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[0:00] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Welcome to the Drama Book Show, where we bring you conversations with the writers, artists and theater professionals whose work helps shape the world of live performance. My name is Marc E. Jean-Garcia. In this episode, we travel back to the golden age of Broadway for a story about ambition, creativity and the people who bring a production to life. We're joined by Michael Golding, author of Quick Bright Things, a novel set in New York City in 1948 that follows Artie, a young rehearsal pianist, Joe, a visionary director, and Carrie, his girl Friday, as they work to bring a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the stage. Inspired by Golding's own experiences in theater, the novel captures the passion, chaos and dedication of the artists who keep Broadway alive.

Michael Golding is the author of Simple Prayers, Benjamin's Gift, and A Poet of the Invisible World, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and received the 2016 Farrow Grumley Award. His novels have been translated into ten languages, and his screenwriting credits include the adaptation of Alessandro Barico's Silk. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous plays and musicals, including 21 productions of Shakespeare. Here's Michael Golding, live at the Drama Bookshop.

[1:33] Michael Golding: Hello.

[1:34] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Hello.

[1:35] Michael Golding: Long time no see. And actually, it's true, you've been in town a week and we haven't seen each other yet, so thank you for getting us together. It's perfect.

[1:48] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Yeah, we're just going to check some levels. How are we doing? Good. Yeah? Fantastic. So we know each other a little bit, 30 years or so.

[2:04] Michael Golding: 28.

[2:06] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Somebody's counting. 28 years. Good. It has been a very rich friendship, and we met as actors on a play of Othello, where you were the most sublime and winning Cassio I've ever seen. And I thought, no wonder he feels threatened. I would too. I was like, you were radiant. And on that production, we became really close friends, and we met each other through Shakespeare.

[2:38] Michael Golding: So I think—

[2:39] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: That's a good thing.

[2:40] Michael Golding: That's a good thing, indeed. And so we're just going to wait for the ice machine to finish its—

[2:46] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: It's part of the act. I always let the ice machine come on around now.

[2:51] Michael Golding: Do you? You're more savvy than I am. So then, and you'd done a ton of acting before, and you came up as an actor. And this book, which we should say, although it's been said, it can't be said enough, Quick Bright Things, which is a really beautiful sharing of what it is, not just the world of theater, but what it is to create.

[3:16] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Thank you. And this really, and you made the shift from performing and really began a deep dive into writing, screenplays, as we know, but also novels, full-on novels. The three earlier ones are lovely. And this is a, both a shift and a return, it seems to me at the same time. And I'm curious what took you from the lights to the keyboard or the pen, and maybe—

[3:53] Michael Golding: Pen.

[3:54] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Absolutely. And it would be nice to hear a little bit about that shift, if you have some thoughts about it.

[4:00] Michael Golding: Sure, sure. When I was a kid, when I was in high school, I, the part that I wanted to write was always at war with the part that I wanted to act. Should I write? Should I act? Should I write? Should I act? And something in me felt, the part that I wanted to act really liked the attention and the applause. And the writer just sits in a room all alone. And basically, I think the actor tied up the writer and locked him in the basement for about 10 years. And I came to New York and I acted here, did Shakespeare, Off-Broadway, stuff like that. But the writer just kept saying, when are you going to give me a shot? When are you going to give me a chance? So I, very romantic, I thought, I'm going to move to Paris for a year.

I'll be like Fitzgerald in Hemingway. I'll sit in cafes and write. And it won't go very well. And then I'll come back to New York and keep acting, and at least say I tried. And the instant I started writing, I knew that's what I really needed to do. And I never actually came back to live in New York.

[5:13] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Our loss. That's amazing. You would study and do some things with Lecoq while you were in Paris as well, which is amazing.

[5:25] Michael Golding: Yes. I studied with this very famous clown teacher called Jacques Lecoq. And so I studied clown technique. That was fun. He was amazing.

[5:35] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Pretty amazing. And so you began writing, and these three novels beforehand are all, they all have their own style on a certain level. I think all that time in theater has given you a wonderful sense of how the inner world and the inner spark somehow becomes something different as it makes its way out into the eyes or hearts of an audience. And I was really struck by the world of this novel, of Quick Bright Things, for a couple of different reasons. One, every character has their own life in a way like a good play does. And in a way, this book, I feel like I've been to see a play when I read it. It has that energy.

