About this episode

This episode celebrates Community Day at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, highlighting personal stories and the artistic community that has developed over 35 seasons.

As You Mic It: In the Spotlight celebrates Community Day at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival with a special episode highlighting the people, stories, and traditions that have shaped PSF for 35 seasons. Artistic Director Jason King Jones sits down with longtime festival, Suzanne O'Donnell, to reflect on her history with PSF, raising a family alongside the company, and watching the Festival grow into the community it is today. Later, Jason welcomes Arrianna Daniels, Darin "Frankie" Earl II, Mark Yowakim, and Eli Lynn for a conversation about finding their way back to PSF. They share what it means to return to a company that feels like home, how they describe the Festival to artists who have never experienced it, and the friendships and artistic community that make each season unique. Between conversations, our friends weighs in on an absurd reading of AITA , proving that even the world's greatest consulting detective and his adversaries aren't immune to modern internet judgment. The episode closes with a special performance from the Young Company, featuring an original song inspired by As You Like It and written by Ryan Plunkett, celebrating the creativity and talent that continue…

People in this episode

Host: Jason King Jones

Guests: Suzanne O'Donnell, Arrianna Daniels, Darin "Frankie" Earl II, Mark Yowakim, Eli Lynn

Topics covered

• Community Day
• Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
• Artistic community
• Traditions
• Personal stories
• Festival history

Keywords

• Community Day
• Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
• Jason King Jones
• Suzanne O'Donnell
• artistic community
• As You Like It
• festival history
• returning artists
• traditions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Books & works: As You Like It

More episodes of As You Mic It

• S2E22 - Beautiful Chaos of Moriarty with Maboud Ebrahimzadeh and Cassia Thompson · July 20, 2026 · 33 min
• S2E21 - From Magic to Mystery · July 13, 2026 · 1h 5m
• S2E20 - In the Spotlight with Karen and Ian Merrill Peakes · July 6, 2026 · 26 min
• S2E18 - In the Spotlight with Romeo and Juliet · June 22, 2026 · 32 min
• S2E17 - In the Spotlight with The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged · June 15, 2026 · 37 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the As You Mic It podcast page.