House of Desires 101
For our final 101 episode, we take you back to the Spanish Golden Age with House of Desires and its proto-Mexican, female playwright Sor Juana (a nun!). We tell you a little about this Metal AF nun in Meet the Contemporary, and we summarize the play and read a very silly cross-dressing scene from the second act for A Taste of Text. We compare translations of the scene a little bit, and then gossip a lot about yet another Oxfraudian, anti-Stratfordian overture made by the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition (aka SAC - which, like, LOL at your dumb acronym, bros). Listener beware: if the authorship “debate” fills you with white-hot rage, you may just want to skip the last 15 minutes of the episode. That aside, someone please produce House of Desires so we can go see it. We think it’s a delight and we hope you agree.
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Himalayan yak cheese dog chews for the adorable extreme chewers in your life
Jess’s rec: this is so dumb, but changing your highlight color on your computer/phone :)
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
That dumb survey Jess and a bunch of other Shakespeare scholars got from the anti-Strats of SAC. (We’re not going to dignify their nonsense with a link to their site. You’re smart. You can find it if you want to.)
A King and No King 101
CW: Today’s episode involves one of our classic tangents, this time into the topic of incest and incest porn.
That said, today’s episode is a 101 all about dynamic playwriting duo Beaumont and Fletcher’s “tragicomedy” A King and No King. We summarize this bonkers play for you - spoilers: it’s only a fake incest plot to lure you in - and ready a portion of act 3 for a Taste of Text. We talk a little about why incest tropes are so popular in modern media, particularly in pornography but also in early modern drama, we gossip a little about the still-unraveling Cleveland Playhouse debacle, and call it a day. Also, there’s a minor character in the play whose name sounds like BI-CURIOUS, so start the fan fictions engines NOW.
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Ancient History FanGirl podcast
Jess’s rec: Louise Erdrich, The Future Home of the Living God and Grace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
Cleveland Playhouse debacle
Love's Labour's Lost 201
It only took us 4 years, but we have finally circled back to Love’s Labour’s Lost for a deep dive into what some fussy Victorians - Hazlitt and Tennyson - had to say about the play, plus a little bit about the moral implications of the ladies’ “homework” for the boys at the play’s conclusion. There also may or may not be some extensive bird walking into a little-known whodunit called The Moonstone #sorrynotsorry. We gossip a little and also deliver A Big Announcement About the Podcast.
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Black Shakespeare: Reading and Misreading Race by Ian Smith
Jess’s rec: Anti-Racist Shakespeare edited by Ambereen Dadabhoy and Nedda Mehdizadeh
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
That dumb tweet about pronoun use in Shakespeare eye roll
Southwest Shakespeare’s LLL production runs March 24 & 30
LLL plays at the Stratford Festival from August 23- October 1
Asolo Rep’s LLL production runs April 4-23
City Nightcap 101
This week we’re talking about The City Nightcap by Robert Davenport, a bewildering play by an even more bewildering (read: mysterious) author. We try to help you Meet the Contemporary, but Bobby Davs left us very little to go on; our Taste of Text is sure to amuse (and confuse) you; we talk a LOT about all the kicking happening in this play, as well as why it - among other things - is so problematic (read: sexist AF). If you have the chance to see this play, awesome, but if you don’t you’re not really missing much aside from a unique barnyard-themed masque and the most hilarious not-a-bed-trick bed trick of all time. Have a great holiday season and we’ll see you in January!
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: get your stir crazy dog a Flirt Pole!
Jess’s rec: Take yourself out for something nice - treat yo’self!
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
Twelfth Night 302
This week we return to the classic romantic comedy, Twelfth Night, to talk about the recent production at the American Shakespeare Center (directed by the amazing Jenny Bennett) and how it's a great example of how queering your casting and production concept can unlock new takes on a well-known, popular play. We also gossip about Jess's experience at the recent Early Modern Trans 2 Conference, as well as some...um...highly questionable choices made by a certain theatre company for their ill-fated production of Romeo & Juliet. Bottom line, when in doubt: queer it up and say NO to Nazis.
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Circe by Madeline Miller
Jess’s rec: If at all possible, get back to in-person conference attendance. It’s good for the soul!
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
Nataki Garret’s response to NPR article
Podcasts & Feminist Shakespeare Pedagogy by Varsha Panjwani–free to download!