[6:36] Michael Golding: But there is, are we all good? Am I coming in and out? Oh, ah, for that. Good. And then the, and it'll take me a moment to get used to that. But, and then there was, but also you captured the style of the world. It was as if the world got its own voice as well, not just the characters. And you set it at a time, although maybe the problems are universal and timeless that the characters go through and that the world, but you set it in 1948. A little bit curious about that and yeah.

[7:21] Michael Golding: Time and place. Oh, we have microphones. Time and place are very important for me. So my first novel is set in 14th century Italy. And my second novel is set in New York in starting in the 1920s. And my third novel is set in 13th century Persia. So I really love, this gives me a lot of energy to explore a place, to do a lot of research and to go into another world. And so at a certain point I thought, I really want to write about the theater. I don't know why there aren't more novels about the theater. There aren't a lot of novels about the theater, but I wanted to go into the theater. I wanted to look at my experiences in the theater, but I also, writing these books is a chance to live in these other worlds.

So I really feel like I've lived in 14th century Italy and I really feel like I've lived in 13th century Persia and I wanted to live during the golden age of Broadway. So there are actually two reasons I chose 1948. I wanted to live in the golden age of Broadway, but I also felt for me, there was something really poignant about how hopeful that time was. 1948 was just a few years after the end of the war. People felt this sense that anything is possible, everything can happen. It was just really a joyful, exciting moment. And 1948 was also the year that Israel was created. And that's also a thread in the novel. One of the three protagonists is a young Jewish boy who is, he wants to be a composer.

I won't give the book away. He wants to be a composer. You'll hear that. I'm going to read a little bit, but the whole founding of Israel comes into that too. And I feel, I don't want our conversation to become political, but whatever I can say is that I feel that looking at how hopeful that moment seemed is poignant because we know it's become very complicated and there's a lot of pain connected to it now. And I don't like writing anything that's anachronistic. I don't want to nod to what's going to happen, but I thought just showing this kind of glorious moment would be touching. So that's why it's 1948.

[9:58] Marc E. Jean-Garcia: Beautiful. Yeah, I am struck by that post-war New York had its own hope. It is also still a difficult time. There's not a lot of money, unlike now when we're all rolling in it, and especially in the arts. And so everybody is having to work really hard and there's that sense of pluck, and there's that sense of can-do, and there's a sense of sacrifice that's going on. And that somehow, I'm going to lean again into a sense of style, that becomes part of the style of this novel somehow. Because this is very different from the other novels. So when you are letting this inspiration flow down the arm and onto the page, this magical thing, what shifts for you? Do you have a sense that you've planned it all out?

[11:03] Michael Golding: When I start a book, before I start a book, I receive it in a flash. The whole book appears to me and then I'm, what was that? Then I have to take a long time to get it down. But it does exist as a whole before I begin. And it has its nature. It has its style. But I also believe that form and content are a dialectic. And so form,

[11:32] David Rigano: Welcome back to The Drama Book Show! Today, we have a special guest, Michael Golding, who is here to talk about his new novel, Quick Bright Things.

[11:56] Michael Golding: Thank you for having me! I'm excited to be here and share a bit about the book.

[12:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So, Michael, Quick Bright Things is set in 1948 New York during the Golden Age of Broadway. What inspired you to write this story?

[12:46] Michael Golding: Well, I've always been fascinated by that era. The vibrancy of the theater scene, the personalities involved, and the sheer creativity that was happening at that time really drew me in. I wanted to capture that energy and the chaos that often accompanies putting on a show.

[13:06] Dylan Glick: It sounds like a love letter to Broadway. Can you tell us a bit about the main characters?

[13:26] Michael Golding: Absolutely! The story follows a young rehearsal pianist, a visionary director, and his Girl Friday as they navigate the ups and downs leading up to opening night of a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each character brings their own unique perspective and challenges to the table.

[13:46] David Rigano: That sounds intriguing! How did your own experiences in theater influence the writing of this novel?

