Episodes
Jan. 23, 2023
Building Theatre: The Earliest Playhouses in London
Episode 89: As England emerged from the Medieval period theatre became established in London in purpose built theatres and in buildings adapted for the purpose. In this episode we look at those earliest theatres and their b…
Jan. 9, 2023
The Renaissance from Europe to England
Episode 88: An introduction to season 5 of the podcast. The theatrical links between England and Continental Europe in the 16 th Century. Some differences and similarities. Why English theatre stands apart from that of cont…
Dec. 31, 2022
Pantomime: A conversation with Aaron Odom - part 2
The second part of my seasonal chat with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast. We pick up the story of the history of the British Christmas Pantomime, going further back to the in…
Dec. 24, 2022
Pantomime: A conversation with Aaron Odom - part 1
A seasonal episode with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast where the main subject of the day is the phenomenon of the British Christmas Pantomime, but in a wide-ranging chat abo…
Dec. 12, 2022
The Oberammergau Passion Play
A bonus episode on the origins, development and recent history of The Oberammergau Passion Play. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the f…
Nov. 28, 2022
Pericles & Aspasia: A Conversation With Yvonne Korshak
A conversation with author Yvonne Korshak about her novel 'Pericles and Aspasia' The novel unfolds against the background of the arts and history of the Golden Age seen through the eyes of two individuals who lent their lust…
Nov. 14, 2022
Athens
Thoughts on a recent trip to the Greek capital, Athens a city resonating with ancient history Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the foll…
Oct. 31, 2022
The Bones Of Calderon de la Bacca
A bonus episodes as a coda to the European Renaissance Theatre season following the story of what happened to the remains of Calderon de la Bacca after his death. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com w…
Oct. 17, 2022
Renaissance Places of Seeing: Life at the Corral Del Principe
Episode 87: A fictionalised account of a day in the life of one of Madrid's Renaissance period theatres, the Corral Del Principe, using some of the facts and assumptions discussed in the season about the European Renaissance…
Oct. 3, 2022
European Renaissance Conclusions
Episode 86: A summary to conclude the season on European Renaissance Theatre focussing on four aspects of the theatre that I have covered in the last twenty-two episodes: The Italian Rebirth The Parisian Theatre Theatre in S…
Sept. 19, 2022
Bernini and Others: Sculpture, Architecture and Plays
Episode 85: We return to Italy, to the birthplace of the Renaissance, for one last visit in this theatrical age. The Bernini family and their history as sculptors and architects. The early life and career of the second-gener…
Sept. 5, 2022
Behind the Dikes: Renaissance Theatre in The Netherlands
Episode 84: Given the destruction of the thirty years war moving backwards and forwards across the Germanic and Flemish states of Europe between 1618 and 1648 it is a wonder that any art could flourish at all but in the Neth…
Aug. 22, 2022
Commedia Dell’arte: Players and Troupes
Episode 83: The Commedia Dell’arte tropes that operated in Italy and France were like many actors before them - travelling players operating if not exactly outside of society, then in their own niche within it. The framework…
Aug. 8, 2022
Commedia Dell’arte: A Selection of Scenarios
Episode 82: The characters of Commedia Dell’arte may have been used in every play over and over again until they became completely familiar, but the plays themselves were more varied that you might imagine. The first preserv…
July 25, 2022
Commedia Dell’arte: Characters and Masks
Episode 81: The development of common character types through the travelling troupes. The hierarchy of character, the troupe, and how that reflected society in general. The five main characters: Pantalone Il Dottore Il Capit…
July 11, 2022
Mountebanks, Charlatans, and the Origins of Commedia Dell’arte
Episode 80: The influence of Italian literary theatre can be seen in later works, but if there is one form that infiltrated the general consciousness of theatrical comedy on the continent it is the Commedia Dell’arte. A defi…
June 27, 2022
Keeping It Real: Italian Theatre In Perspective
Episode 79: As things moved on in the early renaissance art - painting and sculpture - led the way and theatre soon followed. Artists tried to inject more realism into their work, showing their subjects as they really were,…
June 13, 2022
Entertaining Madrid: The Corral del Principe
Episode 78: Records about the second corral in Madrid tell us a lot about the theatre. In this episode we go through the details of what the different parts of the theatre on the Calle del Principe were like. A short remind…
May 30, 2022
Life Is a Dream: Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Episode 77: The life of Pedro Calderon de la Barca who took Lope de Vega’s crown as the greatest living Spanish playwright after Lope’s death in 1635 His childhood, youthful brushes with the law, military service and early p…
May 16, 2022
A Master At Work: The Plays of Lope de Vega
Episode 76: A discussion of a sample of the plays by Lope de Vega The Gardener's Dog: A Comedy The meaning of the title, a plot summary, the major themes. Punishment Without Vengeance: A Tragedy. A plot summary, it's debt to…
May 3, 2022
The Second Anniversary Episode
A special bonus episode to celebrate the second anniversary of the podcast. We step out of the timeline of the renaissance theatre as I tell the story of the venue that was the home to my first theatrical experiences - The C…
May 2, 2022
Lope de Vega: The World’s Most Prolific Playwright
Episode 75: The Life of Lope de Vega, greatest dramatist of the Spanish Renaissance Theatre. He had a very full life which was not just confined to writing plays, but his output was prolific on a scale that has not been matc…
April 23, 2022
Shakespeare: Wordsmith of the English Language
A special bonus episode to celebrate the Birthday of William Shakespeare which looks at the way he used and created the English Language. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.p…
April 18, 2022
The Spanish Playhouse, its manager, his actors, and their audience
Episode 74: The development of Spanish theatre buildings, including the original, the Corral de la Olivera in Valencia. Alberto Ganassa and the influence of his Comedia Dell Arte troupe. The first theatre in Madrid the Corra…