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 uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Episode 171: For today's guest episode it is a warm welcome to Stephen Watkins who is going to take us a little way forward in the timeline to the world of Restoration England where after fourteen years of closures theatres were again legally opened and where, as we shall hear, performance of Shakespeare plays formed a significant part of the repertoire, and this discussion does focus very much on Shakespeare in the Restoration, we will, of course, get to a look at the other playwrights and players of that period all in good time.Stephen Watkins is a writer and researcher working mainly on Shakespeare and Early Modern literature, with a particular focus on how writers and theatre makers recycle, adapt and remediate source texts to both register and resist historical and cultural change. He has published widely on Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare and the important figure of that time, William Davenant. His book ‘Shakespeare and the Restoration Repertory', as part of the Cambridge University Press, ‘Elements in Shakespeare Performance' series was published in February 2025. In it Stephen demonstrates how Davenant's adaptations of Shakespeare were shaped as much by the transformed commercial and repertorial logics that came to govern the patent companies in the 1660s as they were by shifting aesthetic and political concerns in the period. Stephen has taught English at the Universities of Oxford, Nottingham, and Derby, and is currently based at the University of Greenwich.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-Restoration-Repertory-Elements-Performance/dp/1009324136/ref=sr_1_1?https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Restoration-Repertory-Elements-Performance-ebook/dp/B0F29S1NJ1/ref=sr_1_1?Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 170: The dating of the playThe tradition of the queen Elizabeth commissionThe tradition of the connection to the Garter CeremonyThe Question of who played FalstaffA summary of the plotThe early publication history of the play in short quarto editionsThe sources for the playThe very specific location of the playThe character of FalstaffThe way the dominating prose of the play is used to define charactersThe change in Mistress Quickly and her use of languageThe stereotypical comedy of foreigners in Dr Caius and Parson EvansWas the play written for one audience, but then changed to fit another?The play as a city comedy and how Shakespeare subverts the genreThe influence of Queen Elizabeth's position as a female ruler on the playThe later performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 169A welcome return for Kyle Thomas to the podcast where we discussed Kyle's work on preparing three of the York Cycle plays for performance this summer in Toronto. As you will hear Kyle is part of a team that are going to perform the fifty-play cycle on the 7th June 2025 in the grounds of the University of Toronto.Link to the York Cycle Plays performed at Toronto University in June 2025: https://www.yorkplays.caLink to Kyle's projects:Ensemble Member: Stage Left TheatreReviewer for ChicagoOnStage.comChief Editor of ROMARD: Research on Medieval and Renaissance DramaFeatured Expert on Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America (Discovery Channel)Lead Author of The Play About the Antichrist (Ludus de Antichristo): A Dramaturgical Analysis, Historical Commentary, and Latin Edition with a New English Verse TranslationLink to my blog post about the Valenciennes Illustration https://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/blog/the-stage-set-from-valenciennes-1547/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 168:Although Shakespeare's completion of the events of Henry IV's reign is very much a continuation of the story from part one it is a play with a very different vibe. The vigour of the battle scenes and the exuberance of prince Hal and Falstaff's relationship are replaced in part two with a more sombre and elegiac tone. The effects of old age and the passing to time hang over the play and even at its ending, where the coronation of Henry V could have been treated as a big party full of hope, it is the final rejection of Falstaff that dominates as once again Shakespeare provides an ending that many would have found surprising.The dating of the playThe early publishing history of the playThe early performance history of the playShakespeare's sources for the playA Synopsis of the plotHow the play functions without much dramatic actionWas the play a hurriedly written sequel?Foreshadowing and references to historyThe presence of the king and his illness in the playThe nature of the comedy in the playThe final split with FalstaffFalstaff the dangerous conmanThe Justices Shallow and SilenceMistress Quickly and the other comic charactersThe EpilogueSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 167A conversation with Kyle Thomas where we discussed the long transition period between Roman theatre and medieval theatre. As you may remember from my episodes on the medieval theatre this is a very opaque period where details are few and far between. In my episodes in season three of the podcast I mostly followed the view that medieval theatre grew out of parts of the church liturgy that became dramatized as very simple, short plays. As you will hear in our conversation Kyle puts a more nuanced perspective on that and also speaks to the role of the education system of the time in that process.Links to Kyle's projects:Ensemble Member: Stage Left TheatreReviewer for ChicagoOnStage.comChief Editor of ROMARD: Research on Medieval and Renaissance DramaFeatured Expert on Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America (Discovery Channel)Lead Author of The Play About the Antichrist (Ludus de Antichristo): A Dramaturgical Analysis, Historical Commentary, and Latin Edition with a New English Verse TranslationSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 166:As with 'Richard II' 'Henry IV part 1' handles some complex English history as it examines the relationships between the King, his son and the powerful Percy family. After the deposition of Richard II Henry ruled for fourteen years until his death. Having ended 'Richard II' with Henry's accession to the throne and Richard's death in prison Shakespeare opens this play just a few years later, but with a vision of a tired king and a country dissatisfied with his rule. The setting for the playA brief synopsis of the playThe dating of the playThe early performance history of the playThe publication history of the playThe sources for the playThe balance of history and comedyThe historical accuracy of the playThe play as an examination of the father/son relationshipThe character of Hotspur as a medieval knightThe portrayal of Glendower as a mystic leaderThe role of the aristocratic ladiesPrince Hal as a new sort of leaderFalstaff, ruler of his own sort of court and a king of everymanThe historical figure of Sir John OldcastleThe later performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 165In today's guest episode it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Darren Freebury-Jones. Darren appeared previously to discuss his book ‘Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers' and I asked him back on this occasion because his earlier book ‘Shakespeare's Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd' is now published in a paperback edition by Manchester University Press, making it a much more accessible resource for any enthusiast of early modern theatre. In our conversation about the book Darren mentions a few points, like the detail of verse structure and characters like Robert Greene and Thomas Nashe that we discussed in more detail in our earlier encounter. If you would like to listen to that again it is still out there on the podcast feed as episode 126, that's season six episode thirteen.Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of the monographs: Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare's Rival, Shakespeare's Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd, and Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers. He is also Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901. He has investigated the boundaries of John Marston's dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene, also published by Edinburgh University Press. His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, and The Independent as well as BBC Radio. His debut poetry collection, Rambling, was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2024. In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship.Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeares-Tutor-Influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0Amazon US Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-tutor-influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=sr_1_1?Manchester Universty Press link: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526182616/Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 164Fate, as in Romeo and Juliet, plays a large part in ‘The Merchant of Venice', as do deep seated grudges, but these are more societal than familial. We are still in Italy, but no longer in close knit Verona, but mercantile and outward looking Venice. As Shakespeare wrote this play London was becoming orientated around increasing global trade and English trading ships were regularly making their way to Venice as a major trading hub, so perhaps it is no surprise that Venice, with its eyes on commerce and profit, was a suitably exotic setting for this tale of greed, love and a clash of cultures. The dating of the playThe printed history of the playThe sources of the play including earlier theatrical ‘Jew' playsA brief outline of the plotThe different views of the character of Shylock – stereotype or sympatheticThe Jewish experience in Elizabethan LondonThe comic elements of the playThe character of AntonioPortia's role in the playPortia's ‘mercy' speechThe performance history of the play Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 163My background reading while preparing the episode on Romeo and Juliet took me to many stories about and thoughts on the afterlife of the play and its continuing influence on western culture, what follows is just a few stories and thoughts that illustrate that continuing influence.Verona and Juliet's StatueJuliet's tombCibber's JulietFranco Zeffirelli's film for the ‘love generation'West Side StorySupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 162In today's episode I look at Shakespeare's early tragedy and one of his enduringly popular plays ‘Romeo and Juliet'.The dating of the playThe early printings of the play in quarto editionsThe origins of the story and Shakespeare's direct sourcesThe opening chorusViolence and the hand of fate underlying the actionThe opening brawl and the threat of violence to womenThe calming voice of women in the playRomeo as a Petrarchan heroJuliet as an innovative character who drives the plotRomeo and Juliet's shared sonnetThe motivations of Friar Lawrence and Juliet's nurseA brief performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 161In today's guest episode I will be discussing Shakespeare's characterisations of the lower classes and looking at the role they play with Stephen Unwin, who's book ‘Poor Naked Wretches' explores the variety of working people in Shakespeare's plays as well as a vast range of cultural sources from which they were drawn and argues that the robust realism of these characters makes them so much more than mere Comic Relief. Stephen Unwin is an award-winning British theatre and opera director. He has directed almost 100 professional productions and worked with many well-established actors and singers, as well as developing the careers of many younger ones. He studied at the University of Cambridge.In the 1980s Stephen worked at the Almeida Theatre, London, the Traverse in Edinburgh, in repertoire theatre and at the National Theatre Studio. In 1993, he founded English Touring Theatre, for whom he directed more than 30 productions of classical and new plays, many of which transferred to London. In 2008, he became Artistic Director of the new Rose Theatre in Kingston, which he ran until January 2014. He has worked extensively at the Theatre Royal Bath and has directed more than 20 operas. Ten of his productions have been seen in the West End.Stephen has taught in conservatoires and universities in Britain and America and written 10 books on theatre and drama, including ‘Poor Naked Wretches'. He has also written five original plays: ‘All Our Children' was premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre in 2017 and staged in New York in 2019, and ‘Laughing Boy' opened at Jermyn Street in 2024 and also played at the Theatre Royal Bath. Stephen is a campaigner for the rights and dignities of learning-disabled people and ‘Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong', is published by Wildfire Book in June 2025.This is only a shortened version of Stephen's achievements and I would encourage you to visit his website for much more information. You can find him at www.stephenunwin.uk https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/poor-naked-wretchesSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 160A synopsis of the playThe sources and dating of the playThe problems with a historical drama in verseThe historical accuracy of the playKing John as neither a hero nor anti-heroPhilip the bastard as a central character in the playThe theme of self-identity and changing fortune in the playBlanche as a representation of innocence manipulatedQueen Eleanor as the power behind the throneConstance in grief and, maybe, madness, but eloquentMovement towards the personal in the second half of the playThe confusion over the character of HubertThe fate of the king as a metaphor for EnglandThe performance history of the playLink to the silent film from 1899 of the death of king Johnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lWn99STB1oSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 159For today's guest episode we are going back to the Italian renaissance theatre and the world of the Commedia Dell'arte. You will remember that I covered the Commedia and other early Italian theatre in season five of the podcast, but in this conversation with Serena Laiena we have much more detail about a particular theatrical couple and the world of 16thcentury Italian theatre. In her book ‘The Theatre Couple in Early Modern Italy: Self-Fashioning and Mutual Marketing' Serena looks at the birth of a phenomenon, that of the couple in show business where she focuses on the mutually beneficial promotional strategies devised by two professional performers and husband and wife team, Giovan Battista Andreini and Virginia Ramponi.Serena Laiena is Assistant Professor in Italian and Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin. Her research focuses on early modern Italian theatre, especially commedia dell'arte. Most of her time is devoted to the understanding of the social and cultural role of the first professional actresses in modern history. The award-winning monograph that is the basis of our discussion today was published in 2023 by the University of Delaware Press. Currently, she is working on a book-length project focusing