Play On Podcasts

By Next Chapter Podcasts

Play On Podcasts are epic audio adventures reimagining timeless tales, featuring original music composition and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. This is where Theatre meets Podcast, combi... more

4.7

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FAQs about Play On Podcasts:

How many episodes does Play On Podcasts have?

The podcast currently has 345 episodes available.

Play On Podcasts episodes:

August 03, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Episode 5 - The Molding
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
As dawn breaks, the lovers bid each other a tearful farewell, exchanging love tokens: Troilus gives Cressida a silver bracelet and she gives him a necklace. Diomedes arrives to take Cressida to the Greek camp as Paris, Aeneas and Deiphobus speed off to the battlefield. Meanwhile, Ajax rouses the Grecian nobles in his excitement for the single combat with Hector. They humor him until Cressida arrives. One by one, each of the commanders try to force Cressida to kiss them. She uses her wit and sarcasm to keep them at bay. Ulysses ridicules her as a loose woman until Aeneas arrives to inform them that because Ajax and Hector are cousins, their duel cannot be to the death. The two combatants go at each other but settle for a draw. Hector is invited into the Greek camp to feast. All is well until Achilles arrives and vows to kill Hector in battle the next day. Troilus pulls Ulysses aside and asks him to take him to Calchas’s tent so that he can visit Cressida.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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33min
July 27, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Episode 4 - The Kneading
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
Just as Troilus and Cressida finally unite, her father Calchas, a traitor who betrayed Troy to join the Greeks, petitions the Greek generals to trade for her so he can have her with him again. Agamemnon orders Diomedes to supervise the exchange. Ulysses then convinces the Greek commanders to rile up Achilles by walking past his tent without acknowledging him. When Achilles asks Ulysses what’s going on, Ulysses tells him Ajax is the new hero because he took up Hector’s challenge, but that if Achilles would break off his secret relationship with a Trojan princess and get back to fighting, his could restore his reputation. Thersites rubs it in by reporting that Ajax is strutting around the Greek camp completely full of himself. Achilles tells Thersites he wants to see Hector at his tent after the fight. Back in Troy, Diomedes arrives at Aeneas’s home to finalize the prisoner exchange for Cressida. Aeneas rushes to Troilus’s house to break the news to him. He gets there just as Pandarus is teasing the couple in their love nest. When Aeneas finally delivers the royal decree demanding that Cressida be handed over immediately, Troilus is devastated, and Cressida swears she will not leave.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit ⁠⁠⁠NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM⁠⁠⁠ for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit ⁠⁠⁠PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG⁠⁠⁠ for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
38min
July 20, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Episode 3 - The Rising
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***

Thersites delights in insulting Patroclus, Achilles, Agamemnon and everyone they command. When Agamemnon arrives with his entourage, Achilles withdraws into his tent and refuses to meet with him. Agamemnon turns to Ajax and heaps praise on him, encouraging him to be their champion in single combat with Hector instead of Achilles. Back at the palace in Troy, Pandarus meets with Paris and Helen in their decadent love nest to make excuses for Troilus’s absence from their dinner. Helen persuades him to sing them a love song before sending him on his way. Pandarus finds Troilus anxiously awaiting Cressida in an orchard and finally brings the lovers together. They promise each other complete fidelity with Pandarus as their witness before hurrying into a bedroom to consummate their relationship.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit ⁠⁠NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM⁠⁠ for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit ⁠⁠PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG⁠⁠ for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
35min
July 13, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Episode 2 - The Sifting
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
As Agamemnon and his Generals argue in the Greek camp, the Trojan Aeneas arrives to deliver Hector’s challenge to a duel in single combat. When the brute Ajax hears about the proclamation, he beats the foul-mouthed slave Thersites for not telling him what it says. Achilles and Patroclus come to Thersites’ rescue and defend him from Ajax even though Thersites insists on insulting all of them. Back in the Royal Palace of Troy, Priam and his sons Hector, Paris and Troilus dine in the Trojan Council Chamber and debate whether to surrender Helen to end the war. Hector argues she isn’t worth the bloodshed and that it’s the honorable thing to do. They are interrupted by their mad sister, Cassandra, who enters and prophesies that if they do not let Helen go, Troy will burn. Troilus and Paris argue to keep her nonetheless, ultimately deciding to continue the fight. Back in the Greek camp, Ajax hopes to be picked as the champion to fight Hector. Thersites curses them all.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit ⁠NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM⁠ for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit ⁠PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG⁠ for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
35min
July 06, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Bonus Content Episode 1 - Theatermaker Lillian Groag
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
“There are no good guys.” Renowned theatremaker Lillian Groag explains why “Troilus and Cressida” is her favorite of all the plays Shakespeare ever wrote, but not without wondering out loud what happened to him along the way...

