Skip to main content
Tree Speech

Tree Speech

By Dori Robinson, Jonathan Zautner, Alight Theater Guild

Alight Theater Guild presents Tree Speech, a blend of narrative storytelling, interviews, and wanderlust at the intersection of the personal, historical and cultural ways that trees impact our lives. Each episode seeks to find new understandings to the tangled relationships we have with the natural world in which we inhabit. We examine folklore, history, holidays, and current events while exploring trees in our conversations around race, religion, and resources with people who all share deep connections to them-from artists and writers to historians and educators, advocates to activists.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

Pagan Re-enchantment with Rhyd Wildermuth

Tree SpeechMay 20, 2022

00:00
34:58
RACIST TREES with filmmakers Sara Newens and Mina T. Son

RACIST TREES with filmmakers Sara Newens and Mina T. Son

Welcome back, Tree Speechers! We’re thrilled to begin Season 5 with a new conversation in a clearing, as we continue to find new understandings to the tangled relationships we have with the natural world in which we inhabit. 


We open this season interviewing filmmakers Mina T. Son and Sara Newens who made the eye-opening and thoughtful documentary, RACIST TREES. This intimate film captures an inside look at the frustrations of residents of the historically Black Lawrence Crossley Tract neighborhood, who are cut off from the glitz and glamour of Palm Springs, CA due to the planting of 60-foot tamarisk trees that overshadow their community and are viewed as a symbol of segregation. 


Racist Trees is streaming for free on Pbs.org and the PBS app through April 20th, 2024, and will be available on PBS Passport after that date. We highly recommend that you check it out and would love to hear from you. Email us at treespeechpodcast@gmail.com with your thoughts.


We are so thankful to our guest Sara Newens and Mina T. Son for joining us today.


Sara Newens is an award-winning filmmaker and editor based in LA who has received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on Pretty Baby: Brook Shields and Allen v. Farrow and served as editor and writer for the documentary, On the Record


Mina T. Son is a Korean-American filmmaker based in LA whose films have screened at film festivals and museums, including the National Gallery of Art, Margaret Mead, Traverse City and Cinequest. With Sara, she has directed Top Spin, streamed on Netflix, and Racist Trees through their company, Wild Pair Films, and is in post-production on a longitudinal documentary about Japan’s 2011 tsunami. 



This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as in         San Francisco on the lands of the Ohlone, Ramaytush, and Muwekma tribes, and Maryland on the Piscataway people. Tree Speech is co-written, edited, and produced by Jonathan Zautner and we thank Alight Theatre Guild for their support. 


To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com and consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude to patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. 

Mar 24, 202436:26
REPLAY-Winter Solstice: Let the Light In

REPLAY-Winter Solstice: Let the Light In

In honor of the recent Winter Solstice and this holiday season, we are re-releasing our episode Let the Light In. Celebrate this moment of transition with a walk in the woods as we share stories of solstice celebration’s from around the world. From old legends to new traditions, join us as we explore how, even during these darker months, we can find ways to let light into our lives.

New episodes forthcoming in 2024!

In this episode, we share several folk tales about the season, rituals old and new, and an interview with Jonathan Mearns of London Christmas Tree Rental, who offers an environmentally sustainable tree option to celebrate the lights of Yule.

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Tree Speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon  - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps.

Dec 24, 202333:50
REPLAY-The Return of Spooky Trees

REPLAY-The Return of Spooky Trees

Happy Halloween! We are busy working on future episodes to be released soon, but couldn't let this magical time of year pass without a frightful celebration! As the full moon rises, we gather around the campfire for a replay of our special Spooky Trees episode! Join us for supernatural, mysterious, and unexpected tree tales from around the world to get you into the Samhain spirit.

Special thanks to actor, educator, actor Peril - I mean, Cheryl Mullings, and dialect coach Charles Linshaw for joining our episode today. Learn more about Cheryl at https://cherylmullings.workbooklive.com/ and Charles at: https://www.charleslinshaw.com.


This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki ConfederacyPennacookMassa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.comWe’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Oct 28, 202327:04
REPLAY-The 9/11 Survivor Tree with Ron Vega

REPLAY-The 9/11 Survivor Tree with Ron Vega

To commemorate the anniversary of Sept. 11, we share this replay of our episode that featured the 9/11 Survivor Tree, a Callery Pear tree found during the excavation of Ground Zero in NYC. Our guest, Ron Vega, shares his insightful and touching story of how he championed and helped nurture the tree from a wounded, burned stump to the powerful sign of hope and survival that it represents today.

Learn more about the podcast at: ⁠⁠www.treespeechpodcast.com⁠⁠, and IG: ⁠⁠treespeechpodcast⁠

Additional resources: 9/11 Memorial Survivor Tree: ⁠https://www.911memorial.org/visit/memorial/survivor-tree⁠

Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum Survivor Tree: ⁠https://memorialmuseum.com/experience/the-survivor-tree/⁠

Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial: ⁠https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com⁠

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens: ⁠http://www.bartlettarboretum.org⁠

Special thanks to Ron Vega for sharing his time and inspiration.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s ⁠Educational Theatre⁠ program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at ⁠https://www.dorirobinson.com⁠

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the ⁠Wabanaki Confederacy⁠, ⁠Pennacook⁠, ⁠Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett)⁠, and ⁠Pawtucket⁠ people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Special thanks to the ⁠Western Avenue Lofts and Studios⁠ for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit ⁠www.alightheater.org⁠.