on the correspondence by and about professional actresses to bring to light the managing roles they performed within theatre companies.For more details on Serena's book:UK link to Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theatre-Couple-Early-Modern-Italy-ebook/dp/B0C9F9T6RX/ref=sr_1_1?US link to Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Theatre-Couple-Early-Modern-Italy/dp/1644533154/ref=sr_1_1?Link to publisher's website: https://udpress.udel.edu/book-title/the-theatre-couple-in-early-modern-italy-self-fashioning-and-mutual-marketing/Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 158Picking up the journey through Shakespeare's plays with 'Richard II'A brief summary of the playThe early performance history of the playThe early print history of the playThe variations in the quarto editions concerning the deposition sceneThe sources for the playThe role of the play in the Essex rebellionThe historical accuracy of the playThe dramatic arcs travelled by Richard and BolingbrokeThe political represented in the personal through the female rolesThe significant role of minor charactersHow verse is used in the play to distinguish the noble charactersThe question of the divine right of kings and how it affects Richard's characterThe end of the play, Bolingbroke's regrets, and how we might feel about themThe later performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the fifth part of this short series of guest episodes before we get back to continuing the journey through the Shakespeare and Jonson cannon I had the chance to speak with Dr Ian McCormick about the collection of essays he edited, which pulls together recent Shakespeare criticism in the framework of woke and anti-woke culture and the culture wars of recent years. It is a wide ranging and thought provoking collection. Ian McCormick, was a Professor in the Department of English for the School of Cultural Studies at the University of Northampton, where he taught Shakespeare, Renaissance Literature, 18th-century Literature, and Literary Theory. He has edited and contributed to books in various fields including sexuality and gender studies; modern and postmodern literature; teaching and learning strategies; drama education and critical theory. He has contributed to many academic publications, written a novel inspired by 18th century epistolatory novels and in the past he has organized two major international conferences for the British Society for Eighteenth-century Studies, at St John's College (University of Oxford). For the full details of Ian's biography please see the guest page on the podcast website.Links to 'Woke Shakespeare':Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woke-Shakespeare-Rethinking-New-Era/dp/B0DQYB2TS5/ref=sr_1_1?Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Woke-Shakespeare-Rethinking-New-Era/dp/B0DQYB2TS5/ref=sr_1_1?If you are interested in being considered to make a contribution to the next volume ‘Shakespeare: New Voices', you have until the 30th June 2025 to make an application via the Penn State University call for papers page, where some details of the requirements are explained https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2023/05/18/shakespeare-new-voicesSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the fourth part of this short series of guest episodes before we get back to continuing the journey through the Shakespeare and Jonson cannon today's episode is a repeat of episode 32 of the podcast, first released in late 2020. Having just produced an episode on satyr play on the main podcast and another on the papyologists who rediscovered the play Trackers for the fledgling Patreon account I was very pleased to be able to talk to theatre director Jimmy Walters who have produced a revival of the play The Trackers of Oxyrhincus by Tony Harrison. To hear from first-hand experience what it was like to produce a modern adaptation of a Greek play, especially something as rare as the satyr play was a real treat. It is, I think, worthy of another listen if you heard it at the time, or a first listen if you have only joined us for the later theatrical periods.Jimmy Walters has been a professional actor and then director for almost twenty years. In his directing career he has presented work at most of London's most prestigious off-west end venues, including the Finborough Theatre, Southwark Playhouse and the Jermyn Street Theatre and at other venues around the UK. Since 2022 he has been Education Practitioner for Shakespeare's Globe leading Shakespeare workshops onsite for children of all ages.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the third part of this series of guest episodes before we get back to continuing the journey through the Shakespeare and Jonson cannon, we are going deep into the world of the renaissance period boy actors, or perhaps, as they should more properly be called, apprentice players. The habit of the period of young actors playing female roles is well known, but when I had the chance to talk to Roberta Barker about her study of apprentice players it soon became very clear that there is a lot more to their position in the playing company than that and we get to meet some of them as personalities in their own right.Roberta Barker is a member of the Joint Faculty of King's College, London, where she is Professor of Theatre teaching in the Foundation Year and Early Modern Studies programs, and Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia, where she teaches Theatre in the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Her research interests centre upon the relationship between performance and the social construction of identity and has explored such topics as the representation of gender and class in early modern tragedy, the early modern careers and modern afterlives of Shakespeare's boy players, and (most recently) the role played by the performance of illness on the nineteenth-century stage in the evolution of realist style. She is also a theatre and opera director.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 154As you know form last week's episode I'm running a short series of guest episodes before we get back to continuing the journey through the Shakespeare and Jonson cannon. Today's episode is a repeat of episode 30 of the podcast, first released in late 2020. At the time I was discussing the early theatre of Rome and with the Ancient Greek theatre already under my belt I had started to reach out to academics and authors who could add depth and colour to the research that I had been able to do. This episode with Dr Elodie Palliard was, I thought, particularly helpful in describing the likely developments in theatre in the murky period between the end of recorded Athenian theatre and early Roman theatre. It is, I think, worthy of another listen if you heard it at the time, or a first listen if you have only joined us for the later theatrical periods.Dr Elodie Paillard is currently an Honorary Associate in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney, and a Partner Investigator in the Australian Research Council discovery project 'Theatre and Autocracy in Ancient Greece'. She is also a Project Leader at the University of Basel, financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. After completing a PhD thesis on the staging of socio-political groups in Sophocles, and a postdoc on Greek theatre in Early Imperial Rome and Campania, Elodie is now working on Greek theatre in Republican Italy (500-27BC). She is also a member of the editorial board of the journal Mediterranean Archaeology.