Twelfth Night 201

This week for the next in our 201 series, we go narrow and deep into some unanswered (perhaps unanswerable?) questions lingering around Twelfth Night. The Rhetorical Redux is about the use of accumulatio in the play; Jess ponders pants roles and hiding in plain sight; Aubrey asks WTF the title has to do with the play at all. We also provide a list of Twelfth Night productions* on their way to you this year (that is, if you live in the US, UK, or Canada).

Productions Near You:

1. Indian adaptation of 12N! https://scroll.in/reel/874788/vishal-bhardwaj-to-adapt-shakespeares-comedy-twelfth-night

2. Directed by Brendan O’Hea. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, 7 – 8 May, 10 May and 6 September (020 7401 9919); Chilham Castle, Kent, 26 May (matinee only). Part of the Voter’s Choice tour. www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on-2018/twelfth-night [P]

3. The Chameleons Amateur Dramatic Society. Compass Theatre, London, 24 – 26 May (01895 673 200) www.hillingdontheatres.uk/index.php/events/twelfth-night/ [A]

4. Bristol Old Vic and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Directed by Wils Wilson, Bristol Old Vic, Bristol, 17 October – 10 November (0117 987 7877) www.bristololdvic.org.uk/index.php?id=1723 [P]

5. National Theatre Live, in cinemas (click here to find local cinemas, dates, and time)

6. Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, Alabama, April 20–May 6, 2018

7. Theatre for a New Audience, Brooklyn, New York, May 10–27, 2018

8. Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle, Washington, to May 31, 2018 [tour]

9. Trinity Shakespeare Festival, Fort Worth, Texas, June 19–July 8, 2018

10. Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, June 21–July 15, 2018

11. Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland, Ohio, July 20–August 5, 2018

12. A Company of Fools, Ottawa, Ontario, July 2–August 18, 2018

13. Theater at Monmouth, Monmouth, Maine, July 5–August 19, 2018

14. The Public Theater, New York, New York,July 17–August 19, 2018 [Free Shakespeare in the Park]

15. Shakespeare In Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, August 2018

16. Shakespeare's Globe, London, England, May 7–September 6, 2018 [Including tour]

17. The EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens, Wimberley, Texas, August 31–September 23, 2018

Merchant of Venice 101

We don't like The Merchant of Venice very much, which is why we invited Super Special Guest Host Patrick Aaron Harris on the pod this week to help us out for our Merchant 101 episode. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is epizeuxis (aka Jess's favorite device); the Burbage Break, curated this week by Master Master Harris, is about the many different kinds of Shakespeare adaptations; in our Tips & Tidbits feature Patrick delineates the textual confusion about "the Sallies" and has some recommendations for how to treat this play more like a romantic comedy and less like an anti-semitic tragi-comedy (pro tip: it all boils down to the RINGS). We play a round of Line Roulette with Patrick as our game of the week, and we have LOTS to say about SAA's #ShakeAss controversy in our ShakesBubble Gossip. Thank you again and again to our guest host, Patrick Aaron Harris!!

Coriolanus 101

In this episode, we get all hot and bothered over Coriolanus (and Aufidius, too... #CoryandAufy5Ever)! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is epanalepsis; the Burbage Break is a list of book recommendations* in honor of Women's History Month; we play "Jess Fails at Shakespeare" once more; and in our Tips and Tidbits we talk about some weird textual anomalies and make the case for why Coriolanus and Aufidius are #hottt for each other. We also treat you to a sexy reading of the sexiest soliloquy of all time. #MAKETHEMKISS #yourewelcome 

*These are the books Jess mentions in this week's Burbage Break:

1. Shakespeare, Race, and Colonialism by Ania Loomba (Oxford University Press, 2002)

2. Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America by Ayanna Thompson (Oxford University Press, 2011)

3. Rosalind: Shakespeare’s Immortal Heroine by Angela Thirwell (Pegasus Books, 2017)

4. Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney

5. Portraits of Shakespeare by Katherine Duncan-Jones

All's Well 101

Listeners beware: Aubrey has WAY too many feelings about All's Well That Ends Well! So many, in fact, that some had to be relegated to a future 201 episode. Anyway...the Rhetorical Device of the Week is paradox; the Burbage Break is all about bed tricks; we introduce a new game called "Jess Fails at Shakespeare;" and in our Tips and Tidbits we point out some cool stage directions and Aubrey makes the case for why you should like this play more than you (probably) currently do. No, really, It's great. You should love it. Seriously. 

Hamlet 201

It's time to re-visit your *favorite* broody BFF, Hamlet! In this 201 episode, we deep-dive into aporia, textual instability, and female agency in Hamlet. We also take a detour into Fantasy Casting (#sorrynotsorry) to argue about who could complete the cast list of Hamlet that begins with Viola Davis as Gertrude. In our ShakesBubble Gossip, we give you a run-down of all the upcoming productions of Hamlet in the US and UK*, as well as issue a correction about which King James was a Catholic and which was Calvinist.  

* Listed in full here:

1. List from Shakespeareances here

2. List from Touchstone here