Beyond Shakespeare

This is our omnibus edition of the complete jests of George Peele - with additional music added to the mix!
The Merry Conceited Jests of George Peele was narrated by Sarah Black, with music composed by Tom Cowell and performed by Tom Cowell, Gabriela Ansteeg, Paolo Maldari, Federico Picetti and Corinna Vatterodt.
Produced by Sounds Curious for the Beyond podcast.
Final omnibus mix by Robert Crighton.

Our patrons have received early access to nearly all the episodes so far, and have exclusive access to our exploring sessions and discussion of the text - join us on the patreon to get more from the world of jest books.

Sarah Blake discusses the project with Robert Crighton on the podcast here - https://audioboom.com/posts/8194838-discussing-the-jests-of-george-peele-with-sarah-blake

The jests can be found variously online, though none of the ones we looked at were very tidy or void of errors - this is a fairly good option, but feel free to hunt. http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/peele1.html

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Our patrons received this episode first in June 2023 - sevenish months early.
Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

This week it's a chat about Brutan Drama - or plays about Britain's pre-Roman history, which feature in Stage Britain's Past by Dr Kim Gilchrist, our guest! This has been a chat long in the making, and much prepared for, as we discuss Gorboduc, Locrine, King Leir, and Nobody and Somebody - all of which we have played with in exploring sessions (though Nobody and Somebody won't be released till later in the year 2024). 
Otherwise, here's a playlist of lots of history plays. Some are more historical than others.

Kim Gilchrist is a lecturer in the School of English at Cardiff University, UK, and an Honorary Research fellow at the University of Roehampton, UK. Prior ton joining Cardiff University, he taught on Shakespeare and early modern literature at Roehampton, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Central School of Speech and Drama, UK.

Our patrons received this episode in September 2023 - approx. 4 months early.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

Our patrons received this episode about a week ago. It's hard to do a round up in advance.

A round up of all things Beyond, as well as beyond Beyond in the world of pre-modern drama.
You can join the public end of the BIG VOTE for our next season here!
If you're interested in being involved in our live sessions on A Game at Chess by Thomas Middleton next August, sign up here.

The video version - with the pictures - is on YouTube here.

Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

A fuller look than usual at the epilogue to King Darius (c.1565) in the context of the wider play. And... oh boy... is King Darius WEIRD.
With the wonderful Fiona Thraille as the epilogue, and various voices in passing in our exploring session clip, including possibly Heydn McCabe, Stephen Longstaffe, Gregory Musson, Liza Graham, Alex Scott Fairley, Rob Myson, Lynsey Beauchamp.
The host is Robert Crighton.

If you'd like to look at more of our hysteria reading this play, go to this handy playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLflmEwgdfKoJ7F93JctDgYfcTuxXVBjpS

Our patrons received this episode in April 2023 - approx. 8 months early.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

The Jests of George Peele - Episode 14: How George Served a Gentlewoman.
Performed by Sarah Blake

A full audiobook reading, performed by Sarah Blake of Sounds Curious Productions, released monthly - followed by an omnibus version. Our patrons have received early access to nearly all the episodes so far, and have exclusive access to our exploring sessions and discussion of the text - join us on the patreon to get more from the world of jest books.
Music by Tom Cowell.
Produced by Sounds Curious Productions for the Beyond Podcast.

Sarah Blake discusses the project with Robert Crighton on the podcast here - https://audioboom.com/posts/8194838-discussing-the-jests-of-george-peele-with-sarah-blake

The jests can be found variously online, though none of the ones we looked at were very tidy or void of errors - this is a fairly good option, but feel free to hunt. http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/peele1.html

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Our patrons received this episode first in May 2023 - eight months early. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

Another fun fragmentary text, Judith by Cornelius Schonaeus, which is... well the more we look at it, the more we think that the translation of the original text is bobbins. It's not really designed for performance, more a literal translation job... so, it's a bit... yeah. Messy. But we had a go.

Judith by Cornelius Schonaeus, possibly translated by Henry Evans. With Rob Myson as the Prologue and Simon Nader as Holofernes. Additional trumpet by Matt Byham.
Hosted and produced by Robert Crighton

Our patrons received this episode in December 2022 - approx. 11 months early!
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

Hello! A quick update on our Winter Revels 2023 and the opening of Round 1 (ding, ding) for our BIG Vote for 2024. Open to all, you get to help create the shortlist for next years new productions - https://forms.gle/YvuS657yV8rVEhq19
All of which is (in part) dependent on the success of our upcoming Winter Revels - do come if you can, or share the shows with your friends and on social media.

