Directing

Malkia’s Christmas Carol

Malkia Stampley (above) is directing the Goodman Theatre’s 48th annual production of A Christmas Carol (in previews now, opening Sunday, and running through New Year’s Eve), and reflects how her experience in other productions, as well as her background as both a performer and a person, informs her approach to Dickens’s classic tale. Malkia reveals how she’s amplifying the diversity the production has had for decades by allowing characters to sound like what they look like; how the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption is perhaps more important than ever; how she’s shaping the show around the talents the actors bring; how the story changes because of the way the world has changed; and how the timeless story of A Christmas Carol belongs to everyone. (Length 23:45)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 23:45 — 27.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Shakespeare In Harlem

A hundred years on from the Harlem Renaissance, Gerrad Alex Taylor has adapted Langston Hughes’s Shakespeare in Harlem, which is having its world premiere this month at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, running from October 30 to November 9, 2025. Taylor shares how he’s collaborating with both Hughes and Shakespeare to canonize the Black experience; how we call upon our ancestors, both personal and literary;  the power of the written word, from dramatic poetry to a letter written to your city council; how Shakespeare takes us, in his “Seven ages of man” speech through a man’s life, while Hughes takes us through a man’s blues; and finally, Taylor’s mission to turn Shakespeare into a verb! (Length 21:48)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:48 — 25.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Directing Our Scripts

RSC artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor are directing college productions of their comedies William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) and The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel), and they discuss the differences they discover in their scripts when other actors are performing them. Reed and Austin share how different actors bring different energies; the difference between a vaudeville and a play; how directing these young actors is like looking in a mirror; and how certain things just aren’t necessary when you cast more than three actors. (Length 19:37)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:37 — 22.5MB)

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By austin, ago

The Color Purple

Breon Arzell is the choreographer for the Goodman Theatre production of The Color Purple, directed by Lili-Anne Brown with musical direction by Jermaine Hill, and he shares how their extraordinary Chicago cast transforms a show this team has worked on before. Breon reveals the importance of making art with the artists you’ve actually got in the room; how this show honors our ancestors; how we find find community both in the story and in life; how the Greek chorus breaks the fourth wall and cues the audience that they’re allowed to laugh; and the ultimate grace and blessing of finding divinity within. (Length 21:33) (PICTURED: Brittney Mack (Celie) and Shantel Renee Cribbs (Nettie) in the Goodman Theatre production of The Color Purple, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, choreographed by Breon Arzell, and musical directed by Jermaine Hill. Photo by Brett Beiner.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:33 — 24.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Preparing For Coriolanus

Host Austin Tichenor returns to Chicago’s Back Room Shakespeare Project to perform in their production of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus on June 16, 2025 at the Hideout, and he discusses with the show’s captain and first mate Sam Pearson and Gage Wallace how this cast and crew came together to embody the Project’s ethos of “Serious actors. No director. One rehearsal. In a bar.” Building on co-founder Samuel Taylor’s notion these productions are “bad ideas,” Gage and Sam reveal the core values that guide every Project production; how modern bars most resemble Shakespeare’s original rowdy playhouses; how “youthful arrogance” is just another word for “incredible generosity;” and how audiences continue to flock to BRSP productions because they know their presence is not simply important, it’s required. (Length 20:20) (Logo art by Collin Quinn Rice.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:20 — 23.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Midsommer Flight Dream

Beth Wolf, the founding producing artistic director of Midsommer Flight, discusses her company’s upcoming production of Love’s Labour’s Lost, which has been performing for free in parks throughout Chicago since 2012. Beth reveals the planning that goes into her season; why Love’s Labour’s is such an important comedy right now; how for some reason outdoor summer Shakespeare is not everybody’s jam; her invaluable partnership with the Chicago Park District; the value of having a non-dogmatic approach to the text; the importance of theatre people being able to wear multiple hats; and how Midsommer Flight is a valuable stepping stone for early-career actors on the rise. (Length 19:53)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:53 — 22.9MB)

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By austin, ago

Filming ‘Complete Works’

Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor – the cast of the film version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) – reminisce about the 2000 filming of the RSC’s signature work, and discuss the extraordinary lengths the production went to ensure they were jet-lagged for the entire process. Revelations include the secret cameo from co-author and RSC founding member Daniel Singer; how different actors must play jokes differently; the Spinal Tap observation that relative size is the difference between funny and scary; how to make friends in British and Irish pubs; and how the RSC vibe might best be described as squabbling siblings bound together in a brotherhood of Shakespeare. (Length 21:33) (PICTURED: Reed Martin, Adam Long, and Austin Tichenor enjoying post-show beverages in Shuttleworth’s Pub, Charing Cross Road, 1992. Photo by Kent Tichenor.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:33 — 0.0KB)

