How to Fall in Love the Hard Way is an audio romantic comedy series about 3 women who are figuring out life, love, and friendship in their 30s.
If you think love is scary, friendship is magic, and love dirty jokes, this show is for you.
How to Fall in Love the Hard Way is written and directed (and produced and edited) by Paige Feldman.
About the Show
Claire believes romance can be scripted.
Claire is a bestselling young adult horror author and a determined romantic. A year and a half ago, she broke up with her boyfriend of ten years, Jack, for a variety of reasons – he didn’t respect her work, they were growing apart, and there was something wrong with him but he refused to see a doctor. Now, 18 months later, Claire is ready to start dating again. She thinks. Because for Claire, dating means finding her one true love and riding out their perfect, bumpy romantic comedy love story into the sunset with an epic wedding as a happy ever after. Claire knows love isn’t as easily plotted as a novel, and definitely not easy… but what if it is? What if her perfect man walks into her life and Claire can’t get out of her own way enough to make the relationship work?
Mona is too scared of love to let herself be in it.
Mona is a journalist – the only woman working in a producer position at Arch Podcasting, a Men’s Interest podcasting network based in St. Louis (or she would be working in a producer position if her boss, Reid, didn’t perpetually undervalue her). She’s also Claire’s best friend since kindergarten. Mona doesn’t believe in the power of love or any of that corny shit. She believes in social justice, smashing the patriarchy, and good sex. Why commit yourself to something that has such a slim chance of working out – and even when it does work out, as a woman, she’d be carry more emotional work than whatever man she committed to. It’s ironic then that she kind of has been in a relationship – she’s been having sex with Gross Gene, her high school fuck buddy, for 17 years. Gross Gene is enamored with her, but Mona is too afraid of failure, vulnerability, and her own feelings to even think about whether she returns his sentiments. But he’s a great lay who cooks for her, so she’ll get hers while she can. … Or really for as long as Gene can stand living with his love unrequited.
Harper is an expert at love, but doesn’t know herself.
Harper is a dental hygienist and serial monogamist who moved to St. Louis about a year ago. Since she was single at the time, she wasn’t surprised that it only took a few weeks before she fell in love with her boss, the dentist she worked for. Now, Harper and the dentist are engaged and as Harper prepares for the rest of her life, she realizes that her life has always revolved around the men in it. Her friends? Their friends. Her interests? Their interests. She’s 30 and has no idea who she is, so one night she goes to the grocery store and everything changes…
A chance meeting prompts an unlikely friendship.
See that night, Harper meets Claire (yes, at the grocery store). And Claire recognizes Harper because Jack, the boyfriend-of-10-years Claire dumped, is Harper’s new fiance (the dentist!) and Claire does her fair share of social media stalking. Claire approaches Harper, initially just to get some dirt on her, but they bond almost instantly. And the next thing Harper knows, she’s meeting Mona (and Gross Gene) and being invited to be on a podcast about wedding planning that Mona has to produce. And just like that, a chance meeting in a grocery store spawns a friendship that will change Claire, Mona, and Harper, and their views on love forever.
How to Fall in Love the Hard Way is about how, through the life-changing power of friendship, these three women will help each other find their own happy-ever-afters – in life, work, and, of course, love.
About the Cast.
Emily Hooks as Mona
From a small town in Southern Illinois, Emily Hooks is an actor based in Los Angeles who has portrayed various roles on stage, in front of a camera, and behind the mic. After receiving her BFA in Acting from the Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance, Emily has spent her time collaborating on film projects, narrating for audiobooks, and continuing to grow and nourish her skills as an artist. She is most known for her work on the productions “You’re Hired!,” “4:55,” “Stages,” and the new podcast series, “How to Fall in Love the Hard Way.”
Instagram: @emilyahooks
Website: www.emilyahooks.com
Josh Odsess-Rubin as Gross Gene
Josh Odsess-Rubin is an actor based in Los Angeles, and an alum of Yale, UC Irvine, and Upright Citizens Brigade. He has performed at acclaimed theaters across the country, including the Tony-Award-Winning South Coast Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ars Nova, Portland Stage, A Noise Within, American Stage, Cygnet Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre. His screen credits include films A Girl from a Box (FirstGlance Film Festival – Best Actor nom) and The Good Jew as well as national and international commercials, plus roles on Netflix, Science Channel and Lifetime. Upcoming, Josh will be seen in horror feature The Descendant, web series Packed, and new dark comedies from Apple TV+ and HBO Max.
