Episode 188:

Following on from the last episode before the run of summer guest conversations we take a sharp swerve from ‘Henry V’ to ‘As You Like It’.  Although we cannot be quite sure about the chronology in which Shakespeare wrote his plays, or how much the writing of one crossed over with the writing of another, whatever the precise order it is pretty clear that Shakespeare could move freely between the History and Comedy genres and within those how he was always pushing at the edges of the forms and conventions of the theatre and playwrighting to see what could work on stage and with language.  ‘As You Like It’ is no exception to that.  

The Dating of the play

The sources for the play

The possible first performance date

A brief synopsis of the play

The use of poetry and prose in the play

The play as part of the ‘Pastoral’ genre

The location of the play and influence of the forest

The character of Jacques

The character of Rosalind

The character of Touchstone

The ending, Hyman, and the masque

A summary of the performance history of the play

The epilogue

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Episode 187:

This episode is both an ending and a beginning.  An ending because it is the last of the recent run of consecutive guest episodes – next time we will be returning to Shakespeare, Jonson and their plays – but it is also the first of what I hope will be a series of guest episodes attached to each of the very significant Shakespeare plays that are coming up soon. With the very well-known and arguably greatest of Shakespeare’s plays the task of providing some meaningful commentary is, I have found, very daunting, so I thought it would be a good idea to have another view on these plays to bring another perspective to them besides my own.  I am also keen for those views to be born from the practical experience of producing the plays and understanding them from an actor’s perspective and therefore as a result of close exploration of the text.  

Ricky Dukes is an award-winning Director, Practitioner and Teacher based in the West Midlands and London.  In 2007 he founded Lazarus Theatre Company and is the company’s current Artistic Director for which he won Best Artistic Director in the 2012 Fringe Report Awards.  His work is ensemble led with actor detail at its heart creating large scale visual, visceral, and vibrant theatrical experiences. Ricky has gone on to direct over 40 productions for Lazarus Theatre Company including: The Changeling, Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, Macbeth, Marlowe’s Edward II, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Tis Pity She’s A Whore, and Dido, Queen of Carthage.  Ricky also runs workshops for actors under the ‘Lazarus Gym’ banner, and I have put links in the show notes to his activities so you can follow that up further if you wish.

The photos used on social media posts for this episode are from the 2015 production of 'Henry V' with Colette O'Rourke as the king at the Union Theatre. Photo credit: Adam Trigg.

Check out Lazarus Theatre here: https://www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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Episode 186:

In this continuing series of guest episodes, it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Tim Fitzhigham.  You may remember I spoke to Tim in episode 140 about his work at the Kings Lynn Guildhall where the Elizabethan period Stage had recently been uncovered and hit the headlines in the UK as a stage that Shakespeare and the Queen’s Men had actually played on as they toured the country.  Since then the work has continued and through the summer of 2025 it has been possible for the public to view the timber floor, which was built in 1419.  If you do get to Kings Lynns and want to see what is going on at the Guildhall and the theatre do have a look at the website that I have linked to in the show notes to check on what work is currently underway and how that might affect opening times.

Tim Fitzhigham is the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Creative Director appointed to oversee the revival of St George’s Guildhall. As well as leading this extensive project he is currently completing his PhD on Robert Armin, an actor in The King’s Men who originated many of the clown and fool roles in all but the earliest Shakespeare plays and was a well-known playwright and author in his own right.

Link to King's Lynne Guildhall website: https://stgeorgesguildhall.com/

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Episode 185:

For today’s guest episode it’s a warm welcome to the podcast for Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth, co-authors of the recently published book ‘The Shakespeare Ladies Club’.

Their book explores the lives of four ladies who were crucial in ensuring the original work of Shakespeare was not forgotten in the 18th Century and beyond. In 1736, these three ladies of quality, two from the aristocracy and one a writer who ran a stationery shop, formed the ‘Shakespeare Ladies Club’.  All three were so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his them and his genius. Not content with this, they used their power and influence to campaign for a statue of their literary idol to be placed in Westminster Abbey.  They were successful in that endeavour, but their role in these achievements has never been properly recognised.  Along with other scholars Christine and Johnathn’s book is part of the process of putting that right.  It is a very entertaining and informative read that I thoroughly enjoyed as I hope you will our conversation with just a taster of some of the details Christine and Jonathan have revealed.

Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth live in Adelaide, South Australia and have a passion for historical investigation and challenging the 'conventional wisdom' regarding famous historical subjects.

Christine spent several decades working for the Australian government in social services. Her work on a program to re-connect lone parents with training, education and employment opportunities gave her a unique insight into family and societal challenges.

Jonathan was educated in Britain and Australia and has over thirty years of experience as a high school teacher of Modern and Ancient History, and English Literature.  He is a graduate of The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Link to Christine and Jonathan's website: https://hainsworthwardagius.com

Link to The Shakespeare Ladies Club on Amberley Publishing: https://www.amberley-books.com

Link to The Shakespeare Ladies Club on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-Ladies-Club-Forgotten-Rescued/dp/1398127442/ref=sr_1_1?

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

www.patreon.com/thoetp

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Episode 184:

Today’s episode is part of my summer run of guest episodes and feels very special as rather than talking about a long dead playwright I got to talk to a living one.  Sara Farrington is a New York based playwright who has written an adaptation of ‘The Trojan Women’ by Euripides, called ‘A Trojan Woman’, which has had several productions in Europe and Nort America and Sara kindly agreed to come onto the podcast to discuss her interpretation of Euripides.