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By austin, ago

Courtney Sale’s MRT

Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell (MA) just announced its exciting 2025-2026 season and artistic director Courtney Sale discusses how she embraces both MRT’s working-class roots and its commitment to the growing diversity of Lowell’s population. Sale reveals her programming philosophy, which admirably veers away from the head and towards the heart; her investment in a world premiere from the self-described “Khmer Kerouac”; her fondness for theater that flatters the intellect and the imagination; how she owns MRT’s identity as a “beer and pizza” theatre; and her appealing commitment to the 4 Cs: commissions, community, comedy, and catharsis. (Length 18:02)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:02 — 20.7MB)

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By austin, ago

Funny To Us

Playwrights and RSC artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss the updates they’ve been making to all their scripts (including All the Great Books (abridged), featuring Doug Harvey, Tré Zijuan Tyler, and Michael Faulkner, below) and how their writing process begins with coming up with material that’s personal resonant. Martin and Tichenor reveal the despair of artists listening to the mortgage when evaluating their work; how not all laughs are created equal; how the great job of making people laugh now feels like an supremely important job; and how hearing the audience gasp at the turns in the narrative is even more satisfying to us. (Length 24:21)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:21 — 28.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Blue Mountain Rose

Julie Hammonds’s debut novel Blue Mountain Rose is a love letter to theatre and a valentine to the perfect summer Shakespeare festival we all wish we lived next to or worked at year-round. On this week’s episode, Julie discusses how you create in fiction the things you can’t in real life; the relief of dramatizing professionalism rather than soap-opera histrionics; investigating the perils of celebrity and the timelessness of Shakespeare; and how reading Blue Mountain Rose might just have you booking a flight to Flagstaff, Arizona. (Length 19:50)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:50 — 22.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Fool’s World Premiere

7 Ages Theatricals is producing the world premiere of Fool, Austin Tichenor’s adaptation of Christopher Moore’s New York Times bestselling comic novel. Tom Berger, 7AT’s executive artistic director, talks about how this theatrical collaboration came to be, and reveals how the combination of Tichenor and Moore creates “a match made in Shakespeare comedy heaven” (Broadway World). Berger discusses the pleasure of being a theatre slut; the importance of staying in one’s artistic lane; the stress of not wanting to disappoint each other (or Fool’s creator); the paradox of having written “Schrödinger’s Play;” the trick of making sure the audience catches what we’re throwing; and the fateful coincidence of being a Christopher Moore superfan and a Reduced – as well as a real – Shakespeare guy. (Length 22:46) (Logo title art by Michael Dewey.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:46 — 26.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Storefront Titus Andronicus

Anne Sheridan Smith plays the title role in the Redtwist Theatre production of Titus Andronicus, directed by Redtwist’s co-artistic director Dusty Brown, and both actor and director talk about how their production evolved from its original conception. Dusty and Anne reveal how they navigated both Redtwist’s beautifully renovated but incredibly intimate space, and the changing political landscape; how they discovered both real-life and theatrical inspirations; and how they’re going to pair this production with next month’s production of Taylor Mac’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus. (Length 21:52)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:52 — 25.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Returning To MRT!

RSC artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss their return to Merrimack Repertory Theatre with the company’s 11th show, The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel) as MRT’s 300th production. Reed and Austin reveal the RSC’s deep connections to New England; how this will be the RSC’s third show to premiere at MRT (after The Complete World of Sports (abridged) and The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) and seventh visit overall; and share insights into the creation of the show and why they changed the title; how the show’s roll-out and script development got interrupted by the pandemic; what milestone anniversary will be celebrated by our first MRT performance; and how creating a prequel to Shakespeare’s greatest play brought unexpected emotional connections to the characters. (LENGTH 18:24)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:24 — 21.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Revisiting ‘Lady Day’

Candice Handy, associate artistic director of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, discusses her production of Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and reveals how she first connected to the material and how the play lands differently now. Candice shares her background as both an actor and musician; Billie Holiday’s connection to Lowell; how actors are doctors to the soul; the wonder of discovering things you didn’t know you knew; the danger of silencing artists; the value of art in troubled times; and the importance of giving a play the grit it requires to deliver the transcendence it deserves. (Length 24:05)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:05 — 27.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Key West ‘Angel’s