The Beyond Shakespeare Winter Revels 2023
A Season of Tragedy, History, True Crime, Horror & Comedy

Welcome to the Beyond Winter Revels, a celebration selection box of shows from our repertoire. From Marlowe’s famous tragedy of Dido, through famous historical characters in Cleopatra, via true crime in Arden of Faversham and a gothic proto-horror story in Beware the Cat, to the chaotic comedy of a story that comes to life in Old Wives’ Tale – we’ve a show for you. You can sample one play or, for a discount price, catch them all! Live play readings, recording for the Beyond Shakespeare podcast, for one week only.
Performing 12th to 16th December 2023 at The White Bear Theatre, Kennington
138 Kennington Park Rd, London SE11 4DJ
Shows start at 7.30pm, with pre-show warm up material from 7.20pm.
Tickets - www.ticketsource.co.uk/milkbottleproductions
More info - www.beyondshakespeare.org

When planning your visit, remember the White Bear gives theatergoers 10% off food by simply showing their ticket or digital confirmation! Enjoy pre & post-show drinks in the stylish White Bear bar and garden. 

Tuesday 12th December: Dido, Queen of Carthage by Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe – a tragedy of a doomed love affair between the Queen of Carthage and Aeneas, survivor of the Trojan war, who has to choose between love and his destiny, as mapped out by the gods.
Wednesday 13th December: Cleopatra by Samuel Daniel – a history play, covering the last days of the Queen of Egypt. Written as a follow up to his patrons translation of The Tragedy of Antony, Daniel’s play is a mix of storytelling and drama, telling of the last hours in Cleopatra’s story.
Thursday 14th December: Arden of Faversham by the Unknown – a true crime thriller. Thomas Arden’s wife wants him dead, and pulls in a succession of accomplices to arrange the deed. The plans keep going wrong. Until they don’t.
Friday 15th December: Beware the Cat by William Baldwin - a Gothic horror story of talking cats. Our narrator tells how he learnt to understand the secret of the language of cats. When he hears what they say, he discovers that cat kind are organised and coming for you.
Saturday 16th December: The Old Wives' Tale by George Peele - the comical shaggy dog story for a winter's night. Three lost youths stumble across a cottage in a forest, where an old wife tells an Old Wives’ tale. The story comes to life before their eyes, and gets… a little muddled in the telling. 🚨Special guest announcement – joining us for a post-show discussion is Dr Annaliese Connolly (Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Sheffield Hallam University)

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

Welcome to our full cast audio adaptation of Iphigenia - recorded as a test live stream for our patrons in April, this is the mixed down version. Many thanks to everyone who helped get this show on the road, and to our wonderful patrons who voted for it.

The Tragedy of Iphigenia by Jane, Lady Lumley, as translated from the play by Euripides

The Chorus / Lady Lumley was played by Sarah Blake, Agamemnon by Aliki Chapple, Senex by Liza Graham, Menelaus by Valentina Vinci, Clytemnestra by Alexandra Kataigida, Iphigenia by Minna Pang, Achilles by Emma Kemp, and Nuncius by Melissa Shirley.
The play was directed by Sarah Blake, and recorded by Robert Crighton, with special thanks to Liza Graham and Helen Good.

CW: Themes of infanticide, murder, war, and misogyny throughout.

Our patrons received the initial live stream of this play in April 2023 - approx 7 months ago.
They then received this edit of the episode in October 2023 - approx. 1 and a bit months early. And the gap between patron early access and final release is increasing! Sooooooo...
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

The Jests of George Peele - Episode 13: How he Served a Tapster.
Performed by Sarah Blake

A full audiobook reading, performed by Sarah Blake of Sounds Curious Productions, released monthly - followed by an omnibus version. Our patrons have received early access to nearly all the episodes so far, and have exclusive access to our exploring sessions and discussion of the text - join us on the patreon to get more from the world of jest books.
Music by Tom Cowell.
Produced by Sounds Curious Productions for the Beyond Podcast.

Sarah Blake discusses the project with Robert Crighton on the podcast here - https://audioboom.com/posts/8194838-discussing-the-jests-of-george-peele-with-sarah-blake

The jests can be found variously online, though none of the ones we looked at were very tidy or void of errors - this is a fairly good option, but feel free to hunt. http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/peele1.html

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Our patrons received this episode first in April 2022 - seven months early. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

It's a brand new !Spoilers! episode for The Tragedy of Iphigenia as translated from Euripides by Jane, Lady Lumley around 1553. This episode works through the action, but there isn't the plain text audio at the end - largely because we don't plan to cut the final version. As ever, the text as recorded may contain minor errors and is a bit rough round the edges.
In The Tragedy of Iphigenia by Jane, Lady Lumley, as translated from the play by Euripides
The chorus was played by Sarah Blake, Agamemnon by Aliki Chapple, Senex by Liza Graham, Menelaus by Valentina Vinci, Clytemnestra by Alexandra Kataigida, Iphigenia by Minna Pang, Achilles by Emma Kemp, and Nuncius by Melissa Shirley.

The play was directed by Sarah Blake, and recorded by Robert Crighton, with special thanks to Liza Graham and Helen Good. The host was Robert Crighton.

Our exploring sessions on the play are also available here - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLflmEwgdfKoLCbWNAHshgw0ZzNM6OseRP
The Second Look is also available audio only on the podcast - https://audioboom.com/posts/8025903-exploring-the-tragedy-of-iphigeneia-translated-by-lady-lumley

Our patrons received this episode in September 2023 - approx. 2 months early.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.