Instagram: @joshangeles1
Twitter: @joshorubin
Rebecca Hausman as Claire
Rebecca Hausman is an east coast born, west coast based screen and voice over actress always searching for a good cup of coffee or the next gloomy day. She studied acting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and performed as a company member with Washington, DC based movement theater company Synetic Theater before making her way to LA. In addition to voicing Claire in HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY, you can hear her as Olma Marsk on the fantasy Dungeons and Dragons podcast Venture Forth:DND.
Instagram: @rebecca_hausman
Website: rebeccahausman.com
Andrew Brown as Andrew
For over a decade, Andrew has been involved in various independent films as well as community, regional, and repertory theater. He has had the privilege of taking on classic roles like Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath and Damis in Tartuffe as well as the opportunity to work with new authors on their original works. He has performed onstage throughout California, including The Hudson Theater in Los Angeles, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and UCLA. Andrew has also written, directed, and produced multiple television commercials and short films.
Outside of film and theater, Andrew has a degree in Anthropology and Public Health from UCLA and spends much of his time teaching for LAUSD and working with nonprofits including Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, PATH, Community Hospice, Ride for Mom, First Star, Monday Night Mission, and more.
Instagram: @the_andrew_brown
Facebook: @AndrewBrownActor
Website: andrewbrownactor.com
Jennifer Cheung as Harper
Jennifer is an LA-based actor who has worked with Company of Angels, Neo Ensemble Theatre, and Sacred Fools. Select Chicago credits: 106th Mainstage Revue (The Second City); At The Table (Broken Nose Theatre, Jeff Award - Ensemble); Thoughts and Prayers...(Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival). Jennifer studies at The BGB Studio, and graduated from the School at Steppenwolf.
Aeric Azana as Reid
Hailing from Tucson, Arizona by way of a military upbringing, Filipino-American actor Aeric Azana has had an unconventional journey to say the least. With a background in musical theatre, Aeric made his way to Los Angeles in 2016 and fell in love with Film and Television. However, it was Voiceover that truly captured his heart and he has been passionately pursuing it in all its forms. His voice has been featured in commercials for clients like Apple and Chipotle, and can also be heard in the documentary “The Kingmaker” from Showtime. Furthermore, you can hear his voice every week on the Geeksplained Podcast - available on all podcasting platforms. Aeric is incredibly excited to be part of the “HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY” cast and hopes you enjoy the show!
Twitter: @thatdaringman
Instagram: @thatdaringyoungman
Website: aericazana.com
Brittney De León as Gabby
Award winning theater actress from Palm Springs, CA, Brittney humbly has been involved in various independent films as well as community, regional and zoom theater. Classically trained Brittney has had the honor of studying directly with Michael Chekhov Techniques very own Joanna Merlin, and Fitzmaurice's Anna Estrada from the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. Brittney is restarting the LA actors journey while also being an Associate Producer for Variety's Content Studio. She is very excited and grateful to be a part of this cast.
Instagram:
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Stephen WAngner as David
Born and bred in NY, Steve has been seen in “A Christmas Carol”, “Urinetown”, “The Boy From Oz”, “Assassins”, “Annie”, “Othello”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, “Camelot”, “The Full Monty”, “The Pillowman”, and “Henry V”, among many others. A bit of a Shakespeare specialist, he has performed 12 of Shakespeare's plays (some more than once). He has also had the privilege of performing in many original works as part of 8 Festivals of One-Act Plays at Theatre Three in NY, as well as the world premiere of William Missouri Downs' “Innocent Thoughts”.
Shane O’Loughlin as Jack
Shane has a BA in theatre from UMD College Park where he trained in Lecoq Clown, Suzuki, Commedia Dell'arte, and acting like a person. He's obsessed with immersive narratives and loves the podcast genre of storytelling so much that he recently released a passion-project-collaboration, "Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast." Shane has performed live music in DC, London, and Beijing and has composed scores for a number of various film projects and podcast productions. His sci-fi short film, "Worm Food" is due for release next year. He's also an admin of "D&D" on Clubhouse. In his "spare time" Shane plays League of Legends and watches Gordon Ramsay yell at people.
