Introducing Season 4 of Pop and Play: “Playing Roles!”

This April 9, another season of Pop and Play is about to roll into your podcast feeds! This season, Haeny and Nathan are exploring how play allows people to try on roles they might not otherwise experience in their lives. With another set of great guests, they learn about Drag, Cosplay, Young Adult fiction, Immersive Theater Design and more. They even travel to a far away galaxy (...Orlando). And of course they play games and find out “what’s poppin.” Follow now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search “Pop and Play” wherever you listen to Podcasts and subscribe!

What is Pop and Play?

A podcast from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University about play and pop culture. Professors Haeny Yoon and Nathan Holbert talk with educators, parents and kids about how they play in their work and their lives, and why play and pop culture matter.

The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker to whom they are attributed. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, administration, staff or Trustees either of Teachers College or of Columbia University.

Haeny
Nathan, why are you in the studio dressed as a wizard?

Nathan
Dressed as a wizard? Oh, this old thing?

Haeny
And, are you growing a suspicious, measly little beard.

Nathan
A measly beard? Ugh, well, this season of Pop and Play, we're talking about role playing.

Haeny
I mean, playing roles.

Nathan
Right, role playing.

Haeny
No, playing roles.

Nathan
I feel like we're saying the same thing.

Haeny
No. ‘Cause this season is not just about Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop games and live action role play, although important. It's about playing different roles and how it informs our work and our lives, allowing us to try on and try out different parts of ourselves that we've yet to discover, make public, or claim.

Nathan
There are so many different ways in which we all play roles, and in this season of Pop and Play, we dig into many of them. Some people play roles on stage and perform various identities that we might not have imagined yet, like actors or drag queens, and some of us play games with others as a form of community and self-discovery.

Haeny
Some of us play with fashion and clothes and attend cosplay conventions to show our skills and grow our craft through admiration and feedback. Some of us play with characters through writing. And kids, they can basically do it all.

Nathan
This season we take on all of these topics and more. We talk to other play experts, artists, performers, kids and scholars, and we take a few of our Pop and Play pals on an epic adventure to a galaxy far, far away: a galaxy called Orlando.

Haeny
Never heard of it. Season four drops on April 9th.

Nathan
And don't forget to check out the weekly Trashy Awards on Tik-tok @popandplaypod.