Podcasts about elizabethan jacobean

The barely known story of the 30-year rivalry between Francis Bacon and Edward Coke is a fascinating case study in late-Elizabethan-Jacobean court politics. But it can also be a means by which to explore the limits of historical truth, and the uses of fiction. Jesse Norman is a Visiting Research Fellow at St Andrews, a Fellow of All Souls and a Member of Parliament (UK).  This lecture was given on the 17th of November 2023 at the University of St Andrews. 

The barely known story of the 30-year rivalry between Francis Bacon and Edward Coke is a fascinating case study in late-Elizabethan-Jacobean court politics. But it can also be a means by which to explore the limits of historical truth, and the uses of fiction. Dr Jesse Norman is a Visiting Research Fellow at St Andrews, a Fellow of All Souls, and a Member of Parliament (UK). 

Celebrating the music of Orlando Gibbons, one of the later Elizabethan/Jacobean composers who provided a bridge between the generation of Tallis, and the great Henry Purcell. We look at some of Gibbons' madrigals, sacred music, and instrumental music. Remember you can listen to the show live every Sunday at 9am on Mad Wasp Radio in the UK (or on TuneIn worldwide). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The symmetry and balance suggested by the title, Measure for Measure, sits oddly with a play that crosses the line in so many ways – generically (as a problem play), structurally (by muddling up the purpose of the main action as set in motion by the Duke), and emotionally/ethically (none of its characters are above the occasional unsavoury demeanour). Any of these features would frustrate audience expectations and behaviour, but their dominance appears to suggest that such frustration of ‘normal’ beahviour may actually be the purpose of the play. But why antagonise your audience in such a blatant way, or indeed why produce a play in which there is no feature that does not require some, or a lot of, ironing out? I suggest that the original conditions of production in the full light arena, casting the audience as the streetwise filth of Vienna, makes ‘crossing the line’ their basic function morally, formally (through their leading light, Lucio) and even existentially (as bystanders, they are implicated in a series of ethically compromising situations that are aesthetic as well as (in complete light) fundamentally social. Looking at Act 2 Scene 2 in detail, I will contrast key points in the action as they are realised in a full light amphitheatre and on a proscenium stage, showing how the spatial structure of the visible arena is used to engineer this intensely bizarre engagement which cajoles the audience to tackle, and even relish wrestling with, some quite uncomfortable and impossible-to-solve existential/philosophical problems. Ildiko is an actor-director, researcher and teacher. She trained in Dramatic Arts at Macalester College, St Paul, MN, USA. Having returned to Hungary, she obtained her MA at Eotvos Lorand University, and was Artistic Director of an English language theatre company, The Phoenix, in Budapest. In 1999 she moved to London where she has been teaching and conducting research and experiment in performance, focusing on Elizabethan/Jacobean working theatre reconstructions through the method of research through practice in performance (PaR). She holds a PhD from Middlesex University.

This week Brittany Chandler, Christopher Weihert, Mitchel Kawash, Claire Curtis-Ward, Samantha Blinn, Parker Denton & Ariana Karp delve into the iconic trial scene of Act III of John Webster’s The White Devil.We discuss, among other things:Three siblings on trial for the same crimeThe overt misogyny and patronization of the courtThe role of the ambassadors in foreign judicial systemThe Pope and the global ecclesiastical power The Elizabethan/Jacobean knack for setting controversial stories in ItalyVittoria as a proto-Protestant hero in that she demands that the proceedings are conducted in the language of the people as opposed to LatinWhy does Bracchiano leave in the middle of the trail scene?The timeline for the discovery of Isabella’s death Intention versus action Promotional image for the RSC's production of The White Devil

To celebrate Shakespeare's 452nd birthday and the 400th anniversary since his death, I cook up two dishes from his era and talk about the food eaten during the Elizabethan/Jacobean periods. The recipes from this episode come from The Good Housewife's Jewel by Thomas Dawson, originally published in 1596.

Hear what it was like to perform in and watch a play in an outdoor Elizabethan/ Jacobean playhouse.