EmoTrans2 Conference
Fuenteovejuna 101
It’s our first ever 101 for a Spanish Golden Age play! Today we’re talking about Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna and all the wild, wonderful customs and traditions of the early modern Spanish theatre. Our Meet the Playwright segment takes you through de Vega’s impressive (and horny) biography; Jess delights with her multitude of voices in A Taste of Text; we take you through the real event that this play is based on - true crime, again, huzzah! - and Aubrey compares the structure and culture of Spanish playhouses to the English ones we usually talk about, plus the added layer of textual instability that comes with second-language translation. The differences may surprise you! Not only that, but this play gives you the perfect excuse for your mistakes and/or crimes: just say “Fuenteovejuna did it!”
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: follow the @teachingwithcorazon instagram account!
Jess’s rec: Patronize your local massage school for some self-care on a budget!
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
Birth of Merlin 101
Sooooooo William Rowley’s The Birth of Merlin actually has very little to do with Merlin or any other part of the Arthurian legend, and it’s more of a history play than its title would suggest. We re-introduce you to playwright William Rowley, who apparently loved to write himself into all of his plays as a “fat clown;” we give you A Taste of Text from Act IV involving a little antic spirit; we talk about how this play doesn’t fit neatly into any particular genre because it is doing The Literal Most at all times, but for all that it’s not even that great; then we gossip a bit and that’s that. Don’t believe anyone that tells you this play was written by Shakespeare, and definitely don’t believe them if they say it’s their favorite play.
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Queen City Mischief and Magic Festival
Jess’s rec: Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Here’s what we talked about in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment:
Lazarus Theatre UK’s live-streamed performance of Dr. Faustus coming on Oct. 6
Fall Season opens at ASC
Roaring Girl 101
Season 6 begins with a ROAR(ing Girl) courtesy of Thomases Dekker and Middleton. The famous city comedy features real-life legend Mary Frith, aka Moll Cutpurse, but not with nearly the stage time such a character deserves; we give you a brief introduction to the lesser-known Thomas of this collab team, Dekker, and also a Taste of Text where Moll’s voice really shines. Jess gives you a refresher on the city comedy genre, as well as the real life Moll and we deliver a little personal gossip. We hope you enjoy our roaring return. It’s good to be back!
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
As You Like It 301
Why As You Like It now? We cover many possible answers to this question, but also take some long, healthy bird walks into other topics both relevant and irrelevant as we make our way through those thoughts. We also dive deep into the New Oxford edition’s notes on AYLI (because it gets real sexist real quick) and attempt to unravel the printing mystery of why there is no quarto edition of this play. We gossip a little bit about the ethics of book reviews in Shakespeare journals and how Jon Snow…err…Kit Harrington is playing Henry V right now, once again disproving Aubrey’s claim that “no one’s doing the Henrys right now.” This episode is our season 5 finale; watch out for extras released during our hiatus, but otherwise we will see you for season 6 this fall. Go find your Green World!
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Get you a snuggly onesie! Try the fun prints at TomboyX
Jess’s rec: the wonders of an epilator! Also the Up and Vanished podcast
Here’s what we featured in our ShakesBubble Gossip segments:
Henry V at the Donmar Warehouse and coming to a theatre near you with NT Live!
Taming of the Shrew 201
Today’s episode tackles one issue and one issue only, and that is to refute the assertion that The Taming of the Shrew is about “romance” (whatever the F that means). We examine a variation in the text between First Folio printing and several modern editions that seem to either soften or double down on Petruchio’s “domination” of Katherine, and eventually come to the conclusion that no matter which way you slice it, the entire charade is unnecessary. We unpack the term “romantic” and why our mothers’ opinions on romantic love might not have aged well, as well as quite possibly the only interpretation of Shrew that could make its protagonists journey actually romantic. No spoilers. #consentissexy
Here’s what we featured in our Happy Hour segment:
Aubrey’s rec: Shout outs to AFSP and MHA for being incredible mental health resources!
Jess’s rec: Isaac Fellman’s Dead Collections
Here’s what we featured in our ShakesBubble Gossip segments:
Check out Romeo & Juliet starring Meg Rodgers and Friend-of-the-Pod Brandon Carter at ASC