Instagram:
Website:
Sean Burns as Calvin, Spencer, and many others…
Sean grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, got his Bachelor's degree in music in DC, and now resides in New York City. Sean has spent much of the past ten years performing on the road with the national tours of Peter Pan 360 as Michael Darling, Jersey Boys as Joe Pesci/Frankie Valli u.s., and Hello Dolly as Barnaby Tucker. Very grateful to be part of this cast and work on this show!
Website:
Karlie Blair as Marissa and Katie
Karlie Blair is an actor-writer-producer and one of those rare born-and-raised Angelenos. After earning a BA in Theater at UC Berkeley, she found her niche in immersive theater. She’s acted in notable shows that established LA as an immersive hotspot, devised critically-acclaimed original works, and, with immersive events company Metaforyou, produced activations for clients like HBO, Amazon, and Hulu. Ultimately, she loves telling stories in all modalities, from starring as Katharine Hepburn in a solo bio-play (Tea at Five, Argyros Theater, Sun Valley ID, 2022) to interacting in real time with worldwide audiences as 10 different characters in the first live theater VR experience (The Under Presents, Tender Claws, 2019-22). A longtime podcast enthusiast, she’s thrilled to finally be part of one with “How to Fall in Love the Hard Way.”
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Megan Gill as Alexis and Lauren
Megan is an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. Her background is in musical theatre, and she holds a BFA from Wichita State University. Megan wrote, produced, and starred in the short film A Broadway Body (completed 2022). She's performed at regional theatres and Equity houses across the country, has starred in a number of short films and narrative music videos, and is continuing to pursue both stage, screen, and voiceover work in LA. When Megan is not acting, podcasting, or filmmaking, she is the owner of Megan Transcribes, a podcast transcription company that supports female-identifying podcast hosts, and loves to relax on the beach, practice yoga and barre, and play with dogs!
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Director’s Statement.
A lot of things inspired me to write HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY. Like, the fact that there are no shows about Midwestern Jews. And hating that trope about how an ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend is an inherently evil harpy. Also, how the only stories about people in their 30s dealing with love and sex revolve around impossibly thin, rich, and privileged white women in Manhattan whose biggest concerns are dildos and ovulation kits. Where’s the diverse group of friends from the middle of the country who are all terrified of falling in love or of never falling in love or trying to find their way in their career or move out of their parents’ house (because hello, 2008 market crash)? Where are the 30-somethings whose sense of humor revolves around the same things it did in high school? Like… my friends and I love to out double entendre each other and watch trashy reality TV. Where’s that dynamic?
HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY answers all those questions, but it specifically came about because I broke up with a guy I’d been with for 7 years, right before he was about to propose.
He – like Jack – was a dentist, and less than two years after we broke up, I was in a dead-end relationship and he was engaged to the dental hygienist in his practice, a woman who was basically my goyishe doppelganger. At first, I definitely thought this woman was an evil harpy. So I Facebook-stalked her. And the more I did that, the less enraged I felt. Beyond our looks, we were VERY similar people. To the point that we would probably be friends under different circumstances. And that’s how Claire and Harper’s characters – and their friendship – were born. Mona is the grown-up version of a badass cello player I had created for a YA novel I once outlined, but never wrote. Her realism-bordering-on-cynicism, dry sense of humor, and self-possessed nature are a joy to write and a great foil to Claire. As for Gross Gene, he’s an ode to creepy guys everywhere, and was originally intended to be a creeper, except the more I wrote him, the more I loved him and the more his heart of gold shone through the double entendre soaked ooze.
Originally, HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY was written as a single camera comedy pilot, but then COVID hit and I got restless to make something. The dialogue was so zingy, the relationships built so much through conversation, that I knew my TV script could be the pilot for a badass audio series. So I adapted the script to audio, and then… 8 weeks of casting, recording, and editing later, HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY as we know it was officially born.
It’s a show about how I felt as an unmarried 36-year-old woman in a serious relationship (not that dead end one) – who has dreams and goals she’s pursuing, still gets bowled over by the depth of her feelings for people, and scared that time might be running out in life. It’s about anxiety, food, and friendships – those you’ve had since you were a kid, and the unlikely new ones you make as an adult. About being Jewish and being socially conscious, about living with mental illness, about intersectional feminism and combatting sexism at work. It’s a love letter to St. Louis, the city where I grew up, a place that’s special to me. And most of all, it’s an ode to love and romance – the good, the bad, the scary, the funny, and the illuminating; the things that make let your guard down and help you feel alive.
