ShakesPod

Doll Piccotto, SVS' Resident Dramaturg and 3 guests, Alika Spencer, director of SVS' Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Myles Rowland, actor who is playing Henry Jekyll and James Lucas--because he's entertaining and loves movies--discuss 3 different film versions of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. CORRECTION: We often call the John Barrymore version the 1931 version--it is in fact the 1920 version. Films Discu...

Join Doll Piccotto, our resident dramaturg as she takes a walk on the light and dark side in this discussion of Jekyll & Hyde, Dualism and Allegory. Be sure to see our production of Jekyll & Hyde this summer at Sanborne Park in Saratoga, CA. Special Guest recordings by James Lucas. Ale and Anecdotes by Darren Curtis | https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/ Music promoted on https://www.chosic....

All's Well that Ends Well....or does it? Listen in as a director, a professor and a dramaturg discuss Shakespeare's 'problem plays' and the issues that hinder a 'happy ending' in All's Well that Ends Well. Dr. Adrienne Eastwood from San Jose State Universityand and Marley Rose-Teter, the Director of Silicon Valley Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well sit down...

In this episode, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, does a deep dive into Shakespeare's  All's Well That Ends Well .

In the third edition of "Flipping the Script," SVS presents another round of artists performing monologues in roles they wouldn't be traditionally cast in. Featuring pieces from  Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest,  and more; this episode will having you seeing these characters in a new light. 

Silicon Valley Shakespeare's Production Manager, Tonya Mara, has a lively discussion with guests Doll Piccotto and Christian Pizzirani about all the good (and bad) examples of Shakespeare inspired films as SVS gears up for Shakespeare in Love, opening at Sanborn this summer.

In this episode, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, does a deep dive into Shakespeare's King Lear .

Silicon Valley Shakespeare Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down with Twelfth Night 's co-directors, Ivette Deltoro and Erin Southard, to discuss their vision of SVS's upcoming Willow Street production of Twelfth Night . 

Kicking off our 2023 season, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, gives a fun and interesting in depth look at Shakespeare's Twelfth Night .

In the second edition of "flipping the script" SVS presents another round of artists performing monologues in roles they wouldn't be traditionally cast in. Featuring pieces from Hamlet, King Lear, Dr. Faustus, and more; this episode will having you seeing these characters in a new light. 

Bard Talk “The World of Jane Austen” What was it like to be a woman in Regency England? What does the right of primogeniture even mean?!? Dive into the world of Jane Austen's  Sense and Sensibility with SVS Dramaturg Doll Piccotto to answer these questions and more. Reference material: 1. An Analysis of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen , Schatzie Speaks, Owlcation Online, June 1...

Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down and discusses SVS's upcoming Sanborn production of Measure for Measure with show's director, Doll Piccotto.  This episode does contain mention of sexual assault so listener discretion is advised.

SVS' 2022 live season starts with a LGBTQ+ version of Romeo & Juliet. To help us kickstart our season, SVS Artistic Director, Angie Higgins, sits down with company Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, to discuss the history of R&J and LGBTQ+ in Shakespeare. 

SVS Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down with Ivette Deltoro (Casting Assistant for City Lights Theater Company), Sara Dean (Executive Artistic Director for South Bay Musical Theatre), and Melinda Marks (Free lance director/artist in the Bay Area) to discuss helpful tips and tricks for actors when going back in to the audition room. 

SVS Artistic Director, Angie Higgins, sits down with company founder, Louis Stone-Collonge, and executive director, Rosalind Sanchez, to chat about the importance of inclusion-based theatre productions, artistic programming, and quality arts education.  

SVS is “flipping the script” and presenting gender-swapped performances of Shakespearean monologues. Featuring pieces from Twelfth Night , Macbeth , Othello and more, this episode will have you seeing these characters in a new light.

Just in time for Halloween, SVS Resident Dramaturg Doll Piccotto gives a spooky new Bard Talk all about ghosts in Shakespeare’s plays. From Richard III to Macbeth , Julius Caesar to Hamlet , ghosts play a significant roles in some of Shakespeare’s most iconic works. Learn about how ghosts were perceived during the Elizabethan Era, and how beliefs during that time molded the way Shakespeare include...

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents Richard III , our final summer Bard audio play. Directed by Doll Piccotto with sound design & editing by Ryan Lee Short, this riveting production follows one of Shakespeare’s (and history’s) most devious, manipulative villains in his pursuit of the crown. Hear the tale as you’ve never heard it before—as a 1940’s radio drama, complete with era-inspired commer...

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents The Comedy of Errors , our second summer Bard audio play. Directed by Angie Higgins with sound design & editing by Phil Surtees, this hilarious farce of mistaken identity follows two sets of identical twins who were separated from each other years before but now find themselves in the same city. It will have you reeling with laughter! CAST Antipholus of Syra...

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents Titus Andronicus , the first in our summer Bard audio plays series. Directed by Tonya Mara with sound design, music & editing by Charlie Hoyt, this chilling tale begins when Roman general Titus Andronicus returns from war with four prisoners. What follows is a series of murders, retaliation and revenge. CAST Titus…  Evan Darwin Winet Tamora…  Lucy...

SVS Marketing Director Laura Domingo sits down with EnActe Arts Artistic Director Vinita Sud Belani and Director of Education Vijay M. Rajan. They discuss how the Silicon Valley theatre company and arts organization is on a mission to be a talent incubator and to tell South Asian stories with universal appeal.

Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s Resident Dramaturg Doll Piccotto talks about how the social and political structures of 16th century Venice—including the restrictions placed on Jewish residents—made the city one of the only places where the story of The Merchant of Venice could be set.

Local playwright, Ross Harkness, sits down with other Bay Area writers to discuss what it's been like as a playwright during quarantine in our latest episode of ShakesPod

SVS Artistic Director Angie Higgins sits down with our new Executive Director, Annalisa Tkacheff. Hear all about Annalisa's journey to Silicon Valley Shakespeare, her own personal history with the Bard, and her vision for the company's future.

SVS Resident Dramaturg Doll Picotto explores the complex history of race in Shakespeare performance, including the lens in which we view his works, and the life of Ira Aldridge, the first Black Shakespearean actor.