The Changeling 101
In The Changeling 101, we dive into the collaboration stylings of Middleton and Rowley, the early modern version of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. We bring back our segment, Meet the Contemporaries, to give you quick and dirty biographies of the two authors; the Rhetorical Devices of the week are onomotopoeia and oxymoron; Jess plays a round of Line Roulette; we tell you about a few current production projects in our Gossip segment; and we let you know who from last week's #DickBracket - Angelo or Othello - will advance to Round 3. We sure hope this episode isn't stolen away by the fairies and swapped out for a cursed one. *fingers crossed*
Othello 201
This week we sit down with brilliant guest Dr. Paige Reynolds to talk about a few topics relating to Desdemona and the things that happen to her after she's dead. We also revisit the rhetorical device of paralipsis, brought to you by Iago, the Master of Paraliptic Manipulation. Paige sticks around to weigh in on our new 201 feature, "How To Grad School" to give some advice about publishing, and this week's #DickBracket match up betweek Othello and Angelo. Thanks for joining us, Paige!
Doctor Faustus 101
This week we turn our attention once again to the works of Christopher Marlowe (aka the Early Modern Becky with the Good Hair) and his satanic masterpiece, Dr. Faustus. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is asyndeton; we (re)introduce you to Marlowe in our Meet the Contemporary segment in lieu of a Burbage Break; we play another round of Jess's Students Say Smart Things; we drop some smokin' hot goss; and reveal the winners in our final match up of Round One of the #DickBracket and preview the match ups in store for Round Two. Oh, and we also issue a *very important* correction. #yourewelcome
Go here to find out about that blog we mentioned in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment.
Measure for Measure 101
The issues in Measure for Measure are so topical right now, it's insane. Good thing we unpack it for you in this 101 episode! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is antithesis; our Burbage Break is all about early modern marital pre-contracts (aka why Anne Hathaway was 3 month pregnant when she and Shakespeare married and everyone was cool with it); Jess debunks the theory about the Duke character being an avatar for King James I; and Aubrey and Jess argue over whether you should like any of the characters in this play at all, even Isabella. We also reveal some hot ShakesBubble gossip and reveal the results of the latest Dick Bracket match up. You don't have to like this problem play, but we think you'll definitely have some feelings about it by the end of the episode.
Merry Wives 101
If you're looking for a classic "bottle episode" (to borrow TV parlance) in the Henry IV tetralogy, look no further than The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is anaphora; Jess dispels some common myths surrounding this play in the Burbage Break; Aubrey plays a round of Line Roulette that takes a sharp turn into a really weird place; and we pose our final two match ups for Round 1 of the on-going #DickBracket competition. Also, #sorrynotsorry, but this is a terrible play.
Richard III 301
Super-Amazing-Lady Academic-Extraordinaire Dr. Lindsey Snyder joins us to talk about Richard III and her work as an ASL interpreter for our very first 301 episode! 301 episodes are all about lenses of interpretation applied to a play, so Lindsey dishes about her 2014 production of Richard III which featured three deaf actors, the discoveries she and her cast made during that process, and her process as an American Sign Language interpreter for numerous Shakespeare plays. She also weighs in on our ongoing #DickBracket debate (#priceless). Needless to say, Whamlet is #smitten with this woman and her work. Thanks for chatting, Lindsey!
To learn more about our guest, go to lindseydsnyder.com or follow her on Twitter @linz_phd or on Instagram @shakespearescholarmom
The Malcontent 101
Welcome to the mysterious misadventures of Marston's Malcontent! This week we feature Shakespeare's contemporary, John Marston, and his befuddling masterpiece, The Malcontent. We won't even mention this week's Rhetorical Device (paralepsis); we tell you everything you might ever want to know (and some things you may not want to know) about Marston in our Meet the Contemporary segment; we summarize this convoluted play and then unpack it as best we can in our Tips and Tidbits; we deliver the latest hot ShakesBubble Gossip; and, of course, we introduce new contenders and eliminate a few previous ones in our on-going #DickBracket competition.
As You Like It 201
In this 201 episode, week we go narrow and deep on a few topics related to As You Like It (like what 19th century romantic critics had to say about the play's main characters - except Orlando, for some reason - and the moment when the play's lovers, Rosalind and Orlando, transition between verse and prose and why it matters). We revisit - or rather, recollect - or, to thy better understanding, review! - the Rhetorical Device of #Epanorthosis. We also premiere a new feature of 201 episodes: How to Grad School in which we talk about the "hidden curriculum" of going to and being in grad school that you're expected to perform but no one will teach you till you're in it. This week's ShakesBubble Gossip is all about upcoming As You Like It productions* going on in the upcoming year, and our #DickBracket match ups get so intense they alliterate. #YoureWelcome
*List below:
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, Vancouver, B.C., to September 28, 2018
American Players Theatre, Spring Green, Wisconsin, to October 7, 2018
The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, Grand Haven, Michigan, October 18–November 18, 2018
American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, Virginia, to December 2, 2018
Boston University Shakespeare Society, Boston, Massachusetts, Fall 2018
Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Memphis, Tennessee, November 29–December 16, 2018
Southwest Shakespeare Company, Mesa, Arizona, February 15–March 7, 2019
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 9–March 17, 2019
Fauquier Community Theatre, Warrenton, Virginia, March 8–24, 2019
Harrisburg Shakespeare Company, Gamut Theatre Group, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 12–14, 2019
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, Alabama, April 11– 24, 2019
Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle, Washington, April 23–May 19, 2019
Royal Shakespeare Company.Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 14 February – 31 August 2019. Booking opens 22 October. www.rsc.org.uk
King John 101
This week we delve into the world of King John and the OG Plantagenets - the dysfunctional family that started it all! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is catachresis; the Burbage Break excoriates the so-called "authorship question" (#NOTaquestion); Aubrey fails at Shakespaere; and we reveal the new eliminations and match-ups in our on-going #DickBracket competition. All this and more in this week's episode!
Jew of Malta 101
This week we're talking about one of Christopher Marlowe's earliest hits, The Jew of Malta! When we introduce one of Shakespeare's contemporaries we forego the Burbage Break in favor of "Meet the Contemporary" and give you a little biographical and canonical information about the featured playwright. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is meiosis (yes, that's also a vocab word from your biology class); we summarize the story of Barrabas, the Jew of Malta, for you in less than five minutes; in our Tips and Tidbits we try to tackle some of the issues around staging such a blatantly anti-semitic play in our own time (spoiler: we don't have an answer); we invent a brand new game for your listening pleasure; and our #DickBracket match-ups this week are Barrabas vs. Leontes (Winter's Tale) and King Lear's Edmund vs. Don John from Much Ado. Tune in to hear who advanced from last week!
Here are the playhouse playboys and their luscious locks we mention on this week's episode (all images pulled from the National Portrait Gallery of London). Take a gander for yourself:
