Shakespeare's Shadows

Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ has only two female characters, but in a new musical adaptation of the iconic play, a cast of women take on the roles of the men who were there at the fall of the Roman Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire. In the works since 2024 with a growing online following, ‘Caesar: The Musical’ is now getting an EP release featuring studio recordings of six songs from the...

Anne Hathaway was married to William Shakespeare for nearly 34 years, until his death in 1616. What was she like? What kind of relationship did she have with her famous husband? That’s been largely left a mystery to historians — but a delicious mystery for creators of fiction to play with. This bonus episode delves into two fresh and thrilling depictions of Anne Hathaway: the hit Broadway musical...

William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson — both are frequently declared to be among the very best writers in the English language. And now, for Dickinson’s 195th birthday, the time has come to delve into both iconic poets on Shakespeare’s Shadows. This bonus episode spotlights the Peabody Award-winning Apple TV series “Dickinson,” particularly looking back at the series’ fifth episode, when Emily a...

Shakespeare’s words from "As You Like It" and "Twelfth Night" get a catchy, folkish musical treatment on "The Shakespeare Tapes," a new EP by folk-pop-americana trio Bandits on the Run. The Brooklyn-based group’s three band members — Adrian Blake Enscoe (he/they), Sydney Shepherd (she/her), and Regina Stayhorn (she/her) — join Shakespeare’s Shadows for this bonus episode to talk about the forthcom...

What does it take for a woman to survive in Elsinore? What would Ophelia and Gertrude tell us — if only they got anywhere close to the number of lines Shakespeare gives Hamlet? This and more is explored in new play "A Room in the Castle," which gives the women of Hamlet their time to shine. A co-production of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the Folger Shakespeare Library, "A Room in the Cas...

"As You Like It" is often remembered for being a rom-com, but it’s also a family drama. Duke Senior (Rosalind’s father) is usurped by his brother Duke Frederick. One brother rules at court while the exiled brother builds a new life in the Forest of Arden. In this episode — about not just one but two characters — we discuss why it is that Frederick banished his brother and then his niece, what make...

Hamlet’s best friend, Horatio, gets 7 percent of the lines in "Hamlet" next to the title character “who never shuts up” (as one guest on this episode puts it) with 37 percent. This episode gives Horatio his moment to be center stage, revealing how he doesn’t have to be a one-note or one-dimensional character, even as his role is in service of Hamlet’s story. We discuss Horatio’s journey being one...

In "The Merchant of Venice," Portia is remarkable for her cleverness and the power she holds, and she’s ostensibly a hero of this story. But her journey is entwined with that of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender whose mistreatment makes "Merchant of Venice" a deeply troubling play. In this episode, we discuss just how extremely wealthy Portia is, whether or not Portia is likable (and how her likabil...

Roberto Williams is one of five actors together playing the title character in Long Beach Playhouse’s current production of "Hamlet". One actor plays what’s called the core Hamlet, and the others play four parts of Hamlet’s psyche: wisdom, innocence, justice, and vengeance — Roberto plays the latter. In this bonus episode, Roberto discusses this unique staging of what’s often referred to as Shakes...

"Sleep No More," the immersive, one-of-a-kind adaptation of "Macbeth," is in the spotlight in the first-ever bonus episode of Shakespeare’s Shadows. Co-produced by Punchdrunk and Emursive Productions, "Sleep No More" is a promenade-style performance that invites the audience members to freely explore the eerie spaces of its 5-story set. Its iconic run in New York is currently set to close in mid-J...

In “Henry V,” King Henry gets a new foil: the French Dauphin, the heir apparent in France, England’s rival. In the conflict that culminates in the Battle of Agincourt, Shakespeare depicts the English with layers and complexity and ultimately with a great deal of nobility. Meanwhile, the French (in the text and sometimes even more so in performance) come off as arrogant, foppish, and often quite si...

featuring interviews with actor Michael Blake, Pilobolus choreographers Matt Kent and Renée Jaworski, and SUNY New Paltz professor Matthieu Chapman A Shakespeare play that can be at turns heartwarming and troubling, “The Tempest” features two major characters who don’t look like the humans around them: Caliban and Ariel. Caliban, repeatedly described as “monstrous” by other characters, is enslaved...

featuring interviews with actor Bally Gill and University of the Pacific professor Courtney Lehmann One half of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers is in the spotlight in this episode, which explores how this character goes from bad poet to good poet, what it takes to deliver an authentic and naturalistic Romeo, and how the introduction of the rapier to England shortly before Shakespeare wrote "Rome...

featuring interviews with actors Patrice Jean-Baptiste and Simon Paisley Day and Gonzaga University professor Heather Easterling One of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays, “The Taming of the Shrew,” gets put under the microscope in this episode as we examine the character Petruchio, the man who supposedly tames the play’s titular shrew. Discussed in this episode is what impact the play’s induc...