Sep 11, 202338:39
REPLAY- Tree of Life and Mother's Day

REPLAY- Tree of Life and Mother's Day

We at Tree Speech are incredibly grateful to Stephanie Kaza and our mothers, Miriam Robinson, Anne-Marie Roach and Jackie Vandenberg for joining us today.

Dr. Stephanie Kaza is Professor Emerita of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont and former Director of the UVM Environmental Program. She co-founded the Environmental Council at UVM and served as faculty director for the Sustainability Faculty Fellows program. In 2011 Dr. Kaza received the UVM George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. Kaza received a prestigious Religion and Science course award from the Templeton Foundation for her course on Buddhism and Ecology. She lectures widely on topics of Buddhism and the environment. Kaza is a long-time practitioner of Soto Zen Buddhism, with training at Green Gulch Zen Center, California, and further study with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and John Daido Loori.  She was lay ordained by Kobun Chino Ottogawa in the late 1980s and applied her understanding of Buddhism as a member of the International Christian-Buddhist Theological Encounter group.⁠ ⁠She is the author of the books A WILD LOVE FOR THE WORLD, GREEN BUDDHISM: PRACTICE AND COMPASSIONATE ACTON IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, CONVERSATIONS WITH TREES, MINDFULLY GREEN: A PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GUIDE TO WHOLE EARTH THINKING, and others. 

Also much gratitude and endless love to our mothers, Miriam Robinson, Anne-Marie Roach and Jackie Vandenberg for sharing their tree stories, and for everything. 

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit ⁠treespeechpodcast.com⁠. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. ⁠Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon⁠ - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. See you soon!

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s ⁠Educational Theatre⁠ program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at ⁠https://www.dorirobinson.com⁠

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as the lands of the Confederate Tribes of the Siletz Indians, and the Grand Ronde Cowlitz.

Special thanks to the ⁠Western Avenue Lofts and Studios⁠ for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit ⁠www.alighttheater.org⁠.

May 13, 202338:58
Tu B’Shevat and Season Wrap-Up

Tu B’Shevat and Season Wrap-Up

In the final episode of our fourth season, producer and co-writer Jonathan Zautner interviews podcast host Dori Robinson about the Jewish “New Year of the Trees” - Tu B’Shevat. We continue to commemorate the close of the season by discussing our thoughts on the guests and topics we have covered.

Did you have a favorite episode, a thought about family trees, or a suggestion about what we should discuss next? Please message us on www.treespeechpodcast.com, or leave us a voice memo on Anchor. We look forward to hearing from you!

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Tree Speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. See you soon!

Feb 10, 202335:18
TREES, INC.: Transgender Resource, Education & Enrichment Services with Meghan Buell

TREES, INC.: Transgender Resource, Education & Enrichment Services with Meghan Buell

In this episode, we speak with Meghan Buell, the founder of TREES, Inc., the Transgender Resource, Education, and Enrichment Services organization that she created and leads to provide transgender education to small towns and rural America. TREES, Inc. is driven by the need to stem the rash of transgender discrimination by using education to create a more inclusive environment for trangender identifying individuals to live an enriched, safe, and successful life free of violence and strife.

Meghan Buell (she/her/hers) is a life-long resident of Indiana. She has been a leader in the transgender community locally, regionally and nationally. She has served on nonprofit boards, transgender advisory committees and is a regular collegiate guest lecturer. Meghan began Trees, Inc. as a way to "pay it forward" to the transgender community after living and transitioning in a small town environment and successfully traversing the challenges.

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as in Indiana on the land of the Peoria tribe. Tree Speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan Zautner (he, him) with Alight Theater Guild.

To learn more about Meghan Buell and TREES, Inc., please visit www.webetrees.org

To learn more about the transgender community and how to be a more supportive ally, please visit:

https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

https://www.glaad.org/transgender/transfaq

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

http://www.webetrees.org/resources

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our  Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. 

Jan 20, 202334:38
Open-Air Life with Linda Åkeson McGurk

Open-Air Life with Linda Åkeson McGurk

Happy New Year, Tree Speechers! We celebrate 2023 and our 30th episode by speaking with Swedish-American author Linda Åkeson McGurk, whose book "The Open-Air Life: Discover the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature Every Day” shows us how to embody a Frilufsliv life by getting outside and embracing the outdoors no matter the time of year or temperature. Our conversations explore the many ways being outside strengthens our mental and physical health, builds community, and nurtures a necessary relationship with nature. Even more, it might all be more simple than you think!

This episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as the Sápmi tribe of Sweden. Tree Speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

For more information about Linda Åkeson McGurk, please visit https://lindamcgurk.com/

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps.

Jan 06, 202330:30
Winter Solstice: Let the Light In

Winter Solstice: Let the Light In

In this episode, we celebrate the Winter Solstice through a midwinter walk in the woods while sharing several folk tales about the season, rituals old and new, and an interview with Jonathan Mearns of London Christmas Tree Rental, who offers an environmentally sustainable tree option to celebrate the lights of Yule.

Throughout, we explore how we, during these darker months, can find ways to let light in and become a part of our lives.

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Tree Speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon  - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps.