Successful playwrights and television writers (and married couple) Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe are playing successful playwrights (and married couple) Charlotte and Arthur Sanders in the Waterfront Playhouse production of Paul Slade Smith’s The Angel Next Door through February 8, 2025. Friends of the pod Barb and Tom make their first joint appearance to talk about their return to the stage as “eccentric artists” playing eccentric artists; being directed by Waterfront Playhouse artistic director Patrick New; help from Chicago actor (and friend of the pod) Laura T. Fisher and the LineLearner app; the importance of reading a script’s “funny type;” a possible new play called Terror at Four Feet; finding out one’s musical chops are out of tune; and how much acting is actually involved for two successful writers playing two successful writers. (Length 21:06)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:06 — 24.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Devouring ‘Fat Ham’

Tyrone Phillips is the founding artistic director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre and directing Definition’s co-production of James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fat Ham at the Goodman Theatre through February 23, 2025. Phillips discusses the many Shakespearean connections of this “hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy” (New York Times); his instinct to always look at plays as music; his realization that he gives every one of his productions “injections of joy;” how he brings a modern energy to classics (like his Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater), and vice-versa; how our past informs our future; how “coming of age” stories can happen to characters of any age; how Ijames “plays the changes” on Shakespeare’s Hamlet; and the challenge of always surprising the audience. PLUS! A special appearance by the newest member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Geoffrey Warren Barnes II! (Length 17:44)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:44 — 20.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Sidney Berger Award

At the closing night banquet of last weekend’s Shakespeare Theatre Association conference in San Francisco, Reduced Shakespeare Company artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor were awarded the Sandra and Sidney Berger Award “in recognition of their outstanding talent and dedication to the works of William Shakespeare.” In a conversation recorded immediately afterward, Reed and Austin express their shock and gratitude; thank the many people who have kept the RSC going over the years; share an excerpt of their acceptance speech; and talk about their decades-long journey that brought them to this unlikely moment. (Length 19:30)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:30 — 22.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Threading The Needle

For this first episode of 2025, RSC co-artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss how Austin plays the “Alternate Scrooge” in the Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol for the third year in a row. Austin reveals how he threads the needle of honoring the Scrooges he alternates with (Larry Yando and Christopher Donahue) while still making the character his own; the difference between being an alternate and an understudy; how he inherited the role from previous alternate and now current Scrooge Allen Gilmore; the secrets to flying, including massive shout-outs to ZFX Flying, who makes the magic happen (not “VFX,” as misidentified by Austin); what it’s like to work with young performers; the danger of running out of mental bandwidth during the holidays; and the privilege of jumping from reduced productions to the Goodman’s massive annual extravaganza. (Length 38:46)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 38:46 — 44.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Ring Reduced Remembered

It’s the Podcast’s 18th birthday! Austin Tichenor, Reed Martin, and Adam Long celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Ring Reduced, the RSC’s 1994 film for Britain’s Channel 4 which compressed Wagner’s epic opera Der Ring des Nibelungen into a brief and palatable 24 minutes. Adam, Austin, and Reed share their favorite fun facts about Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung; reveal their inspiration from Anna Russell; speculate on comic directions not taken; confirm that the Reduced Shakespeare Company is completely and utterly responsible for the success of Ted Lasso; disclose how they created the most expensive and complicated gag of the entire shoot; and marvel how for one brief shining moment, they were the Rhinemaidens of all media. (Length 29:09)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 29:09 — 33.5MB)

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By austin, ago

The RSC’s ‘Pericles’

Tamara Harvey, the new co-artistic director of the “other” RSC – the Royal Shakespeare Company – discusses her exquisite production of Pericles, and how it came to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and speaks to our current moment on both side of the Atlantic. Tamara reveals how Shakespeare’s characters navigate different kinds of leadership; how she and her co-artistic director Daniel Evans hope to reach across borders and collaborate with international artists; how the challenges of the play felts like a gift; her genius solution to the narrator; how she feels in collaboration with Shakespeare, and how his Pericles weaves a unique spell; and the vital importance of giving audiences badly-needed hope and joy. (Length 18:23)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:23 — 21.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Directing ‘Primary Trust’

Director Malkia Stampley, whose beautiful production of Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust runs at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through November 3, 2024, discusses how she embraced the play’s delicate intimacy and transformed a literary script into a theatrical event. Malkia reveals the ways in which a live audience and actors playing multiple characters lift a potentially naturalistic play into a theatrical realm; how she eschewed melodrama and discovered the mystery and curiosity she was looking for; how clowns can find the funny and serious actors the gravitas; and the value of always looking for – and finding – the light. (Length 18:23)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:23 — 21.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Remembering Jerry Kernion