[14:06] Michael Golding: My background in theater has definitely shaped the way I approach storytelling. I've seen firsthand the dedication and passion that goes into creating a production, as well as the inevitable hurdles that come up. I wanted to reflect that authenticity in the characters and their journey.

[14:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It must have been quite a challenge to balance the historical aspects with the fictional narrative.

[14:46] Michael Golding: It was! I did a lot of research to ensure that the setting and events felt true to the time period. But at the same time, I wanted to allow the characters to breathe and develop in their own right, so finding that balance was key.

[15:06] Dylan Glick: What do you hope readers take away from Quick Bright Things?

[15:26] Michael Golding: I hope they feel a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the theater. It's a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and the magic that happens when people come together to tell a story.

[15:46] David Rigano: That’s beautiful. Are there any particular themes in the book that resonate with you personally?

[16:06] Michael Golding: Definitely! Themes of ambition, love, and the pursuit of dreams are central to the story. I think we can all relate to the idea of striving for something we’re passionate about, even when the odds are stacked against us.

[16:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It sounds like a relatable and inspiring read.

[16:46] Michael Golding: I hope so! I really wanted to create characters that people could connect with, regardless of their background or experiences.

[17:14] Dylan Glick: Have you had any interesting reactions from early readers?

[17:42] Michael Golding: Yes! I've been thrilled to hear that many readers feel transported back to that era and appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at the theater world. It’s been rewarding to see how the story resonates with both theater lovers and those new to the scene.

[18:10] David Rigano: That’s fantastic! What’s next for you after this book?

[18:38] Michael Golding: I’m currently working on a few new projects, including another novel that explores different aspects of the theater. I’m excited to keep writing and sharing stories that celebrate the arts.

[19:04] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

[19:32] Michael Golding: Thank you! I appreciate that.

[20:02] Dylan Glick: Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with our listeners?

[20:32] Michael Golding: Just that I hope everyone checks out Quick Bright Things. It’s a heartfelt tribute to the magic of Broadway, and I think you’ll enjoy the journey!

[21:01] David Rigano: Thank you so much for joining us today, Michael. It’s been a pleasure having you on the show.

[21:30] Michael Golding: Thank you for having me!

[22:00] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to The Drama Book Show!

[22:30] Dylan Glick: Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our next episode!

[23:00] David Rigano: Until next time, keep the drama alive!

[23:35] Michael Golding: Singing is all about the words to me current. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How is it different for you? So opening the hood a little bit for you to have this shift where your whole body and tone of voice and the expression on your face shifts, what is the shift like when you're seated there in your little writing place in California? You're tucked away and you're lonesome. It's a meditation. It's something that keeps me—I'm not saying I'm sane, but it keeps me as sane as I am. I wake up every morning, I make coffee and I write. Every morning, every, every morning—here, there, Christmas, New Year's, my birthday. I can't imagine starting the day without writing, and I know that part of it is because it takes that much work to create, write a novel.

It's a big, it's a big thing, but I also do it just because it's a self-maintenance thing. It keeps me centered where I am. It helps me to process my experience of being alive, so I don't believe in writers' block, which doesn't mean I don't experience moments when some voice says to hell with this or this is crap or stop. I just don't believe it. I just don't listen, and I know that if I sit there and I keep quieting myself and I take another sip of coffee and I just sit there, that the writing will come, and it does. It always does, so that's my bliss. I love it so much.

[25:19] Michael Golding: And that bliss somehow informs a creative intelligence that lets you slip into other points of view, other worldviews. There's this thing that people talk about, like being in the zone. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but one thing I know is that when I'm not writing, I always know what time it is. I can wake up in the middle of the night and something will go, "It's 3:20," and I'll look at my clock and it's five minutes within that. Writing is the only time I lose my sense of time. I go into this place where something shifts, and then it's almost like the book is writing me and I'm receiving it, and I just—I love that. I love that place. It's so fluid and free and interesting and challenging, and so that's why I do it.

[26:24] Michael Golding: It's beautiful. I'd like to invite some people beyond just the two of us into our little world and just see based on what we've talked about or if you've read the book already or begun it, if there are any thoughts or questions for me.

