Feb 232022
 

Teenage Dick
February 23, 2022

What happens if you plunk down Richard III in a modern day High School? You get Teenage Dick. Teenage Dick, Written by Mike Lew, was commissioned and developed by Gregg Mozgala’s own theater company, The Apothetae, which is dedicated to productions that illuminate the disabled experience.

“Exhilarating. It suggests how much richer the theater will be when it is truly open to artists of all kinds. Not just because those artists deserve employment but also because the canon of classics deserves reimagining to match our world.”

Lew says, “We set out to re-examine disability politics from Shakespearean times to our time, through a dark comedy that mashes up Shakespeare-talk and Tik Tok.” Join us as we sit down with Mike and talk all things Teenage Dick.

Jan 272022
 

The Untitled Othello Project
January 27, 2022

What is the Untitled Othello Project?  According to Keith Hamilton Cobb, the award-winning playwright who is the driving force behind the ensemble-based “adventure in theatre-making”, it’s much more than a deep and sustained exploration of Shakespeare’s text, it’s an “exercise in creative justice.” With this project, Keith is not just tackling Shakespeare’s play, he is taking on the whole “theatre industry complex”.

Dec 102021
 

The Tragedy of Macbeth
Act 5, Scene 5
December 10, 2021

Paul Alan Ruben has a sense for the feeling of a piece. The Grammy award winning director has finally turned his sense to Shakespeare. With Scott Brick in the title role, he has created the audiobook of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Creating this piece was a delicate balancing act between director, actor and microphone. Especially given that they were never in the same room! 

The Tragedy of Macbeth, which Paul directed for Dreamscape Audio, was released on March 18, 2021. The play features ten actor/audiobook narrators, including some of our industry’s most notable performers: Scott Brick, Simon Vance, Dion Graham and Kathe Mazur. Get it here: The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Click here to follow Scott with the text.

Jul 172021
 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Act 3, Scene 1
Bottom
July 18, 2021

Live theatre is back!  Our guest, Patrick Harvey, is a member of the inaugural cast of the Connecticut Shakespeare Festival.  He’s playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hartford’s Playhouse on Park.  In this interview, Patrick shares why he especially loves playing characters who speak in prose – hint: it’s not all about the verse.

Jun 282021
 

Titus Andronicus: Act 1, Scene 4
Tamora
June 28, 2021

Kamilah Long, the Managing Director of Play On Shakespeare, is a force of nature. Growing up in Alabama, she discovered Shakespeare and has never looked back. Kamilah has big plans for Play On Shakespeare and performs Tamora from Titus Andronicus. If you have doubts about the Play On Project, Kamilah goes a long way to dispelling them.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here for a First Folio Version of the text.

Click here for a Scanned Version of the text.

May 302021
 

Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1
Viola
May 30, 2021

The Folger Shakespeare Library stands in a prominent place in our nation’s capital.  Since its founding, the building, its architecture, contents, and programming have been thoughtfully curated with this in mind.  Dr. Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, reveals how Shakespeare’s works influenced our nation’s founders and helped to shape a philosophy of government and the very structure of our constitution.  We also learn how the Folger Library continues to nurture the thought leaders of today and is creating astonishing digital resources for the future.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here for a Scanned Version of the text.

Apr 302021
 

Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2
Hamlet
April 30, 2021

Who better to ask what Shakespeare can teach us about the turbulent times we are living in than Barry Edelstein – the Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and one of the foremost producers and directors of Shakespeare working today?  Recorded just days after the January 6th, 2021 uprising at the Capital, we discuss the current crises facing the country and in the world of Theater.  What is the Old Globe doing to keep the  curtain up and how is the company setting the stage for a post-pandemic future?  (Monologue: Hamlet Act II scene 2)

Hamlet on the Radio: Premieres April 23, 2021 and playing thru June 27, 2021 (link)

Thinking Shakespeare Live: new episodes available for free on YouTube (link)

Aug 252020
 

King Lear: Act 2, Scene 2
Kent
August 28, 2020

He is neither a knave, beggar or a coward, but rather a champion of the Bard! Paul Sugarman has been working with Shakespeare his whole life. Most recently, he is bringing Shakespeare to life with the Instant Shakespeare Company. In this rousing interview, Mr. Sugarman discusses his company, using the First Folio and Shakespearean insults.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here for a First Folio version of the text.

Jun 302020
 

Henry VI, Part III: Act 1, Scene 4
Queen Margaret
June 30, 2020

In our first interview recorded during the Covid-19 era, we caught up with Shirine Babb, whose production of Timon of Athens at the Shakespeare Theatre of DC was abruptly interrupted in March, 2020.  Before “quarantine” and “social distancing” and “Zoom” were household words we were just beginning to grasp the impact of the sudden shuttering of our theatres.  Shirine shares her thoughts on how to survive the times, the production of Timon of Athens and shares Queen Margaret’s infamous speech from Henry VI, Part 3.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here for a First Folio version of the text.

Click here for a scanned version of the text.

May 312020
 

How to Think Like Shakespeare
May 31, 2020

What can we learn about the state of modern education by taking a look back at how young pupils were schooled during Shakespeare’s day?   Our guest Scott Newstok shares some collected wisdom from his book How to Think Like Shakespeare, which has us wondering: when education policy makers prioritize standardized testing, digital instruction and virtual learning environments over more traditional methods, could today’s students be losing more than they are gaining?  

Click here to visit Scott Newstok’s webpage.