The Merchant of Venice is officially categorized as a problem play… and boy does it present problems. This week we go down the habit hole that is the Merchant of Venice with Terry Burnsed and Stephen Reinstein.

Terry Burnsed (He/Him/His) has been acting in Denver and environs for over four decades. He has a Masters and a PhD from CU Boulder, and served as Dramaturg for (the now defunct) CityStage ["CityStage" is one word here] Ensemble in the 1990s. CSE produced his first play The Heretic's Wake in 1990. He is currently at work on another tentatively titled Bloodthirsty Savages. He has taught theatre at MSU Denver, UC Denver, CCD, CC Aurora, and Front Range CC. Favorite roles include Roy Cohn and Prelapsarianov in Angels in America, Cusins in Major Barbara, King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Leopold Bloom in Chapter 15, Eddie in Hurlyburly, Salieri in Amadeus, Joseph Surface in The School for Scandal, and Feste and Malvoloio in Twelfth Night.

Stephen Reinstein (he/him) is a Boston-based actor, playwright, novelist, and theatre educator. He has performed with Amazing Mustache Productions and Here Comes Everybody Players (HCE), and traveled to Dublin with HCE in 2014 to perform during the Bloomsday Festival. Since 2011, Stephen has been a teaching artist at Wheelock Family Theatre, where he specializes in playwriting classes. From 2012-2015, he oversaw Wheelock's Emerging Playwrights Program for Boston teens, which he also co-founded. In 2019, Stephen took a brief hiatus from his theatre career to focus on parenthood (which also overlapped with surviving a global pandemic). Stephen's favorite Shakespeare play used to be Merchant of Venice but the antisemitism became a bit too hard to ignore, so now it's... let's say Hamlet? (Is that too cliché? I don't know, it's a classic, don't judge me.)

Follow Stephen on Twitter @reinface

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays... It's also one of his most problematic. This week Renea Brown and Aloha Rasmussen explore what it means to safely and responsibly produce The Tempest in 2023.

Renea Brown (she/her) used to hate Shakespeare, so it’s a bit ironic this little black girl from Kentucky, turned into a broadsword-wielding-elizabethan-dancing-classical-actor. She also twerks and uses Megan The Stallions music as a vocal warm up, so you can trust that she's a well rounded human. Renea's favorite play by Billy is Titus Andronicus (fight her), she's played 37 Shakespearean roles, and she's done Macbeth 5 times. If Renea is not on stage, she's watching re-runs of The Office, or she's creating Shakespeare themed gift boxes for her company called Box o’th Bard!

Follow Renea on IG & TikTok: @Therealdarklady

See Renea in the Legend of Georgia McBride in Arizona Theatre Company: https://atc.org/show/the-legend-of-georgia-mcbride/

Logan UhiwaiO’Alohamailani Rasmussen (she/her) is a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) Chicago-based actor passionate about environmental conservation, community engagement and her indigenous culture. You can call her Aloha! She holds a BFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University, and is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent, Inc. Recent Chicago credits include Babes with Blades Theatre Company (Richard III), and Theatre Evolve (Krugozor). Regionally she has worked with Great River Shakespeare Festival and Hawaii Shakespeare Festival. Coming up next, Aloha will be performing in Midsommer Flight’s production of Cymbeline, touring parks around Chicago. You can also catch her in an Animal Spotlight, or come along for a tour at Shedd Aquarium!

Follow Aloha on IG: @aloha.rasmussen

See Aloha in Cymbeline: https://midsommerflight.com/cymbeline-summer-2023/

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Never heard of Troilus and Cressida? You’re probably not alone! This week Stephanie Crugnola and B talk up this lesser known Shakespeare gem.

Stephanie Crugnola (she/her) is a Jack of all trades and Master of Early Modern English Literature. Shakespeare is her passion, her boyfriend, her degree credentials, and her main podcast - Protest too Much, but there is so much more in the world of wholesome niche nerd chaos content that she loves! She has a D&D podcast - Adventure Incorporated, a soccer podcast - Swoontower Soccer, a chat stream - inADDition, and absolutely no time to start something else (just kidding, follow @crugglez to see what pops up next)! Her favorite Shakespeare play is Cymbeline because she thrive on chaos and being extra.

Follow Steph & Protest Too MuchInsta, TikTok, Twitter: @p2mpod

Walking Shadow Shakespeare: http://www.walkingshadowshakespeare.com/

B (he/him) is a director and teacher based in the Baltimore area. He’s directed about half the Shakespeare canon and is starting a new podcast called The Shakespeare Cannon. He’s the founder of the Susquehanna Shakespeare Ensemble.

Follow @ShakesCannon on twitter for information on the upcoming work

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Sometimes the Winter's Tale can feel more like two tales... This week we explore all the weird and wild the Winter's Tale has to offer with Brendan Edward Kennedy and Regine Vital.

