Hamlet to Hamilton: Exploring Verse Drama

We've had the lectures...and now it's time to have the class interaction!  Colin hosts our new segment, SHAKES NOTES, where he doubles down in conversation with Emily about different ideas the podcast is putting forth.  First up is a discussion of just what "schwumpf" means. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hamlettohamilton Website: http://www.hamlettothamilton.com

Season Three we're talking about soliloquy! We've covered how Shakespeare has used soliloquy, but we can learn so much more from how musical theatre employs soliloquy.  From Howard Ashman's iconic "I want" song, such as in The Little Mermaid , to the much-anticipated "double soliloquy" such as the final number of The Last Five Years , we've got some fun ideas for you writers out there. Patreo...

In Season Three, we're looking at soliloquy! For the conclusion of our look at Shakespeare's use of soliloquies, we turn to the meta-theatrical soliloquy, from Bottom playing Pyramus to Hamlet declaring that the play is the thing.   Sure, we know that Characters can perform Soliloquies...but what happens when those Characters "play Characters ?" We're talking about kangaroo pocket dimensions....

We're hitting pause on our look through Shakespearean soliloquies to take a moment to share our latest discovery!  With the inspiration of Kyara Hunter, a Masters student at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, we're bringing to you the idea of another type of formatting: Bullet Formatting What's this? How is it different from verse or paragraph? And how do Abbot and Costello use...

In our continuing Season Three deep dive into soliloquy, we have come at last to "madness" in soliloquy.  We'll be taking a look at King Lear from Lear , Lady M from Macbeth , and Ophelia from Hamlet.   CONTENT WARNING: This episode does discuss disassociation, and historically misguided views of "madness" and "hysteria."  There is also mention of suicide as it pertains to the plots...

You've heard about Peter Oswald's plays...now hear from the man who directed those new verse plays at the Globe!  That's right, Colin and Emily sit down to chat with none other than the Artistic Director of the Shaw Theatre, Tim Carroll.  (And a note from Colin: definitely listen to the end of the episode to hear one of the most heartening pieces of advice for every theatre artist and pe...

Season Three we're studying soliloquy!  This week we look at the villain soliloquies.  Or the, "this is what I've done, am doing, will do" soliloquies.  Or the, "I've already got a plan and am letting you in on it" soliloquies. How can you differentiate your villains (or go-getters)?  How can you keep a character's personality in tact when they're giving exposition?  We lo...

Season Three, we're talking about Soliloquy. Last time, we saw Hamlet's "Classic Soliloquy" - where a character pours their heart out on stage.  This time, we're rolling through Macbeth's soliloquies...which aren't quite what they seem.  Learn four new ways to write soliloquy by listening to Macbeth.  Including: 1) Cut Soliloquies - Where the speaker "cuts away" from the action of t...

Season Three is taking a deep dive into soliloquy.  And where better to begin by strolling through Hamlet's Seven Soliloquies.  How does "To be" measure up?  Should Shakespeare have used a different type of verse? Should soliloquies be performed to yourself or to the audience? How great is the TV show Sling and Arrows ?  All this and more as we look at that role and peasant sla...

We know that poetry isn't the same as verse...but have you realized that prose isn't the same as paragraph form?  Even more exciting: we've identified four different types of verse, all of which perform differently on the stage!  It's a doozy of an episode, but enjoy this deep dive into what verse drama can do. Show Notes and Texts: https://www.hamlettohamilton.com/ Verse Types: https://...

The patrons have voted, and in Season Three we will be exploring how to write and perform soliloquies!  In today's episode, we begin by defining what a soliloquy is, how it's different from a speech, a monologue, and address...and whether Hamlet ought To Be Or Not To Be alone on stage. Show Notes and Texts: https://www.hamlettohamilton.com/ Support: http://www.patreon.com/hamlettohamilton

Full episodes of Unhinged Rants are available monthly to our Patrons over at http://www.patreon.com/hamlettohamilton This month's Unhinged Rant: in honor of kicking off Season Three on soliloquy, Emily takes her own "Bad Quarto" to task - laughing at her baby playwright missteps, and explaining how her actors helped make everything All Better.  (Well, more better.  Betterer.) Basically:...

You may know our guest Peter Oswald from his translation of Schiller's Mary Stuart , but we're here to chat with him, in this latest installment of our "Bar(d) Talk" series, about his time as the first new verse dramatist at Shakespeare's Globe, writing for no less than Mark Rylance.  But Oswald's verse career didn't stop there: he's been finishing Schiller's unfinished verse plays, as well a...

