Ever wondered what’s the big deal with such and such a play? What exactly was Oedipus’ complex? Was Romeo really worth it? What made a play about vaginas revolutionary? This is where Play: Notes comes in. Join Dramaturgs Emily Duncan and Allison Horsley a
We go out in phenomenal style in the final episode of season one with Fleabag. Since its first showing at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's smash hit one-woman show has launched an astonishing career. Join us as we discuss what aspiring playwrights should take note of in this script.Content Warning: Discussion of suicide.
Did they really say that?! It's time to cover your grandmother's ears – or not – as we take a look at the play that got so many talking in ways they never had before. Eve Ensler's landmark work started a movement still going today.Content Warning: Discussion of sexual violation and violence towards women
We round off season one with a trio of monologues. First up, is the New Zealand classic The End of the Golden Weather. If you've ever wondered how we do Christmas on the beach in Aotearoa, then this is the episode for you.
In the final of three episodes on Shakespeare we ask if The Merchant of Venice really fits the comedy mould. Was the Bard an anti-Semite? What did he want us to make of Antonio and Bassanio's bromance? And did Portia really walk her quality of mercy talk?Content Warning: Discussion of antisemitism.
What's in a prop? How can one handkerchief create so much drama? And why and how would you stage a story about a Moorish General today? Content Warning: Discussion of intimate partner violence.
Oh Romeo, Romeo, what did you do? Why did Juliet fall so hard for you? In the first of three episodes on Shakespeare, we get to grips with the Bard's language.Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and domestic violence.
The perfect cautionary tale for why you should never receive gifts from an angry ex. In the final of our three Greek Tragedy episodes for season one, we discuss how playwright Euripides modified the story of Medea and take a quick dive into Greek mythology. Content Warning: Discussion of family violence and filicide.
Was Antigone the original kick-arse woman character? She's definitely not going down without a fight. In this episode we also take a look around some theatre architecture, the social context in which Greek tragedies were performed, and what it was like to watch a show in 442 BCE.
Long before the invention of the combustion engine Sophocles showed us that road rage never pays. In the first of three episodes on Greek Tragedy, we meet Oedipus the King and get our brains and tongues around hamartia, hubris, and catharsis.Content Warning: Discussion of incest and suicide.
Meet Emily and Allison. They're both dramaturgs. Meaning they've read a lot of plays. Here they tell you why and how this came to be in the preview to season one of Play: Notes.First Episode coming August 3rd 2021