I wrote HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY to say, “Yeah! Life isn’t necessarily magically worked out when you hit 30,” but if you open yourself up, love – the romantic kind and the kind borne from friendship and self-acceptance - can help you get there. Plus, there are a lot of dirty jokes. And those are really fun to write.
Episodes
Step One: Go to the Grocery Store
Claire finds out some surprising news about an ex-boyfriend. Mona is surprised to learn of a new assignment at work. Harper is surprised to meet Claire. And a lot of serendipity happens at a grocery store.
Step Two: Go Out on a Limb… and Fall Flat on Your Face
Mona, Claire, and Harper record the first episode of their podcast and struggle with others’ expectations (and how to phrase a text message). Gross Gene struggles with making plans for the future. Also, we meet Gross Gene’s parents.
Step Three: Air Your Grievances in a Public Forum
Harper, Claire, and Mona get drunk and perpetrate some minor breaking and entering. Also, Gross Gene meets with his chef for his restaurant.
Step Four: Pull a Sandy from Grease, Especially if you Can Rock a Leather Catsuit
Harper doesn’t wear a leather catsuit - she changes her scrubs and Jack can’t handle it. Claire and Andrew go on a date. Mona tries to avoid Gross Gene, except she realizes Gross Gene has been inside her all along. Er… yeah. Let’s go with that.
Step Five: Ask Yourself, “Am I Growing or is it Self-Sabotage?”
Claire and Andrew have a perfect day together… until Claire overshares. Mona still tries to avoid Gross Gene, and when she runs into him (of course) he’s not acting like himself. Harper throws the world’s most uncomfortable dinner party.
Step Six: Have Ill-Advised Sex
This one is structured like the movie Go. Mona records the first episode of Herstory. Claire crashes a quiet night in wearing only a trenchcoat. Harper makes what she thinks is an innocuous comment, then goes dancing with Gross Gene. All the stories intersect.
Step Seven: Tell Yourself Everything is Fine (Even if it’s Not)
Mona and Gene go hiking at a state park. Harper and Jack plan their wedding. Claire and Andrew spend the afternoon writing. Everyone gets mad.
Step Eight: Get Stuck During a Tornado
There’s a tornado. Mona, Harper, and Claire have to confront some stuff. Separately.
Step Nine: Cry in the Bathroom
A few days after the tornado. Mona, Harper, and Claire have to confront some stuff (aka each other). Together.
Step Ten: Eat Out and Make Up
Gross Gene’s restaurant is opening. It’s time for everyone to kiss and make up. Or at least come to an understanding.
About the Creator.
Paige Feldman is a Los Angeles based (and St. Louis born and raised) writer and filmmaker with a decade of experience working in independent film and TV sales, financing, and production. Films and shows she’s worked on have won Emmys, been shortlisted for Oscars, and premiered in festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, TIFF, Tribeca, and SXSW.
Her own stories, about complex women pursuing their dreams, feature protagonists who are driven, sex-positive, and Jewish, like Paige herself. She always peppers her own experiences into those stories. Paige fences foil and her novel TONIGHT, I’LL BE RUTHLESS, a swashbuckling reimagining of Cinderella, earned her a place in the prestigious SCBWI Nevada Mentorship Program. An experience better left unpublished inspired her directorial debut, INTERROBANG, about moments after sex when being emotionally naked is more terrifying than being physically naked. Paige ensured the short-form comedy anthology, which she also wrote and produced, reflects her belief in diversity and inclusion through featuring a majority women and POC cast and crew. She has also produced a successful storytelling show and fundraiser for Planned Parenthood and Committee to Protect Journalists.
Paige holds a B.A. from USC School of Cinematic Arts and a J.D. from Northwestern. WING DAD, a comedy feature she co-wrote about the anxiety of growing up (even as a 30-something), dealing with your parents, and running a business during COVID was shot in December 2020 and is currently in post. Her St. Louis-set audio romantic comedy series about figuring out love, friendship, and life in your 30s – HOW TO FALL IN LOVE THE HARD WAY – premiered on Spotify and Apple Podcasts this past November with new episodes coming in early 2021.