Inspired by a spate of new Chicago stage adaptations of the Faust story, This American Life brings you stories of people who made a deal with the devil.
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Act One
Dangerous Minds
LuAnne Johnson is a teacher who sold her story to Hollywood and saw it made into the film and TV series Dangerous Minds, in which a character named LuAnne Johnson does things the real LuAnne believes are unethical and silly. (15 minutes)
Act Two
The Undiscovered Country
Found tape of a conversation about bringing back the dead. (11 minutes)
Act Three
Voyager
Alix Spiegel tells the story of her friend Jayna, who made a Faustian bargain at 11 years old. (12 minutes)
Act Four
Carmen Becomes Faust
Carmen Delzell on a deal she made with the devil when she turned 30. (14 minutes)
Act Five
First Contact
Daniel Pinkwater reads his children's picture book Devil in the Drain. (4 minutes)
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Act Four: Ghost Story
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Act Two: Megan and Sybil
The first act of our show was about someone who has spent decades trying to close the gap with her sister because they were apart until she was eight years old.
Act Four: Keeping It In The Family
An excerpt of Bernard Cooper's story about the bill he got from his own father, for the entire cost of his childhood.
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