[27:06] Michael Golding: Oh, yes, yes, they're doing this musical, and while I was writing scenes of them rehearsing, they started singing the songs, and suddenly I thought, "I think I'm writing a musical." So I decided as a challenge to myself and also because I thought it would be fun for a reader to buy a book that's a novel and then when they get to the end, there's a score for the show that they're doing. So at the back of the novel is the score to the musical that they're doing in the show, and I wrote the words and I wrote the music, and I have a lovely friend, James Fleischer, who I would sing them into my phone and send them to him, and he would transcribe them into music. Yeah, I didn't do that part, and that was really fun.

That was really fun because some of the songs are written by one composer, and then I don't want to give away the book, but some of the songs are written by someone else, and I wanted to see if I could make the style of music a little bit different and the lyrics. Anyway, that was fun. That was fun. No, it's great, and I invite any of you to open up the piano and just because the chord progressions are there, so it's a lot of fun actually, so I've already been through three of them. I'm making my way through the rest.

[28:49] Michael Golding: Fun. I don't know, somehow that space that I was describing that I go into when I write, yeah, it's beyond fear, and maybe that's part of it is because I'm alone because I do understand as an actor people are watching you, and they're watching you in the moment of creation, and that really takes courage. That is really a scary thing, and maybe writing is scary, but I don't feel it. I just feel—I don't censor myself. One thing when I was starting out as a writer, I had to, because on some level I'm a nice Jewish boy, and I had to push through that. I had to be willing to be raw and crude and ugly and evil, and I looked at Shakespeare and I thought, he's Juliet and he's Caliban, and he saw everything in himself.

So I just, when I go into that space now, I don't feel limitations. I don't feel—I don't worry about—sometimes afterwards I look at it and I go, "What was that? That's terrible," but I don't feel that restriction while I'm writing. No, it's fantastic. So there's a real freedom, total creation, really total freedom.

[30:07] Michael Golding: In a moment, I'd love to hear—because I'd first of all, I just love to hear you speak, but we'd love to hear you read something. Okay, but you mentioned that you're well into a book about someone who cooks, and how long have you been working on this piece? I've been working on it about four years. It takes me four or five years to write each one. I'm almost finished. I think I'm almost finished. Does it have a title? Yeah, it does. I'll tell you what it's about, which means I'm almost finished because I would never talk about anything in the middle of writing it ever, but I think the fact that I want to tell you something and I'm going to tell you the title means I'm almost finished because I want to be almost finished.

It's about a man who is a chef, restaurateur in San Francisco, and it's the first book that I've written that's set now. It's not a historical novel; all my books are historical fiction. So it's set now, and he has had something really awful happen in his life. I won't tell you what that is—really the kind of unspeakable thing that leaves him totally untethered. He's just utterly lost, and the forms and the relationships in his life are crumbling because of this experience, this event. When he was a boy, when he was 10 years old, his father took him to India, and he had a mystical experience in India, although he wouldn't have called it that, but it's something that he's never forgotten. Now when he's in this space of—he's bereft, the only thing he can think to do is to go back and visit that place he went to as a child, and that's where the book starts.

The book is set in India, and a lot of things happen in India, and we also go back and see the childhood experience and also eventually the event that I won't tell you, and it's a quest for finding a way to stay alive when you feel you can't. It's not Quick Bright Things. There are no songs, although you can feel the music in the piece. It's a deep book for me. It's been very deep to write it. I always loved the book I'm writing at the moment the most, so I love this book. We'll see if you love it.

[33:06] Michael Golding: So then we come back into the now, which is amazing because we're in the Drama Bookshop in one of the great theater districts on the planet where so many—it's lovely that we're actually talking about the book here. Yes, it's so true. I love this place so much. When I was young and I was in New York and I was trying to make it, I would come here. It wasn't in this space, but it was always a haven for people in the theater, a place you could go hang out, a place you could get a script if you had an audition, and it's just such a wonderful place. It's really special to be doing this here.

[34:02] Michael Golding: No, I know where we both spend so much time. It's perfect, and a way surrounded by this part of this city and you lovely people. Would you mind just lifting something off the page and into the show for us? I'll read a little bit. Thank you. I'm gonna just read the opening of the book because then I don't have to set it up. So let's see how this goes. Quick Bright Things, chapter one.