We remember longtime RSC colleague Jerry Kernion, who passed away last week after a short illness. Jerry acted for us in multiple shows and produced, directed, and edited our DVD film version of The Complete History of America (abridged). A much in-demand stage and film actor, we hear excerpts from previous podcast interviews where Jerry discusses performing both Dromios in A Noise Within’s The Comedy of Errors, Sir Toby Belch, and Colonel Tom Parker in the jukebox musical Heartbreak Hotel. (Length 23:01)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 23:01 — 26.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Director Sara Holdren

Sara Holdren is not just one of the best theatre critics out there, she’s a director as well whose production of As You Like It opens this week at Shakespeare at Notre Dame and plays through Labor Day. Sara reveals how she connected Shakespeare’s 400-year-old play to the current moment; how we craft community; how she drew inspiration from Vermont’s Bread and Puppet Theatre; the challenge of being both textually and texturally surprising; how As You Like It requires an ensemble of clowns and the challenge of figuring out the comedy math; how “criticism is directing backwards;” the value of doing table work while standing up and moving around; formative memories of “butt-love;” and most importantly, what the world would look like if we really could express ourselves, love who we want, and build the spaces around us “as we like it”. (Length 28:50)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 28:50 — 33.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Tools Not Rules

Actor, director, and educator Rob Myles, co-creator of The Show Must Go Online, talks about how adhering too strictly to the supposed ‘rules’ of speaking Shakespeare leads to lazy interrogation of the text and a lack of clarity for the audience. Rob reveals the dangers inherent in the flawed ideology of trying to get Shakespeare ‘right’; the value of being a magpie and using whatever works in a given moment; how Shakespeare didn’t know a rule he didn’t break; how the speech is meant to be said, not read; and how Rob’s “toolkit for actors,” The Shakespeare Deck, can give you even more useful tools for exploring and activating Shakespeare’s text. (Length 20:07)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:07 — 23.1MB)

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By austin, ago

‘America’ In Chicago

The best of America comes to Chicago this month as Dee Ryan (The Office, Second City, the RSC’s Complete Millennium Musical (abridged)) directs a special one-hour, five-actor production of The Complete History of America (abridged) on Saturday nights at the IO Theater (plus Sunday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 20). Dee and cast member Sheri Flanders talk about the special energy fueling this production; how it’s timed to coincide with the Democratic National Convention; the exciting Edinburgh Fringe-like vibe of IO; how they’re keeping the bronzers locked up; the power of ensemble-driven theatre; and how Second City veteran Dee wants to bring an improvisational energy to scripted comedy.(Length 17:44)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:44 — 20.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Hot Wing ‘Quing’

Lili-Anne Brown directs the fabulously funny and moving Writers Theatre production of Katori Hall’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Hot Wing King that’s filled with extraordinary heart and comic specificity. Brown shares what drew her to this group of flamboyant characters; the challenge of cooking real hot wings onstage; how she brings grandeur to The Hot Wing King and intimacy to the musical The Color Purple; and how you should definitely come for the LOLs but stay for the dramá. (Length 18:45)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:45 — 21.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Independent Shakespeare Company

Independent Shakespeare Company celebrates its 20th anniversary of producing free Shakespeare in the parks of Los Angeles, and artistic director Melissa Chalsma talks about the journey ISC has taken to get here and “the longterm relationship” she’s in with William Shakespeare. Chalsma reveals the challenges and rewards of not knowing what the hell you’re doing when you’re starting out; how ISC matches LA’s casual vibe; how, no matter how long you’ve been working on Shakespeare’s plays, he’s always just out of reach; memories of As You Like Its we have known and loved; the joy of being in a collaborative conversation with a playwright who’s been dead for 400 years; and the importance of never underestimating the power of your own naïveté. (Length 24:55)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:55 — 28.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Dreaming Multiple ‘Dream’s

Artist, author, and illustrator Gary Andrews (Finding Joy, Drawing on Shakespeare, Daisy the Littlest Zombie) is directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the fifth time and making brand new discoveries in this most popular of Shakespeare’s comedies. Gary reveals the Victorian inspiration behind his current production; how he finds unexpected comedy in the scenes between Theseus and Hippolya, and draws on his Welsh heritage; the other Shakespeare plays he would love to return to, and characters he’d love to play for the first time); the danger of over-politicizing the script; the importance of navigating the play’s multiple endings (more than Return of the King!); and resolving the ultimate question: Who doesn’t love a cuddly Bottom? (Length 22:47) (PICTURED: Eloise Wynn-Jones as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed, photographed, and wearing makeup designed by Gary Andrews.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:47 — 26.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Hamid Dehghani’s ‘English’

Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play English, a powerful, warm-hearted, and surprisingly funny play about four adult students in Iran studying for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), is getting an extraordinary production from director Hamid Dehghani that runs this summer at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. Hamid discusses how amazingly personal Toossi’s play is and the extraordinary theatrical conceit at the heart of it; how both the play and the production embrace questions of identity through humor; the difficulty of being as funny in English as you are in Persian; how the incredibly specific becomes wonderfully universal; and how working on this script with these actors allowed Hamid to clarify his truest artistic self. (Length 19:16) (PICTURED: Shadee Vossoughi and Nikki Massoud in the Goodman Theatre and Guthrie Theatre co-production of Sanaz Toossi’s English, directed by Hamid Dehghani. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (22.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Rosencrantz And Guildenstern

For his final production as thirty-year artistic director of Chicago’s Tony-winning Court Theatre, Charles Newell transforms Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead into an unexpectedly joyful celebration of legacy and theater. Newell reveals his lengthy relationship with not only Stoppard’s plays but with the man himself, and shares how he cast two halves of a whole; how he chose to respond instinctively to what was happening in rehearsal rather than adhere to an intricate plan; and how he embraced the counterintuitive and seemingly-oxymoronic phrase “joyful requiem.” (PICTURED: Erik Hellman and Nate Burger as Guildenstern and Rosencrantz in the Court Theatre production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Charles Newell. Photo by Michael Brosilow.) (Length 20:20)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:20 — 23.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Ides Of March Madness

What’s Shakespeare’s best speech? That question gets answered on this epic episode by director Nate Cohen and actor/educators Elizabeth Dennehy and Gregory Linington, who agonize over every match-up in this Sweet 16 selection of soliloquies and monologues. Highlights include remorse over the many speeches that didn’t make the tournament; the differences between speeches and soliloquies; how Juliet is the female Hamlet; origins of the phrase “rolling thunder;” the unsurprising dominance of fulcrum speeches; a brief “Rap Othello” interlude; and most importantly, how a full March Madness field of 64 would have included many many more of your favorite Shakespeare monologues. (Length 1:22:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:22:47 — 94.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Writing ‘Tragedy Averted’

Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri discusses her Shakespearean summer camp comedy Tragedy Averted, now having its midwest premiere at the IO Theatre in Chicago. Tragedy Averted showcases four Shakespeare heroines – Juliet, Cordelia, Desdemona, and Ophelia – who bond at summer camp while struggling with romance, friendship and difficult dads. In conversation with the production’s director Dee Ryan, Alexandra shares the origins of her humor; the depth of her nerdery; inspirational messages from W.H. Auden and T.H. White; the comfort of knowing she always wanted to be a writer; spoileriffic exegesis; her firm belief that any crisis can be addressed head-on, Hamlet-like, by writing a play about it; and how fan fiction means you love the source text but have a significant bone to pick with it. (Length 19:14)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:14 — 22.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Harpo And Chico

Reed Martin has written Harpo and Chico and Bill, a new comedy about Harpo Marx, his son Bill, and Harpo’s brother Chico as they try to put one final live stage show together late in their careers. Written during the pandemic, Reed’s play is is now having its world premiere (under his direction) at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. Reed discusses how the script came to be, how it’s evolving with his all-student cast, and where it might go from here; how he got to meet Harpo’s son Bill; how Reed exaggerated the drama (but only a little); how you can’t find a single person who has a bad word to say about Harpo; the importance of family both onstage and off; and how Reed’s performing the public service of introducing a new generation to classic comedians and timeless bits. (Length 22:16)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:16 — 25.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Troilus And Cressida

Director Jemma Levy discusses her incredibly successful production of Shakespeare’s problem play Troilus and Cressida for the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern in the fall of 2023. Jemma reveals what makes the play so complicated to pull off; how she managed to craft a through-line for it with the help of talented actors and and wise dramaturgical archeology; the frustration of not knowing any of the Trojan War’s inside jokes; the problem of the title; the complication of not knowing who to root for; the play’s many shifts of tones; the ability to edit the play and give it a better focus; the degree to which Troilus and Cressida can be considered satire, pastiche, or parody; and the best way to handle “constant awful” – by laughing at it. (Length 20:29)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:29 — 23.5MB)

