Around the Sun: Artists Within is a series epilogue featuring the voice acting talents of three celebrated writer-performers and theater makers. They are: Gretchen Cryer, whose work with Nancy Ford garnered a Drama Desk Award for The Last Sweet Days of Isaac and a Grammy nomination for I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road; Joe Gilford, whose Drama Desk-nominated play, Finks, is both a cautionary tale of political repression and an homage to his transcendent parents, Jack Gilford and Madeline Lee Gilford; and Sarah Saltzberg, a Drama Desk winner for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, most recently on the boards for her contributions to Gettin’ the Band Back Together.
Stream via the Broadway Podcast Network (https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/around-the-sun), “wherever you get your podcasts,” and via the show’s website (www.AroundTheSunPodcast.com).
Known for its season-specific locations, Around the Sun: Artists Within is set amidst the cosmos, with each luminary voicing a celestial body yearning to connect. Gretchen Cryer, for example, voices the constellation Andromeda and a star in Orion’s Belt. “Brad is a really good writer and he always has a quirky take on things, but it’s a quirky take that reflects the world as he sees it, and a take that then is trying to move things in another direction,” observed Cryer. “I wanted to support it, because I love it.”
Joe Gilford, who voices Andromeda’s “eternal flame,” Perseus, echoed Cryer’s sentiment: “Brad Forenza is a talented writer-producer-director, who—through his writing—has managed to recruit some of the best actors in show business to perform his material.” Gilford noted that his time with production was “highly entertaining” and “so enjoyable” to be a part of. “Around the Sun is one of the most enjoyable secrets in the podcast world that everyone should listen to, because it’s filled with charm,” Gilford concluded.
Finally, Sarah Saltzberg recounted her “fantastic time” voicing Zeus, God of Thunder and Sky. “It’s such a pleasure to be given a script—certainly one that’s well written, like this is—where you can see the beginning, middle, and end; you can see character growth and still be able to play with the characters and have fun with them,” Saltzberg mused.
“I’m grateful that Gretchen Cryer, Joe Gilford, and Sarah Saltzberg are joining us for a final trip Around the Sun. Their bodies of work have taken on lives of their own long after they, themselves, have stepped away from a project’s helm,” said Forenza. “As Artists Within is an epilogue, I hope the same can be true for Around the Sun, but—wherever it goes—I am eternally grateful to every single soul who breathes life into this project’s past, present, and future. As it is, the project has exceeded my wildest dreams.”
Cryer, Gilford, and Saltzberg join a voice acting ensemble that includes: Adassa (Encanto), Caroline Aaron (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), David Alan Basche (The Exes), Joanna Bonaro (Good 'n Screwed), Dolores Catania (RHONJ), Mindy Cohn (Facts of Life), François Clemmons (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood), Lilli Cooper (Spring Awakening), Veanne Cox (Cinderella), Robert Funaro (The Irishman), Judy Gold (Kill Me Now), Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Rent), Terry Hu (Zombies 3) Richard Kind (Inside Out), Richard Kline (Three's Company), Jennie Kwan (California Dreams), David LaRosa (The Tale of Nicky Newark), Piper Laurie (Carrie), Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl), Cady McClain (All My Children), Christine Nagy (106.7 Lite FM), Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde), Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos), Austin Pendleton (My Cousin Vinny), Taylor Purdee (Killian and the Comeback Kids), Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Sally Struthers (All in the Family), Maureen Van Zandt (The Sopranos), Bruce Vilanch (Hollywood Squares), BD Wong (Jurassic Park), Ryan Wotherspoon (Fogg), and Brad Forenza (series creator: Around the Sun).
Around the Sun: Artists Within is a Best Version of Yourself Production, presented via the Broadway Podcast Network, with special thanks to Suzanne Ordas Curry. Around the Sun: Artists Within features theme music and sound sweetening by Shane Curry (Shane Curry Productions) and incidental music by Andrew Simpson.
Complete seasons of Around the Sun are available for streaming via the Broadway Podcast Network (https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/around-the-sun), “wherever you get your podcasts,” and via the show’s website (www.AroundTheSunPodcast.com).