You may know him from his role as Murray Bauman in Stranger Things and as Martin in the BBC comedy Fleabag. Brett Gelman has dreamed of being a famous actor since he was a child growing up in Highland Park, Illinois, where he wanted to make the other kids laugh and wound up feeling like an outcast. Gelman has written about his childhood and his neuroses in a book called The Terrifying Realm of the Possible. He’s run into problems publicizing the book after making impassioned speeches about his support for Israel in the conflict with Gaza.  Get ready for a heated discussion (and laughs). “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

Charles Busch made a name for himself as a playwright and a leading lady in drag with productions like the off-Broadway cult classic Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. That campy theatrical spoof was followed by Psycho Beach Party and Pardon My Inquisition, or, Kiss the Blood off My Castanets. Busch also appeared in the TV show Oz where he plays a cross- dressing homosexual who smothers his Mafia cellmate. When it comes to playing male roles, Busch says he’s nothing great. It’s when he puts on gowns and wigs that his imagination really takes flight. We talk about glamorous wigs and how Busch made money as a sex worker before he became an overnight sensation on stage. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

Since 2017, more than 80 women have come forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault. In 2022, the former movie studio mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape. Throughout his career Weinstein was riding high with films like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. So the question is how did Weinstein manage to lead a parallel life that lasted for decades in which he abused women. I talk to writer Ken Auletta about his book Hollywood Ending and the culture of silence in the movie business.  “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

In 2001, when the World Trade Center was attacked, I was a reporter at Bloomberg  Radio. I was sent to Pakistan to cover the bombing campaign the U.S. was about to embark on in retaliation for 9/11. Based in Islamabad, I spent weeks traveling around Pakistan, visiting tribal areas in Peshawar and refugee camps where Afghanis had fled to escape the Taliban. I talked to women about the repressive policies of the Muslim extremists who then ruled Pakisatn. Now, 20 years later, the same fears fill the hearts of Afghanis and their desire to flee sounds eerily like the stories I was told in 2001.  And I, like so many others, now worry about what will happen to the people of Afghanistan.

Lizzie Borden named herself after an ax murderer when she was a kid growing up in Detroit. In the 1980s she gained a reputation as a radical feminist filmmaker. Born in Flames is about an underground women’s army. Working Girls takes place in a brothel and tells the story of middle class sex workers. Then Borden went to Hollywood to make a film for Harvey Weinstein that turned out to be a disaster. Now, Borden’s early movies are making a comeback.  A restored version of Working Girls was recently re-released in theaters across the country. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta

This conversation took place in person just days before masks, gloves and social distancing took over. Reichardt is an independent filmmaker whose movies “Wendy and Lucy” and “Certain Women” often star actress Michelle Williams and often win prizes at Festivals like Sundance. Her new film is called “First Cow” and it will be released later this year when theaters open again. In the meantime, you can hear Reichardt talk all about her journey from high school dropout to becoming an artist who creates imaginative, independent work on her own terms. "Now What?" was produced with the help of Gabe Zimmer, Steve Zimmer and Stephanie Hou. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta

She's already lived many lifetimes in this one life. Eve Ensler wrote the ground-breaking theater piece, "The Vagina Monologues," about a woman’s most private parts. She founded a community in the Congo for women who were raped. She won a near-fatal battle with cancer. And in this episode, Ensler talks about another shocking subject: how she was sexually abused by her father from the time she was 5 years old.  Now What?” was produced with help from Steve Zimmer and Gabe Zimmer. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

In this episode of “Now What?” you’ll hear from Eve Ensler, the playwright who created “The Vagina Monologues,” a theater piece that changed the lives of thousands of women, especially her own. We got to spend an evening with Ensler in her Manhattan apartment filled with the treasures from her travels, talking about the emotional distance she has traveled, the community she founded for women in the Congo and surviving a near fatal battle with cancer. As Ensler puts it, “We go through so many lifetimes in this lifetime.”  “Now What?” was produced with help from Nick Ciavatta, Nellie Gilles, Allison Bernstein, Steve Zimmer and Gabe Zimmer.