The History Of European Theatre
A podcast tracing the development of theatre from ancient Greece to the present day through the places and people who made theatre happen. More than just dates and lists of plays we'll learn about the social. political and historical context that fostered the creation of dramatic art.This podcast u...
Recent Episodes
Nov. 18, 2024
Shake-Scene Shakespeare: A Conversation With Lizzie Conrad-Hughes
Episode 144: On several occasions through the story of the renaissance theatre I have touched on how the players made use of cue sheets rather than full scripts as they rehearsed and performed plays, so I was fascinated to s…
Nov. 11, 2024
The Life of Ben Jonson Part Two: He That is Taught Only by Himself Has a Fool for a Master
Episode 143: The second part of the life of Ben Jonson takes him from his birth, through his years at school and onto working as a bricklayer. He then briefly joined the army before returning to become a player, a poet and …
Nov. 4, 2024
The Culture of The Shrew in Early Modern Europe: A Conversation with Dr Natalia Pikli
Episode 142 Dr Natália Pikli discusses the changing view of the 'The Shrew' in Medieval and Early Modern European culture and how women are represented in Shakespeare's early comedies, She then goes on to outline how Shakesp…
Oct. 28, 2024
The Life of Ben Jonson Part One: It’s Complicated
Episode 141: In this episode I set us up for a look at the life of Ben Johnson discussing some of the sources for information about his life and how far we can trust them – it’s complicated. Jonson’s 1618 visit to Scotland a…
Oct. 21, 2024
The Kings Lynn Medieval Stage: A Conversation With Tim Fitzhigham
In October 2023 the story of the discovery of a stage floor that dated from before the Elizabethan period in St George’s Guildhall in Kings Lynn hit the news. The attrition to the headline writers was the fact that that ver…
Oct. 14, 2024
The Comedy of Errors: ‘Hand in Hand, Not One Before the Other.’
Episode 139: Last time ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ gave us a look at second comedy from Shakespeare’s early phase as a playwright. As you heard certain elements in the plotting of the play and execution of its denouement make…
Oct. 7, 2024
A Knack to Know a Knave: ‘Laugh at the Faults and Weigh it as it is.’
Episode 138: Over the course of speaking about English Renaissance Plays and Shakespeare I have had cause to mention the play ‘A Knack to Know a Knave’ several times. Most latterly because it is thought to include reference…
Sept. 30, 2024
Two Gentlemen of Verona: ‘O Heaven, Were Men but Constant.’
Episode 137: The dating of the play Printing in the First Folio The sources for the play and the nature of the text A brief synopsis of the play The major themes of the play How the status and youth of Valentine and Proteus …
Sept. 23, 2024
Words, Language and Actions in ‘Titus Andronicus’: A Conversation with Eleanor Conlon.
Episode 136: Having given you my own thoughts on ‘Titus Andronicus’ last time I’m pleased to say that for this special guest episode I was able to take the discussion even further with Eleanor Conlon, a fellow podcaster and …
Sept. 16, 2024
Titus Andronicus: 'Vengeance Is In My Heart, Death In My Hand'
Episode 135: Is Shakespeare’s early tragedy more than just a gore-fest? The first performance of the play, maybe The three playing troupes involved with the play Is the play a collaboration with George Peele? The popularity …
Sept. 14, 2024
Adventures In Theatre History - Philadelphia: The Book
A short word from my good podcasting friend Peter Schmitz, he of the ‘Adventures In Theatre History Philadelphia’ podcast, who has written a book on that very subject and I’m sure that it will be as informative, as amusing a…
Sept. 9, 2024
Shakespeare, the Bible and Dorothy L Sayers: A Conversation with Jem Bloomfield
Episode 134: Author Jem Bloomfield joins us to talk about his recently published book, ‘Allusion in Detective Fiction’, which looks at how and why allusion to Shakespeare and the Bible was used by the masters, or I should sa…
Recent Blog Posts
The Peacham Drawing: Titus Andronicus
'Titus Andronicus' is notable for being the subject of the only contemporary illustration of a Shakespeare play. Known as the Peacham drawing, and currently in the Library at Longleat House in Wiltshire, the seat of the Marquis of Bath, the dr…
New Place, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Featured in episode 123: The History of New Place
Here are three images to help you visualize Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-Upon-Avon, New Place.
The first is a view of the site as it stands today. The side of the house you can see i…
Mystere des Trois Doms
Featured in episode 61: For the Money: The Medieval Commercial Theatre
Ever wondered what a medieval play script looks like? This image is a page from the script for ‘Mystere des Trois Doms’.
This play was produced in 1509 at Roma…