[34:37] Michael Golding: When Artie awoke, warm in the bed like a fresh-baked potato knish from Zuckerman's deli, he was not only uncertain where he was uncertain, for a brief halcyon moment, who he was. His awareness hovered in the air, free of the long, lanky fellow tangled up in the sheets, and it was only when he smelled his mother's latkes on the stove that he snapped back into the fluid contours of his body. In the dream, he was playing a Steinway in an opulent hall, while a tuxedoed-and-gowned crowd sat rapt. They were one heart, one unified mind, as the bright sounds filled the room. As he played on, however, a strange voodoo occurred. Each phrase, as it rose from the strings, became a cluster of sand, which rained down from over the crowd.

It fell on Artie, too, coating his feet, shrouding his legs, till it covered his hands, and the music stopped, and he crashed into the day. Now, as he lay in the bed, he tried to separate the dream from the room from the moment he'd been suspended between the two. It was too cold to throw back the covers and step out on the bare floor. If the audition went well and he got the job, he'd buy a pair of warm slippers, maybe even a rug. The audition! Had he missed it? Was he doomed to spend his life gutting chickens in Mr. Rosenzweig's shop? He looked at the clock. 8.15. There was still time to dress, eat breakfast, and get to Times Square before ten. For God's sake, Artie, wake up. You're going to miss the whole day.

I'm up, he yelled back. I'll be right there. He threw back the covers, leapt up, and tore off his pajamas. Then he scrambled into the clothes he'd laid out the night before, the white shirt, the black pants, and the red sweater his Aunt Bess had made for his last birthday. Herbie Levine had told him red was a good color to wear to an audition. It said cocky, it said success. So he laced up his high holy day shoes, put on his glasses, and dashed from the room.

[37:14] Artie: So you figured the eggs wouldn't make it?

[37:20] Ma: What do you mean? You look ready for a funeral.

[37:26] Artie: I'm sorry, Ma, but nobody wears red to a funeral.

[37:32] Ma: Then what? I'm meeting Max Jacobs. His pa's taking us out for a fancy lunch.

[37:38] Artie: At ten o'clock? It's on the Upper East Side. He told me to meet him at the zoo at ten, then we'll walk to his pa's office.

[37:49] Sarah Koretsky Isaacson: stared at the gangly creature she called her son. How could she feel so much love for someone who made so little sense? Who would rather make music than read a good book? Who was so goddamn skinny? Why had she worked her fingers to the bone so he could take those piano lessons? And sleep on the couch so he could have his own room? Where did it come from, a love like that? And why did it cause so much pain?

[38:19] Just promise me you won't be late for your shift at Mr. Rosenschweig's. She placed Artie's plate on the table. And that you won't gut chickens in those shoes.

[38:31] Artie: I hate lying to my ma. Not because I hate lying, but because she always winds up finding out the truth. But I couldn't tell her about the audition. She jinxed the whole thing. I’d tell her once I got the job. Even Mr. Rosenschweig's chickens couldn't compete with being the rehearsal pianist for a real Broadway show. But I wasn't sure I'd get the job, so I couldn't tell her about the auditions.

[39:00] Ma: I worry about you, Artie.

[39:06] Artie: You worry about the weather, the neighbors, the meatloaf.

[39:12] Ma: Don't be disrespectful. You should be glad you have a ma who worries about you. It's an awful world.

[39:16] Artie: For Christ's sake, Ma, the war's over. Life's good.

[39:23] Ma: Believe me, they'll find a new way to torture us. You'll see.

[39:29] Artie: Sometimes I hated being Jewish. The endless guilt. The unspoken belief that Jews were treated badly by non-Jews because they hated that Jews were smarter than them. I hated my name, Arthur Abraham Isaacson. It sounded like the name on a shiny plaque on a hospital wing. I hated Mr. Rosenschweig's shop, and the sweaty hugs of my Zoftik aunts, and the crazy curls of the Hasids. But I loved the Torah and the kids who played stickball on Mott Street. And I loved the food. Chopped liver and linses and matzo ball soup. I loved eating almost as much as I loved music. So I took another bite of my ma's latkes, perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft but never soggy in the middle, and tried to soften her gloom.