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 153Today's guest episode serves as a great precursor to what is to come. The discussion that you are about to hear with Charles Mosely focusses on Shakespeare as a man of the theatre and discusses how the plays were created for and affected by the Theatre, the Audience and the conventions of the time. And that brief description does not do this wide ranging and detailed discussion any sort of justice. I think all of the thoughts that Charles discusses are well worth holding I mind as we work through the plays of Shakespeare and Jonson over the coming months.Charles Moseley is a difficult man to summarise in a few words. He is a historian, literary critic and travel writer, but that only touches on part of his extensive output and experience. Most relevant for our purposes today are his years as College Lecturer in English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, then Director of Studies in English (and later Fellow) of Wolfson College, and finally Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in English at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. The depth of knowledge and enthusiasm that Charles holds for his subject is, I think, quite self-evident and I am sure you will enjoy every moment of this, just as I did.To see more about Charles, his publications, and other writings, including a fuller biography you can go to www.charlesmoseley.comSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 152Following on from my thoughts on A Midsummer Night's Dream last time I'm very pleased to welcome back Rachel Aanstad to the podcast for further thoughts on the play. You may remember from our previous conversation about Twelfth Night that Rachel has devoted a lifetime to both the study and presentation of Shakespeare plays and as with Twelfth Night she has written an Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopaedia on ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream'. This includes a complete rendition of the play along with a detailed glossary of terms, scene by scene analysis, an examination of characters and themes and practical advice for anyone directing, acting in or producing the play. I found it invaluable in helping me to solidify my thoughts about the play and highly recommend it, whatever your interest in the play. Rachel Aanstad is a writer, artist, historian and self-confessed Shakespeare nerd. She has an MFA in theatre and is the former Artistic Director of Rose City Shakespeare Company. She lives in the pacific Northwest from where she writes books about Shakespeare's plays. For our purposes today she is supremely well qualified to discuss ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' as, apart from her lifelong love of the play and her academic study, she has directed three productions of the play, one that was circus based, one that was burlesque based and one audio production. Links to ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream: An Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopaedia':UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1S/ref=sr_1_2US link : https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1S/ref=sr_1_2Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 151Having finished with Ben Jonson's biography we can now go back in time just a little to work through Shakespeare's and Jonson's plays in more detail. By the early 1590s was then the man of the theatrical moment, no longer the young upstart, but the proven playmaker and ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' surely did nothing but enhance that reputation and it has been popular ever since.A brief synopsis of the playThe dating of the playSuggested settings for the play as a wedding celebrationThe sources for the playBiblical influencesPublication of the playThe central themes of the playThe darker elements of the playTheseus and Hippolyta and the setting of the playThe blindness of desire and passionThe question of the nature of attractionThe four lovers as exemplars of romantic loveThe significance of the play within the playThe role of the rude mechanicalsHow the play within the play tells us something about theatre practice at the timeBarriers to love – including a wallA brief performance history of the playLinks to ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream: An Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopaedia' by Rachel Aanstad:UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1S/ref=sr_1_2US link : https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1S/ref=sr_1_2Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 150:For this very appropriately timed guest episode, which is released on the 6th January, Rachel Aanstad kindly agreed to come on the podcast and talk about the Elizabethan twelfth night traditions and Shakespeare's play of the same name. As you will hear our discussion became very much more wide ranging than that, as is often the way when we talk about Shakespeare. Rachel's close study of the play came about not only because she has written on the play in her book 'A Bawdy Twelfth Night or What You Will an Encyclopaedia & Dramaturgical Handbook', but because she has directed productions of the play. You will hear more on both those subjects as part of our conversation. Rachel Aanstad is a writer, artist, historian and self-confessed Shakespeare nerd. She has an MFA in theatre and is the former Artistic Director of Rose City Shakespeare Company. She lives in the pacific Northwest from where she writes books about Shakespeare's plays and is currently writing about Shakespeare's Influences for Pen and Sword which is to be published in 2026.Link to Twelfth Night or What You Will an Encyclopaedia & Dramaturgical Handbook:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Encyclopedia-Dramaturgical-Shakespearean-Encyclopedias-Handbooks/dp/B0BT2DZGTK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=270NMNCDMCX6J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tVcWzIabdRqiYBHGeNEcEPE_eYeRCTf2qEk6LRL3xtSgV8Xm38761BsX6tFKvqjKVi4kgv9kswwDFah3JLS67KX0r09uWKDy68AO_XpCOAQ.4HjwcRalbW8x65UhvPQl4quprJrQQPJUaajyTm9xVYs&dib_tag=se&keywords=r+k+aanstad&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1735475971&sprefix=r+k+aanstad%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 149The life story of Ben Jonson concludes with events after the publication of his first folio to his death in 1637.‘Bartholomew Fair', a different sort of Jonson play.The finances of the court become more problematic, and Jonson earns and spends money.The trend for ‘projectors' and Jonson becomes involved with Sir Willian Cockayne.‘The Devil is an Ass' satires money making projects.Jonson is honoured by Oxford and Cambridge universities.Jonson devotes a decade to poetry and scholarship.‘The tribe of Ben' forms at the Apollo Room.Jonson's library burns in a house fire.Jonson's health begins to decline.The death of King James and the marriage and coronation of Charles 1st.‘The Staple of the News', Jonson's first play for a decade.Jonson's health declines further.Jonson is appointed as Chronologer to the City of London.Jonson complains of poverty and receives money from supporters.The late Jonson plays fail to impress at the playhouse.‘A Tale of a Tub'. A posthumous play, a play fragment and a collaboration.Jonson dies in 1637 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.Appreciation of Jonson since his death.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
