Ngofeen Mputubwele is a PLAYWRIGHT, JOURNALIST, LAWYER, AND podcast producer.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025
Ngofeen Mputubwele presents
THE MONKEYPOX GOSPEL
Underbelly Cowgate - Belly Laugh
Dates: 31 July - 24 August (Not 11th)
“I’m afraid I’m not supposed to be here. I’m gonna end up going back. Failure is inevitable.”
It’s the summer of 2022. Journalist Ngofeen Mputubwele knows he should pitch an article to his bosses at The New Yorker about the global outbreak of “monkeypox” (since renamed mpox). He has a main character (an acquaintance with an early case of the virus); a gay virologist friend helping to coordinate the U.S. government response; and a global perspective as the son of Congolese immigrants (where mpox originated).
Getting the word out is critical, as two million people prepare to attend NYC Pride amidst an outbreak that – like another virus 40 years earlier – is spreading primarily through sexual contact within the queer community.
But writing publicly about queerness terrifies Ngofeen. He only recently broke a lifelong vow of celibacy and began going on dates with men. By writing the article, Ngofeen is risking Deletion – having the Unspeakable Word pronounced by his family and religious community, leaving him adrift in the life of a gay man he’s not sure he wants to be.
The Monkeypox Gospel is a high drama podcast-play that blends real reporting and audio interviews, true events filtered through C.S. Lewis-inspired fantasy, cameos from notables like John Oliver and Anthony Fauci, and nerdy tangents into etymology and opera.
Creative Team:
Writer: Ngofeen Mputubwele
Director: Alex Hare
Producer: Dom Stephens
Cast: Ngofeen Mputubwele and Alex Hare
Set Designer: Forest Entsminger
Sound Designers: Caroline Eng, Chaz McKinney and Ngofeen Mputubwele
Original artwork: Daniel El Dibujo
Graphic design: Brandon Rains
PODCAST VERSION COMING SOON
THE NEW YORKER | Interviews I’ve Produced and Conducted
Neil Gaiman on “The Sandman” and the Power of Dreaming: “Neil Gaiman on the Power of Fantasy in our Lives.” August 19, 2022.
Who Gets To Be Italian? July 24, 2020.
How Nerdwriter Conquered The Internet. July, 15 2022.
Ukraine, War Refugees, and the Problem of White Empathy. May 6, 2022.
Millennial Writers Reflect On A Generation’s Despair, December 13, 2021.
Daniel Sherrell, the Author of “Warmth,” on Living with Climate Despair. July 29, 2022.
How Black Creators Are Changing Hollywood: “Hollywood’s Fraught History With Black Audiences.” February 25, 2022.
Chika’s Devotion to Rap But Not the Game, May 1, 2020.
Designing a Soundscape for the Cars of the Future, August 12, 2022.
voice acting:
duolingo french podcast |host (seasons 1-12)
THE POWER IS OUT (2016-2018)
Episode 007 | That's All We Really Want
We all desire it. Many of us have even experienced it . . . in our younger years. But as working adults, it's unclear whether it still exists. Over a decade ago, Nifer glimpsed it with her own eyes. This is her story.
Episode 006 | La Scommessa
"La paura c'è ... ma bisogna accettarla. E non fare l'errore di arrendersi." Una storia di una scommessa che a volte fa paura, poi un esperimento nel dialetto molisano.
Episode 005 | My Own Story to Tell
From lawyer to podcaster--a story of grappling with race, identity, and responsibility.
Episode 004 | The City of Light, Pt. II
A story about creating connections even when terrorism tries to break them down.
Episode 003 | The City of Light, Pt. I
What happens when life forces you to be right in the center of the world's problems? Three people share the story of one day that did just that.
Episode 002 | Going to Jackson
A story about pursuing community. And how Johnny Cash always makes it better.
Episode 001 | The Pilot
A story about overseas adoption . . . and kindergarten teachers working for the mafia.
Episode 000 | The Trailer
The Power is Out. A storytelling podcast about the struggles and shenanigans that ensue when people in their 20s and 30s try to engage the world around them.