Dec 21, 202233:50
Family Trees with Neshama Carlebach

Family Trees with Neshama Carlebach

In today’s episode we will examine the origins of the concept of family trees and speak with the award-winning singer, songwriter and educator, Neshama Carlebach, about her artistry, inspirations, and the journey of understanding that she has taken as a direct result of her own family tree as the daughter of the renowned and musical Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

Neshama Carlebach is an award-winning singer, songwriter and educator who has performed and taught in cities around the world. She is a winner and four-time nominee in the Independent Music Awards for her most current release, Believe, and winner of the Global Music Awards Silver Award for Outstanding Performance by a female vocalist for the album. Neshama began performing from a young age, having come from a musical Jewish orthodox family. She shifted from performing her father’s music to writing her own, and now has her own presence in the Jewish and musical world, having sold over one million records, making her one of today’s best-selling Jewish artists in the world. For more information: https://neshamacarlebach.com/

To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

This  week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects exploring social consciousness, personal heritage, and the impact one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner, a NYC-based artist who believes in the power of story-telling and community to change lives. As a founder of Alight Theater Guild, he is committed to nurturing authentic and creative voices in order to utilize art to promote wellness, joy, and care for our earth and one another. More information at https://jonathanzautner.com/

Dec 12, 202238:42
A Conversation in a Clearing the Exhibition

A Conversation in a Clearing the Exhibition

In this episode, we discuss our first-ever immersive installation: A Conversation in a Clearing, which brings the Tree Speech podcast to life, allowing audiences to engage with trees and reflect on their relationship with nature and the environment.

Combining audio narrative storytelling with a physical representation of a peaceful, winter clearing in the woods, the installation allows visitors to actively relax and settle into a peaceful place where their minds and hearts may feel at ease. This enchanted space allows the imagination to be free.

The Western Avenue Studios and Lofts have an event on the first Saturday of every month called “open studios,” when the public can come see all the incredible art happening in Lowell, Massachusetts. You can visit A Conversation in a Clearing during open studios, the exhibit will be running at the Storage Closet Gallery at 160 Western Ave, Floor 2, in Lowell, MA from November 5 through January 7, coinciding with Open Studios on 12/3, 12/10, and 1/7 from 12-5 pm and by appointment by emailing treespeechpodcast@gmail.com. 

We were also joined by artist Antoinette Indge, who curates and manages the gallery. To find out more about her and her work, check out: https://www.smallglories.com and Small Glories on instagram

Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including the audio track from our installation, A Conversation in a Clearing for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

Nov 25, 202226:05
Revisiting the Liberty Tree

Revisiting the Liberty Tree

On this Veteran's Day we revisit Boston’s Liberty Tree, including its origin story and how that story evolved over time depending on who was telling it. We have wonderfully spirited conversations with distinguished actor, singer, dancer, and educator, Mark Linehan and historian Maddie Webster, a Boston University PhD student in the American & New England Studies Program. Then, we seek to uncover what liberty and liberation means in the present day with activist and Applied theatre practitioner Catherine Hanna Schrock, the Co-founder and Director of Imagine Brave Spaces, a San Diego-based theater company who shares a spoken word piece she wrote about her company which also serves as a call to action in making liberation a reality for all.

Mark Linehan is a Boston-based actor with extensive stage and dance experience. A native of Massachusetts, he has performed in theaters across New England as a professional singer, dancer and actor. Mark's specialty is musical theater, and he has also worked in children's theater, drama and film.

Maddie Webster is a PhD candidate in the American & New England Studies Program, where she studies urban history and historic preservation with a focus on Boston. Her dissertation explores Black Bostonians’ historic preservation efforts from the late nineteenth century onward, a story that comes into clearer focus by reframing what activities constitute preservation work. As a public historian, Maddie wants to collaborate with and bolster Boston’s citizen historians. Her partnership with the Initiative on Cities stems from this same impulse to engage with the modern city—and its challenges and opportunities—with the lessons of history close at hand.

Catherine Hanna Schrock is an Applied Theater Practitioner, which unites her roles as an educator, theatre artist, and community organizer. She designs creative programming that equips diverse communities to engage in complex dialogues toward social and community development.

Special thank you to Mark, Maddie and Catherine for their time and inspiration.

For more info:

Boston Historical Tours: https://www.bostonhistoricaltours.org/#/

Imagine Brave Spaces: https://imaginebravespaces.com

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. Please consider supporting the show through our Patreon. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Nov 11, 202258:19
The Return of Spooky Trees

The Return of Spooky Trees

Gather round the campfire for a very special, supernatural episode. We have spooky, mysterious tree tales from around the world to get you into the Halloween spirit! Listen now, if you dare!

Special thanks to actor, educator, actor Peril - I mean, Cheryl Mullings, and dialect coach Charles Linshaw for joining our episode today. Learn more about Cheryl at https://cherylmullings.workbooklive.com/ and Charles at: https://www.charleslinshaw.com.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Special Halloween logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Oct 28, 202227:04
What Lies Beneath with Kesiah Bascom

What Lies Beneath with Kesiah Bascom

While we often speak of trees that tower over our heads, in this episode, we will examine what lies beneath to understand soil and how human interaction can affect the way we live on and with our land. We will also speak with Kesiah Bascom, who founded a mission-driven food scrap collection and composting program in the Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts.

Kesiah was the founder/owner of OffBeet Compost and has spent the past 7 years working in the sustainable agriculture and food justice realm. Raised in a household with a large garden, she has grown up valuing food and its unifying nature. Prior to starting OffBeet Compost, she was the Community Program Manager at Mill City Grows, a food access organization in Lowell, MA and she also worked at The Food Project as Assistant Grower which deeply influenced her path. Kesiah has found HOME in the Merrimack Valley Region, where she has resided for the past 6 years. She is currently in pursuit of a Masters in Public Policy at Tufts University and is a steering committee member for the Institute for Local Self Reliances Community Composting Coalition.

Composting Resources:

Compost Resources

Composting At Home | US EPA

Composting 101 | NRDC

Composting In The City (Best Ideas for Urban Composters!)

Community Composter Coalition

To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

This  week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, and in Virginia on the lands of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway Peoples.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support and we would like to acknowledge the support of King Philanthropies for Drawdown Lift.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner.

