Mar 122024
 

Pericles; Act 5, Scene 1
Pericles and Marina
March 12, 2024

We welcome one of our favorite guests back to the State of Shakespeare.  Ben Steinfeld catches us up on his own epic journey and on Fiasco Theatre’s production of Pericles, in performances now at the Classic Stage Company in NYC.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here For More information about Pericles at the Classic Stage Company

Feb 282024
 

Richard III; Act 5, Scene 1
Buckingham
February 28, 2024

Actor Yao Dogbe returns to the stage of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre for the highly-anticipated production of Richard III. The inaugural effort by brand-new helmsman Edward Hall, this reimagining of one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays has been grabbing attention for its unconventional casting and daring concept. But for Dogbe, it’s more than just another role—it’s a personal journey about family.

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.

Click here For More information about Richard III at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Jan 222024
 

The Tempest; Act 4, Scene 1
Prospero
January 16, 202
4

To the uninitiated, northwest Arkansas may sound like an unlikely paradise for an actor.  But as Shakespeare’s Prospero shows us, magic is found where you choose to make it.  Our guest Steven Charles Marzolf has happily made an artistic home in Fayetteville for the past twelve years, where he recently played Prospero in the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre / University of Central Arkansas co-Production of The Tempest.

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.

Nov 272023
 

Macbeth; Act 5, Scene 1
Lady Macbeth
November 21, 2023

Elena Hollenbeak is the winner of the 2023 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition.  We spoke with the talented Ms. Hollenbeak and her mentor, Dr. Lyn Ackerman, about this year’s competition and what’s so fascinating about Shakespeare.  Along the way we learn about a heart-stopping moment for Lady Macbeth. that Shakespeare might have missed, and why the state of Hawaii produces so many exceptional ESU competitors.

Click here to follow along with the text.

Oct 302023
 

Romeo & Juliet; Act 3, Scene 2
Juliet
October 24, 2023

Canadian actor Sara Topham met Shakespeare’s Juliet when she was just seventeen and facing the premature overthrow of a promising career.  This could be a story about how a star-crossed young dancer became one of the most accomplished classical stage actors of her generation.  Or it could be a masterclass in respecting Shakespeare’s verse.  Or it could be a love letter to a future generation of Juliets.  All we know is to breathe at the end of the line!

Click here to follow along with the text.

Click here for a Folio Version.

Click here for a Scanned Version.

Sep 292023
 

Hamlet; Act 2, Scene 2
Hamlet
September 29, 2023

Marquis D. Gibson‘s Broadway debut was as sudden as it was spectacular. Appearing in the Hamlet inspired Fat Ham, Marquis played the Hamlet character wrestling with a lot of different big questions. For Marquis, it came down to truth, connection and a big dose of relationship. What a piece of work is a man, indeed.

Click here to follow along with the text

Click here for a Folio Version

Aug 292023
 

Unrehearsed: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Barefoot Shakespeare Company
August 29, 2023

Memorizing lines comes quickly for Andrew J. Dunn. Putting the fun back in theater is what he is all about, which is why he agreed to produce, publicize and act in the Unrehearsed Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Barefoot Shakespeare Company. He even referees in what is called an event “for Sports Fans!” where the lines between spectator and actor are often blurred.

Click here for more information about the show and the Barefoot Shakespeare Company.

Jul 122023
 

Love’s Labor’s Lost
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
July 12, 2023

Ask Amanda Dehnert what she does for a living, and she’ll laughingly say she “imagines things.”  As a visionary theatre creator, she has worked with some of the most exciting theatre companies to emerge over the last 25 years.  Ms. Dehnert brings her unique talents to bear in the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s new production of Love’s Labors Lost, for which she both directed and co-composed an original pop-rock score.  

Love’s Labors Lost Photo Credits: T. Charles Erickson

May 262023
 

Hamlet; Act 2, Scene 2
Hamlet
May 26, 2023

When it comes to Shakespeare’s secrets, “meaning” and “sense” stand separate, yet actors must master both. So asserts Dakin Matthews: actor extraordinaire, seasoned stage savant of 250+ productions, and the scribe behind Shakespeare Spoken Here. Delving daringly into Hamlet’s “Is it not monstrous…” soliloquy (Act II, scene 2), Daikin declares that in the realm of Shakespearean performance, rules crumble, crushed by the audacious.

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.

Mar 242023
 

The Winter’s Tale; Act 3, Scene 2
Hermione
March 23, 2023

For Miriam Laube, 16 is a magic number. 16 years at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and 16 years away from court in Winter’s Tale (for her featured character, Hermione). With a dash of humor and a fierce sense of self, Miriam has breathed life into countless Shakespeare characters both on stage and through Play On Podcasts. Finding the honor in Hermione was both a professional and personal journey.

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.

Below are two songs from Miriam inspired by Shakespeare!