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A man mysteriously transports himself into the body of a prison inmate. Performed by Khalil Kain and Craig muMs Grant, with Keith Randolph Smith, Shamika Cotton, Chris McKinney, Louis Kornfeld, and Jaymes Jorsling. Written by Jaymes Jorsling, produced…

An elf named Spark has just been promoted to the “Naughty or Nice” division of Santa’s workshop. But when he finds out how Santa determines if you’ve been bad or good, he makes it his mission to change the system. Written by Jonathan Mitchell and Seth…

A (fictional) Director’s Commentary from the (fictional) short film that inspired the (fictional) big budget feature romantic comedy “Then I Saw Her Face”. Performed by Birgit Huppuch, with Maurice Jones and Libby Woodbridge. Written by Chris Kipiniak…

A mixtape made especially for you, with five short comedy sketches produced by The Truth. Featuring performances by Scott Adsit, Tami Sagher, Ed Herbstman, Laura Grey, April Matthis, Peter McNerney, Lane Kewerdis, Al King, Becca Schall, Willie…

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.

A new short film has been made based on our story “That’s Democracy”, and to celebrate we produced this documentary about how the original story was made. Including interviews with Louis Kornfeld, Peter McNerney, and filmmakers Jon Bowden & Cliff…

A mysterious man appears in the barn of an elderly Irish couple. This story was commissioned by RTE’s Drama on One, and recorded in Kilfinane, County Limerick, Ireland. Performed by Sarah Reynolds, Joe Mullins, Maeve McGrath, Diarmuid McIntyre, and…

Three men are stranded in a lifeboat. Adapted from a short story by Diane Cook, our adaptation is by Diana McCorry. Performed by David Pasquesi, Ed Herbstman, and Mark Gessner. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell. “Man V. Nature” is from the collection of…

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,…

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. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell. Also on this episode,…

Where’s your costume? Dressing up is the best part of these things! Performed by Matt Antonucci and Angela DeManti, with Kerry Kastin, Alejandro Kolleeny, and Louis Kornfeld. Written by Louis Kornfeld and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Greetings, souls of the damned! This story is about a young woman who always looked up to her older sister, until they found themselves in Hell. Performed by Bianca Casusol, Kate Emswiler, Louis Kornfeld, Jake Hart, Blanche Ames, Jimmy…

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…

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…

It’s the Age of Leisure, and keeping it that way is a full time job. Performed by Peter McNerney, Dave Hill, Louis Kornfeld, India Kotis, Rebecca Robles, Alex Marino, Phoebe Tyers, T.J. Mannix, and Rupert Degas. Written and produced by Jonathan…

The recording doesn’t lie. Performed by Ed Herbstman and Tami Sagher, with Libby George and Christian Paluck. It was produced by Jonathan Mitchell, and written by Jonathan Mitchell, Ed Herbstman, and Melanie Hoopes. This story originally aired on This…

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 C. Jones, and Blanche Ames. Written by Diana McCorry, Produced by  Jonathan Mitchell….

Hoping the dream date never ends… until it doesn’t. Performed by Adam Wade, Chrissie Gruebel, and Dan Fairall. Written by Alejandro Kolleeny, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. http://www.thetruthpodcast.com

A hoarder’s daughter digs through the past. Performed by Amy Warren, Armando Diaz, Jackie Hoffman, Louis Kornfeld, and Noel Dinneen. Written by Louis Kornfeld, produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

An accidental love story. Performed by Chet Siegel and Peter McNerney, with Willy Appelman, Louis Kornfeld, Lauren Ashley Smith, Sebastian Conelli, Quinton Loder, Jon Bander, and Kim Ferguson. Written by Chet Siegel, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Who knows… maybe it’s true. Written by Diane McCorry. Performed by Phoebe Tyers and Dennis Pacheco, with Nick Mykins, T.J. Mannix, and Chris Dwane. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Edgar Allen Poe’s death has always been shrouded in mystery. In this episode, we imagine what may have happened. It was inspired by listener Matthew Mercier, who spent time as the caretaker of Poe’s last home. Performed by Christian Paluck, Ed…

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.