Oct 14, 202228:37
Justice is an Ecosystem with Kristen P. Patterson & Christina D. Eskridge

Justice is an Ecosystem with Kristen P. Patterson & Christina D. Eskridge

In this episode, we will examine the intersections of reproductive rights with climate solutions, and will be speaking with Kristen P. Patterson, the inaugural Director of Drawdown Lift, launched in early 2021 as a part of the nonprofit Project Drawdown.

We’ll also be speaking with Christina D. Eskridge, the Founder and Executive Director of Elevate Theatre Company, who worked to combine her expertise in performing arts with her public health background to facilitate and amplify healthcare topics through theater and storytelling.

Both our guests today - Kristen and Christina, are two inspiring leaders, who will tell us how they engage in justice work and lead by example, and we are so grateful that they joined us for this important episode.

To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

This  week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, and in Virginia on the lands of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway Peoples.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support and we would like to acknowledge the support of King Philanthropies for Drawdown Lift.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner.

Sep 30, 202240:52
Embracing Autumn

Embracing Autumn

We are so excited to be entering into our fourth season with an exploration of this magical time of year, the Autumnal Equinox!

Much gratitude to our guest, Heather Porter of Animisma podcast for her moving thoughts and insights regarding this time of year, and the benefits of sacred rot. To find out more about her, please visit her website, thepathofintegrity.com.

Heather is a writer, storyteller, and advisor.  She's been called an empath, a sensitive compass of compassion, and a 'Rosetta Stone' for the soul and was led to her work through a lifetime of translating the intersections of the ecological, spiritual, and scientific for others. Rooted in her Celtic ancestry, those who lived closely to the land, waters, and seasons, she lives as an animist and her work contemplates the myriad aspects of a sovereign life, seeking to reveal the wonders of the natural and the etheric in service of connection, reverence, and deep, honorable communion.

Spirit, grace and a deep, unyielding love of the Earth are at the heart of all she does. She has undertaken depth studies in animistic, shamanic, Celtic, and Eastern spiritual practices and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science with Honors and a Master of Environmental Law.

Her bloodlines are of the Norse-Gaels, the Picts, and the Insular Celts and she was raised in Sydney, Australia on the unceded ancestral lands of the Cammeraygal Clan of the Eora Nation. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, on the traditional lands of the Ute and Arapaho Nations and the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ, the Seven Council Fires.

To learn more about Tree Speech, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. Visit us also on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

This  week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, and Colorado on the traditional lands of the Ute, and Arapaho Nations and the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ, the Seven Council Fires.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild.

Sep 21, 202235:48
Midsummer Night's Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream

Give us your hands, dear friends, as we lead you along the path of our own Midsummer Night’s Dream! We conclude this season with a celebration of Midsummer and the summer solstice. Listen as our host hikes her way through the day, all while sharing stories about summer rituals and traditions from around the world.

We have a newly-launched Patreon! We at Tree Speech strive to bring you insightful stories and information about trees and those who engage with them, including interviews with a wide range of people who care about them. As we keep growing, we would appreciate your support! We now have a Patreon, and every dollar helps us continue to produce this podcast. Every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please like us on social media, and rate and review us on apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. To learn more about the episode see our show notes and visit us at treespeechpodcast.com, and on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes..

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner.

Jun 24, 202225:08
Sacred Earth with John Philip Newell

Sacred Earth with John Philip Newell

We at Tree Speech and Alight Theater Guild are incredibly grateful to John Philip Newell for joining us today.  Newell is a Celtic teacher and author of spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of Earth and every human being.

Canadian by birth, and a citizen also of Scotland, he resides with his family in Edinburgh and works on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2016 he began the School of Earth and Soul (originally called the School of Celtic Consciousness) and teaches regularly in the United States and Canada as well as leading international pilgrimage weeks on Iona in the Western Isles of Scotland.

His PhD is from the University of Edinburgh and he has authored over fifteen books, including A New Ancient Harmony, Sounds of the Eternal, The Rebirthing of God, and his latest award-winning publication Sacred Earth Sacred Soul.

Newell speaks of himself as ‘a wandering teacher’ following the ancient path of many lone teachers before him in the Celtic world, ‘wandering Scots’ seeking the wellbeing of the world. He has been described as having ‘the heart of a Celtic bard and the mind of a Celtic scholar’, combining in his teachings the poetic and the intellectual, the head as well as the heart, and spiritual awareness as well as political and ecological concern. His writings have been translated into seven languages. In 2020 he relinquished his ordination as a minister of the Church of Scotland as no longer reflecting the heart of his belief in the sacredness of the earth and every human being. He continues, however, to see himself as ‘a grateful son of the Christian household’ seeking to be in relationship with the wisdom of humanity’s other great spiritual traditions.

In 2011 John Philip was awarded the first-ever Contemplative Voices Award from the Shalem Institute in Washington DC for his prophetic work in the field of spirituality and compassion. In 2022 he received the Sacred Universe Award from the Well Center for Spirituality in Chicago, IL in recognition of his significant work in furthering humanity's relationship with the sacredness of Earth.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please like us on social media, and rate and review us on apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. To learn more about the episode see our show notes and visit us at treespeechpodcast.com, and on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

We have a newly-launched Patreon! We at Tree Speech strive to bring you insightful stories and information about trees and those who engage with them, including interviews with a wide range of people who care about them. As we keep growing, we would appreciate your support! We now have a Patreon, and every dollar helps us continue to produce this podcast. Every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes as well as the lands of Edinburgh.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner.

