The Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast

Episode 582. Marco Antonio Vega

Meet Marco Antonio Vega, the newest member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company! Marco performed with us last week in two sold-out standing-ovation performances in South Padre Island, TX, and comes to us from the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where he played Puck in their production of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged). Marco talks about how he first discovered Shakespeare and reveals some of his early influences, and his gratitude to teachers, mentors, and an older sister. Featuring rapping Pucks, supportive parents, perfect background music, holy irreverence, and the miracle of completing almost a third of the canon at such a young age. (Length 18:25)

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Episode 581. Reagan And Gorbachev

The Goodman Theatre in Chicago’s latest production, a world premiere by Rogelio Martinez called Blind Date, chronicles the courtship and ultimate conference in Geneva between American president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Chicago actors Rob Riley and William Dick play Reagan and Gorbachev and talk about the challenges and rewards of playing two such seemingly familiar historical figures. Featuring the wonders of YouTube, the dangers of sketch comedy, massive and mostly-read biographies, reboot opportunities, gifts for character actors, the challenges of rewrites, and best-selling Broadway Play Publishing playwrights. (Length 24:08)

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Episode 580. Redeeming Time Project

“I’ll so offend to make offense a skill,
Redeeming Time when men think least I will.” — William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part I
Kate Powers is the creator and artistic director of the Redeeming Time Project, a program which uses Shakespeare to effect positive change for the incarcerated and hopefully, eventually, the formerly incarcerated. Featuring opportunities to practice empathy, gateway drugs (in a good way!), overcoming language barriers, tools for self-reflection, dismantling preconceived ideas, a special appearance by the Q Brothers, and, as always, showing us what it means to be human. Recorded LIVE at the 2018 Shakespeare Theatre Association Conference. (Length 23:46)

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Episode 579. Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries

Anne Morgan is the literary manager of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA, which has created the “Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries” project, a ground-breaking undertaking to discover, develop, and produce a new canon of 38 plays inspired by and in conversation with Shakespeare’s originals. Anne sat down at this year’s Shakespeare Theatre Association conference, hosted by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, to discuss the origins of this very exciting project, its ultimate scope, and what’s involved with administrating this wide-ranging, blind-reading, open-application process. Featuring outstanding opportunities for emerging or unrepresented playwrights, the power of embracing Shakespeare’s original staging practices, the importance and value of learning from your actors and learning from your audience, the removal of unconscious bias, and the important difference between dramaturgs and dramaturds. Recorded LIVE at the 2018 Shakespeare Theatre Association Conference. (Length 17:45)

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Episode 578. Shakespeare In Prague

Back in October of 2017, we had the great good fortune of visiting Prague Shakespeare Company in the beautiful Czech Republic, and we got to speak with Jared Doreck, Steve Josephson, and John Boston, the cast of PSC’s production of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged). Featuring expat adventures, working with Ray Bradbury, bilingual productions of The Winter’s Tale, crazy performance schedules, multiple casting in repertory, playing in Mozart’s footsteps, getting to play the coveted role of Tiberio, bows that go on forever, and the craziness of completing Shakespeare’s entire canon in a single year — including Shakespeare’s long lost first play! Recorded LIVE at Prague’s famous Cafe Louvre. (Length 20:45)

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Episode 577. Thanks, Robert Siegel

Long-time journalist and host of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered Robert Siegel retired last week. Robert was the man who first brought the Reduced Shakespeare Company on to the NPR airwaves in 1994 and introduced us to the largest American audience we’d ever had up to that point. To celebrate his retirement, we offer the very first interview we did with Robert on All Things Considered, from June 23, 1994, during which we talk about and perform excerpts from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), followed by our second interview with Robert, from July 31, 1995, in which we discuss and perform bits from what was then our brand-new show The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged). Featuring impossibly young voices, zippy tempos, wobbly-sounding keyboards, brief excerpts from our BBC World Service program The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show, unaired outtakes from a piece we produced for NPR’s “In Character” series, and gratitude to a great journalist, network-builder, and friend. #ThanksRobert (Length 27:07)

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Episode 576. Some Personal Time

We’re back! After a two-week holiday break, we return to our weekly schedule of the RSC Podcast — now in its twelfth night year! After taking some quality personal time, Austin considers whether the podcast should shift its format or focus; reviews other podcasts he listens to regularly (and urges listeners to do the same); wonders whether there are parts of the podcast people regularly fast-forward through; and speculates what our next stage show will be (and urges listeners to do the same). It’s good to be back!