Brendan Edward Kennedy (He/Him) is an actor, singer, and VO artist based out of Silver Spring, MD. He holds a double degree in Vocal Performance and English from the University of Maryland College Park. He is a company member of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. His voiceover work through Gumption Voiceovers can be heard on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gumption-voiceovers. Find him on Instagram: @brendykendy and @gumptionvoiceovers. Visit his website at BEKennedy.net.

REGINE VITAL (she/her) is a storyteller, theatre artist, administrator, and educator from Somerville, MA. As an actor, director, dramaturg, teaching artist, and coach, she has worked with several theatre companies, programs, and schools. She teaches performance studies, composition, literature, and public speaking at Boston area universities; text and performance to high school students; and has taught continuing adult education classes in literature. She is the outgoing Manager of Curriculum and Instruction at The Huntington, and the incoming Associate Producer at Actor's Shakespeare Project (this summer). Regional credits: The Huntington, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, American Repertory Theatre, Actor’s Shakespeare Project, ArtsEmerson, Company One, SpeakEasy Stage, Central Square Theatre. Fringe/Local: Fresh Ink Theatre, Boston University School of Theatre, Moonbox Productions, Plays In Place, Flat Earth Theatre, HUB Theatre of Boston, Open Theatre Project, Concord Players, Birch Tree Productions, Green Door Labs. NYC/Podcasts/Film: The Huntington, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Broadway Podcast Network, The Penumbra Podcast, Revolutionary Spaces. Education: BA, Boston University; MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston; MA candidate, King’s College London/Shakespeare’s Globe. "Merde, folks! "

Follow Regine online:

Instagram: @reginzal

Twitter: @Regine_Vital

Facebook: Regine Vital

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Twelfth Night isn't technically a problem play, but it is a melancholic comedy... and we think that's close enough.This week we untangle the more challenging aspects of producing Twelfth Night with new friends of the podcast Emily Sucher and Kai Tawil-Morsink!

Emily Sucher (they/she) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and educator. A Helen Hayes Award nominated intimacy director, they have had 30+ intimacy choreography and consultation credits in the regional DMV theatre scene, as well as several short films and extensive training from several programs. Also a performer, they are equally passionate about acting and their dream Shakespeare role would be a dual track of Cordelia and the Fool in “King Lear.”

Follow Emily and their Saint Bernard nephew, Nemo on social media:

Instagram: @emalaia & @st._nemo_bear

Kai Tawil-Morsink (he/him) likes Shakespeare a lot. He is currently a geology grad student at the University of Victoria on the land of lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (Victoria, Canada). This summer, he will play Parolles in All’s Well That Ends Well with the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival (www.vicshakespeare.com).

You can find him on Twitter @kaiocene

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Join Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp as we explore the many possibilities of producing the Taming of the Shrew and decide whether we still need to produce it at all.

Kourtney Smith (she/her) is an actor, educator and amateur Shakespeare scholar living in Los Angeles. Due to covid-19, she's taken a little break from performance. While she hopes to return to the stage soon, she's happily nerding out over Shakespeare and early modern studies and plans to return to school in the fall for her masters degree. When she's not podcasting, she enjoys being outdoors hiking, biking or planting trees; reading books that aren't Shakespeare-related and visiting new and exciting places.

Elyse Sharp (she/her) is an actor, producer, and amateur Shakespeare scholar based in Sacramento, CA. She has served as a private Shakespeare instructor and acting coach for the past seven years and has been a guest lecturer on Shakespeare at several high schools throughout California. She has a life-goal to perform in all plays of Shakespeare's canon at least once. So far, she's done 15 out of 39. When she's not thinking about Shakespeare, she can often be found working on new plays and theatre for young audiences. For more, visit elysesharp.com. Follow Shakespeare Anyone the podcast:

Instagram: @shakespeareanyonepod

shakespeareanyone.com

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Othello isn't technically a problem play, but it certainly fits the bill. Join Shaq Stewart and Navi as we grapple with whether we still need a play like Othello in 2023.

Shaq Stewart (he/his) is a DMV local actor, musician, and playwright. Previous credits include Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged (CSC) Macbeth(Banquo, PG Shakespeare in the Park) Do You Feel Anger(Howie, Theatre Alliance) Mlima's Tale(1st Stage). Creator by nature, he's three rap albums deep, been on two local tours and a national romp across the country with the National Players, and is now a producing playwright with Sisters Freehold. His new play, The Codeswitch opens this July. He is part of the 4th generation of the Welders Playwright collective. There's more to do. Even more to prove. Never ever EVER let em think they know ya next move.

