Murder, We Spoke

Rachel Bykowski

Murder, We Spoke is a fictional, true crime narrative series. For nine episodes, Tantrum East Theatre tells the story of the Murder, We Spoke podcast trio — Bernie, Paula, and Cres. The three women are on a journey to become podcasting legends. The Murder, We Spoke team has produced their true crime podcast for ten years. In that time, Bernie, Paula, and Cres gave their all to the podcast, but it was not enough. The true crime podcast market is saturated. But the trio’s thirst for fame is far too strong. As the trio chase their dreams of podcast superstardom, they slowly become more and more like the killers they cover.


Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame.


Produced by Tantrum East Theatre

Written by Rachel Bykowski

Directed by Lila Rachel Becker


Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham

Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels


Featuring the talents of:

Mary Glen Frederick

Maria Fernanda Diez

Hannah Karpenko

Luli Gomez Teruel

Tom Morin

Jenna Zhu

Lisa Bol

Thomas Daniels


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Episodes

Episode 8.2: The Witches of Marquette Park, Part 2
Apr 10 2024
Episode 8.2: The Witches of Marquette Park, Part 2
Deadly family secrets, uncontrollable urges, and an insatiable need to scratch that lethal itch. We’ve all felt it, whether we like to admit it or not. The world is about to witness firsthand how destructively intoxicating true crime can be. Crowds swarm outside Murder, We Spoke’s studio as they record their final episode with Something Fishy. They want more blood, more death, more Murder, We Spoke. Meanwhile, AJ and Bailey find themselves between an arsonist and her lighter. Cres always said, that if anyone was going to destroy the studio, it would be her, on her terms. This is it – Murder, We Spoke’s last chance to go down in history (or up in flames) as the most infamous true crime podcast streaming today. Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame. Visit: www.murderwespoke.com for transcripts of every episode Follow Murder, We Spoke on: Facebook Instagram: @murderwespokepodcast Produced by Tantrum East Theatre Written by Rachel Bykowski Directed by Lila Rachel Becker Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels Stage Manager: Olivia Tymon Featuring the talents of: Mary Glen Frederick Maria Fernanda Diez Hannah Karpenko Luli Gomez Teruel Tom Morin Jenna Zhu Lisa Bol Thomas Daniels Special thanks to: A. R. T. New YorkThe New York Council on the ArtsKaren HammondAmanda BrummundJosh PritchardKelly FlorenceNina FieldLaakan McHardyAlice WuRachel MockCarter CaldwellAlycia KunkleLiat GrafandTracey Greenwood
Episode 5: I Love the Sound of Bones Cracking
Mar 13 2024
Episode 5: I Love the Sound of Bones Cracking
2019AJ and Bailey are desperate. They need to keep their promise to their listeners and close the case on Roger Atwood, but their leads have run cold. Pushed into a corner, Bailey decides to do whatever it takes to get their next episode and give the trio whatever they want. 2015Speaking of Roger, Paula is determined to maintain control and confronts Roger over his little gun stunt at Lunar Legs. Roger has been lying low. Terrified of the police on his tail. He tells Paula he’s going to turn himself in and offers Paula a deal of a lifetime. If she chooses him, he will make her the biggest star the Chicago theatre has ever seen. All she has to do is turn her back on Bernie, Cres, and the podcast. Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame. Visit: www.murderwespoke.com for transcripts of every episode Follow Murder, We Spoke on: Facebook Instagram: @murderwespokepodcast Produced by Tantrum East Theatre Written by Rachel Bykowski Directed by Lila Rachel Becker Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels Stage Manager: Olivia Tymon Featuring the talents of: Mary Glen Frederick Maria Fernanda Diez Hannah Karpenko Luli Gomez Teruel Tom Morin Jenna Zhu Lisa Bol Thomas Daniels Special thanks to: A. R. T. New YorkThe New York Council on the ArtsKaren HammondAmanda BrummundJosh PritchardKelly FlorenceNina FieldLaakan McHardyAlice WuRachel MockCarter CaldwellAlycia KunkleLiat GrafandTracey Greenwood
Episode 4: Don't F*ck with a Lion
Mar 6 2024
Episode 4: Don't F*ck with a Lion
2019Something Fishy gives us a view into Paula’s past and her relationship with her father. All six-year-old Paula wants is McDonalds and to make her daddy happy. All her daddy wants is for Paula to be a lion. 2015In a different timeline, the Murder, We Spoke trio deals with the aftermath of the Lunar Legs robbery and Bernie’s new “personality.” Something is different about Bernie. She’s bolder and thirsty for fame. The trio’s bonds are tested when they receive an influx of listeners all thanks to Bernie putting Murder, We Spoke in the spotlight. Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame. Visit: www.murderwespoke.com for transcripts of every episode Follow Murder, We Spoke on: Facebook Instagram: @murderwespokepodcast Produced by Tantrum East Theatre Written by Rachel Bykowski Directed by Lila Rachel Becker Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels Stage Manager: Olivia Tymon Featuring the talents of: Mary Glen Frederick Maria Fernanda Diez Hannah Karpenko Luli Gomez Teruel Tom Morin Jenna Zhu Lisa Bol Thomas Daniels Special thanks to: A. R. T. New YorkThe New York Council on the ArtsKaren HammondAmanda BrummundJosh PritchardKelly FlorenceNina FieldLaakan McHardyAlice WuRachel MockCarter CaldwellAlycia KunkleLiat GrafandTracey Greenwood
