The Welcome to Spirits podcast, a boozy dive into mythology, legends, and folklore every week we pour drink and learn about a new story from around the world.

I'm Amanda.

And I'm Julia. And we are joined here today by actor, writer. I want to say queer icon.

Queer Creatrix. Melody Bates, welcome. We're so excited to have you here.

Ah, I am delighted to be here. Thanks for inviting me. And shout out spirits listener Kate, who

both four years ago and last month was like, you got to check, you got to check out Melody.

You got to chat with Melody. And you know what, Kate, you were right. Kate is almost always right,

I want to say. Well, Melody, for people who aren't Kate and maybe aren't familiar with your work, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I am an actor, a writer, a maker in a lot of different forms. I'm an omnivore, I would say, as an artist.

The work of mine that Kate was really excited about is my play R and J and Z, which is a supernatural sequel to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

It begins with Act 5 of Shakespeare's play and continues in verse as the dead come back to life.

Again, as an artist, I grew up on Sesame Street, and that is the sort of high and low at the same

time, right? Like, there's really goofy, easy access stuff for kids, and then there's also

seated in their Easter egg jokes for people with a little bit more advanced intelligences.

And I love to make work that does that. I love to be in work that does that. And I'm a big nerd. So always the things that I'm seating in there, you know, people who aren't super nerdy can still have a good time. But people who are super nerdy, hopefully, they're getting something extra.

Yes. I'm so glad we get to talk to you about this

because I believe that the 10th anniversary

of Orange A&Z is coming up soon.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

It was 2014 in July that the world premiere happened.

Wow.

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