Enjoy PLEASURE MACHINE for free this March!
In celebration of PLEASURE MACHINE’s placement in Segal Center’s 7th Annual Film Festival in Theatre and Performance, all nine episodes of this lush audio thriller will be available for free.
Click here to listen to Colt Coeur’s first ever podcast!
Colt Coeur is proud to present PLEASURE MACHINE, a nine-episode audio thriller that collides Sophie Treadwell’s expressionist drama Machinal with adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism. PLEASURE MACHINEtells the story of one artist’s attempt to cultivate authentic experiences of pleasure inside the pressures of ‘white and woke’ capitalism.
About PLEASURE MACHINE: When H (Starr Busby), a budding sound artist (think ASMR meets guided meditation), receives the offer of a lifetime from tech giant Librate, they are forced to choose between their artistic integrity, the allure of freedom, and the stability of their family. From Bed Stuy to Mexico City, over cocktails and Twitter, H battles financial and ethical pressures until they lose themself and their loved ones in one fell swoop. A sonic journey through lust, loss, and forgiveness, PLEASURE MACHINE explores the consequences of caring deeply in a system that wants to turn care into a consumable.
Read more about PLEASURE MACHINE in this CultureBot feature story!
CREATIVE TEAM
Written & Conceived by Diane Exavier, Phaedra Michelle Scott and May Treuhaft-Ali
Directed & Conceived by Tara Elliott
Creative Produced & conceived in collaboration with Emma Orme
Sound by UptownWorks, with Engineering, Editing, Design, Mix, and Additional Music by Daniela Hart, Bailey Trierweiler, Noel Nichols
Original Music by Starr Busby
Additional Music by Hyperion Drive
Podcast Key Consultant Nichole Hill
CAST
H is played by Starr Busby
Val is played by Portia
Jojo is played by Amara J. Brady
Zina is played by Jasmin Walker
Kane is played by Adam Harrington
Ensemble roles are voiced by Sagan Chen, Eric Lockley, Susan Ly, Peter McNally, Emma Orme, Max Samuels, Sam West, and Akyiaa Wilson
PRODUCING TEAM
PLEASURE MACHINE is produced by Colt Coeur, in association with Emma Orme and Tara Elliott.
Associate Producer & Writers’ Room Coordinator Al Parker
Colt Coeur Artistic Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt
Colt Coeur Interim Managing Director Alex Marrs
Marketing Director Maryama Dahir
UptownWorks Project Management Mattie McGarey
Dramaturgical Consulting by Iyvon E.
Key Art by Lauren Matrka
SUPPORT
This project was made possible by the Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, with additional major support from Ashley Garrett. The live events were made possible by NYSCA’s Restart Grant.
This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Additional support from Deborah Sontag and R Lee Stump.
Special Thanks to Erica Rotstein, Bailey Williams, Vanessa Garcia, Marisa Prefer, Pioneer Works, Project Parlor, Ethan Woods, Alice Tolan-Mee, Zia Lawrence, Matthew Cohn, Katherine George, Tanya Everett, and Sophie Gorai.
THE PLEASURE PARTIES PAST EVENTS
PLEASURE MACHINE Launch Party
H’s Sound Social: A Concert Party in the Pioneer Works Garden
Tuesday, November 2
H is a sound artist, a creator of aural experiences. Usually, they only offer private sessions. But for one night only, they will bring their community together through collective listening and personal pleasure. Come to the party they’ve created for you.
Celebrate the launch of PLEASURE MACHINE in the magical garden of Pioneer Works with a live musical performance from the podcast’s lead actor and composer, Starr Busby, and their band. The experience will also feature appetizers by local Red Hook restaurant Fort Defiance, a specialty cocktail, pleasure stations, and more.