Podcast Summary: "New Play 'Queens' About Hustle, Family & The American Dream"
Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Featured Guests:
- Martina Mayock (Playwright)
- Marin Ireland (Actor, plays Renia)
- Anna Chlumsky (Actor, plays Agata)
- Julia Lester (Actor, plays Ina)
Episode Overview
This episode delves into "Queens," a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martina Mayock. Set in an illegal basement apartment in Queens, the play follows a diverse group of immigrant women from countries like Afghanistan, Belarus, Honduras, Poland, and Ukraine. These women, all in pursuit of their own piece of the American dream, each carry unique stories of sacrifice, longing, and resilience. The discussion explores the writing process, characters' development, themes of immigration, and the lived realities that inspired the work.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Inspiration & Writing Process
- Martina Mayock’s Personal Journey and Inspiration
- Martina shares that "Queens" was born out of the Trump administration’s first travel ban and her own sacrifices as an immigrant artist.
- She reflects on deep personal choices:
"I realized after a few of my closest family members had passed away and I realized I couldn't even afford to go back for their funerals, that I, in choosing to stay in America and pursue a life as an artist, that I accidentally became American and I lost touch with that part of my family." — Martina Mayock [01:48]
- The play is dedicated to immigrant single mothers and their "sacrifices and their fights."
Collaborating & Working with Martina
The Power and Artistry of Stage Acting
- Anna Chlumsky on Stage vs. Screen
- Anna shares the enduring artistry of the stage:
"A play is something that anybody can pick off a bookshelf for centuries... You feel like you're a part of shaping culture." — Anna Chlumsky [05:00]
- She emphasizes the importance of being present and the nightly renewal of performance.
Structure & Focus of the Play
Character Preparation and Language
Character Arcs and The Basement Apartment
Language as Bridge and Barrier
Political Resonance and Purpose
- Reflections on Immigration Today
- Mayock addresses the relevance amid ongoing ICE raids in NYC:
"I don't understand why this administration is coming after people who for the most part are just trying to embody the ideals of what the American experiment's supposed to be... I hope that this play contributes a deeper portrait of human beings..." — Martina Mayock [23:10]
- She hopes the play "welcomes" people, making them "feel less alone."
Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps
-
"I accidentally became American and I lost touch with that part of my family."
— Martina Mayock [01:48]
-
"She is funny and Fierce and a truth teller. And it feels like a full meal as an actor to sit down with her work."
— Marin Ireland [02:53]
-
"The kind of thing that I want to look for in everything that I do is working with good people."
— Julia Lester [04:22]
-
"A play is something that anybody can pick off a bookshelf for centuries... You feel like you're a part of shaping culture."
— Anna Chlumsky [05:00]
-
"Some of the women, they're still a part of the story. We just don't see them...they live off stage."
— Martina Mayock [06:32]
-
"Because I like higher stakes...the amount of mental workload, labor that that goes through to just keep your life and the lives of your family afloat is rarely talked about."
— Martina Mayock [07:40]
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"It was a bunch of...partitioned, makeshift rooms...I discovered all these discarded objects...They felt like they contained all the stories..."
— Martina Mayock [14:43]
-
"I think the basement...is a refuge and a sanctuary...she has to sort of learn by getting thrown into the deep end..."
— Marin Ireland [16:37]
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"I'm fascinated by concepts that don't exist in other languages and how telling that is about what those cultures value..."
— Martina Mayock [20:41]
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"She said ‘I am in the sky’...and we got it."
— Anna Chlumsky [22:06]
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"I hope that this play contributes a deeper portrait of human beings that are very similar to the people that are in the audience...I think we're more alike than we are dissimilar."
— Martina Mayock [23:10]
Key Timestamps
- [01:36] Martina Mayock on the personal and political inspiration for "Queens"
- [02:53] Marin Ireland on the depth of Mayock's scripts
- [04:22] Julia Lester on cast camaraderie and learning
- [05:00] Anna Chlumsky on the enduring power of stage acting
- [06:32] Changes from 2018 version to current production
- [07:40] Mayock on focusing exclusively on immigrant women's stories
- [14:43] Mayock’s real-life experiences with basement apartments and object metaphor
- [16:37] Marin Ireland on character development and survival in immigrant life
- [20:41] Mayock on the poetry and complexity of non-native English
- [22:06] Chlumsky on cross-linguistic connection
- [23:10] Mayock on the play’s contemporary political relevance
Tone & Intent
The conversation is heartfelt, candid, and deeply empathetic—replete with personal history and artistic reflection. The cast and creator’s mutual respect fuels a discussion that is at once intellectual and emotional, conscious of the play’s role in both reflecting and shaping narratives of immigrant women in America.
For those who haven't listened, this episode offers a compelling inside look at art-making rooted in lived experience and a nuanced conversation on the complexities of immigration, language, and womanhood in pursuit of the American Dream.