'Will, Ben and Tom at Christmas' is an affectionate pastiche, with my very best wishes to you all for Christmas and the New Year.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 148:The life of Ben Jonson continues after he is released from prison after the publication of 'Eastward Ho!'Jonson's possible involvement in the gunpowder plot and it's aftermath.Jonson writes a masque for the marriage of Frances Howard and Robert Devereaux.Jonson defends his religious position in the face of recusancy fines.‘Volpone' is performed at The Globe as Jonson continues to produce masques.‘Epicene or the Silent Woman' is performed at the Whitefriars Theatre.‘The Alchemist' is performed at Oxford in a time of plague.The club at the Mermaid tavern.The return to the Anglican Church.Parliament's financial settlement for the King curtails the expense on masques‘Catiline his Conspiracy' gets a rocky reception.Jonson works as a tutor for the Sydney family.The ‘grand tour' with Wat Raleigh.The scandal of Robert Carr and Frances Devereaux.Johnson is granted a pension.The first folio of ‘The Works of Benjamin Jonson'.For your copy of ‘Cakes and Ale: Mr Robert Baddeley and his 12th Night Cakes' by Nick Bromley go to www.lnpbooks.co.uk. The special offer price of £9.99 including UK postage is available until 6th January 2025Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of the generally accepted facts about theatre in the time of Shakespeare and Jonson is that boy actors took female roles and women were banned from appearing on the stage. This is in fact only partly true and my guest for today's episode has made a study of how early modern actresses, from traditions on the European continent, influenced the English stage. During out conversation we covered aspects of European theatre from the early 1500's, and Commedia Dell'arte in particular. You will find my take on this in season three of the podcast and if you have already listened to that hopefully some of the names will still sound familiar. We also talked about the influence of actresses on playwrights and plays from the period and hopefully you will remember Lilly, Marlowe and Kyd and The Spanish Tragedy from season four of the podcast. All those episodes are still out there on your podcast feed if you need a refresher. Pamela Allen Brown is Professor Emerita of English, University of Connecticut. Her monograph The Diva's Gift to the Shakespearean Stage: Agency, Theatricality, and the Innamorata was published by Oxford in 2021. With Julie Campbell and Eric Nicholson, she edited and translated Isabella Andreini's Lovers' Debates for the Stage, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Iter, 2022). Previous books include Better a Shrew than a Sheep: Women, Drama and the Culture of Jest in Early Modern England; As You Like It: Texts and Contexts (co-authored with Jean E. Howard); and Women Players in England 1500-1650: Beyond the All-Male Stage (co-edited with Peter Parolin). She is a founding member of Theater Without Borders, a working group of scholars of early modern transnational drama, and she recently joined the New Books Network as a podcast host. Her poetry has appeared in Epiphany, First Literary Review East, New Square, Visual Verse, Public, Out of Sequence, and P/rose. For more on her work see:https://www.pamelaallenbrown.com/Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.patreon.com/thoetp www.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 146:The banning of printed satire.‘Every Man Out of His Humour' is produced by The Lord Chamberlin's Men.‘Cynthia's Revels' is performed at court but is not well received.‘Poetester' is performed at the Blackfriars and sparks ‘the war of the poets' with Dekker and Marston.‘Sejanus: His Fall' fails to impress.Jonson cultivates friendships with nobility close to the Stuart dynasty.The death of Elizabeth.Entertainments for the arrival of Queen Anne in England.Jonson's contribution to the official entry of King James into London.Jonson is ejected from court on Twelfth Night 1604.The Court Masque.‘The Masque of Blackness'.‘Eastward Ho' causes Jonson another spell in prison.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 145:Continuing the story of Ben Jonson's life from the point where just as he starts to make his mark in the theatre scene everything goes very badly wrong for him.‘The Isle of Dogs' at the Swan TheatreThe closure of the London TheatresJonson in prisonHow the London theatres reopenedThe Swan and Pembroke's MenSpeculation on the content of ‘The Isle of Dogs'Jonson's other early work for the theatreJonson and the Lord Chamberlin's MenJonson's duel with Gabriel SpencerJonson in prison againThe conversion to CatholicismJonson's trial and taking ‘the benefit of the clergy'Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 see that there is a company of actors working today who produce plays by Shakespeare and other renaissance playwrights using cue sheets. Although we don't have documentary evidence about exactly how they were used at the time and therefore how the rehearsal process worked, what better way to get an understanding of how they might have been used and what impact they had on productions than to produce plays using them and work through the practical issues and artistic choices that become involved. Shake-Scene Shakespeare have produced work for live and on-line presentation since 2017 and continue to do so today, so I was very pleased when Lizzie Conrad-Hughes, founder, company Director and book holder for the company agreed to come and talk about the experience of producing cue-based theatre for a modern audience.https://www.shake-sceneshakespeare.co.uk/Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 a playwright.Jonson's Scottish ancestry.His father's loss of position under queen Mary.His Stepfather Robert Brett, bricklayer.Life for the Brett/Jonson family on Christopher LaneJonson's education at Westminster school.Theatre at the Westminster School.The influence of school master William Camden.Jonson the bricklayer's apprentice.Jonson briefly attends Cambridge university – maybe.Jonson the soldier and his service in the war in the Netherlands.The Lord Mayor's procession and the involvement of the Guild companiesJonson's contribution to the Lord Mayor's procession.Jonson the player for Pembroke's men.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 142Dr 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 Shakespeare became part of national Hungarian culture and how the plays have been treated in translation.Dr Natália Pikli is Associate Professor at the Department of English Studies, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. She teaches medieval and early modern culture and literature and is Head of the relevant PhD Program. She also teaches contemporary popular culture, as well as theatre history and theatre reviewing for students majoring in Theatre Studies. She has published extensively on Shakespeare, early modern popular culture, theatre, iconography, and on the reception of Shakespeare in our days, with a focus on contemporary theatre. Her book chapters and articles appeared in, for instance, Shakespearean Criticism (Thomson-Gale, 2004), Shakespeare's Others in 21st-century European Performance (Bloomsbury, 2021), and in academic journals: European Journal of English Studies, Journal of Early Modern Studies (Florence) Shakespeare Survey (Cambridge), Theatralia (Brno). She (co-)edited five books and is the author of two monographs, The Prism of Laughter: Shakespeare's 'very tragical mirth' (VDM Verlag, 2009) and Shakespeare's Hobby-Horse and Early Modern Popular Culture (Routledge, 2022). In her free time, she directs amateur student performances and writes theatre reviews.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 and why he might have undertaken the journey on foot. His conversations with Drummond of Hawthornden.Jonson's opinions on other writers as reported by Drummond and thoughts on their validity.Descriptions of Jonson by Aubery and Dekker.The Johnson portrait.How Johnson might have revealed himself in his work.How his poems appear to be self-referencing but may not be as straightforward as they seem.How his plays possibly include some self-revealing aspects.Admiration of Johnson as equal to, or greater than, Shakespeare.The modern reader and the problems with Jonson. Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 very stage had probably supported Shakespeare as he acted as part of a playing troupe on stage. Of course, that is a great hook for the story as the interest in Shakespeare goes well beyond those of us immersed in the history of theatre and the idea that we can still share a space like that across four hundred years is a beguiling one. I remember standing on the original floor of Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford Upon Avon and feeling a very similar thrill, but there is much more to the story of St George's Guild Hall at King's Lynn, a venue for theatre for not just four hundred years, but at least six hundred, making it the UK's oldest working theatre. So, I was very pleased when Tim Fitzhigham, Creative Director of the Guildhall Theatre agreed to come onto the podcast and talk about St George's Guildhall and that stage.Tim Fitzhigham is the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Creative Director appointed to oversee the revival of St George's Guildhall. As well as leading this extensive project he is currently completing his PhD on Robert Armin, an actor in The King's Men who originated many of the clown and fool roles in all but the earliest Shakespeare plays and was a well-known playwright and author in his own right.Links to the St George's Guildhall Websitehttps://stgeorgesguildhall.comand Instagram Accounthttps://www.instagram.com/stg.guildhall/ Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 it problematic, but nevertheless it showed early promise. The lyrical nature of much of the language used in that play is quite typical of the earliest comedies and it is probably not coincidental that this was around the time that Shakespeare was writing his long lyrical poem ‘Venus and Adonis', so we might assume that his mindset at the time was that of a lyrical poet, and maybe we see that influence still in his probable next work, the much more accomplished play ‘The Comedy of Errors', which has remained one of the more popular Shakespeare comedies since its first performance. The Source for the play and changes Shakespeare made to itThe original text of the playThe dating and earliest performances of the playFoul PapersThe setting as a Roman street with three housesA Synopsis of the playThe serious and long opening exposition.The importance of a dramatic opening sceneSocial commentary in the playAdriana as a well-developed character for a light-hearted farceAntipholus of Ephesus as an unpleasant character, but toned down from the source materialAntipholus of Syracuse as a more sympathetic characterThe punishment of the Dromio twinsThe view of authority in the playThe problems with the plot (if we take it too seriously)The soliloquies of Antipholus of SyracuseLuciana and the expression of the value of traditionWhat should we read into the very ending of the play?Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 references to ‘The Taming of the Shrew' and ‘Titus Andronicus' and prior to that, in the season on the Early Renaissance Theatre it had a mention as one of the plays performed at the Rose Playhouse as recorded in Henslowe's Diary. Having been reminded of it while writing about the early Shakespeare plays I thought that it deserved a little time in the spotlight on it's own as it gives us a little snapshot of the plays, and particularly comedies other than Shakespeare and Jonson, that was circulating at the time of the earliest of Shakespeare's plays. So, here is a little interlude of an episode all about ‘A Knack to Know a Knave'.A quick word on ‘Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers' by Darren Feebury-Jones, which is published in October 2024 and on Henry Porter and his possible involvement with ‘Dr Faustus'.The performances of ‘A Knack to Know a Knave' as reported in Henslowe's DiaryThe mystery of the low takings for repeated performances in a second run of the playThe printed quarto edition of the playA summary of the plotThe (possibly) missing parts of the play, including Kempe's extemporisingHow the fools of Gotham folk tale is worked into the playThe allusions to other plays in the textThe final lines of the playIf you would like to read the text of A Knack to Know a Knave, you can find it on google books here Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 137:The dating of the playPrinting in the First FolioThe sources for the play and the nature of the textA brief synopsis of the playThe major themes of the playHow the status and youth of Valentine and Proteus helps to understand their actions in the playThe role of Speed and how the play features the embryo of Shakespearean wordplayThe role and values of Lance, and Crab the dog, as a comparison to ProteusSome well-regarded verse from the playDifferent readings of the theme of loveThe problematic rape and forgiveness sceneThe play as a courtly romanceThe play as a parody of past cultural normsIs the text more corrupt than is generally thought?How our understanding of male relationships at the time might affect our view of the playThe performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 a theatre professional as you will hear Eleanor has a lot to say about the play and insights that, in some cases, go in different directions from what I was able to say about the play.Eleanor Conlon is an actor, director, and award-winning writer based in Sussex.After completing her BA in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, Eleanor earned her MA in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at Kings College and Shakespeare's Globe. While at The Globe, Eleanor worked dramaturgically on productions by Dominic Dromgoole Matthew Dunster and Jeremy Herrin, and with Jenny Tiramani on the Original Practices Costume Archive.After achieving success with her theatre company The Barefoot Players in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with which she produced plays including Tis Pity She's a Whore, Doctor Faustus and The Alchemist, the latter two of which she also directed, as well as productions of several of Shakespeare's works, plays by Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, and others, she founded her current and much acclaimed theatre company Rust & Stardust.Writing over a dozen plays rooted in English folklore, Eleanor has worked with her puppet-maker partner Katie Sommers to tour Rust & Stardust's shows all over the UK, including their plays The Wild Man of Orford, Black Shuck, The Marsh Demons of Iken, and Doctor Dee's Daughter and the Philosopher's with celebrated recorder quartet Palisander. In addition to recent adaptations of Shakespeare's plays including The Tempest and Macbeth with Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, in 2023 she launched the Three Ravens Podcast with her partner Martin Vaux – also a writer and actor – which explores history, legends, and diverse aspects of folk culture.Featuring original stories each week based on the lore of England's 39 historic counties, Three Ravens quickly rose into the Top 1% of podcasts globally. It currently sits in the Top 50 UK Fiction Podcasts, with 4.9/5 star ratings on iTunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify and a passionate fanbase across social media.For Three Ravens contact:Website: https://www.threeravenspodcast.