Joe Liss (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Strangers With Candy; Home Alone 2) and Dee Ryan (The Office, 10 Items Or Less, United States of Tara) are bringing their improvised horror parody Misery Loves Company to the Rochester Fringe Festival this September 12 & 14, and they discuss the wine-soaked origins of this "cockadoodie" good time. These two improv gurus share why this is the first time they've worked together; how you improvise a fight scene; the importance of age-appropriate casting; the value of not planning what you’re going to do; how and where they'll be teaching workshops in Rochester; and the glory of performing with a home-field advantage. (Length 21:49)

James Shapiro wears many hats – author, scholar, cultural historian, consultant to New York's Public Theatre – discusses his work with actors and students, as well as his invaluable books A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599, The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, and Shakespeare in a Divided America. Shapiro also shares experiences of working on this summer's Twelfth Night in New York's Central Park; working with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway in Othello; how he first discovered Shakespeare; what he learns from working with actors; the power of knowing whether a thou is a formal thou or an eff-you thou; being scolded (rightly!) by F. Murray Abraham; whether he prefers to be known as a historian, a mensch, or the Shakespeare Guy; how his thoughts about America have evolved since he wrote Shakespeare in a Divided America; how his correspondence with a Supreme Court justice was the Shakespeare in the coal mine; and how we look at the news for what’s happening today but turn to Shakespeare to find out what’s at stake. (Length 26:51)

Tiffany Keane Schaefer is the writer and director of Twihard! A Twilight Musical Parody, now running at Chicago’s Apollo Theatre for a limited time. Tiffany discusses the origins of her musical at the Otherworld Theatre Company, which is dedicated exclusively to science-fiction and fantasy programming (and which she runs with her husband – and friend of the pod – Dylan Schaefer); how Twilight represents a time of hope; the metaphorical power of sparkly vampires and bare-chested werewolves; and how the parody musical genre was the only way to properly express her affection for the source material. (Length 22:31) (Photos from Twihard! A Twilight Musical Parody by Nadir Waxali.)

Playwright Lauren Gunderson returns to discuss her new play Billie Jean, about tennis and civil rights legend Billie Jean King, now having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Gunderson reflects on the similarities between sports and theatre and how they inform this spectacular new work; its surprisingly fast and enviable development process; the parallels to her earlier plays; the echoes of Shakespeare’s Henry V and how Wimbledon resembles Agincourt; and how Billie Jean, as Brandi Carlile said, "came out at 50 so that come out at 15.” (Length 18:56) (PICTURED: Chilina Kennedy as Billie Jean King in Chicago Shakespeare’s world premiere production of Billie Jean by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Marc Bruni. Running July 18–August 10, 2025, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Photo by Justin Barbin.)

Amanda Giguere is the director of outreach for Colorado Shakespeare Festival and her research and work putting together touring productions of Shakespeare in schools has resulted in her new book Shakespeare & Violence Prevention. Amanda discusses how valuable this work is and how it began; addresses the counter-intuitive notion that Shakespeare – the author of such violent plays – can be so useful in this kind of work; how Twelfth Night is a perfect tool, even for elementary school students, and why Titus Andronicus really isn't; the importance of climate awareness; the vital distinction that it’s not the “Shakespeare Prevention Program,” it’s the “Violence Prevention Through Shakespeare Program;” and how violence, like heart disease, is preventable. (Length 20:44)

Author and professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner returns to talk about his new biography, Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist, which charts the growth of the award-winning 21st-century composer, lyricist, and cultural juggernaut, and details the many ways in which "artistic genius is a team sport." Pollack-Pelzner shares how he wanted to write something that would inspire his students; and reveals how Miranda agreed to open up his digital rolodex; how he can cite formative influences going back to elementary school; how early book buyers in the UK can win two tickets to see Hamilton in the West End; and most importantly, he stresses the extreme value of editors, especially if they’re related to us. (Length 26:00)

Breon Arzell is the choreographer for the Goodman Theatre production of The Color Purple, directed by Lili-Anne Brown with musical direction by Jermaine Hill, and he shares how their extraordinary Chicago cast transforms a show this team has worked on before. Breon reveals the importance of making art with the artists you’ve actually got in the room; how this show honors our ancestors; how we find find community both in the story and in life; how the Greek chorus breaks the fourth wall and cues the audience that they’re allowed to laugh; and the ultimate grace and blessing of finding divinity within. (Length 21:33) (PICTURED: Brittney Mack (Celie) and Shantel Renee Cribbs (Nettie) in the Goodman Theatre production of The Color Purple, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, choreographed by Breon Arzell, and musical directed by Jermaine Hill. Photo by Brett Beiner.)

Playwright and screenwriter Madhuri Shekar returns to talk about Dhaba on Devon Avenue, now having its much-delayed world premiere at Chicago's Writers Theatre in a co-production with Timeline Theatre. Shekar reveals the comic book origin stories of both herself and the play; the happy accident of writing a family play that resonates with older audiences; how Shakespeare and Bollywood have much in common; how superhero films have taught us important history our schools have missed; embracing the unintentional gift of time; and the Proustian power of a saag grilled cheese sandwich. (Length 20:32) (PICTURED: Anish Jethmalani and Tina Munoz Pandya in the Writers Theatre/Timeline Theatre co-production of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Chay Yew. Photo by Michael Brosilow.)

'Tis the season for Shakespeare in the park(s)! Ian Gallanar, the founding artistic director of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore, discusses CSC's touring program Shakespeare Beyond, which is taking Ian’s highly localized but still mostly Shakespeare adaptation It’s the Comedy of Errors, Hon to parks and outdoor venues all over Maryland. Gallanar reveals how Shakespeare Beyond combines the best of Shakespeare, vaudeville, and circus; the beauty and versatility of the Shakespeare Wagon; the art of deploying local slang and specific Maryland references; having to deal with the withdrawal of already-earmarked NEA funds; shout-outs to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern; and the importance of blurring the false distinction between "Shakespeare" and "entertainment." (Length 20:42)

Actor, improviser, and founding member of Upright Citizens Brigade Matt Walsh (Veep, Manhunt) is touring this summer with Bluebird Improv and returns to the RSC Podcast to discuss how improv differs from acting (and sometimes doesn't). Matt reveals how improv is less about creation and more about discovery; the importance of and method for learning the value of patience; how he combined both acting and improv on Veep; why scripted punchlines are sometimes not as funny as improvised punchlines; the challenge of playing a racist monster in Manhunt; and (to unintentionally paraphrase Austin Powers) the importance of remembering that when onstage, just behave. (Length 27:46)