Category: Blog

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mbula Enobong. She was a dear friend, fellow improviser and an all around amazing human. She brought true joy to so many in the role of Loria Berenice in season 2 of Alba Salix and as The Captain in Civilized.

I will always remember Mbula as the shining light that was my first week at Hamilton Improv. How she would cackle and hug me so ferociously as we attacked the status quo and delved into diversity and anti-racism in our sketches on stage together. I felt fearless when I was around Mbula. Her smile and kindness were unmatchable.

Eli and I put everything we had into Loria and Pearcey. This would be our coming out in an audio drama. This was our first same sex couple and we wanted them to be vivacious and alive and so human. Mbula was the first person we thought of as we created Loria and we were overjoyed when she agreed to take on the role.

I’ll never forget that weekend in studio. It was Mbula’s first time acting from a script and she was a little terrified. But there is such a strength in Mbula. She grabbed her script and marched into the booth. And we began recording one of the first scenes between Loria and Pearcey. It was just Mbula and Elaine in the room. 

I remember us doing a few takes and we could hear Mbula’s nerves. It wasn’t working. And it was up to me as co-Director to help get her comfortable. I was wracking my brain for how to help her feel like she was on an improv stage, but I also understood. To this day, I struggle when I’m handed a script. The fellow improviser in me was at a loss.

And that’s when Mbula asked us to wait and she turned to Elaine, who plays Pearcey. I heard her ask Elaine if they could turn and face each other as they did the scene. Elaine, who is one of the most unflappable and stunning actors I’ve ever worked with, nodded and they turned their music stands and said they were ready to go again. This time, Elaine played to Mbula and I watched as she gave Mbula the energy and prompts Mbula so craved. Suddenly, Mbula was improvising. 

That is the take that we ended up using. It was gold.

Mbula has never hidden from the fact that she struggled with her mental health. She was always an advocate for bringing our improv and community efforts to those who might not otherwise have access to improv theatre and the arts.

I know Mbula would want others to know that help is out there if you are in need. These are difficult times. Please reach out to your loved ones and friends. And if you are in need of help, please contact a local crisis line.

I will forever remember her smile, her infectious laughter and a hug that went on for days.

We will miss you, Mbula Enobong. May your laughter ring out on your next journey.

We are forever grateful for your support as it helps us pay our actors and devote more of our time every month to creating the shows you love.

One of the perks our patreon supporters receive is access to an exclusive feed of early releases, bonus episodes and more. In the past, it was super challenging to find your feed URL and then install it in a podcast app of your choosing.

We provide instructions below for doing this from your phone or tablet and also from a desktop computer.

The Short Version

For those familiar with podcast apps and Patreon. More detailed instructions with screenshots are below in The Step by Step Version.

1. Use your phone, tablet or other device that you listen to podcasts on. You can also do this from your desktop computer, but the options are far more limited. 
2. Go to this URL in your web browser on that device: albasalix.com/patreon
3. You may be asked to log into Patreon. Do so.
4. Then you will be asked to allow Acast for Patreon to access your account. Click Allow.
5. You should then be taken to a screen that allows you to auto-subscribe in quite a few apps. Just click on your podcast app if you see it. It also gives you the RSS feed you can copy and paste into an app that isn’t listed.

The Step by Step Version — From your SmartPhone or Tablet

What follows are screenshots from an iPhone. But there should be similar options from an Android device.

Step 1: Open a web browser (of your choice) on your smart phone or tablet. Whatever device you have your preferred podcast app installed on.

Step 2: Go to this URL from your device: albasalix.com/patreon

Step 3: If you aren’t logged into Patreon, you will be asked to. Log in with your Patreon credentials.

Step 4: You will be taken to an authorization request from Acast for Patreon. This is simply allowing this service to access your unique RSS feed for you. Click Allow.

Step 5: The system will determine what device you are on and give you a list of possible apps that it can auto-subscribe to your unique Patreon podcast feed. Simply select the app that works best for you.

Note: You will also see the option for copying your unique RSS feed so you can install into an app not listed.

Step 6: You may be asked to open the app selected. In this case, I clicked on Pocket Casts. Click Open.

Step 7: Don’t skip this step! Be sure to click Subscribe in your app. I’m using Pocket Casts here which used to be horrific to subscribe to a custom RSS in. It’s now SO easy!

If you get an error here, it may be that you are already subscribed. Unsubscribe in your app and then try again and it should work.

