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…
Sept. 2, 2024
The Taming of the Shrew: ‘No Profit Grows Where No Pleasure Is taken’
Episode 133: The complications with dating the play and it’s relationship with a similar Elizabethan play The sources for the play A short summary of the play The Christopher Sly framing device Switching of roles in the play…
Aug. 26, 2024
Richard 3rd at Shakespeare's Globe
Episode 132 My thoughts on seeing a recent production of Richard 3rd at Shakespeare's Globe, starring Michelle Terry in the titular role. The production and the controversy that surrounded it raises questions about gender fl…
Aug. 19, 2024
Richard 3rd: 'And Thus I Clothe My Naked Villainy'
Episode 131: Richard 3rd: ‘And Thus I Clothe My Naked Villainy.’ Shakespeare dramatises the life of the last Plantagenet king and create one of theatre's most spectacular villains. The dating of the play The quarto editions …
Aug. 12, 2024
The search for Richard 3rd: A Conversation with Mathew Morris
Episode 130: Mathew Morris talk to me about the archaeological dig that resulted in the discovery of the final remains of Richard 3rd, which serves as a prelude to the next episode which will be all about Shakespeare’s take …
Aug. 5, 2024
Henry 6th part 3: ‘How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown.’
Episode 129: A brief recap on the dating and sources of the play A brief synopsis of the play The problem of multiple battlefield scenes and the depiction of violence How language in the play is used to underline the changin…
July 29, 2024
John Hall of Stratford-Upon-Avon: A Conversation with John Taplin
Episode 128: Author John Taplin discusses researching the Stratford families of Shakespeare's time and particularly the ancestry of John Hall, Shakespeare's son-in-law. John Taplin spent the majority of his career in managem…
July 22, 2024
Henry 6th part 2: ‘The Fox Barks Not When He Would Steal the Lamb’
Episode 127: A recap of Henry VI part one and the potential involvement of Christopher Marlowe A word on methods of authorship attribution in the context of Shakespeare and Marlowe The dating and sources of the play A synops…
July 15, 2024
Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers: A Conversation with Dr. Darren Freebury-Jones
Episode 126: A conversation with Dr. Darren Freebury-Jones, author of 'Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers' about the influence of early modern playwrights on Shakespeare where we talk about Marlowe, Kyd, Greene and others and t…
July 8, 2024
Henry 6th part 1: ‘My Thoughts Are Whirled Like a Potter's Wheel’
Episode 125: A detailed look at the first Shakespearean history play 'Henry 6th part 1' The problems with dating 1 Henry VI How much of the play did Shakespeare write? The relationship of the play to parts 2 and 3 The source…
July 1, 2024
'To Gender or Not to Gender': A Conversation With Margaret Oakes
Episode 124: A conversation with Margaret Oakes about the book 'To Gender or Not to Gender: Casting and Characters for 21st Century Shakespeare’ which explores ways in which gender is being reinterpreted by British and North…
June 24, 2024
Hunt, Grenfell and the Satyr Play
Bonus Episode 36: Sometimes things conspire against the podcaster, as has happened to me in the last couple of weeks, meaning that I have not been able to get the promised episode up to scratch in time. To make up for this …
June 17, 2024
William of Stratford, a Coda: The History of New Place
Episode 123: The Origins of New Place The Clopton’s of Stratford-Upon-Avon The first house at New Place Hugh Clopton and his support for Stratford William Clopton William Bott and murder at New Place (maybe) William Underhil…