Sept. 12, 2025, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — NEPM and Peabody-finalist podcast network Radiotopia from PRX present an evening with Ian Coss and Sakina Ibrahim, co-hosts and creators of “Radiotopia Presents: We’re Doing The Wiz,” the acclaimed docuseries podcast about the high school musical that changed their lives, on Saturday, Oct. 4 at NEPM Studios in Springfield.
The Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School alumni will look back on their starkly different experiences on the frontlines of the bussing experiment in western Massachusetts, if anything has really changed, and the evolution of the American theater canon.
The podcast series — a 2025 Tribeca Festival official selection — revisits a pivotal moment in the history of a small, mostly white performing arts high school in western Massachusetts. In 2004, a racial controversy erupted, sparking protests, media coverage and a tense all-school assembly. In response, the school made a surprising announcement: it would stage “The Wiz,” an iconic musical rooted in Black culture. The podcast unpacks the story of that production and its lasting impact nearly two decades later.
“I think we all have a moment from our past that we think back on — not every week or month, but occasionally — and we wonder: how did that happen? How do I feel about it? And how do the other people involved feel about it? For me, it was my high school’s production of ‘The Wiz,’” said podcast co-host and co-creator Ian Coss. “Getting the chance to actually revisit that moment and now talk about it in the place where it all happened is incredibly exciting.”
“‘The Wiz’ is more than a musical, it's a mirror to life. In sharing my personal journey through this podcast, I recognize that my story is not unique, but part of a broader, shared truth,” said co-host and co-creator Sakina Ibrahim. “Our racial identities still shape the lives we're allowed to live, or not. Who would have thought that a musical would carry a community’s history, its attempts at healing, and the possibility of hope? And yet — here we are.”
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025
Time: Doors open at 6 p.m.; event begins at 7 p.m.
Location: NEPM Studios, 44 Hampden St., Springfield
Tickets: $20 general admission; $10 for students. Available at nepm.org/thewiz
Cash bar by Springfield’s White Lion Brewery, free popcorn
“We’re excited to team up with Radiotopia and PRX to bring this event to Springfield,” said Matt Abramovitz, president of NEPM. “The podcast shines a light on a powerful local story that still resonates today. It’s exactly the kind of thoughtful, creative storytelling we’re proud to support, and I’m looking forward to a lively conversation.”
ABOUT IAN COSS
Ian Coss is a creator of acclaimed podcasts. His nine-part documentary “The Big Dig” was honored with a Peabody Award and named one of the best podcasts of 2023 by The New Yorker and Vulture, while spending more than six weeks in Apple Podcasts’ Top 100. His audio memoir “Forever is a Long Time” was named one of the best podcasts of 2021 by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Apple Podcasts.
As a founding member of PRX Productions, Coss has produced and scored several limited series with the Radiotopia network, including “Ways of Hearing,” “The Great God of Depression,” “Over the Road,” “Blind Guy Travels” and “My Mother Made Me.” He also launched the long-running “Antiques Roadshow” podcast “Detours.” His work has appeared on “Snap Judgment” and “99% Invisible,” featured at the Tribeca Festival, and recognized with multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and a podcast of the year nomination from the Podcast Academy.
ABOUT SAKINA IBRAHIM
Sakina Ibrahim is an author, artist and educator who uses storytelling, choreography and social entrepreneurship to build bridges and cultivate community. She is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author of “Big Words to Little Me,” and her work has led to collaborations with Google, the Trayvon Martin Foundation and the Essence Festival.
Holding an MFA from UC Irvine and driven by a deep commitment to youth empowerment, Ibrahim founded the Dance Arts Academy Foundation, which provides high-quality arts education to Title I schools across southern California. Through art, media and education, she inspires the next generation of leaders and changemakers, harnessing the transformative power of the arts to create lasting impact.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media enriches people’s lives in western Massachusetts and beyond by nurturing curiosity, inspiring community engagement, and reflecting the unique joys of living here. NEPM is the region’s source for PBS and NPR programs and for locally produced news, video, and music content. For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
ABOUT RADIOTOPIA FROM PRX
Created in 2014, Radiotopia from PRX is the first network of its kind. As a network of independent podcasts, Radiotopia empowers audio creators with the artistic freedom to thrive on their own terms and to bring audiences inspired, high-quality, and well-crafted soundscapes. Programming from across Radiotopia has received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the Tribeca Festival, the National Magazine Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. Immerse yourself in stories and conversations of all kinds — intellectual and emotional, real and imagined, entertaining and thought-provoking. Be part of a community that values bold authenticity and boundless creativity. Discover award-winning audio with vision at Radiotopia.fm.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org
David Cotrone
Director of Public Relations & Communications
Radiotopia from PRX
david.cotrone@prx.org