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By austin, ago

CST’s Edward Hall

Edward Hall, the new artistic director of the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, discusses his return to Chicago and his new production of Richard III, starring Tony Award-nominated actor and double-amputee Paralympian medal-winning athlete Katy Sullivan in the title role. Edward reveals what went into his choice of play (and actor); the beauty of happy accidents and wonder of actor-driven Shakespeare; how Shakespeare’s plays are endlessly intriguing and endlessly relevant; the challenge of showing the things we’re saying; the musicality of the American approach to Shakespeare’s verse; inspiration from Game of Thrones, Succession and The Bear; and embracing the Chicago ethos of ensemble and the improv rule of making your scene partner look better. (Length 19:09)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:09 — 22.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Banning “The Bible”

Last week was the tenth anniversary of “The Kerfuffles,” that time when our performance of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) was banned by conservative politicians and then UNbanned when an international media storm arose. Co-authors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, and Matt Croke – the show’s original cast (pictured above) – reminisce about the creation of the script, how it developed in workshop performances, and how the controversy was handled. Featuring the show’s big Broadway musical ending; conscious comic and commercial decisions; lost scenes and cut props; and the importance of always heeding the wisdom of former dean of Ringling Brothers Clown College Steve Smith. (Length 24:28)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:28 — 28.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Measuring The Laughs

On the eve of our upcoming tour of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged), co-authors and RSC co-artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor talk about measuring the success of a production, and how it’s easier with a comedy but not so much with a drama. Reed and Austin reveal how comedy opens up the heart; how laughs preceded by quiet moments are usually stronger; their greater willingness to go on a comic journey than a tragic one; a shout-out to George Saunders’s book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain; their feelings about whether Chekhov’s plays are actually funny; their ability to take their own notes about slowing down; how not all laughs are created equal; a special appearance by half an EGOT winner “Weird Al” Yankovic; the complete song, “I Laughed Till I Cried;” and the ultimate challenge of wondering whether a quiet audience is enthralled or simply bored. HEAR HERE! (Length 20:36)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:36 — 23.7MB)

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By austin, ago

Holiday Murder Mystery

In a delightfully macabre bit of counter-programming, Northlight Theatre is producing the classic Dial M For Murder, which has already been extended into 2024 and whose director Georgette Verdin talks about why it’s the perfect kind of play for the holiday season. Georgette reveals the fantastic run of mystery-thrillers she’s been on; the opportunity and payoff of leaning into genre programming; the fundamental need for catharsis; how the theatre industry struggles to market new work and reach new audiences (and sometimes succeeds); and the powerful beauty of finding light in the darkness. (Length 17:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:47 — 20.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Let’s Build Forts!

Julie Ritchey, the founding artistic director of Chicago’s Filament Theatre, and scenic and installation designer Eleanor Kahn are two members of the team that created Forts!, the play that turns the audience loose in a controlled environment to create their own event. Julie and Eleanor discuss the creation of Forts! and how it changes despite somehow staying the same; how they’re exploring the intersection of play (the noun) and play (the verb); the challenge of creating a Forts! signature cocktail; the important question of why only toddlers get to wear fun fashions; and why Forts! is a play, not a show, and definitely not an experience. Welcome to podcasting on the edge! (Length 17:23)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:23 — 20.0MB)

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By austin, ago

The Nacirema Society

Chicago director Lili-Anne Brown brings extraordinary levels of funny and heart to the Goodman Theatre production of Pearl Cleage’s wonderful comedy of class, The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years. Brown discusses the kind of rehearsal room she creates; how she worked her way up the theatrical ladder; how we don’t talk enough about the value of comedy; how the comedy basics of high status versus low status goes too frequently unrecognized; how she gives license to her actors to explore and invent; how the best and funniest idea wins; and how the recipe always begins with great actors and giving them permission to try. (Length 21:08)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:08 — 24.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Meet Braden Abraham

Braden Abraham, the new artistic director of Chicago’s Writers Theatre, just announced the theater’s 31st season, the first one he’s programmed since joining the company. Braden talks about what goes into planning a season (and how that thinking never really ends); how a theatre season is like a great album; the importance of being in a learning and discovery phase; remaining in conversation with various overlapping communities; how programming a show in one city leads to a different show in another; the challenge of making each show an event; finding the right balance of scale and intimacy; and the value of bring some west coast energy to the north shore. (Length 19:18)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:18 — 22.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Karen Ann Daniels

Karen Ann Daniels, Director Of Programming and Artistic Director of Washington DC’s Folger Theatre, discusses her journey with Shakespeare and her goal of making the resources of the Folger Shakespeare Library open and available to more people. Karen Ann shares her love of site-specific theatre; how the Folger is renovating and improving not just its physical space, but its metaphysical space; expanding the kinds of people who get called “emerging artists;” how her early training as a musician led to a life of Shakespeare; how Bugs Bunny and Duck Tales are part of many Shakespearean origin stories; how the Folger picked the perfect time to plan its multi-million dollar renovation; and how exposure to Shakespeare can help you find your voice. (Length 17:53)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:53 — 20.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Goodman’s 98th Season