Sara Farrington is a New York based Playwright and co-founder of Foxy Films Theatre.  Her plays include: ‘Mickey & Sage’, ‘Leisure, Labor, Lust’, ‘A Trojan Woman’,  ‘CasablancaBox’, which was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards and ‘The Rise & Fall of Miles & Milo’, which won the award for outstanding playwriting @ FringeNYC.  She also works as a script supervisor and costume designer.

Link to ‘A Trojan Woman’ published Edition: https://www.broadwayplaypublishing.com/the-plays/a-trojan-woman

Link to Sara’s Substack ‘Theatre Is Hard’: https://substack.com/@theaterishard

Sara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladyfarrington/

Link to Sara’s website: https://www.ladyfarrington.com

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 183:

Today’s episode is the first of a short run of guest episodes to see us through the end of the English summer and first up is Daniel Swift, author of ‘The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the making of William Shakespeare’.  Given that title I don’t think Daniel’s book needs any further introduction other than to say that I found it a fascinating read and I hope this episode gives. You a taster of Daniel’s work and the research he has undertaken.

Daniel Swift is associate professor of English at Northeastern University, London, and has written books on Shakespeare, Ezra Pound, and the poetry of the Second World War and articles for The New York Times, The New Statesman and The Spectator.

Links to'The Dream Factory':

Yale University Press London: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300263541/the-dream-factory/

Macmillan New York https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374601270/thedreamfactory/

Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Factory-Londons-Playhouse-Shakespeare/dp/0300263546/ref=sr_1_1?

Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Factory-Londons-Playhouse-Shakespeare/dp/0374601275/ref=sr_1_1?

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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Episode 182:

Although it feels like a while since Shakespeare had produced a history play, we must remember that all the plays I have discussed so far were written and played in a very compressed timescale.  If we take Henry 6th part 1 as being from 1591 then eight years and eighteen plays later, we get to Henry 5th.

The sources for the play

The dating of the play

The printing history of the play

The early performance history of the play

A brief synopsis of the play

A play that works on several levels

The central role of the Chorus

The multiple linguistic registers in the play

The conclusion of Henry’s character arc

The different aspects to Henry’s character

Henry’s meditations on the responsibilities of kingship

The supporting characters – the soldiers

Princess Katerine and her English lesson

The demise of Pistol

The later performance history of the play

Support the podcast at:

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6.68

Leicester’s Men: A Conversation with Laurie Johnson

Episode 181:

For today’s guest episode it’s a pleasure to welcome Laurie Johnson to the podcast.  Laurie’s book ‘Leicester’s Men and their Plays’ is a fascination study of one of the most influential of the playing troupes of the Elizabethan period and the story of how they lived and functioned under one of the most influential nobles in the land.  As you will hear Laurie’s research to try to draw an ever-better picture of the players and playing in the period is ongoing and leading to some interesting postulations.

Laurie Johnson is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at University of Southern Queensland and a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Historical Society. His current roles include President of the Marlowe Society of America, Research Dramaturg for the Oxford Marlowe Project, Academic Adviser to the Museum of Shakespeare, Shoreditch, and Project Researcher for the Weather Extremes in England’s Little Ice Age,1500-1700 database.  His publications include The Earl of Leicester’s Men and their Plays and Shakespeare’s Lost Playhouse: Eleven Days in Newington Butts.

UK Link to 'Leicester's Men': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leicesters-Men-their-Plays-Elizabethan/dp/1009366491/ref=sr_1_1?

US Link to 'Leicester's Men': https://www.amazon.com/Leicesters-Men-their-Plays-Elizabethan-ebook/dp/B0CG28GHN9/ref=sr_1_1?

Link to the Oxford Marlowe Project: https://research.kent.ac.uk/marlowe-works/

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Episode 180:

Much Ado About Nothing remains one of the more popular comedies where the characters of Benedick and Beatrice are usually thought of as the leading characters, but this play is much more of an ensemble piece than might be usually remembered.

The dating of the play

The print history of the play

Early performances of the play

The sources for the play

The significance of the title

A Synopsis of the play

The views of the male character, all soldiers, in the play

The pairings of Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick

Margaret and her views on marriage

Communication and miscommunication

The changes Shakespeare made to his sources

Public honour and public shaming

Pride and pridefulness

Dogberry and the watch

Why didn’t Shakespeare dramatize the fooling of Claudio?

Reality and imagination in the play

‘Much Ado About Nothing’s relationship with ‘The Taming of the Shrew’

The performance history of the play

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 179:

For today’s guest episode it is a welcome return for Kay Daly to the podcast.  In our second conversation Kay discusses Jonson’s world view and how it differed from Shakespeare’s, which we discussed in our first conversation plays.  If you have not already done so, listening to that conversation, which is episode 177, and my recent episodes on Jonson’s early plays ‘The Case Is Altered’, ‘Every Man Out of his Humour’ and ‘Every Man In His Humour’ would be a good idea before listening to this conversation.

Kay Daly is a writer, novelist, book and theatre reviewer, teacher, and public humanities advocate.  Since earning her Ph.D. in English Literature from Northwestern University, she has written for a variety of publications and organizations including The Chicago Review of Books, TimeOut Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, WNET New York Public Media, The Library of Virginia’s blog UnCommonwealth, Dramatics Magazine, and Centerstage Chicago. She also teaches adult enrichment courses focusing on arts and humanities at the Newberry Library in Chicago.  Her debut novel ‘Wilton House’, based on the life of 17th-century writer Lady Mary Wroth, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2027

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

www.patreon.com/thoetp

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