A psychic love story. Performed by Alex Marino, Christina Dabney, Blanche Ames, and T.J. Mannix. Written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

A teacher gives his students lesson about democracy that they’ll never forget. Performed by Peter McNerney, Russ Armstrong, Alexis Lambright, Fiona Bradford, Teddy Shivers, Oscar Montoya, and Ben Jones. Written by Louis Kornfeld, produced by Jonathan…

A game of Dungeons and Dragons is thrown into chaos. Peformed by Elana Fishbein, Jon Bander, Justin Moran, and Matt Shafeek. Written by Alejandro Kolleeny, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

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

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.

The sounds we make don’t just fade away; they’re embedded in the wood around us. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Kevin Cragg, Annemarie Cullen, Dennis Pacheco, and Rebecca Robles, with Melanie Hoopes, Bea Herbstman, Alex Marino, and Kerry Kastin. Music…

If you’ve ever been alone on Valentine’s Day, this story is for you. It’s performed by Eliza Skinner, Birch Harms, and Curtis Gwinn, who improvised all of the dialogue. It was originally produced in 2009 for Weekend Amercia, Hillary Frank was the…

Live the death you’ve always wanted. Performed by Andy Moskowitz, Jackie Hoffman, Ben Jones, Damon Ketron, Phoebe Tyres, Shacottha Fields, Blanche Ames, and Rebecca Robles. Written by David Wilcox. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

Adam and Allie would do anything to have a baby. Performed by Tami Sagher, Ed Herbstman, Louis Kornfeld, and Kerry Kastin. Written by Ira Gamerman. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell. 

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…

A father comes to the rescue when three teenagers take things too far. Performed by Christian Paluck, Dmitry Shein, Willy Appelman, and Elana Fishbein. Written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Two shock jocks make a big morning mess. Performed by Jon Bander, Alessandro King, Bianca Casusol, Brian Frange, and Elana Fishbein. Written by Ira Gamerman. Produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

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. 

A couple goes in search of childhood memories. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Lauren Ashely Smith, and Louis Kornfeld. Story by Jonathan Mitchell with dialogue improvised by the actors. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

This is a re-edited version of a previoulsy released story. A taxi driver is working on his anniversary, and gets more than he expected when he picks up a couple in Lower Manhattan. Featuring: Christian Paluck as The Driver, Chet Siegel as Mary, Louis…

Two urban explorers enter an abandoned subway. What happens next is our secret. This is the complete version of a story that was previously only available in two parts.

What happens when a corporation becomes a person? In this satire by Tony Award-winning playwright Greg Kotis, we follow a company called Geneva Mutual that becomes a sentient being. Performed by Louis Kornfeld, Rachel Hamilton, Tom Ligon, Chet Siegel,…

A canvasser gets the donation she needs, but it will cost her… Performed by Chet Siegel and Tom Ligon, with Matt J. Weir, Quentin Loder, and Melanie Hoopes. From an outline by Chet Siegel. Produced & Directed by Jonathan Mitchell, with sound…

Produced at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Beyond Radio conference, featuring performances by Amie McKenna, Michele Durman, Michael Whalley, and Martin Dingle Wall. Produced by Ed Herbstman and Jonathan Mitchell.

Mike Coleman is an independent candidate running for Congress, and he’s finally getting some attention… from a serial killer. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Chet Siegel, Rick Adrews, Nick Kanellis, Louis Kornfeld, Amy Warren,…

This is a short story written and produced by Hillary Frank, made by combining fictional narration with real interview tape. It was edited by Julie Snyder, and orginally aired on This American Life.

Written by Kurt Andersen, this story was originally heard on PRI’s Studio 360. Narrated by Ed Herbstman, with John Ottavino as Nicholas, and Melanie Hoopes as Nancy. The story editor was David Krasnow. Produced and directed by Jonathan…

Two different approaches to making stories that combine improvisation with the recording studio. Total Transparency is a brand new piece, it was completely improvised and recorded in one take, and then edited. It was made up on the spot by Chet…

Terry Bisson’s classic short story “They’re Made Out of Meat” originally appeared in Omni Magazine in 1991, and our audio version was produced for WNYC’s Studio 360 in November 2011. We’ve re-mixed the story especially for this podcast, and it’s…

As we finish up some new stories for the podcast, here’s a selection of three short pieces from the archives. These pieces are a little different than the stories we normally present on The Truth. They were all made by taking different characters from…