Episode 2: Nothing Bigger than a Bunny
Feb 21 2024
Episode 2: Nothing Bigger than a Bunny
2023Tantrum East shares Something Fishy’s prison interviews with the Murder, We Spoke trio. 2019Bailey, from Something Fishy, gets her one-on-one meeting with the the infamous Paula Anderson. Paula takes Bailey on a bloody trip down memory lane. Paula shares the gruesome story of the Lunar Legs robbery and gives Bailey some insider info on how to get Cres talking. 2015Six months have passed since Cres’s “little” fire “incident” in episode one. The Murder, We Spoke trio are hard at work creating episodes for their 10th season — potentially, their last season. If Bernie doesn’t see a significant bump in listeners, downloads, advertisements, etc. she’s walking away and devoting the rest of her life to her stable job at Lunar Legs — a high-end athletic retail store. After wrapping up their recording, Bernie heads to work where she must deal with her toxic assistant manager, Rita. As Bernie attempts to have a work-life balance conversation with Rita, an intruder breaks into Lunar Legs demanding money. Rita appears unconcerned for Bernie’s safety and refuses to give the intruder what he wants, even at gunpoint. As Bernie and Rita argue, something inside of Bernie begins to bubble to the surface. Like an itch she has been desperate to scratch for many years. When that itch breaks through, there is nothing Bernie can do to stop it. Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame. Visit: www.murderwespoke.com for transcripts of every episode Follow Murder, We Spoke on: Facebook Instagram: @murderwespokepodcast Produced by Tantrum East Theatre Written by Rachel Bykowski Directed by Lila Rachel Becker Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels Stage Manager: Olivia Tymon Featuring the talents of: Mary Glen Frederick Maria Fernanda Diez Hannah Karpenko Luli Gomez Teruel Tom Morin Jenna Zhu Lisa Bol Thomas Daniels Special thanks to: A. R. T. New YorkThe New York Council on the ArtsKaren HammondAmanda BrummundJosh PritchardKelly FlorenceNina FieldLaakan McHardyAlice WuRachel MockCarter CaldwellAlycia KunkleLiat GrafandTracey Greenwood
Episode 1: It Started With a Fire
Feb 13 2024
Episode 1: It Started With a Fire
2023Welcome to Tantrum East Theatre’s podcast, hosted by Lisa Bol and Thomas Daniels. The pair have been exploring different formats for their theatre company. To survive and thrive through the pandemic, they decided to give this “podcasting thing” a try. With a flip of a coin, Bol introduces Daniels to the story of the Murder, We Spoke trio — Bernie, Paula, and Cres—  and how they met their deadly demise.Here’s the thing, back in 2019, Something Fishy — a popular true crime podcast hosted by Bailey and AJ — covered the Murder, We Spoke crimes and got tangled up in the trio’s murderous lifestyle. So, Bol and Daniels decide to get a little meta with it and tell Something Fishy’s story about Murder, We Spoke’s story…it’s a podcast in a podcast in a podcast thing. 2019Something Fishy’s hosts — Bailey and AJ — are feeling the pressure of the true crime podcast genre and are desperate to create new, bold, exciting content that will keep them on top of the charts. They decided to launch their exclusive series covering the Murder, We Spoke trio’s crimes and the trio’s involvement in the disappearance of Roger Atwood. According to news reports, the last person to see Roger Atwood was Cres, right before the trio were apprehended in 2015. But Cres isn’t speaking to anyone. Cres has been completely silent for four years. Something Fishy gains access to interview Bernie, Paula, and Cres from prison. Their goal is to close the case on Roger Atwood by getting Cres to talk. From their jail cell interviews, Bailey and AJ weave together their podcast series on Murder, We Spoke. 2015The story all begins back in 2015. Bernie and Paula meet to discuss the future of their podcast. After ten years, Murder, We Spoke is nowhere near the top of the charts. They are drowning in a saturated true crime market where no one knows their name. As Bernie and Paula argue over the fate of the podcast, they realize their partner, Cres, is missing. Bernie receives a call from the hospital reporting that Cres was involved in a fire. Little do they know, the spark from Cres’s flames is going to ignite their journey to fame. Murder, We Spoke is a podcast in a podcast in a podcast. The series dives into people’s obsession with true crime and satirizes the true crime culture. This dark comedy series asks listeners to consider, how far would they go for fame. Visit: www.murderwespoke.com for transcripts of every episode Follow Murder, We Spoke on: Facebook Instagram: @murderwespokepodcast Produced by Tantrum East Theatre Written by Rachel Bykowski Directed by Lila Rachel Becker Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham Sound Technician: Thomas Daniels Stage Manager: Olivia Tymon Featuring the talents of: Mary Glen Frederick Maria Fernanda Diez Hannah Karpenko Luli Gomez Teruel Tom Morin Jenna Zhu Lisa Bol Thomas Daniels Special thanks to: A. R. T. New YorkThe New York Council on the ArtsKaren HammondAmanda BrummundJosh PritchardKelly FlorenceNina FieldLaakan McHardyAlice WuRachel MockCarter CaldwellAlycia KunkleLiat GrafandTracey Greenwood