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:20 — 22.3MB)

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Episode 575. Northern California Fires

Lifelong Sonoma, California resident Reed Martin was forced to evacuate his home in October, along with his family and thousands of others, because of the devastating wildfires that destroyed almost 250,000 acres, killing at least 44 people and hospitalizing at least 185. Reed discusses what it was like to be surrounded by the seventeen separate wildfires that raged through six counties and threatened property, people, animals, and businesses, such as the famous Sonoma and Napa wineries, and reveals what one does when faced with sudden and oncoming danger, the feeling of constantly (still!) being on high alert, how you can help our actor Dodds Delzell, and trying to look on the bright side of future wine harvests. (Length 15:51) 

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Episode 574. The Stupidest Angel

’Tis the season! Christopher Moore, the author of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal; Fool; The Serpent of Venice; Sacre Bleu; The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove: and the upcoming Noir, talks about his “heart-warming tale of Christmas terror” The Stupidest Angel, how it came to be written, how it fits with the rest of his oeuvre, and also what’s coming next. Featuring a return to Pine Cove, the fun of playing with existing characters, purposely misleading cover art, inclement weather, writing the thing you want to read, the secret to writing moving or funny novels, and how one creates a wonderful celebration of — and antidote to — our favorite winter holiday. (Length 22:45)

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Episode 573. Heminges & Condell

In her new play The Book of Will, Lauren Gunderson imagines what Shakespeare’s fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell had to accomplish to publish the First Folio, the first collection of Shakespeare’s plays. In the Northlight Theatre production in Chicago, actors Jim Ortlieb (a veteran of Broadway, TV, and film) and Gregory Linington (whose stage, film, and TV credits across the country include 12 seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland) play John and Henry and share insights into what it’s like to create these roles. Featuring research, textual clues, King’s Men actors defined by NBA analogies, the difference between real life and art, the anticipation of 19th century actor/managers, the trick of getting across information, and the absolute fundamental Disney-related difference between these two literary saviors. (Length 22:27) (Jim Ortlieb as John Heminges (left), Dana Black as his daughter Alice, and Gregory Linington as Henry Condell in the Northlight Theatre production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

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Episode 572. The Shakespeare Magazine

Pat Reid, the creator, editor, and publisher of Shakespeare magazine, talks about how the magazine began, why it briefly stopped, and how it has risen again. Download all the issues here, then hear Pat discuss how his love of Shakespeare led to this passion project, the complexities of publishing, the importance of fandom, the ironies of branding, the shock and surprise at immediate positive feedback, the glorious idea of treating a 400-year-long gone author as if he’s still alive, the time his love’s labour was almost lost, and how it seems that all’s well has indeed ended all well. (Length 17:05) 

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Episode 571. The Scary Clown

In this delayed Halloween episode, one scary clown discusses another. Former Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey circus clown Reed Martin (right) reviews the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s It, paying particular attention to the accuracy and creepiness of the infamous Pennywise (played by Bill Skarsgård, left). Featuring apocryphal stories, the possible origins of coulrophobia (the fear of clowns), the difference between successful and unsuccessful adaptations of Stephen King novels, attention to detail, really scary online groups, and the realization that maybe some irrational fears aren’t quite so irrational after all. (Length 16:50)

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Episode 570. Book Of Will

Director Jessica Thebus (Richard III, In The Garden: A Darwinian Love Story) returns to the podcast to talk about the midwest premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will, which she’s directing at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago. Jessica talks about her approach to this play, and from where she draws her certainties and insights. Featuring surprisingly little historical fudging, labors of love, illuminating paths, avoiding traps, staying ahead of the audience, and celebrating the creation of a thing that might easily never have happened. (Length 17:51) (l-r, Richard Burbage (Austin Tichenor), Alice Heminges (Dana Black), John Heminges (Jim Ortlieb), and Henry Condell (Gregory Linington) from the Northlight Theatre production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