Susan V. Booth, the new artistic director of the Goodman Theatre, talks about her recently-announced 2023-2024 season, the first she’s programmed upon returning to Chicago. Susan reveals the challenges of not only selecting a season, but in finding the right language to talk about it; the value of diminishing “capital-I importance;” her obsession with how elastic the definition of ‘theatre’ can be; the wonderful durability of this art form; the excitement of non-traditional spaces and theatre that happens outside of theaters; how every season is a chapter in an epic theatre saga; an exclusive tip for how to avoid a reputational “sh1tshow;” and finally, the trick of curating a season while also getting out of its way. (Photo by Joe Mazza.) (Length 18:39)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:39 — 21.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Shakespearean March Madness

Beware the Ides of March Madness! The question “What’s the greatest Shakespeare play?” gets a definitive answer from director Nate Cohen, who’s created a massive tournament bracket that pits Comedy v. Tragedy and History v. Romances. Nate shares how Shakespeare’s plays got seeded; which plays were the hardest to match up; how a play’s reputation affect its seeding; a production of As You Like It for which Barenaked Ladies wrote the songs (what??); the deep bench of Twelfth Night; tough decisions regarding Richard III; the unsurprising dominance of number one seeds; some surprising bracket-busters; a couple of heart-breaking matchups; what play would win out of ten games; and how the proof of each play’s strengths come in production. A warning to our affiliates: We will go long. (Length 37:26)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 37:26 — 42.9MB)

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By austin, ago

‘Shrew’ In Cincinnati

Director Jemma Levy discusses The Taming of the Shrew, now in rehearsal at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and opening this week. Jemma shares her thoughts about this famously complicated play and reveals that she considers it a feminist romantic comedy; how she emphasizes its themes of performance and the shifting relationships of masters and servants; her belief that Shakespeare’s women are always the smartest people on the stage; how we watch Katherine and Petruchio’s first “meet-cute,” then fall in love and learn each other’s moves in real time; the theatrical and thematic value of including the audience; the fun of putting a bar onstage; and how Shrew compares with another complicated Shakespeare “comedy,” The Merchant of Venice. (Length 20:45)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:45 — 23.8MB)

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By austin, ago

‘Dear Actor’ Letters

Janice L. Blixt, the producing artistic director of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, discusses the very tiny percentage of clumsy and unfortunate inquiry letters she’s received, and the playfully helpful responses we wish we could send back. Blixt talks about how casting directors are genuinely rooting for every actor to be just what they’re looking for; the importance of self-direction; a Barbra Streisand example for young actors; how actors should be given opportunities to sit on the other side of the table; advice for young actors, or indeed, anyone who’s ever inquired about a job opportunity; how not to fly any unnecessary red flags; and the importance of not only learning about who you’re approaching, but not offering unsolicited advice to the person who has the power to hire you. (Length 22:56)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:56 — 26.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Reviewing London’s ‘Streetcar’

Our ‘London Entertainment Correspondent’ (!) Elizabeth Dennehy reviews the transformative Almeida Theatre production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Rebecca Frecknall and starring Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran (above). Elizabeth discusses how the direction and performances made it feel as if she was hearing Streetcar for the very first time, and how they scrape off the barnacles of affectation from previous productions; redefine the tragedy of Blanche DuBois; how her feelings are perfectly expressed in David Benedict’s review in Variety; how the magic of theatre is not an illusion and more effective when it doesn’t try to be; and the fundamental importance of trusting the words, trusting the actors, and most of all, trusting the audience. (Length 20:54)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:54 — 24.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Growing Up Nutcracker

A family affair this week as host Austin Tichenor is joined by his brother John Tichenor and sister Amy Tichenor Moorhead to discuss their early years performing The Nutcracker for the Metropolitan Ballet Company in Oakland, CA, in the 1970s. The siblings share memories of teacher, choreographer, and director Vern Nerden; discuss favorite Nutcrackers; celebrate the rewards of following in your sister’s footsteps; remember the exact craving tech rehearsals and the smell of greasepaint continue to trigger; how one is connected to Tchaikovsky’s music on almost a cellular level; how the Nutcracker is an almost religious experience; and how early exposure to ballet led to lifetimes in the performing arts. (Length 30:58) (PICTURED: Tom Larson’s poster for the Metropolitan Ballet’s Nutcracker, circa 1970. Courtesy of Amy Tichenor Moorhead.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 30:58 — 0.0KB)

