Shakespeare Anyone?

In today's episode, we are joined by the brilliant Dr. Mia Escott to embark on a journey through the complex intersections of race, Shakespeare, and the early modern era. Dr. Escott provides crucial context to help us understand how people of the early modern era were socially categorized based on nationality, religion, and social status. It's a crucial foundation for dissecting Shakespeare's appr...

In today's episode, we're peeling back the layers of a genre that not only fascinated audiences of the Early Modern period but also left an enduring mark on the works of the Shakespeare himself: Revenge Tragedies. Join us as we journey through time to an era of dramatic tension, dark desires, and vengeful spirits. Revenge tragedies, a genre that flourished in the late 16th and early 17th centuries...

Introducing Play On! Podcasts: Love's Labour's Lost! Play On Podcasts are epic audio adventures that reimagine Shakespeare's timeless tales, featuring original music composition and the voices of award-winning actors. Each episode explores plays from Macbeth to A Midsummer Night's Dream, in a way that you can actually understand it and created specifically for the podcast form by some of America's...

In today's episode, we will be discussing the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and how it reflects the evolving concept of girlhood in Early Modern England as well as popular conceptions of one specific woman involved in early modern European politics: Catherine de Medici.  Step into the past and uncover how linguistic developments in the early modern era point to an evolving u...

In today's episode, we are joined by  New York Times  bestselling author Evelyn Skye to discuss her debut adult novel  THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET and her process for adapting one of Shakespeare's most famous stories into her own. THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET is available now, wherever you get your books! Join us on our Patreon later this month as we dive deeper into the book (with spoilers!) with...

In today's episode, we are starting off our discussions on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus by discussing trauma and trauma theory and how trauma and trauma theory appear throughout the play. We will discuss the cultural effect of Lavinia's trauma and the ethics involved in reproducing that trauma onstage in both Shakespeare's time and today. Finally, we'll discuss how theatremakers and educators us...

When we decided to name the episodes where we cover major themes, the main sources, and key background information for Shakespeare's plays, we definitely weren't thinking of the implications it would have for this play in particular.  But now we are here, and discussing stuff to chew on for Titus Andronicus! Content warning: Titus Andronicus contains depictions and descriptions of acts of mutilati...

It's time for a new play, which means a new synopsis! We are diving into  Titus Andronicus  today, and we will be breaking down this play scene by scene.  Content  Warning:   Titus Andronicus  contains depictions and descriptions of acts of mutilation, graphic discussions of sexual assault and rape, overt racism, non-consensual cannibalism, and torture. Please listen with care.  Shakespeare Anyone...

In today's episode, we are joined by Dr. Trevor Boffone and Dr. Danielle Rosvally to chat about Yassified Shakespeare, their recent Shakespeare Bulletin article, "'Everyone in illyria is bi you absolute cowards': Shakespeare TikTok, Twelfth Night , and the Search for a Queer Utopia," and the intersection between Shakespeare, social media, and queer youth cultural aesthetics. We also sing some show...

It's our final episode of our series on  A Midsummer Night's Dream! As always, we watch multiple productions of the play and share our thoughts.  Join us as we discuss 1999's film version directed by Michael Hoffman which features a star-studded cast and incredible scenery alongside the National Theatre's 2019 production starring Gwendoline Christie as Titania which was notable for swapping Titani...

In today's episode, we explore the fascinating history of trade and commerce in Britain, starting from prehistoric times and ending in Shakespeare's era. This episode topic was chosen by our by our Patreon patrons at the Gentry, Noble, and Royal Patron levels. Special thanks to Collective Action Comics Podcast, Claire Sharp, Elizabeth Sharman and Katie Smith! Discover how the monetization of Engla...

In today's episode, we take a closer look at how climate change affected early modern England--especially during the Little Ice Age, a period of global cooling that occurred from the 16th to the 19th century. We explore how this environmental phenomenon influenced the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and what it can teach us about our current global climate crisis. To help us gain a de...

