The Shakespearean Shrew

Free Shakespeare!  What does it mean to a community to have access to affordable or even, dare I say it, free Shakespeare? What is the cost of keeping Shakespeare free? Join me in a conversation with Melissa Chalsma, artistic director and producer of the Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) in Los Angeles, as we discuss the financial, social, and directorial struggles of the stage.  PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!...

Let’s continue talking As You Like It with Los Angeles actor Daniel DeYoung who played Amiens and Corin this summer in LA’s free Shakespeare in the Park with the Independent Shakespeare Company. We’ll be talking about community engagement in terms of comprehension, comedy, music, and cost, what it means to be the outsider in Shakespeare’s works, and if anyone actually knows what mimesis really is...

I am talking with Alissa Branch, director of OU’s upcoming production of As You Like It , which opens this week October 11th and goes until the 20th. Get your tickets because this is going to be a show where you, dear audience, might just end up in the Forest of Arden. In As You Like It where “all the world’s a stage,” Alissa seems to be leaning in and making all the theater a stage. It’s going to...

Hamlet has closed, but there is still discussion to be had. Is Horatio important to Hamlet? Horatio thinks so. I agree. We’re talking to Corey Whaley as he talks about playing Hamlet’s conscience - a Jiminy Cricket, if you will. We will talk about walking the line between anchoring Hamlet and letting Hamlet make his own choices. We’ll talk about the play within the play and when Horatio gets to le...

“To Be or Not To Be” OR “Get Thee To a Nunnery”: Ophelia’s Choices.  *This episode does contain talk of suicide. Is Ophelia a “weak” woman? Don’t say that to Sarah Filek, who is playing Ophelia in the OSP production of Hamlet . Those are definitely fighting words. And, Hamlet is all about fighting words (but not actually fighting). Join us as Sarah and I discuss Ophelia’s choices as she decides “t...

Talking to Joshua Murray, we get to see “Hamleting” in action. Joshua is self-proclaimed to be indecisive and he uses that to understand Hamlet in Shakespeare’s longest and most acclaimed play. Hear what he has to say about finding his way (both as Joshua and Hamlet), learning 1400+ lines (but he has understudied three roles in a three man play - so he seems built for the role), and dealing with d...

We’re back with Tyler Woods talking about “Ikea” Hamlet; how to make an oftentimes dense and daunting Hamlet light in terms of costuming, directing, and, of course, budgeting. In his fourth production of Hamlet, we’ll hear how fatherhood has changed Tyler’s perspective of some of the characters. There are only two women, but we are going to talk about the stories of both women and the predicament...

In this minisode, I will be breaking down an epic work, what CAN be a four hour play, in 8 minutes: Shakespeare's Hamlet. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is producing this fan favorite and it opens September 12th. So, if you are worried that you won't get the plot - FEAR NOT! Listen to my break down, and just remember, this is a play that wants you to question everything. Trust no one.  h...

Often, we are so immersed in theater that we don’t see the details, but the details are the very things that allow us to immerse ourselves in these worlds. Join us as we talk to Anwen Wenger, costume and cosmetological designer, as she takes us into what it takes to create the world of the stage. We’ll talk about color, theme, and how costumes can be used to convey character relationships (couple’...

Did you ever think about what makes Shakespeare’s characters so different? It might closer than you think. Let’s hear what Adam Randell, professor of psychology, actor, and director, has to say about thought. As we look at Macbeth and Hamlet, we’ll discuss communities of violence and loneliness and how we can see those elements in our communities today. We’ll delve into what theater allows in term...

Do you like tabletop RPGs? I might have the perfect job for you. Listen as Kris Kuss, fight director, director, actor, and professor of Acting and Dialects for OCU, discusses the story-telling of fights, breaks down his favorite fight scenes from  The Princess Bride ,  The John Wick Chronicles , and  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish , discusses why fights happen and what happens when stage fights go w...

I'm sorry, all! The audio got altered and I didn't realize it. New episode without the messed up sound of recording in a bathroom! It's closing weekend for Macbeth - this is your last chance to see the Scottish play dressed up in cowboy boots. Join me with Justin Marlow, playing Macbeth and part of the directing team from the Emerging Artists Collective in his directorial debut, as we...

In this episode with the lovely actor, emerging director, and intimacy designer Bell Reeves, we learn about her performance as Lady Macbeth, her relationship with Macbeth, and what a Lady Macbeth is in the dictionary. Let's just say I'd rather be a Lady Macbeth than a Karen. We'll also find out what an intimacy designer is and the role they play in our favorite plays. Please follow us...

Today I'm talking with Dillon Rasberry, one of the directors of OSP's Macbeth and member of the Emerging Artists Collective. We will discuss how they decided on Cowboy Macbeth and some of the ideas that got entertained and discarded along the way. We will also discuss the legacy of the Oklahoma land run and the complexities of putting such a complicated and fraught time period center stage...

We are back with Tyler Woods, the new Artistic and Executive Director of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park (OSP) and talking about Cowboy Macbeth (you heard me!). The first production directed by the Emerging Artists Collective (EAC) is being brought to us live in the historic Paseo district by Bell Reeves (Lady Macbeth), Justin Marlow (Macbeth), and Dillon Rasberry (Man with a Plan). We will talk...

In our debut episode, meet Tyler Woods, the new Artistic and Executive Director of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park (OSP) and hear about the forty year history of the theater company, the legacy of the theater's originators (who first opened the theater in 1985), Tyler's past exploits with Shakespeare (and his theatrical debut atop a table), the obstacles of producing Shakespeare to a cont...