Jun 11, 202238:54
Pagan Re-enchantment with Rhyd Wildermuth

Pagan Re-enchantment with Rhyd Wildermuth

We have a newly-launched Patreon! We at Tree Speech strive to bring you insightful stories and information about trees and those who engage with them. As we keep growing, we would appreciate your support! We now have a Patreon, and every dollar helps us continue to produce this podcast. Every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels.

We at Tree Speech and Alight Theater Guild are incredibly grateful to Rhyd Wildermuth for joining us today. Rhyd is a druid, theorist and writer originally from Appalachia and now living in the Ardennes. He is the director of publishing for Ritona / Gods&Radicals Press and the author of six books, most recently Being Pagan: A Guide to Re-enchanting Your Life. He writes at From The Forests of Arduinna.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please like us on social media, and rate and review us on apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. To learn more about the episode see our show notes and visit us at treespeechpodcast.com, and on instagram @treespeechpodcast.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes as well as the lands of the Arduinna Forest.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

May 20, 202234:58
Tree of Life with Dr. Stephanie Kaza

Tree of Life with Dr. Stephanie Kaza

We at Tree Speech and Alight Theater Guild are incredibly grateful to Stephanie Kaza for joining us today.

Dr. Stephanie Kaza is Professor Emerita of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont and former Director of the UVM Environmental Program. She co-founded the Environmental Council at UVM and served as faculty director for the Sustainability Faculty Fellows program. In 2011 Dr. Kaza received the UVM George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. Kaza received a prestigious Religion and Science course award from the Templeton Foundation for her course on Buddhism and Ecology. She lectures widely on topics of Buddhism and the environment.

Kaza is a long-time practitioner of Soto Zen Buddhism, with training at Green Gulch Zen Center, California, and further study with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and John Daido Loori.  She was lay ordained by Kobun Chino Ottogawa in the late 1980s and applied her understanding of Buddhism as a member of the International Christian-Buddhist Theological Encounter group.
 She is the author of the books A WILD LOVE FOR THE WORLD, GREEN BUDDHISM: PRACTICE AND COMPASSIONATE ACTON IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, CONVERSATIONS WITH TREES, MINDFULLY GREEN: A PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GUIDE TO WHOLE EARTH THINKING, and others. 

Also much gratitude and endless love to our mothers, Miriam Robinson, Anne-Marie Roach and Jackie Vandenberg for sharing their sapling stories, and for everything. 

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please like us on social media, and rate and review us on apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. To learn more about the episode see our show notes and visit us at treespeechpodcast.com, and on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as the lands of the Confederate Tribes of the Siletz Indians, and the Grand Ronde Cowlitz.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

May 06, 202238:14
Considering John Muir Part 2 with Aaron Mair

Considering John Muir Part 2 with Aaron Mair

We at Tree Speech and Alight Theater Guild are incredibly grateful to Aaron Mair for joining us today. 

Aaron Mair is an environmental justice pioneer who has worked over the last 40 years in the spaces of health, environment, climate change disparities, and wilderness protection. He is an urban environmental activist and a regional and national environmental justice organizer and strategist who has advised two presidents and Congress, served on the national board of directors of the Sierra Club as its 57th president, and as the New York State Atlantic Chapter Chair.

Link to the article that Aaron co-wrote for Earth Island Journal:  "Who Was John Muir, Really?" 

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please like us on social media, and rate and review us on apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. To learn more about the episode see our show notes and visit us at treespeechpodcast.com, and on instagram @ treespeechpodcast.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as the lands of the Iroquoian Mohawks and Algonquin Mahicans. 

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Apr 15, 202235:40
Considering John Muir with Lee Stetson

Considering John Muir with Lee Stetson

We at Tree Speech and Alight Theater Guild are incredibly grateful to Lee Stetson for joining us today. To learn more information about Lee’s performances or to have him perform for your company or event, find him at www.johnmuirlive.com.

Lee's performances have brought the inspiration, humor, and conservation message of John Muir to many thousands of people. Since 1983, Lee has presented dramatic live enactments of John Muir in Yosemite National Park. He is often asked to provide Muir "voice overs" for films on Yosemite, national parks, or John Muir, including in Ken Burns' acclaimed PBS series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." 

Lee Stetson is also the compiler and editor of a book, The Wild Muir: Twenty-two of John Muir's greatest adventures. For this book, Lee carefully chose death-defying episodes from every stage of Muir's life, prepared short introductions to place each in context, then arranged them chronologically so that the reader can vicariously enjoy Muir's life of adventure. 


This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes and California on the land of the Numu and Me-Wuk.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Apr 01, 202230:18
A Vernal Equinox Return to the Woods

A Vernal Equinox Return to the Woods

To mark the beginning of our third season, we start right where we left off, with a vernal equinox walk in the woods. As we make our way on the trail, we’ll discuss the meanings and histories of this threshold into spring, and feature a variety of ways that the equinox is celebrated around the world. 

Special thanks to David Brandon Ross for composing and performing the meditation featured at the end of the episode. 

David Brandon Ross (he/him) holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music Boston, MA as well as a degree in mechanical design from SUNY Corning, NY.  He studied theater with Charles Combs at Berklee and also trained at Dell'arte school of physical theater in Blue Lake California. Dave has been composing, performing and recording in the NYC avant garde music scene since 2002 releasing numerous albums as a leader and side man. He is the recipient of a Boston Music award and has played at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center for the arts in Washington, DC and Vision Festival, NYC with artist Henry Grimes, William Hooker, JD Parran, Jason Hwang and many others. Dave is the author of a US patent and has designed and built many unique instruments including the patent pending Outar. He is a passionate music tinkerer. He instantly fell in love with the ability to combine sociological change with improvisational theater, acting and music through the live foley and on the spot scoring that is required in Playback theater. Dave is also owner and CEO of Gleefulwellness LLC which brings uplifting services to the community through art and wellness. Dave is honored to be a proud member of Big Apple Playback Theatre since 2019. You can find him on Spotify.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson (she/hers), is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people. Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support. 

