how this play went from Soho Rep to Woolly Mammoth to a homecoming in South Philly. Here's the BSR review, and here's a link for tickets. Listen on Apple Podcasts or watch the interview on YouTube below.

Franklin's Key, by Pig Iron cofounder Dan Rothenberg and Robert Quillen Camp, debuted in 2025 (here's the BSR review). Now the show is back in a new iteration, running June 11-28, 2026 at Plays and Players Theatre in honor of the Semiquincentennial.

Here's the summary from Pig Iron: "During the War of Independence, the British feared that Ben Franklin could control the weather. Franklin’s Key asks: what if that were true? In an alternate universe where Franklin’s most powerful inventions have been hidden for centuries, two high school prodigies must race against time to protect the undiscovered technology from shadowy forces."

Darnelle sits down with Rothenberg and actor Jameka Monet Wilson. They get into Pig Iron's unique history on the Philly theater scene, and talk about how the show was inspired by 80s movie magic in films like Ghostbusters and The Goonies, and how it honors Philly landmarks like City Hall and the Wanamaker Organ. Look out for the BSR review, and get your tix. Listen on Apple Podcasts or watch the interview below on YouTube.

Note: This interview was recorded a few days before the passing of Dito van Reigersberg, who was instrumental to Pig Iron's legacy. They honor him here.