Follow Shaq on Instagram @shakilljamal

For tickets to Shaq's play, The Code Switch, keep checking Sister's Freehold website: https://www.sistersfreehold.org/

Navi (he/they) is a non-binary Sri Lankan manymedia artist, music producer, and Helen Hayes nominated sound designer. A self taught creative, they've released five albums, and performed & toured as the lead vocalist for multiple bands. As a theater artist, they starred in & wrote the music for Pointless Theatre’s d0t::, and have devised on stage with The Arcanists (The Tarot Reading), We Happy Few (Frankenstein), Dog and Pony (Romeo and Juliet for the deafblind), and more! They're an alumni company member with Pointless Theatre, where - in addition to Art Making™ as a lighting designer, composer, sound engineer, performer, puppeteer, production manager, graphic designer & marketing content creator, they wrote Forest Tréas - an absurdist reflection on the 2002 DC Sniper crisis. Currently, they're running the R&D wing of Flying V as an Artistic Lead, exploring the vast reaches of performance, technology, and nerd culture!

Follow Navi on Instagram @yourlocalnavi

Navi's Podcast with Flying V: https://www.flyingvtheatre.com/paperless-pulp-season-3/

Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Twitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Measure for Measure is the textbook definition of a problem play: too sad to really be a comedy, but too many funny moments to be fully tragic. Join Dillon Greenberg and Joan Raube-Wilson as we explore how to tackle this play without giving an audience whiplash.

Dillon Greenberg (she/her) is an actress and content creator living in NYC. She is known for her Latina comedy, MARIAS: The Web Series, on Youtube which won at many film festivals all over the world. She also has her brand and blog, Behind The Scenes With Dillon, where she discusses fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and entertainment. Dillon studied at the London Dramatic Academy in London where she was trained in Shakespeare. Her favorite Shakespearean play is King Lear. During her free time, Dillon loves to be at the beach, thrift, and hang out with her cat, Lucy.

Follow Dillon on Social Media:

Insta: @behindthesceneswithdillon

TikTok: @btswithdillon

Joan Raube-Wilson (she/her/hers) is a stage actor, voice actor, singer, and standup comedian from Binghamton, NY. This fall, she will begin her first year of graduate school at Mary Baldwin University, pursuing two Master’s Degrees in Shakespeare and Performance. She is a Virgo Sun, Aquarius Moon, and Virgo Rising. When she's not onstage or in the recording booth, she loves to read, play guitar, participate in National Novel Writing Month, and watch romcoms. Joan’s favorite Shakespeare comedy is Much Ado About Nothing, and her favorite tragedy is Macbeth.

Follow Joan on Social Media:

Twitter: @joaniepbaloneyInsta: @joaniepbaloney

TikTok: @joaniepbaloneyFollow

Bowls with the Bard: Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the BardTwitter: @stonedshakespea

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

What the heck is a Timon of Athens? Join friends of the podcast, Jeff Miller (He/They) and Elizabeth Ung (She/They) as they crack open this lesser known problem play and explain why we should produce it more!

Elizabeth “Liz” Ung (she/they) is a mixed-race queer Chinese American actor and theatre artist, born in the cultural hubs of what was once the Cienega, now southern California; originally from the Piscataway Conoy & Susquehannock lands, colonially known as Baltimore/Washington, D.C.; and currently residing in Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawai’i. One of her Shakespearean dreams is to direct and perform in Timon of Athens through the lens of a woman of color. When they are not having an existential crisis over Asian diasporic identity in art, Liz can be found living vicariously through their friend’s pets, playing nostalgically curated RPG video games, and sleeping.

Follow Liz on Social Media:

IG: elizung

FB: Elizabeth Ung

TikTok: @liz_u_dynasty

See Romeo and Juliet at the Strand: https://www.strand-theater.org/our-season.html

Jeff Miller (he/they) is a theatre artist, teacher, administrator, table top gamer, cat dad, and professional wresting trainee in the Baltimore area. Favorite Shakespeare plays of theirs include Julius Caesar, the War of the Roses Cycle, all the comedies, and several of the "bad plays.

Follow Jeff on Social Media:

IG: @grandeloveyourself

FB: Jeff Miller

See Henry VIII at Baltimore Shakespeare Factory: https://www.baltimoreshakespearefactory.org/henry-viii

Art by Lizzy Colandene

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Sound by Jonathan Miot

Podcast by Micaela Mannix

Kick off season 2 with an introduction to your host and the problem plays!

Your host for today is Liz Colandene:

Liz Colandene or Lizzy Pasta (They/She) is a multidisciplinary artist in the DMV. They have worked as an actor, singer, director, producer, choreographer, set painter, and designer in over 50 shows. Some of their favorite moments of working in the field have been playing Janet Weiss in the Rocky Horror Show, learning puppetry from Bill Diamond for Little Shop of Horrors, and producing Workhouse Arts Center's first ever Helen Hayes Recommended production, Xanadu! When Liz isn't working for the theatre, they can be found drawing graphics for Bowls with the Bard, cuddling their two cats and stinky dog, and listening to podcasts about our broken criminal system and dreaming of ways to fix that system.

Follow their art on Instagram @lizzypastaart

Follow Cakes on Instagram and TikTok: @10kshakespeare

Follow Bowls with the Bard:

Insta: @stonedshakespeare

TikTok: @BowlswiththeBard

Facebook: Bowls with the Bard

Music by Constantino Fernandez

Art by Liz Colandene

Podcast by Micaela Mannix