[40:30] Artie: There's a new Ronald Coleman picture at Radio City.

[40:38] Ma: That's nice for Ronald Coleman. Why don't we go?

[40:47] Artie: And who's got the money to go to the pictures?

[40:52] Artie: I could conjure up a laugh here and there, but the only real joy I could recall was when I'd thought about becoming a rabbi. And it started around the time of my bar mitzvah, a call to something higher, a sudden yearning to pierce the illusions of life. For two years, my heart had been filled with God, and then my ma had been overjoyed. But the seductive sounds began to fill my head. I begged her to study piano, which I took to like a savant. My need to write music began to displace my thoughts of God, and my ma's hopes that I'd become Reb Isaacson went up in smoke.

[41:39] Ma: I'm tired, Artie.

[41:49] Artie: I'm sorry, Ma. I can hardly work the needles anymore.

[41:57] Artie: I looked at my ma's ravaged face. She'd been so pretty when I was young. I hardly recognized the hollowed-out shell that she'd become since my pa had died. If I thought that not going to the audition would plump out her cheeks, I'd climb back into bed. If I thought that giving up music would bring the light back to her eyes, I'd gut chickens at Mr. Rosenzweig's shop for the rest of my life. But my ma had settled into being unhappy like an aching body settles into a warm bath. And since I knew that sooner or later I'd leave, I couldn't ask her to give it up.

[42:35] Artie: I gotta go. Mr. Jacobs will blow his stack if I'm late.

[42:40] Ma: God forbid you should upset Mr. Jacobs.

[42:44] Artie: I stuck the last piece of toast between my teeth and leapt up.

[42:48] Ma: For Christ's sake, Artie, you'll choke.

[42:56] Artie: I pulled out the toast and kissed my ma on the top of her head. Then I stuck it back in, grabbed my coat and scarf from the back of the door, and ran out of the apartment. As I rattled down the three flights of stairs, I pressed my fingers against my glasses so they wouldn't fly off. I was almost blind without my glasses. Although I loved my country, I was grateful my crappy sight had kept me out of the war. I would have been lousy in the war. I wasn't ashamed to admit it. Besides, I didn't need my eyes to ace the audition. I just needed my hands and a little muzzle.

[43:37] When I reached the first floor, Mr. Gersh flung open his door.

[43:40] Mr. Gersh: You're making the whole building shake.

[43:47] Artie: I'm sorry, Mr. Gersh.

[43:53] Mr. Gersh: I mean it, Artie. Take it easy.

[43:56] Mr. Gersh closed the door. Then I dashed out into the street. The sky was a pale gray, and it was starting to snow. So I put on my gloves and wrapped my scarf around my throat. Then I sped off to show those chumps on Broadway how to play a piano.

[44:15] Michael Golding: Thank you so much. Just lovely. We've come to that beautiful time, the time of transition. So at a certain point, we'll make our way to the front. You'll be there, pen in hand, and we can continue the conversation here at the front of the Drama Book Show. Michael, thank you so much.

[44:42] Michael Golding: Thank you so much, Ben. Thank you all for coming.

[44:47] David Rigano: Thank you all so much for being here tonight. Thank you both for coming, and thank you for sharing that fantastic first chapter with us.

[44:57] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And we are back. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Drama Book Show. Our thanks to Michael Golding for sharing his love of theater, storytelling, and the artists who bring Broadway productions to life. Quick Bright Things is a celebration of the golden age of Broadway and the talented, passionate, and sometimes chaotic individuals who make the magic of the stage possible. Coming up next on the Drama Book Show, we'll explore the evolving landscape of contemporary trans theater with the editors and playwrights behind the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Volume 3. This collection includes nine new plays by trans playwrights centered on trans characters, with stories exploring coming of age, family, relationships, identity, and navigating today's social and political landscapes.

[45:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So remember, follow us on Instagram at Drama Book Show Podcast. Follow our Eventbrite at Drama Book Shop. And remember, all the books we talk about can be found here at the Book Shop. And so can we. And we will see you at the Book Shop.