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Mar 18, 202224:27
A Winter Solstice Walk in the Woods

A Winter Solstice Walk in the Woods

Happy Winter Solstice to all in the northern hemisphere!

For this episode, we’ll be exploring all the many ways that trees and nature play a role in winter holidays - specifically, the solstice. This is the last episode of this season. We wish everyone a Merry Yuletide and holiday season filled with light, and look forward to connecting in the new year!

Wassail Recipe:

This traditional warming drink is perfect for sipping during a solstice celebration (and it makes the house smell incredible). Simply combine 2 quarts apple cider, 1 1/2 cups orange juice, 3/4 cup pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 cinnamon sticks, a dash of ground cinnamon, and a dash of ground cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Discard the cinnamon sticks, pour into mugs, and serve. And for the grown-ups, a splash of rum or cinnamon whisky doesn’t hurt.

*source: mothermag.com

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support and Claire Braby for the Wassail Song

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com.

Dec 21, 202126:54
Sapling Stories

Sapling Stories

In our next episode we feature a collection of Sapling Stories, short tree-related tales that are sent in or collected from our listeners.

Special thank you to Diana Zipeto @dzipeto, Slava Tchoul, Virginia Montalvo, Mountaine Jonas, Lisa Schmidt, Sophy Tuttle @sophytuttle, Tess George, Michelle Dyment @tribeofgoats and Jess @Je_ss_dy, Rick Hall @rickhallcreative, Karl Frey, @westernavearts, and Courtney Bottomley @canarycourt.

For more information:

THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE – A LIVING MEMORIAL TO THE HOLOCAUST AND BPCA DEDICATE “THE CHILDREN’S TREE,” A MAPLE DESCENDED FROM A TREE PLANTED BY CHILDREN AT THERESIENSTADT CONCENTRATION CAMP

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Dec 13, 202124:58
The Liberty Tree with Mark Linehan, Maddie Webster, and Catherine Hanna Schrock

The Liberty Tree with Mark Linehan, Maddie Webster, and Catherine Hanna Schrock

In our next episode we examine the history of Boston’s Liberty Tree, including its origin story and how that story evolved over time depending on who was telling it. We have wonderfully spirited conversations with distinguished actor, singer, dancer, and educator, Mark Linehan and historian Maddie Webster, a Boston University PhD student in the American & New England Studies Program. Then, we seek to uncover what liberty and liberation means in the present day with activist and Applied theatre practitioner Catherine Hanna Schrock, the Co-founder and Director of Imagine Brave Spaces, a San Diego-based theater company who shares a spoken word piece she wrote about her company which also serves as a call to action in making liberation a reality for all. 

Mark Linehan is a Boston-based actor with extensive stage and dance experience. A native of Massachusetts, he has performed in theaters across New England as a professional singer, dancer and actor. Mark's specialty is musical theater, and he has also worked in children's theater, drama and film.

Maddie Webster is a PhD candidate in the American & New England Studies Program, where she studies urban history and historic preservation with a focus on Boston. Her dissertation explores Black Bostonians’ historic preservation efforts from the late nineteenth century onward, a story that comes into clearer focus by reframing what activities constitute preservation work. As a public historian, Maddie wants to collaborate with and bolster Boston’s citizen historians. Her partnership with the Initiative on Cities stems from this same impulse to engage with the modern city—and its challenges and opportunities—with the lessons of history close at hand.

Catherine Hanna Schrock is an Applied Theater Practitioner, which unites her roles as an educator, theatre artist, and community organizer. She designs creative programming that equips diverse communities to engage in complex dialogues toward social and community development. 

Special thank you to Mark, Maddie and Catherine for their time and inspiration. 

For more info:

Boston Historical Tours: https://www.bostonhistoricaltours.org/#/

Imagine Brave Spaces: https://imaginebravespaces.com

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people. 

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support. 

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org. 

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast


Nov 27, 202152:49
Speak For The Trees with David Meshoulam

Speak For The Trees with David Meshoulam

Our next episode features a conversation with David Meshoulam, PhD, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Boston nonprofit, SPEAK FOR THE TREES, an organization whose mission is to improve the size and health of the urban tree canopy in Boston, with a focus on under-resourced and under-canopied neighborhoods.

David (pronounced Dah-veed) co-founded Speak for the Trees in 2018. Trained as a science educator, his work has focused on ways to increase understanding of the connections between science, culture, and history and to empower people to be change agents. He holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program, and is co-chair of the Urban Ecology Collaborative. When he's not tending to trees, his 2 children, or his 1 mini Australian Shepherd, you can reach him at david@treeboston.org.

Special thank you to David for his time and inspiration.

For more info:

SPEAK FOR THE TREES website: https://treeboston.org

SPEAK FOR THE TREES instagram: trees_boston

Boston Tree Equity Maps: https://treeboston.org/tree-equity/

American Forests Tree Equity Score tracker: https://www.treeequityscore.org

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people.

Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Nov 12, 202137:04
Spooky Trees

Spooky Trees

Gather round the campfire for a very special, supernatural episode. We have spooky, mysterious tree tales from around the world to get you into the Halloween spirit! Listen now, if you dare!