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Episode 567. Sir Stanley Wells

For the length and breadth of his scholarship and writing and editing and teaching, Sir Stanley Wells is our greatest living Shakespearean, and at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, might well be the greatest Shakespearean of all time. Generously granting us a brief (reduced) audience, Sir Stanley discusses the many aspects of Shakespeare he’s focused on in his work, including the editing of his plays (and what that means in a non-reduced context), definitive thoughts on what might be considered Shakespeare’s greatest play, fascinating thoughts about Shakespeare’s acting company and colleagues, and the justified boast that he’s an ‘all-round Shakespearean’. (Length 19:58)

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Episode 566. Captain Picard’s Autobiography

David A. Goodman (author of Federation: The First 150 Years and The Autobiography of James T. Kirk) returns to talk about his new book The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard, the definitive chronicle of Starfleet’s most inspirational captain. David discusses how his television writing helps address the challenges of writing Star Trek fiction, and gives a shout-out to Star Trek Encyclopedia authors Mike and Denise Okuda, revels in time spent on the Stargazer, reveals the boundaries of canonical constrictions and mildly non-canonical inventions, delights in inventing back story for established canon, and discovers how this new backstory enriches the storylines we already know. (Length 21:56) (Patrick Stewart pictured with Adrian Scarborough, who can be heard talking about playing the Fool in King Lear at the National Theatre here.)

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Episode 556. Abridged Too Far?

“We premiered our one-hour version of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last week, and RSC UK cast members Joseph Maudsley, Matt Pearson, and James Percy discuss the ups and downs of further reduction. Featuring problems with pacing, riding over slumps, totally different experiences, 30-year anniversaries, terrific venues, Fringe memories, swan songs, retained poignancy, the challenges of dealing with audience volunteers, and also the challenge of being an audience volunteer. Puckin’ Ariel! (Length 20:29)

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Episode 552. Director Christopher Edwards

Christoper V. Edwards is directing this summer’s non-RSC production of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and he talks to us about how he got the job and how rehearsals are going (it opens July 29). He also talks about his new gig as Artistic Director of the Actors Shakespeare Project in Boston, and how he interprets LongLostShakes, doubling and tripling actors, the differences between LongLostShakes and The Complete Works…, mutual friends The Q Brothers, playing with language, shout-outs to Boston, opportunities to have conversations with Shakespeare, and, most importantly, the significant ways in which William Shakespeare is a rabid squirrel. (Length 25:16)

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Episode 545. Prague Shakespeare Company

Guy Roberts, the artistic director of Prague Shakespeare Company, talks about how the company was founded and how Shakespeare is bringing nations and peoples together. Featuring important Spinal Tap influences, the challenge of completing the canon, comparisons between LongLostShakes and The Complete Works…, revelations about the so-called “coast of Bohemia”, an excerpt from the Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show, echoes of Much Ado About Nothing, and the value of making people laugh. Recorded live at the Shakespeare Theatre Association. (Length 15:30) 

Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:30 — 14.4MB)

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Episode 532. Shakespeare & Trump

How should / would / will William Shakespeare respond to a character like President Trump? We talk with Shakespeare artists and administrators Kate Powers, Amy Wratchford, Mya Gosling, and Mac MacDaniel about productions they’d like to see during the next four years that can shed some light on the current administration. Featuring the value of leaning in and telling truth to power, cruel things to do to Midsummer’s Snout, finding surprising resonance in unexpected places, and most excellent suggestions of Richard III, Richard II, King Lear, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and…hang on a bit…King John?! Recorded live at the Shakespeare Theatre Association conference at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore, Maryland. UPDATE: New York’s Public Theatre at the Delacorte in Central Park took this to a whole ‘nother level in June 2017, with its production of Julius Caesar in which the Roman leader is costumed to look exactly like Donald Trump. (Length 15:02)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:02 — 13.9MB)

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