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/threeravenspodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threeravenspodcastX: @threeravenspodFor Rust + Stardust TheatreInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleanorstardust/Website: https://www.rustandstardust.co.ukSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 135:Is Shakespeare's early tragedy more than just a gore-fest?The first performance of the play, maybeThe three playing troupes involved with the playIs the play a collaboration with George Peele?The popularity of violence in playsThe sources for the playA brief summary of the playThe establishing of characters in the first actThe justifications for Titus' desire for revengeThe role of young LuciusThe flaw in Titus' character that leads to tragedyFamily life as represented in the playThe contrasts drawn between Lavinia and TamoraThe portrayal of fatherhood in the playThe use of Ovid's ‘Metamorphosis'Shakespeare's use of personification, borrowed from medieval morality playsThe extreme violence in the playThe Peacham DrawingSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 and generally as fascinating as his podcast episodes always are. What is even better is that Peter has produced a short audio that gives you all the information you need about the book and how you can get hold of it. These links might be useful:https://www.brooklinebooks.com/9781955041379/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Theater-History-Peter-Schmitz/dp/1955041377/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FQHNN2ZJG5SE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8oSl8huLrCxYxe1gR-WgMTKb62F56xPJLXJ49C4eLW52Njy6h53qTfk_QyAlISrCS1nBtjE5fP18rp_sk3gIYoPR7RAWKCe1UItqgZQpd-9PXkMqKB8ftKvQb9JhK0iqaMPdFPSCfo8AyM-8tvFcwNkejTFM0ThPPZlfC0KousFlD-3ZYd4wH6TjhApBJSBVy125ksgHOGMFVNkzSDVWzIz0g_2hLt5zWxDV81pmrfs.pPMmYdPY47WYuKoK1DNaM-yz5JQz_DXXrrqyiIMM2Zg&dib_tag=se&keywords=adventures+in+theatre+history&qid=1726229400&sprefix=adventures+in+theatre+history%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Theater-History-Peter-Schmitz/dp/1955041377/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CNUES6XNBNLW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IxlWUqR1nThHNR-GNJvuEjIo6f36mo82bS9_8A4Sx2PBGFys45ykLfXSgWrSIMpHJ0mn7qGooCMBFwWMv2nZqMK8rKgLgx9kTpDPQhHmqxigZbGPTyZ83Q5H5P2GQscDk4bNo7HYgM_9jXyO9EXcBSn0HZEqFpQmV_RWMmCXUSL4ld_Z22rnfxbih_CgyVUrMPqutRrwuii1_Hxe1fxx4hszZpQbw9dLxGUkrYUu2-Q.lr0Eg8P1HNDd9nfK-0DQttltOiAQaSpi0unC8HFtmZg&dib_tag=se&keywords=adventures+in+theater+history+philadelphia&qid=1726229447&sprefix=adventures+in+theatre+history+%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 say mistresses, of golden age detective fiction. This may not seem like an obvious area when considering the pervasive influence of Shakespeare, but as you will here the connections that Jem has made can tell us a lot about how knowledge and use of Shakespeare is constantly changing.Warning – Spoilers present!Jem discusses major plot points of several classic detective novels, but we thought that they can hardly be counted as spoilers up to about a century after they were first published, but you have been warned.Link to Jem's book on the publishers website:https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-58339-1 Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 133: The complications with dating the play and it's relationship with a similar Elizabethan playThe sources for the playA short summary of the playThe Christopher Sly framing deviceSwitching of roles in the playThe disguise motifThe motivations of the leading charactersThe implication of the falconry images in the playThe Elizabethan idea of a proper wife and correct behaviourSimilarities with Elizabethan ‘wife taming' balladsThe play as an inheritor of Roman comedyThe protagonists as stock charactersKatherine's imbalance of the humoursAre Petruchio and Katherine a matched couple?Do the three marriages resolve the play?Does the play make a serious point about gender relationships in Elizabethan England?The ‘difficult' final speech by KatherineSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 132My thoughts on seeing a recent production of Richard 3rd at Shakespeare's Globe, starring Michelle Terry in the titular role. The production and the cotrovercy that surrounded it raises questions about gender fluid casting, the nature of leadership and the casting of able bodied actors in this famous portrayal of deformity.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 playThe quarto editions of the playWhen is a history play a tragedy, or not?The sources of the playThe influence of SenecaOther contemporary versions of the Richard 3rd story.The centrality of the character of RichardA brief plot summaryThe boldness of Richard's actionsRichard as prologue and then guide in the playLady Anne and her reaction to Richard's proposalThe influence of Marlowe on Richard 3rdThe role of the female characters in the playHow should we view the presence of Margaret in the play?The curses and prophecy of MargaretHow deformity and old age can be seen to link Richard and MargaretRichard afflicted by guiltThe theatricality of the playDoes our liking for Richard affect the morality of the playWhat the lay can tell us about players and changes in Tudor societySupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 on the final Yorkist king. Towards the end of our conversation, we spoke about the differences between the Richard of the play and what the skeletal remains that were uncovered tell us about the real-life king, but most of the conversation is about how the remains were discovered, recovered for analysis, and how they were proved to be the remains of Richard 3rd.Mathew Morris is a Project Officer at the University of Leicester Archaeological Service with over a decade of archaeological experience, having excavated a wide range of rural and urban archaeology across the Midlands, from the prehistoric period through to the Second World War. His specialisms include urban archaeology, community archaeology and Roman and medieval archaeology.Mathew graduated from the University of Leicester in 2003 with a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Landscape Studies, joining ULAS in 2004. Notable projects include a massive multi-period urban excavation at Highcross in Leicester that included excavation of Roman town houses, commercial buildings, two lost medieval churches and medieval cemeteries and a Roman cemetery at Western Road in Leicester, and, of course in 2012 he directed the successful archaeological search for the lost grave of King Richard III. Recently, he has been digging up more Roman buildings and mosaics in Leicester, at the former Southgates Bus Depot and All Saints' Brewery sites and is currently leading the archaeological work for the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project.He has co-authored the most comprehensive book ever written on the archaeology of Leicester - 'Life in Roman and Medieval Leicester' (2021) and three popular archaeology books: 'Visions of Ancient Leicester' (2011), 'Richard III: The King under the Car Park' (2013) and 'Roman Leicester: Life in the Roman World' (2018). He is actively involved in promoting archaeology to the general public, regularly providing talks to local societies, and is a Committee member of the Leicestershire Fieldworkers, and a Branch Leader for the Leicestershire Young Archaeologists' Club. He also currently leads the Castle Hill Community Archaeology Dig and the Bosworth Links Community Dig. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 129:A brief recap on the dating and sources of the playA brief synopsis of the playThe problem of multiple battlefield scenes and the depiction of violenceHow language in the play is used to underline the changing fortunes of the two sides.The depth of strong characterisation in the playWarwick, the would-be kingmakerHenry as an early humanistFathers and sons at war with each otherThe revenge motive running through the playA brief recap on the role and character of MargaretThe development of the character of RichardThe question of the extent if Richard's deformityDid the play resonate with the contemporary audience?Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 management in the telecommunications industry until 2001 when he joined the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at Hall's Croft and Nash's House/New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, until retiring in 2010. A historian, genealogist and biographer, he has published articles on Shakespeare, his contemporaries and associates in and around Stratford, including the families directly associated with New Place.Shakespeare's Stratford home, before and after Shakespeare's lifetime. In 2011 he published his book Shakespeare's Country Families - A Documentary Guide to Shakespeare's Country Society. He was a member of the Advisory Board for the Trust's Dig for Shakespeare project at New Place between 2010-2015, and in 2018 he published a revised and updated edition of his 2011book. He has a Masters degree in historical studies from the University of Leicester.Links to John's ebook:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twenty-first-Century-Shakespeare-Gleanings-Taplin-ebook/dp/B0CC633JY2/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UlnFY8UInwIYfhuJf0AiXmtXTQSRHcN9Ativ9cOIX_PGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.4xAoLuO1JQQ2o0LumK9U_Hjq703MON6NOQVolv2BSr4&dib_tag=se&qid=1721225584&refinements=p_27%3AJohn+Taplin&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=John+TaplinSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Episode 127:A recap of Henry VI part one and the potential involvement of Christopher MarloweA word on methods of authorship attribution in the context of Shakespeare and MarloweThe dating and sources of the playA synopsis of Henry VI part twoThe characterisation of the War of the RosesThe decline of England mapped out in the playThe main characters in the playThe weakness of the king as portrayed in the playThe powerplay between Gloucester, York and MargaretMargaret as a central character in the playThe use of language to define different charactersThe contrast between Henry and MargaretThe Jack Cade rebellion and the utopia of a classless societyGloucester and the view of justice-based governmentHow the world depicted in the play might have been viewed by the first audiencesThe historical accuracy of the playThe arrival of Richard, future king, on stageThe performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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 the role of data analytics in modern author attribution studies.Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of several works on early modern theatre including: Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare's Rival Shakespeare's Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kydand his latest work Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers, will be published in October 2024.Darren is Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901. He has also investigated the boundaries of John Marston's dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene published by Edinburgh University Press. His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers in the UK and on BBC Radio. His debut poetry collection, Rambling published by Broken Sleep Books, was published in 2024. In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship. Links to 'Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers'https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526177322/shakespeares-borrowed-feathers/https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-borrowed-feathers-playwrights-greatest/dp/1526177323/ref=sr_1_1?crid=94S4BGF6FW1K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pfj-18kdWvHO-sbFvYC3sw.Bx51-kXl5CIuz42hJHAOTCZs4KerccNu9A8tK9wC0Tc&dib_tag=se&keywords=shakespeare%27s+borrowed+feathers&qid=1720274180&sprefix=shakespeares+borrowed+feathers%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1Link to Darren's on-line talk on Robert Greene 22nd July 2024 in aid of the Rose Playhousehttps://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/63856?Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Episode 125:A detailed look at the first Shakespearean history play 'Henry 6th part 1'The problems with dating 1 Henry VIHow much of the play did Shakespeare write?The relationship of the play to parts 2 and 3The sources of the playA brief summary of the playThe play in relation to other history plays of the timeCriticism of the battle scenesThe theme of the loss of the English Empire and the end of chivalryThe portrayal of Joan and the FrenchThe portrayal of the English aristocracyProblems with the structure of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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 American productions since the turn of the millennium. After an initial chapter outlining recent gender theory, which is very useful to a newcomer to this as an academic study, like myself, the rest of the book uses examples of recent productions to illustrate different possibilities in cross gender casting, and the questions that this approach can lead to. I found it to be an absolutely fascinating read, driven by Margaret's enthusiasm for her subject, which you can also hear in our conversation.Margaret J. Oakes is a Professor of English at Furman University, a liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. She specializes in early modern British poetry and drama and detective fiction. She holds a B.A. in English and a J.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. in English from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in English and Humanities from Stanford University. She has published on George Herbert, Francis Bacon, J.K. Rowling, Sara Paretsky, and Dorothy L Sayers.https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/to-gender-or-not-to-gender/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Not-Casting-Characters-Shakespeare-ebook/dp/B0D76WMZZK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11CZZNA8QVXMS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Fihl0uzGo8sTOhBH_I4U8wOKjYHyDayfQRaiJC8DtmU2ys8o2ElWldOC_VbzQCTL8m9pHSr8AoWvS-DvPKEK95JDT0OLndsd1tmX0761a0mRVME0k2kAiYP2gv6iazDe_eDgN3NATv9tYPQW2r5F3odhSC2oKCtn9O8jhT_SDIZm4-SSu4y_Rn_KxtwO4aRTW3gap_sqUj1T_nfvUY_3VQXB04ieAYtntSqU7UrZq9k.QIlJWmZhVaV9c6eAKS1TbJIl5tUJlRuDAD4RIRn2fpM&dib_tag=se&keywords=to+gender+or+not+to+gender&qid=1718710353&s=books&sprefix=to+gender+or+not+to+gender%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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 and fill the gap I have created an episode that goes back to Greek theatre. It looks at that most mysterious of the ancient Greek forms, the satyr play and two of the men who were instrumental in vastly increasing our knowledge of these things.The place of the satyr play in the history of Ancient Greek theatreThe satyr play as part of the Dionysia festivalThe satyr play as a counterpoint to tragedyThe later history of the satyr play‘Cyclops' by EuripidesThe discovery of ‘Trackers' by SophoclesThe paperologists Hunt and GrenfellThe finds at OxyrhincusArthur Hunt's speech to the Egyptian Exploration Society(including the plot of Trackers)The Hypsipyle tragedy by Euripides, also in the Oxyrhincus findsThe Bacchae as a satyr playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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