Special thanks to actor, educator, and dialect coach Charles Linshaw for joining our episode today. Learn more about Charles at: https://www.charleslinshaw.com.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Special Halloween logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Oct 29, 202122:57
Witches & Witchcraft with Serefina Mesa and Joshua Gray

Witches & Witchcraft with Serefina Mesa and Joshua Gray

This third episode of our second season features our look into Witches & Witchcraft. Our guests include Serefina Mesa, owner of Rue and Vervain, an etsy shop that sells "hand-made spell crafting supplies for the persnickety witch." Serefina is a self-described Bodhisattva, Green Witch, and empath who believes that there's primordial energy and magic in nature, and through her gifts that power can be harnessed and shared. We also spoke with Joshua Gray, a self-described practitioner of the wild earth who walks in the space where the trees meet the open fields.

Special thanks to Serefina and Joshua for their time and inspiration. Find them at:

Serefina’s shop, Rue and Vervain: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RueAndVervain

Rue and Vervain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rueandvervain/

Joshua Gray’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/side.street.witch/

Additional Resources:

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145562.Cunningham_s_Encyclopedia_of_Magical_Herbs

Books on Green Witchcraft: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=green+witch&qid=cDN4FNQikG

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes and in Maryland on the lands of the Piscataway peoples. Special Halloween logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Oct 22, 202143:23
The 9/11 Survivor Tree, Part 2 with Cheryl Somers Aubin & George Middleton

The 9/11 Survivor Tree, Part 2 with Cheryl Somers Aubin & George Middleton

This second episode of our second season features the second part of our focus on the 9/11 Survivor Tree, a Callery Pear tree found during the excavation of Ground Zero in New York City. Our guests include Cheryl Somers Aubin, a writer, instructor and speaker who was inspired to write the book, The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a True Story in 2011. Also, we hear from George Middleton, a visual artist and retired Call Firefighter and EMT.

Additional resources and for more information:

Cheryl Somers Aubin: https://cherylaubin.com

The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a True Story: https://thesurvivortree.com All profits from the sale of this book benefit charity.

George Middleton: https://www.georgemiddleton.com

Special thanks to Cheryl Somers Aubin and George Middleton for sharing their time and inspiration.

To share a sapling story: https://anchor.fm/treespeech/message

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes and in Washington DC on the land of the Anacostan and Piscataway Peoples. Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alightheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Oct 08, 202126:34
The 9/11 Survivor Tree, Part 1 with Ronaldo Vega

The 9/11 Survivor Tree, Part 1 with Ronaldo Vega

This first episode of our second season features the 9/11 Survivor Tree, a Callery Pear tree found during the excavation of Ground Zero in New York City. Our guest, Ronaldo Vega, shares his insightful and touching story of how he championed and helped nurture the tree from a wounded, burned stump to the powerful sign of hope and survival that it represents today.

Additional resources: 9/11 Memorial Survivor Tree: https://www.911memorial.org/visit/memorial/survivor-tree

Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum Survivor Tree: https://memorialmuseum.com/experience/the-survivor-tree/

Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial: https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens: http://www.bartlettarboretum.org

Special thanks to Ron Vega for sharing his time and inspiration.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes. Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.

Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alightheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Sep 24, 202137:09
White Pine with Dori Robinson

White Pine with Dori Robinson

We are grateful to have spoken with Rabbi Harold Robinson during today’s episode, as well as to hear the sapling stories of Seiki Imagica, Janelle Mills, and Johnny Nichols, Jr.
Feel free to leave a voice message with your own Sapling Stories at:
anchor.fm/treespeech or contact us at www.treespeechpodcast.com.
Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at www.dorirobinson.com
This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, as well as the Wapanoag and Nauset tribes. Logo design by Mill Riot. Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.
Tree Speech is produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. For more information about our work and programs, please visit www.alightheater.org.
Please join TREE SPEECH this summer, as we continue to hear more about various trees from various voices. Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast
May 14, 202119:41
Cherry Blossom with Michelle Browder

Cherry Blossom with Michelle Browder

We are grateful to have spoken with Michelle Browder during today’s episode. 

Michelle is a nationally recognized artist and activist. Her work has been exhibited in four galleries, including the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. She uses her artistic talents to create restorative justice programs in juvenile detention centers, failing schools systems and after school programs for under-served youth. Michelle has mentored thousands of disadvantaged kids and created safe places for children suffering from all forms of trauma, abuse and neglect. She uses art, history and "real talk" conversation and community events to change negative narratives created by social conditioning. She is the owner and operator of More Than Tours, a tour company which provides educational tours about racial bias and history to students and tourists in Montgomery, Alabama. I Am More Than....Put Yourself in Their Shoes, is a domestic nonprofit corporation founded and directed by Michelle. The More Up Student Travel Center will house and educate youth travelers and activists visiting the Montgomery center through an established curriculum of art, historical exploration, and critical thinking. Browder’s mural for Black Lives Matter was painted near the site of Montgomery’s former slave market and was featured on The TODAY show. She was the designer, artist and curator of the mural which is located at the historical Montgomery Slave Auction. The More Up Campus aims to educate the public on reductive rights, health and justice for Black women in America.

For information regarding the More Up Campus and Mothers Of Gynecology Monument: https://www.anarchalucybetsey.org

For information on Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative: https://eji.org

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org

Logo design by Mill Riot. 

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

May 08, 202126:52
Banyan with Guleraana Mir

Banyan with Guleraana Mir

We are grateful to have spoken with Guleraana Mir during today’s episode. 