In today's episode, we'll be diving into the fascinating topic of changeling children in Shakespeare. Changeling children were believed to be babies that were swapped by fairies with their own offspring, leaving behind an imposter. This myth was prevalent in Shakespeare's time and appears in many of his plays.  We'll explore the historical and cultural context behind the changeling myth, including...

In this episode, we explore Shakespeare's use of political satire within the pastoral comedy genre, focusing on A Midsummer Night's Dream . The pastoral genre, which originated in ancient Greek literature, involves stories set in a rustic, rural world that idealizes the simplicity and harmony of nature. During the Renaissance through Elizabethan and Stuart England, writers continued to use the pas...

In today's episode, we are joined by award-winning poet Elizabeth Sylvia to discuss her latest collection of poetry,  None But Witches: Poems on Shakespeare's Women , the inspiration she took from Shakespeare's works, and the process behind this collection.  Elizabeth Sylvia is the winner of the 5th annual Three Mile Harbor Poetry Prize. She lives in Mattapoisett, MA and teaches high school Englis...

At the heart of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a fantastical world of fairies, magic, and mythical creatures, and in this episode, we explore the different influences that helped to shape this world. First up, we look at the rich tradition of English fairy folklore, which was still very much a part of the popular imagination during Shakespeare's time. We take a journey back in...

In today's episode, we will be exploring how the bubonic plague impacted society and culture in early modern England. We'll discuss governmental and individual responses as well has the effect quarantines had on the early modern theatre and the development of Shakespeare's plays. And we'll learn that, when compared to the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic...well, not much has changed.  Shak...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. Please listen with care.  In this episode, we explore the depictions of sex and sexuality in Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream . While this play (and many of Shakespeare's comedies) end with a hetero-normative marriage or three, we'll explore the depictions of queer sex in Early Modern l...

It's time to talk about donkeys! Just kidding...a little. In this episode, we are going to unpack the major themes and tropes in Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream . We'll also discuss the challenges presented by some problematic plot points and what theatremakers are left to reckon with when they produce A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Korey Leigh...

Hello 2023! It is time for us to embark on our next play:  A Midsummer Night's Dream ! As always, we begin our series with a synopsis of the play in case it has been a while since you've read the play or if it is completely new to you. So, let's dive into a summary of a play about fairies, lovers, and a donkey!   Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music...

As we wrap up 2022, we are taking a look back at the plays we covered this year by re-reading them and discussing how our readings of the plays has changed after doing our research for our episodes.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Korey Leigh Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or vi...

In today's episode, we are joined by Professor Arthur W. Frank to discuss his new work, King Lear: Shakespeare's Dark Consolations , part of Oxford University Press's  My Readin g series. We discuss Frank's work outside of the realm of Shakespeare, what drew him to Shakespeare and  King Lear , and how the play can offer insight into our own lives.  As part of the My Reading series, King Lear is a...

In recognition of the National Day of Mourning/Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, we are examining how British colonialism impacted the depiction of people of color  in Shakespeare's work.  We also suggest listening to our episode on Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination ( Website | Apple Podcasts | Spotify ) and the All My Relations podcast's episode "ThanksTaking or ThanksGiving" ( We...

We're changing things up a bit today and bringing you a preview of a new podcast we're enjoying and think you will, too. Where There's a Will searches for the surprising places Shakespeare shows up outside the theater. Host Barry Edelstein, artistic director at one of the country's leading Shakespeare theaters, and co-host writer and director Em Weinstein, ask what is it about Shakespeare that's g...

We've reached the end of our  Hamlet series! As always, to wrap up our study of a play, we are looking at a handful of noteworthy adaptations and critiquing them. With Hamlet , there were so many great ones to choose from (ahem, The Lion King ), but to keep this episode from being as long as the play we stuck to the following:  Grigori Kozinstev's 1964 Russian film adaptation Kenneth Branagh's 199...