A spirit of mischief, transformation, and imagination, Puck aka Robin Goodfellow darts around "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" provoking chaos and confusion when a couple groups of humans wander into a forest populated by magical beings. Discussed in this episode is Puck’s relationship to Oberon, looking at "Midsummer" with an ecological lens, how Puck’s meter sets him apart, and why this play is such...

One of Shakespeare’s most notorious and chilling villains, "Othello" character Iago, is in the spotlight in the second episode of season 2. This character has inspired debate for centuries, and this episodes’ guests — who, at times, have totally different takes on Iago — suggest that the debate will continue. Discussed in this episode is whether “motiveless malignity” is a helpful phrase for under...

The podcast relaunches with an episode all about Shakespeare’s first tragic heroine. This season 2 premiere explores what makes Juliet extraordinary: she’s brave, playful, confident, and resourceful — all at age 13. Also discussed: Romeo and Juliet’s popularity among Latinx theater-makers, Juliet’s relationship with her parents and the Nurse, whether Juliet is really a character who exhibits agenc...

In "Romeo and Juliet," Mercutio becomes the tipping point that turns this tale of two star-crossed lovers from a romantic comedy to a tragedy. Episode 11 delves into what kind of friend Mercutio is to Romeo, various approaches to his famed Queen Mab speech, imaginings of Mercutio’s own romantic history, and why Mercutio — after speaking in only four scenes — remains one of the most memorable and b...

Ariel, the sprite who serves Prospero in “The Tempest” is the first non-human character featured on Shakespeare’s Shadows. Dr. Brinda Charry — an English professor at Keene State College — and Mark Quartley — currently playing Ariel for the Royal Shakespeare Company — discuss Ariel’s complicated relationship with his master, varying interpretations of the moment he is set free, and how Ariel disco...

For a character that doesn’t appear onstage for much of the play, there is a lot to unpack with Cordelia, and she has a major impact on the journey of her father, the title character of “King Lear.” In this episode, UCSB professor Jim Kearney returns to the podcast, and Erika Soto shares her experience playing Cordelia earlier this year at A Noise Within in Pasadena, California. Discussed here are...

The most recognizable image of perhaps any Shakespeare heroine is Ophelia drowning — Gertrude’s description of Ophelia “mermaid-like” in the brook has inspired numerous painters. But her untimely death is not her full story. In this episode, we discuss the young woman tangled up in Hamlet’s drama with guests Deanne Williams, an English professor at York University in Toronto; Jennie Greenberry, wh...

With more lines than any other female character in Shakespeare’s canon, Rosalind stands apart. Both a romantic and a cynic when it comes to love, she chooses her own husband and launches discourse with him negotiating their domestic life — near-unheard of for a noblewoman in her time of arranged marriages. Featuring interviews with Jessika D. Williams — currently starring in CalShakes’ “As You Lik...

“Twelfth Night” is a comedy, so it calls for a happy ending — but not all of the play’s characters get a wedding and a ride off into the Illyrian sunset. Amid all the the farce and revelry of “Twelfth Night,” Malvolio’s story is a darker one. Featuring interviews with Amin El Gamal (“Prison Break,” “The Newsroom”) and UCLA English department chair Lowell Gallagher, this episode takes a closer look...

In episode 5, Richard II is in the spotlight — right where he likes to be. This is the diva king who loves to hear himself talk but is tragically lacking leadership skills beyond his talents as an orator. Shakespeare’s late 1590s play about the king usurped 200 years prior raises compelling questions about the nature of leaders’ relationships with their subjects. Discussing all this and more in th...

Hermione is a rarity among Shakespeare’s characters: She’s mother of young children. This queen at the center of “The Winter’s Tale” gets put through the wringer before she can be reunited with her daughter. In this episode, LMU professor Theresia de Vroom and Amy Kim Waschke — who played Hermione at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival last year — discuss how to approach the moment that calls Hermione...