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...more
1h 1min
June 29, 2026 Troilus and Cressida - Episode 1 - The Milling
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***

The lovesick Trojan prince Troilus is so consumed by his infatuation with Cressida that he refuses to fight in the endless Trojan war with the Greeks, lamenting his woes to Cressida’s uncle, Pandarus, who serves as the go-between for the lovers. Aeneas arrives with news that Troilus’s brother, Paris, has been wounded by Menalaeus in battle, persuading Troilus to rejoin the fight. Inside the Trojan Citadel, Cressida gets the gossip from her friend Alexandra before Pandarus arrives to sing Troilus’s praises. Together, Pandarus and Cressida watch the Trojan warriors return from battle. Pandarus keeps heaping praise on Troilus as Cressida remains aloof, but once alone, she confesses she’s only playing “hard to get” in order to keep Troilus interested. Meanwhile, in the Greek encampment outside Troy, the Generals Agamemnon, Nestor and Ulysses lament that the war has dragged on for years without victory. Ulysses blames it on a breakdown of hierarchy and order brought on by Achilles’ mocking their leadership, whipping the Greeks into a frenzy of anger and frustration.

The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
36min
June 22, 2026 Introducing...Troilus and Cressida
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS PRESENTS THE PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”
SHAKESPEARE’S BITING COMEDY ABOUT THE ABSURDITY OF WAR AND THE UNDERBELLY OF LOVE.
AN EPIC ANTI-LOVE STORY PERFORMED BY AN ENSEMBLE OF AMERICA’S MOST ACCOMPLISHED STAGE ACTORS
IN A MODERN ENGLISH VERSE TRANSLATION BY LILLIAN GROAG.
DIRECTED BY KIM MARTIN COTTEN
RADIO PLAY BY CATHERINE EATON
WITH ORIGINAL SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION BY LINDSAY JONES

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
2min
June 15, 2026 Bonus Content - Actor Randall Duk Kim & Director Annie Occhiogrosso - Pt. 2
***⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***
“We Gave Everything We Had”: Actor Randall Duk Kim and Director Annie Occhiogrosso reflect on their lives as artists, creating American Players Theater, how much you can learn from studying “Hamlet” over fifty years, what it takes to be great, where to find the best audiences in the country, how strawberries and chocolate can make all the difference on Press Day, the importance of language, what Keanu Reeves reads between takes, how Laurence Fishburne found his way into “Othello”, why every actor should start a theater, being Asian on an island, how Edwin Booth, Walt Whitman and a slaughtered lamb all played a part in bringing world class productions to a town of 1,200 people in rural Wisconsin, why it’s important to plant the seeds of inspiration in young people if we want to have any hope for our future, and much, much more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
49min
June 08, 2026 Bonus Content - Actor Randall Duk Kim & Director Annie Occhiogrosso - Pt. 1
***⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠⁠ ***
“We Gave Everything We Had”: Actor Randall Duk Kim and Director Annie Occhiogrosso reflect on their lives as artists, creating American Players Theater, how much you can learn from studying “Hamlet” over fifty years, what it takes to be great, where to find the best audiences in the country, how strawberries and chocolate can make all the difference on Press Day, the importance of language, what Keanu Reeves reads between takes, how Laurence Fishburne found his way into “Othello”, why every actor should start a theater, being Asian on an island, how Edwin Booth, Walt Whitman and a slaughtered lamb all played a part in bringing world class productions to a town of 1,200 people in rural Wisconsin, why it’s important to plant the seeds of inspiration in young people if we want to have any hope for our future, and much, much more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
1h 6min
June 01, 2026 Bonus Content - Historian Cassidy Cash
***⁠⁠⁠Complete our⁠ listener survey⁠ for a chance to win a $50 gift card!⁠⁠ ***
“I fell into Shakespeare!” Historian and podcaster Cassidy Cash describes how finding a copy of a play tucked between a Bible and a hymnal in her grandmother’s house in rural Alabama led her into a life of learning about the past, the present, engineering information, painting castles, making podcasts, playing Noddy and knowing what a Link Boy was!

Check out her excellent show That Shakespeare Life wherever you listen to great podcasts!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
56min

FAQs about Play On Podcasts:

How many episodes does Play On Podcasts have?

The podcast currently has 345 episodes available.

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