Guleraana is a British award-winning writer, applied-theatre practitioner, and one half of The Thelmas, a female-led theatre company devoted to empowering women to redress the equality imbalance in the arts. She is passionate about telling authentic stories that celebrate, not stereotype. Guleraana regularly facilitates playwriting masterclasses in schools, community groups, and for emerging writers. She is leader of the National Theatre’s Writing for Theatre programme for 16-21 year olds, and VAULT Festival’s New Writers Programme. She mentors on the MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Writing credits include: ALL THE SMALL THINGS (short, BBC Children’s) 2020, MISFITS (co-writer) Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch 2020, Recipient of an OnComm Commendation, SANTI & NAZ (co-writer), VAULT Festival 2020, Winner of an Origins Award for Outstanding New Work & Finalist for Best Stage Production at Asian Media Awards, THE BIGGER PICTURE (audio), commissioned by Tamasha and SOAS, WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED, Royal Exchange Theatre Young Company 2019, MAKE NOISE (audio) as part of Forgotten Women 2018, MANO’S Mulberry School & RichMix 2018, and COCONUT, Ovalhouse and national tour 2018, nominated for two OFFIE Awards including most promising new playwright.

Information about Guleraana’s Theatre Company, The Thelmas can be found at: https://www.thethelmas.co.uk


Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

 

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org

Logo design by Mill Riot. 

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast


Apr 30, 202130:52
Oak with Navee Cohen

Oak with Navee Cohen

We are grateful to have spoken with Navee Cohen during today’s episode.

Here is a link to RIKMAH ENOSHIT ACHAT (A SINGLE HUMAN TISSUE): https://jewishmom.com/2016/05/10/the-song-i-will-be-singing-this-israeli-memorial-day/

Navee Cohen was born and raised on Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan in northern Israel. His early adulthood was spent as an elite Triathlete representing Israel in championship races around the world, including Croatia, Singapore, Turkey, France, and the United States. He retired from his athletic career and studied acting at the prestigious Beit Tzvi, The School of the Performing Arts. He has acted on stage and in several commercials in Israel, including for Soda Stream and Toys”R”Us. Throughout all of this, he has been a budding educator, leading Israel trips for college students. Leading him to be the Israel Fellow at UCLA Hillel, where he is able to fulfill his goal of bringing  people closer together in celebration of their Jewish heritage.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in California on the native lands of the Tongva people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

Logo design by Mill Riot.

Apr 23, 202131:04
Cedar with Nancy Smithner

Cedar with Nancy Smithner

We are grateful to have spoken with Nancy Smithner during today’s episode.

Nancy Smithner, PhD, is a director, performer, devisor and Clinical Associate Professor in the Program in Educational Theatre at New York University, where she teaches Physical Theatre, Acting, Directing, Devising, Theatre History, Play Theory, Pedagogy and Community Engaged Theatre. A theatre director, she specializes in the devising of original performance works and plays, and has worked with populations of all ages, engaging participants in philosophical and creative play. As an applied theatre practitioner, Smithner teaches and directs in medium and maximum security prisons and was a 20 year member of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, performing for children in pediatric settings.

Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com

This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and in New York on the native lands of the Lenape and Wappinger people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org.

Logo design by Mill Riot.

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast

The episode is dedicated in memory of Henry Francis Morlock.

Apr 16, 202128:60
Black Walnut with Karen Hampton

Black Walnut with Karen Hampton

Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast We are grateful to have spoken with Karen Hampton during our premiere episode. Hampton is an internationally recognized conceptual fiber artist, addressing issues of colorism and kinship. Hampton’s art practice is the synthesis of memory, history, time and cloth. A student of cultural relationships, seeks to break through stereotypes and address issues related to being a Black woman. Using her training in the fiber arts and anthropology, she brings together the roles of the weaver, the dyer, the painter, the embroiderer, and the storyteller. Karen Hampton’s artwork is held in the collections of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, and the Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawaii and she received the coveted Eureka Prize from the Fleishhacker Foundation in 2008. Hampton is an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA. You can learn more about her at https://www.kdhampton.com/ Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Directing credits include: Silent Sky (Elliot Norton Winner for Best Production – Fringe, Flat Earth Theatre), A Bright Room Called Day, Julius Caesar (co-director), The Merchant of Venice, Die Kleinen (Parts 1 & 2), The Lion in Winter, Extremities, Flight, Pippin, James and the Giant Peach, and Peter and the Starcatcher. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com The Black Walnut Tree, by Mary Oliver My mother and I debate: we could sell the black walnut tree to the lumberman, and pay off the mortgage. Likely some storm anyway will churn down its dark boughs, smashing the house. We talk slowly, two women trying in a difficult time to be wise. Roots in the cellar drains, I say, and she replies that the leaves are getting heavier every year, and the fruit harder to gather away. But something brighter than money moves in our blood–an edge sharp and quick as a trowel that wants us to dig and sow. So we talk, but we don't do anything. That night I dream of my fathers out of Bohemia filling the blue fields of fresh and generous Ohio with leaves and vines and orchards. What my mother and I both know is that we'd crawl with shame in the emptiness we'd made in our own and our fathers' backyard. So the black walnut tree swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit, and, month after month, the whip- crack of the mortgage. This week’s episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org. Logo design by Mill Riot.
Apr 08, 202132:08
Tree Speech with Dori Robinson trailer

Tree Speech with Dori Robinson trailer

Alight Theater Guild presents Tree Speech with Dori Robinson, a new podcast that gets curious about trees while building connections, raising awareness, and promoting understanding through hearing the unique stories and ideas of people whose lives have been impacted by them. Join us as we get to know one another and our world, one tree at a time.
Mar 27, 202100:56