Ides of March Madness 2026 (Part 1)
It. Has. Come. Down. To. This. RSC co-artistic director Austin Tichenor is joined by actors, directors, coaches, and Shakespeareans DeeDee Batteast, Elizabeth Dennehy, Gregory Linington, and director/mathemagician Nate Cohen to decide Shakespeare's Best Character in our (mostly) annual Ides of March Madness tournament. The distinguished panel reveals unexpected seeding for some characters fans won't see coming; some heart-stopping upsets; how the depth of some characters compares to the breadth of others; the kind of Rosalind we’re all dying to see; how Nate gamed out the entire season to arrive at this field of 64; threading the needle of Best vs. Great vs. Favorite; how some lesser-known characters punch above their recognition level; which character gets (appropriately enough) voted off the island in the first round; a bold approach to Shylock; and a Sweet Sixteen of undeniable greatness that will compete resolutely when our tournament concludes next week. #EdmundWasRight (Length 1:28:58)