The PURE Theatre Podcast

The Ocean We Swim In - Talk Back

In case you missed it or want to revisit, we had a wonderful talkback moderated by our own Miles Boinest, with playwright Brad Erickson and historian and author Harlan Greene. The production runs for two more weeks so tell your friends and get your tickets below! THE OCEAN WE SWIM IN BY BRAD ERICKSONAPRIL 16–MAY 9, 2026WORLD PREMIEREDIRECTED BY SHARON GRACI BUY TICKETS [https://puretheatre.vbotickets.com/event/The_Ocean_We_Swim_In/157157] In the haunting quiet of the South Carolina Lowcountry, a canceled art critic seeks refuge. But exile to the South Carolina marshes quickly offers one last chance at relevance—if he’s willing to take down a nearly 100-year-old local art legend to do it. In The Ocean We Swim In, reputations become weapons, secrets have teeth, and the line between confession and manipulation vanishes in the tide. 12345678 [https://puretheatre.org/the-ocean-we-swim-in/#]9 [https://puretheatre.org/the-ocean-we-swim-in/#]10111213 [https://puretheatre.org/the-ocean-we-swim-in/#] When a canceled California art critic flees with his husband to the marshy refuge of South Carolina, he’s offered an unexpected shot at redemption: expose a beloved local legend for racism and cultural appropriation on the eve of his 100th birthday. As the investigation deepens, a far more complicated truth begins to surface, rooted in secrecy, a hidden past, and a haunting, unreleased body of work. Drawn into this shadowed world, the critic is forced to confront his own complicity, his ambition, and the cost of reclaiming his voice, before making a choice that could redefine his life and his marriage. Set between present-day Lowcountry and post-World War II Pawleys Island, The Ocean We Swim In unfolds as a moving mystery, lyrical and shifting, alive with the weight of what is remembered and what is withheld. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit puretheatre.substack.com [https://puretheatre.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

One Last Gaslight

When a production works — really works — it’s usually because someone wrote it that way. Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton is one of those plays. It has been terrifying audiences since 1938, survived two major film adaptations in the 1940s, and somehow managed to embed itself so deeply in the cultural conversation that it gave us a word we use every day. Steven Dietz is one of America’s finest working playwrights and a generous friend to PURE Theatre. He also adapted this production — what he calls a renovation. Not a rewrite, not a reimagining. A renovation. He kept Hamilton’s bones and made it sing in the voices of actors working today, for audiences living right now. That distinction matters, and he explains exactly what it means in this conversation. When we asked him to join us for a talkback on closing weekend he brought exactly what you’d expect from someone who understands both the architecture of a play and the audience sitting in front of it. This conversation covers the full arc — Patrick Hamilton’s original, the Ingrid Bergman and Diana Wynyard film adaptations, how the production landed with our audiences, and what it means that “gaslighting” has become the word of our moment. Forty-eight minutes. Worth every one. Press play above! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit puretheatre.substack.com [https://puretheatre.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

STEVEN DIETZ

This week, my conversation with STEVEN DIETZ playwright of GASLIGHT, which starts this week at PURE. Steven is an amazing human and inadvertantly responsible for several major of my life events! Enjoy the conversation on audio above or video below. Also join us in conversation with Steven on March 21st after the show. (details further below!) PURE CONVERSATION with STEVEN DIETZ March 21 following the 7:30pm show Join us after the show on March 21 for a deeper dive into the show with it’s creator, Steven Dietz! Steven will be joined by Autumn Phillips, former Editor-In-Chief of the Post & Courier, and Colleen Glenn, Associate Professor of Film Studies at the College of Charleston. JOIN THE CONVERSATION! [https://puretheatre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5dc908d04fc0533d52136ecda&id=0b19d4808c&e=45bec06812] Can’t be there in person? No worries!The performance and talkback on March 21 will be livestreamed, and we invite you to join and participate virtually! GET STREAMING TICKETS [https://puretheatre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5dc908d04fc0533d52136ecda&id=6e6c822106&e=45bec06812] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit puretheatre.substack.com [https://puretheatre.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

MARK LANDIS

Mark Landis is a long time core member with us here at PURE. Mark is coming up in our next production STEVEN DIETZ’S Adaptation of GASLIGHT. A little confession here. This is actually an interview from a couple of years ago, back when I first had dreams of developing a podcast for the company. I did a series of interviews at the time — including ones with Cristy Landis and Emily Wilhoit — and we'll air those in the future. The conversations were excellent, but I wasn't able to get the show off the ground. Later, we did a radio show on OM Radio in Charleston, found our rhythm, got the flow going, and the show was born. Now seems like the perfect time to reach back for this one. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did — with the great Mark Landis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit puretheatre.substack.com [https://puretheatre.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

DAVID WHALEN

As an actor, David Whalen's done it all. From Shakespeare to movies, he's worked with many of the greats in the major theatre centers and across this country's robust regional theatre scene. I got to sit down with him while he's performing in PURE's production of Ayad Akhtar's MCNEAL. Catch the reviews here and join us for our final week. CITY PAPER REVIEW by Maura Hogan [https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2026/01/23/a-dying-egomaniac-a-nobel-prize-and-a-i-walk-into-pure-theatre/] CHARLESTON DAILY REVIEW by Mark A. Leon [https://charlestondaily.net/pure-theatres-national-regional-premiere-of-mcneal-from-pulitzer-prize-winning-playwright-ayad-akhtar-will-keep-the-conversation-going-long-play-concludes/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit puretheatre.substack.com [https://puretheatre.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]