Staging Shakespeare

This episode considers Viola and Sebastian in Twelfth Night. In particular, it looks at how costuming problems for the cross-dressing of Viola need to be solved in a way that does not conflict with the atmosphere of Orsino's court.

This episode looks at twins in the plays of Shakespeare and how to overcome the problems posed by them. The focus in this episode is on The Comedy of Errors, with its two pairs of twins leading to multiple comic confusions onstage.

This episode looks at the problems of putting a Shakespeare stage production on TV, and how the TV experience differs very significantly from a live theatre performance. In particular, it considers the recent broadcast of The Winter's Tale on BBC Four by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This podcast looks at the unexplained appearance of a Third Murderer in Macbeth, in the scene where Banquo is killed. Why does an extra murderer turn up? Which of your actors should play him and why?

Balcony? What balcony? Why is it that we all think Juliet has one, when Shakespeare never mentions a balcony? Time for a rethink?

This episode looks at the end of Measure for Measure, when the Duke proposes marriage to Isabella and she does not reply. Why does she say nothing at all and how should we stage this unusual moment?

This episode looks at the crucial moment in "Much Ado About Nothing" when Beatrice, having just declared her love to Benedick (and he to her), puts his love to the test by asking him to kill Claudio, who has just rejected Hero at the altar.

This episode looks at how to stage the Dover cliff scene in "King Lear", where Edgar (disguised as Poor Tom) pretends to bring his blinded father, Gloucester, to the cliff edge. How should we approach this scene so that it has the right dramatic impact on the audience?

This episode looks at the "antic disposition" which Hamlet tells his friends he will now "put on", having learned from the Ghost of his father that he was murdered. What is an "antic disposition" and how have modern actors responded to this challenge?

This episode looks at the Fairies in " A Midsummer Night's Dream" - Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed. It considers how best to present these characters today.