Bible

Lamb’s 20th Anniversary

Christopher Moore returns to talk about his wise comic novel Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in this year of our Lord 2022. Chris discusses how wanted to create a tale of friendship and ended up getting taught in divinity schools; the rewards of swinging for the fences and wading through Thomas Aquinas; getting the facts and theology right when not getting it wrong on purpose; the secret of what actually went on during Jesus’ rumspringa; the challenge of not having conversational Aramaic; and constant vigilance against the ever-present danger of losing your reader. (Length 29:57)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 29:57 — 34.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Remembering Princess Diana

In celebration of the RSC Podcast’s 15th Anniversary, artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor remember the surreal week they spent performing The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) at the Gielgud Theatre in London in the wake of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Featuring memories of how the country came together; how all the performing arts suffered at the box office; how we were the only West End show to perform during Diana’s funeral; how news traveled via Town Crier; the joy of meeting Bernard Shaw (not George Bernard Shaw); and how something always happens when we perform in London. (Length 18:17)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:17 — 21.0MB)

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By austin, ago

The Devil’s Work

Demons and witches and ghosts, oh my! As we reach our 666th podcast, it seems like the perfect time to talk about how the Devil has influenced (or hasn’t) the work of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss Faustian bargains; Satan being cut from The Complete History of America (abridged); rewriting The Music Man; Adam Long’s tribute to two legends in his one-man show Satan Sings Mostly Sondheim; the fear of mockery; our Kerfuffles in Northern Ireland; making friends in Louisiana; stories for another time; how times have changed; celebrating the Devil’s opposite in The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged); making up for missed opportunities with episode 420; and hopefully soon-to-be requited love for our book How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better). (Length 21:55)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:55 — 25.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Mary Magdalene Revelations

Elizabeth Schrader, a doctoral student at Duke University, is doing some pioneering work clarifying the narrative handed down to us about Mary Magdalene and her role in the story of Jesus. Libbie discusses her discoveries and how they may lead to some new understandings, how her calling shifted from being a singer-songwriter to a scholar, how a few simple questions led to a career shift, the challenges of reading and translating ancient papyrus, the song that started it all, and the fundamental question of whether or not Mary Magdalene is the Yoko of the Gospels. (Length 22:11)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:11 — 25.7MB)

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By austin, ago

Episode 588. Resurrecting The Bible

We resurrected The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) for its first American performance in almost four years and this cast’s first performance in more than eight. After the raucous standing ovation, Dominic Conti (center), Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor talk about what it’s like returning to a show after such a long absence, and what it means, personally, to perform this particular show. Featuring testaments old and new, civilized rehearsing, born-again favorites, missing trunks, Catholic raves, recreating a fourth dummy, consoling the ignorant, remembering kerfuffles, begging Michael Faulkner (right), and happiest of all, celebrating the Bible through joy and laughter. (Length 17:47) (Also pictured: Tiger Reel. Photo by Eric Vizents)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:47 — 20.7MB)

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By austin, ago

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)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 27:07 — 31.2MB)

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By austin, ago

The UK is OK!

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) continues its smash hit UK tour! Buy tickets now before the tourcloses on November 16. If you miss the show on tour you'll have one last chance to see the show at the Park Theatre in London Read more…
By austin, ago

HELLO, SINGAPORE!

Proving yet again that there is no accounting for taste, the RSC has returned to Singapore this month, performing "The Complete History of America (abridged)" and "Completely Hollywood (abridged)" from November 1-14. Click on the podcasts below to listen to us talk about Read more…
By austin, ago