Season Three is kicking off with an Unhinged Rant, laughing for about 30 seconds straight, about Lord Byron and his absolute horro that someone might criticize his plays.  (Which they did.)  Strap in for a wildly biased, barely scholarly, totally unhinged  rant from Emily C. A. Snyder.  Hide the kids, and get out your popcorn. The first two Unhinged Rants will be available for...

Season Three is kicking off with an Unhinged Rant about the plays of T. S. Eliot.  Strap in for a wildly biased, barely scholarly, totally unhinged rant from Emily C. A. Snyder.  Hide the kids, and get out your popcorn. The first two Unhinged Rants will be available for all listeners from your favorite podcatchers.  To access all the Unhinged Rants, become a patron on Patreon: http:...

Our patrons on Patreon have opened up another bonus episode for you!  This one from November 2020, when Colin and Emily sat down to chat more about the creation of this podcast, the Odyssey , and verse drama in general. If you're enjoying this and would like to hear more, you can become a patron on Patreon over at http://www.patreon.com/hamlettohamilton (CW: frank discussion of coercion, sexu...

Do you love Richard Hovey as much as our hosts do?  Because it's time to see how he did as he wrote his sequel to "The Marriage of Guenevere" with his "Birth of Galahad."   This episode was previously only available to our patrons on Patreon.  Thanks to them, we're able to bring this episode to you! If you're enjoying this and would like to hear more, you can become a patron on Patr...

We sit down with Glyn Maxwell , esteemed poet, librettist, and verse playwright, to chat all things versical - particularly the intersection of the world of poetry and the stage.   If you haven't, check out his On Poetry - an essential guide for anyone interested in learning more about writing in verse. To hear a bit of Cyrano de Bergarac by Maxwell, listen here . To read Claire Helie's artic...

Our patrons on Patreon got to hear this full interview early.  Now you can hear it too!  Emily sits down with Daniel James Roth and two of his actor friends, Benedetto Robinson and Grace Beardsley, to read out selections his "Tragedy of King Arthur" (2019) and chat about it. Hamlet to Hamilton is on a brief hiatus, but we're able to release a few bonus episodes for you in the meantime, t...

What was the process of writing for some of our living Arthurian playwrights?  How did they approach Lancelot and Guinevere?  Which books did they read?  What did they think of incorporating magic?  Listen to this Round Table of the Round Table, an interview with Lucy Nordberg ( King Arthur 2009), Daniel James Roth ( The Tragedy of Arthur 2019) and Emily C. A. Snyder ( The Tabl...

It's time for a spicy Lancelot and Guinevere with The Table Round and The Seige Perilous by our very own Emily C. A. Snyder, looking at the 2019 original workshop production script. Content Warning: Today's play takes seriously questions of sex and consent.  The discussion will also briefly mention sexual coercion and the after effects of incest in the context of the Arthurian myth. Season Tw...

We've got an extra special episode with guest actors and the playwright himself as we take a look at The Tragedy of King Arthur (2019) by Daniel James Roth. Season Two we're looking at Arthur Through the Ages, looking at how  English verse playwrights took on the King Arthur myth, from 1587-2019. Show Notes and Texts: https://www.hamlettohamilton.com/s2e12.html Support: http://www.patreon.com...

We're looking at Lucy Nordberg's "King Arthur" from 2009, today - a philosophical and political take on the myth! Season Two we're looking at Arthur Through the Ages, looking at how  English verse playwrights took on the King Arthur myth, from 1587-2019. Show Notes and Texts: https://www.hamlettohamilton.com/s2e11.html Learn More: https://movingpicturestheatre.com/king-arthur/

We're finally in the 2000's with verse drama King Arthur plays!  First, we'll take a quick look at how everyone kept "reviving verse drama" in the 1900's (or did they) before reading Lancelot and Guinevere in Matthew Freeman's The Death of Arthur (2001). Season Two we're looking at Arthur Through the Ages, looking at how  English verse playwrights took on the King Arthur myth, from 1587-...

Sometimes we learn best by learning from other people's mistakes.  Such is the case of Stark Young's 1906 verse play, Guenevere: A Play in Five Acts .   (Don't worry, Young went on to have a very good career in books and film.  Just...not so much verse drama.) Need to refresh yourself on why line endings matter?  Check out: Whose Line Ending Is It Anyway from Season One. As an...