26 Jun 2026

The Future is Now

Aaaaand we're back! Did you miss us? Of course you did. It's our first newsletter in one million years, and we couldn't be more delighted to return with all the news that's fit to digitally print.

It's been a busy month at the Frank & Sense factory. The content mill has been churning away, serving up delicious digital delights that you will talk about for the rest of your life. This month, we've been talking Pointless Theatre (the unabashedly weird puppet theater company based in DC), the most recent Taylor Swift album, the history of the Washington Wizards, and the NBA draft.

Are you ready for it? Let's dive in.

The Future is Pointless

With Patti Kalil, Matthew Reckeweg, and Lex Davis

When I graduated college, my friends and I decided to start a theatre company together. We were dumb, stubborn, and brave. 16 years later, we're still around, and evolving into something new. This is the story of how it all happened.

A podcast episode 16 years in the making! Matthew Reckeweg, Patti Kalil, and Lex Davis join the podcast to talk about Pointless Theatre, the unabashedly weird puppetry company based out of Washington DC. Matthew and Patti are the co-founding artistic directors of Pointless, and Lex and I served as chairs of Pointless for the last two years.

The scope of this episode is ambitious - from the origins of the company in a smoke-filled college group house to today, where it is evolving, once again, into something new.

Many of the guests you know and love from Frank & Sense are in some way a part of the Pointless collective, including Matt Sparacino, Aaron Bliden, Jay Kasten, Michael Saltzman, Zach Latta, Lee Gerstenhaber, Becca Ballinger, Ali Grusell, and Navi, just to name a few.

We discuss ignoring bad advice, ruthless editing, and being dumb, stubborn, and brave. We also share some tough lessons learned about the pressure to professionalize, the limitations of the nonprofit structure, and how it can impact theater companies. We also share the story behind the origin of the name Pointless, and much more!

All of that, on this episode of "Frank & Sense!" Episode is embedded below and available everywhere you get your podcasts!

Stuff we talk about:

The only surviving footage of The Point, from Fall 2009.
Young, Scrappy, and Hungry: Meet the Newest Generation of Local Theaters; Washington City Paper, March 2026
Surprise! A Pointless Public Statement (our first public statement in 3.5 years!)

And be sure to check out Harry Nilsson's "The Point," if you've never listened to it. An album so good that it spawned a theater company!

The Podcast of a Showgirl

With Rebecca Wahls and Becca Ballinger

Our old pals Becca Ballinger and Rebecca Wahls are back on the show to talk about Taylor Swift's most recent album, "The Life of a Showgirl!" Since the last time we talked about Taylor, she got the rights to her music back, she got engaged, and she did a podcast. (She’s welcome on our show anytime, btw!) She's done dating Hamlets and she's knocking on Wood. She's back with an album that is...interesting! We talk about the rope era of show business, different types of pens, and going to the dentist. Plus, Lady Gaga makes a special appearance!

Episode is embedded below and available everywhere you get your podcasts!

A Brief History of the Washington Wizards

Decades of heartbreak, bad contracts, a few moments of joy, and now…a new day. This is how we got here.

I made a short video essay about this weird team that I love for some reason. The NBA draft was on Tuesday, so I went back through the full history of the Washington Wizards leading up to the present moment to recap and remember how we got here. I tried to make something that is a good intro for newbies who might want to hop on the Wizards bandwagon, or anyone who wants to relive the history of one of the most perplexing (and lovable) teams in the NBA. Available now on YouTube!

The Future of the Wizards Starts Now: The 2026 NBA Draft

Well, it finally happened. The night that we've all been waiting for. The 2026 NBA draft was on Tuesday, and Frank, Greg, Matt, and special guest Jake Frelick joined the show to talk about the future of our beloved Washington Wizards. We talk about the possible starting five next year, the Trae Young extension, the Giannis trade, and much more. Plus, we give an important update on the future of the show starting around 1:07:00. Thank you for listening. We love you. Listen now!