December 24, 2023

Title: DOWNPLAY

Constructor: Taylor Johnson

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WORKING UP A SWEAT (3D: Going hard at the gym, say)

CHAIN-LINK FENCES (7D: They surround many tennis courts)

WHERE'S YOUR PROOF (11D: "Is that verifiable?")

Theme synopsis: The last word of each vertical (DOWN) answer is the name of a PLAY: SWEAT, FENCES, and PROOF.

Things I learned:

• SHAW (16A: Caroline who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music) Caroline SHAW composes contemporary classical music. She is also a violinist and a vocalist. She won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for an a cappella piece, Partitia for 8 Voices. The piece was composed for the vocal ensemble (with a fabulous name), Roomful of Teeth. Caroline SHAW is the youngest person to date to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
• ERIN (2D: ___ Ryan ("Hysteria" co-host)) The tagline of the Hysteria podcast is "Women: 51% of the population and 100% of this podcast." ERIN Ryan and Alyssa Mastromonaco co-host Hysteria. On each episode, they are joined by guests (all women) to discuss "the political news of the week, plus the topics, trends, and cultural stories that affect women's lives."
• TIM (25D: Actor and comedian Meadows) TIM Meadows is a former SNL cast member (1991-2000). During his time on SNL, he spoofed multiple famous people, including Oprah Winfrey, Erykah Badu, and Tiger Woods. TIM Meadows starred in the 2000 movie, The Ladies Man, which was based on an SNL character he played, Leon Phelps. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GIVE (34A: "___ Up" (The Postal Service album)) The 2003 album, GIVE Up, is the only studio album of the indie pop group, The Postal Service. The group chose its name as a reference to how they produced their songs, sending tapes to each other through the mail. (A bit of IRONY: the band used FedEx or UPS, rather than the United States Postal Service.)
• NPR NEWS (39A: "All Things Considered" network) The NPR NEWS radio program, "All Things Considered," debuted in 1971. The current hosts of the show are Ailsa Chang, Mary Louise Kelly, Ari Shapiro, Juana Summers, and Scott Detrow. "All Things Considered" highlights the NEWS each day, providing analysis, commentary, and interviews.
• ALWAYS (56A: "___ Be My Baby" (1995 Mariah Carey hit)) "ALWAYS Be My Baby" is a song from Mariah Carey's album, Daydream.
• NYE (5D: Bill known as the "Science Guy") Bill NYE the Science Guy is an educational TV series that originally aired from 1993-1999. The show won 19 Emmy Awards during its six seasons. In 2022, Bill NYE featured in a six-episode show on Peacock, titled The End is NYE. The show explores and explains disasters.
• MOCHI (6D: Japanese rice cakes) MOCHI is made of short-grain glutinous rice that is pounded into a paste and molded into cakes.
• GODS (30D: Thor and Loki, in Norse mythology) In Norse mythology, the GOD Thor is associated with storms, thunder, and lightning. The GOD Loki is a shape shifter, sometimes appearing in the form of a salmon, a mare, or a fly.
• ROY (49D: Gruff "Ted Lasso" character Kent) Brett Goldstein plays the role of ROY Kent on the TV series Ted Lasso. ROY Kent is the captain of the show's soccer team, AFC Richmond, and later becomes an assistant coach.
• PATEL (52D: "The Green Knight" actor Dev) The Green Knight is a 2021 medieval fantasy movie adapted from a 14th-century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Dev PATEL stars as Sir Gawain.
• ANNA (61D: Black liberation activist ___ Cooper) I have previously written about ANNA Cooper, whose 1892 book, A Voice from the South, is considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism.
• IRA (65D: "Keep It!" host ___ Madison III) I learned about IRA Madison III, and the podcast, Keep It!, from the June 8, 2021 puzzle. The Keep It! website describes the podcast as "a show about pop culture, politics, and what happens when they smack into each other at alarming speed."
• The PLAYs:
• SWEAT is a PLAY by Lynn Nottage. It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. SWEAT, which is centered on the working class, is set in a fictional bar in Reading Pennsylvania. I have written about SWEAT a couple of times before.
• FENCES is a PLAY by August Wilson. In 1987, FENCES won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. Through the story of Troy, a 53-year old working-class man, FENCES explores the evolving Black experience. FENCES was adapted into a 2016 movie of the same name. I have previously written about both the play and the movie.
• PROOF is a PLAY by David Auburn. In 2001, PROOF won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. PROOF tells the story of Catherine, a woman who, like her recently deceased father, is a mathematical genius and is struggling with mental health challenges. PROOF was adapted into a 2005 movie of the same name. I have not written about this play before! In fact, it is new to me and I enjoyed learning about it.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• IRONY (14A: Someone yelling "Keep your voice down!," e.g.)
• SLURPS (22A: Audibly enjoys some ramen)
• DOES (9D: "___ it come with fries?")

I'll admit, it took me a few minutes after solving to figure out today's theme. After considering several possible theme angles, I eventually remembered there is a PLAY titled FENCES. "Aha!" A nice trio of award-winning PLAYs here. Thank you, Taylor, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Sunday.