This is a Classic: The Expand the Canon Theatre Podcast

If you’re looking for an ethereal folk story about the perils of love and loneliness… consider this elusively modern take on a traditional Chilean folktale. Legend has it that long ago, three lonely women lived in harmony alongside a lake – until their lives were altered forever by a mysterious stranger with whom they each fell in love. Driven to extremes by forbidden love and the gendered constraints of their world, the women struggle with their new worldviews and each other, leading this tightly wound story to its haunting climax. Aguirre’s elegiac masterpiece is grounded by its portrait of the realities of female loneliness in a patriarchal society, making it as raw and intimate as it is otherworldly.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Mary Candler!

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Repertorio Español has a festival of Golden Age Classics –– and this summer, they're all by women! Emily and Gagarin chat with director Kathleen Capdesuner, who's directing our 2020 List play, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's Los Empeños de Una Casa. Like most shows at Repertorio, it will be performed in Spanish –– but Kathleen shares her vision for how this show (of course!) is for everyone!

The production runs July 14, 15, 16, 22, & 23 in New York City. Tickets at https://repertorio.nyc/

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If you’re looking for the German Jane Austen’s riff on a marriage plot where the impressionable ingenue turns out to be a shrewd strategist… consider this fresh, delicate romantic comedy. Löwenberg needs his Uncle’s approval for his intended marriage to Anna, but he knows he’ll never get it from such an avowed bachelor... unless he can trick his Uncle into falling in love with his beloved himself! But the plan works a little too well. After ridiculous miscommunications, deceptions, and delightful physical interludes, Anna emerges as a self-possessed agent of her own fate and Princess Amalie ensures that her leading lady has the last laugh.

Hosted by Shannon Corenthin and Skye Pagon.

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If you’re looking for a wistful story about immigration, identity, and the American dream… then dive into the powerful yet sparse world of Wakako Yamauchi’s And the Soul Shall Dance. Set in Great Depression Era California, this play follows two Japanese immigrant families and their young daughters as they struggle to make ends meet, integrate into US society, and survive the whims of nature and each other. United by circumstance, the women find solace in each other, building bonds despite their differing impressions and traumas, and savoring the art that makes their souls dance. Intimately specific yet universally felt, this historical family drama illuminates the realities of immigration, labor struggles, and gender inequities that still resonate today.

We initially connected with Roundabout Theatre's Refocus Project in 2021, when they used the first Expand the Canon list to create their first Refocus list! Now we have even more crossover, including both working with curator Kalina Ko.

Emily and Kalina chat with Roundabout's Literary Director Anna Morton about the origin of Refocus, how they've grown, and the necessity of programs that grow our understanding of theatre history and legacy.

If you’re looking to gamble on love with this multi-generational comedy featuring headstrong heroines and aging Romeos… consider this raunchy Restoration Comedy about sex, marriage, and consent. The ripened, spry, and sometimes lecherous Sir Cautious Fulbank and Sir Feeble Fainwou’d used their money and status to land young wives. But both wives had young suitors they already loved… who are trying to win them back! While the old men gamble, bribe, and swindle, the young suitors assume double identities, dance with a Devil(!), and put their livelihoods on the line –– with plenty of help from their crafty ladies. Delight in this unapologetic critique of capitalism and patriarchy while asking: are our motives in love and partnership ever truly altruistic?

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Hosted by Mary Candler and Gagarin!

This Is A Classic returns! And we have new voices! Listen in to get to know our new curators.

This season we're covering all the plays in the 2022 Expand the Canon List, as well as serving up exciting interviews with other incredible artistic leaders whose work is adding to our knowledge of the classics.

Episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays!

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If you’re looking to tackle race, imperialism, and the prejudice of the Western world towards African countries… consider this mesmerizing masterpiece. Set in a rural Christian mission in an unnamed African country, this play explores the complexities of navigating personal relationships across racial divides when every decision you make is inherently political. Intricate, atmospheric, and shimmering with emotional truth, this play is as relevant to our modern world now as it was fifty years ago.

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Hosted by Skye Pagon and Emily Lyon.

If you’re looking for a Restoration play with even more hijincks than Merry Wives of Windsor… consider this energetic, bawdy comedy that centers around the tricksy courtship of the clever Clarabell and the rakish Rightwit. Through a series of deceptions, plots, pranks, and manipulations, they find a way to be together – and manage to marry off everyone else in the cast as well. Complete with doltish country suitors, deceitful women, trusting husbands, untrusting fathers, and trendy dances, this play covers all the best staples of the Restoration. The plot itself is simple, and yet the events that lead us along the way are delightfully frothy, foolish, and fun.

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This episode is hosted by Mary Candler, Emily Lyon... and two special guests, ensemble members Sara Hymes and Greg Phelps! The scene is performed by Skye Pagon & Jory Murphy.

If you want a high-octane alternative to Two Gentlemen of Verona… consider this tight rollercoaster of a poetic play instead. Here, two of the closest friends fall deeply in love with the same woman. Spurred on by an Iago-like character, the plot careens toward a tragic end – yet each character reflects on the ramifications of their actions, which makes it all the more impactful. Fall in love—and out—with this epic tale of romance and duty. Undeniably, the poetry of this play is one of its biggest strengths, so be careful of confusing it with the Bard! Bonus: with some minor cuts to avoid a puzzling suicide, this tragedy could easily be presented as a dark comedy!

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Episode hosted by Skye Pagon and Emily Lyon. Scene performed by Javan Nelson and Madeline Addis.