Step 8: That’s it! You should now see your unique Patreon feed in your podcast app and you can now access all the bonus episodes and early releases for your tier!

The Step by Step Version — From your Desktop

What follows are screenshots from an Apple/Mac computer. But there should be similar options from a PC.

Step 1: Go to this URL: albasalix.com/patreon

Step 2: If you aren’t logged into Patreon, you will be asked to. Log in with your Patreon credentials.

Step 3: You will be see an authorization request from Acast for Patreon. This is simply allowing this service to access your unique RSS feed for you. Click Allow.

Step 4: The above is what you would see if you are on a Mac computer. You can now just select the podcast app you use on your desktop. It will open that app and initiate an auto-subscribe.

Step 5: In this case, I clicked on Apple Podcasts. It asked me if I wanted to subscribe to this new feed. I clicked Yes and now I can listen to all my bonus content for my tier from this special show that is just for me.

Note that if I used a different app on my desktop, I can grab the RSS feed from Step 4 and configure it manually in the app of my choosing.

What if none of this works for me?

You can always reach out to us and we will do our best to provide you support and guidance. Email info at fableandfolly.com

You can also find all of this content on Patreon.com or using the Patreon app on your phone or smart device. 

A giant shout of thanks to everyone who became a supporter or upped their pledge. You truly surprised us and we are humbled by your continued support.

As of January 12, every active patron at the $5 or higher level will be receiving the Special Offer perks.

So what are the perks? We’ve got the Axe and Crown button, the Axe and Crown coaster and the Alba Salix sticker. But wait, that’s only three tiers and we reached tier 4. What’s up with that?

We never planned for a fourth tier, so we had to scramble. We considered creating another button or sticker, but then we realized we had something even better. Many months back, we brought the End of Time and Other Bothers table together to create a mini-episode, and it was probably one of the funniest things we ever recorded. But things went off the rails at the end and Sean ended up changing the storyverse so drastically that we shelved the episode, expecting to never release it.

But Eli came up with a way to record three additional lines at the end and save the episode. So this is now the tier 4 reward and it will be coming out in about two weeks for all $5 and up supporters. Right now, the working title for this strange little bonus episode is: Swamp Thing.

We are just waiting on new envelopes to arrive and we will get the physical goods from the special offer into the mail.

And we’re also sending out our mystery packages to our $10 and up supporters. These are a little bit less of a mystery this time because of the Special Offer. You’re going to get a few more of the Special Offer items and we also have a couple nice things just for our Benefactors and Nobility level patrons.

We want to close by saying again how much we value you and your support. It truly makes a difference and allows us to devote more time to creating these stories.

- Sean and Eli

Alba Salix, Royal Physician Returns with Volume 2 on November 2

And to celebrate the return of the long-awaited next season, Eli and Sean will be hosting a live AMA session on Instagram and via YouTube Live. This is a session where we answer your questions.

The AMA session will be on Friday, Nov 2 at 8pm New York City (EDT) / 1am London (GMT).

Link to the video stream: https://youtu.be/8Fzj9xqKTfw

Be sure to send any questions to us via our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook or any other of our channels. We look forward to answering your questions and celebrating the return of Alba Salix.

You can follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Instagram account.

We will also be posting links 5 minutes prior to the event to the following:

• on our Twitter account
• on our Facebook page
• in this blog post
• on our Patreon discord chat

The creators of Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Axe & Crown are excited to announce a brand-new podcast set in the fairytale kingdom of Farloria. But this one’s got a twist. Nobody knows what’s going to happen… least of all the participants!

The End of Time and Other Bothers is an improvised fantasy roleplaying game set in the world of Alba Salix. Producer extraordinaire Sean Howard emerges from behind the scenes to head up this new adventure as the Game Master.

It’s a tale of minotaurs, fairy cakes and cafeteria line workers, dystopian empires, magical waterfalls and mysterious books. Oh, and the end of time—that’s in there somewhere too.

So join us on April 15th to hear how a half-demon, a flightless fairy and a lowly human negotiate the pitfalls and perils of a world gone mad. They have no idea what will be thrown at them and Sean has no idea what they’ll throw back.

This improvised fantasy roleplaying game can be heard every two weeks with each new episode released on Sundays.

If you don’t tune in, you’ll have no idea what pneumatic tubes, fae stones and centaur pants have in common! You don’t want to be THAT person, do you?

Subscribe to The End of Time and Other Bothers wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen on OtherBothers.com
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Stitcher