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By austin, ago

Goodman’s Christmas Carol

Jessica Thebus directs the Goodman Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol, and this year she’s brought our own Austin Tichenor along to play Scrooge at ten designated performances. Jessica and Austin discuss how much the production changes from year to year (and, surprisingly, how little); how heaping helpings of Dickens’ actual text is present in the production; the willingness of returning veterans to investigate the script anew; the eagerness of artists and audiences to revisit this ritual; how a story is only as good as its bad guy; how everyone is invited to the Christmas Carol party; and how Ebenezer Scrooge is one of the great roles in the theatrical canon. (Length 17:43) (PICTURED: Larry Yando as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:43 — 20.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Happy 16th Anniversary!

Mya Gosling, aka GoodTickleBrain, joins us to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast, new episodes of which have dropped weekly since early December, 2006. Mya interviews producer/host Austin Tichenor, who discusses the podcast’s origins and evolution; the greatest gift the podcast has turned into; how it was partially inspired by physical media; how much of a Shakespearean he was to begin with (and how much of one he’s become); how the RSC’s shows evolved into longer narratives; and the fun of filling existing spaces with your own stories. (Length 26:18) (Stick-figure Mya and Austin courtesy of Mya Gosling/GoodTickleBrain. Used by permission.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:18 — )

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By austin, ago

Measure For Measure

Director Henry Godinez talks about his powerful Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of Measure For Measure, how he loves Shakespeare’s famously problem play, and how his background informed his approach to it. Set amidst the glamour, music, and sensuality of 1950s Cuba, where Shakespeare’s Vienna becomes Havana just before Fidel Castro seizes power, Henry also discusses how this setting enriched his understanding of the play; how differing strands of self-righteous fanaticism and hypocrisy come into conflict; his own crazy childhood dreams; how this production manages to (amazingly!) end on a mildly positive and hopeful note; and how Shakespeare’s problem play is better the more nuanced and complicated it is. (Length 17:40) (PICTURED: The company of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, directed by Henry Godinez, in the Courtyard Theater, October 21–November 27, 2022. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:40 — 20.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Doug’s Time Traveling

RSC Actor Doug Harvey (Hamlet in Hamlet’s Big Adventure! (a prequel)) performs his one-man show A Time Traveler’s Guide to the Present at the United Solo Festival in New York City on November 5, 2022 (an important date in the space time continuum). The show’s director Abigail Deser joins Doug to discuss how the show evolved for its run at last summer’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe; how the show helps them (and us!) survive in the worst timeline; the expedience of rehearsing over pizza; dealing with pandemic loss; finding the show’s spine; the excitement of virtuosity; the value of stripping away extraneous bells and whistles; the wonder of sacrificing your babies so as to not kill your momentum; how the best time travel stories are also love stories; and the beauty and satisfaction of fulfilling the promise of the time-travelly premise. (Length 21:57)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:57 — 25.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Shana’s “All’s Well”

Shana Cooper discusses her direction of one of Shakespeare’s infamous “problem plays,” All’s Well That Ends Well, which ran (quite well!) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the spring of 2022. Shana reveals how the project came to her; how the options of possible plays narrows considerably when you’re completing the canon; how a play about deeply flawed people at transitional points in their lives matches our historical moment; the vital importance of casting a sympathetic center in your leading role; how her next production is that light-hearted romp Metamorphoses at Seattle Rep; how Bertram typifies the annoying number of fraught men and boys in Shakespeare; and ultimately the importance of finding allies in transitional moments and identifying your next version of Home. (Length 21:40) (PICTURED: Diana (Emma Ladji) and Helen (Alejandra Escalante) in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Shana Cooper. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 23:38 — 27.1MB)

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By austin, ago

‘Owning Shakespeare’ Podcast

The first season of Rob Myles’ extraordinary Owning Shakespeare podcast is now available on all the usual platforms, and it’s a fantastic collection of six noted Shakespeare actors tackling (in real time) a speech they’ve never looked at before, and sharing their process, stumbles, and successes with the listener. Rob’s a wonderful guide, and he joins us to discuss how the podcast came together; how the RSC’s Austin Tichenor was a briefly unwitting test subject; what this and future seasons will accomplish; how he blushes at praise for his knowledge of Shakespeare and skills as a director; the joy of taking both Shakespeare and actors off pedestals; how a rushed rehearsal process led to a kind-of triage of Shakespeare; the importance of demystifying the idea that actors are only using “intuition;” how to avoid “impenetrable babble;” the value of showcasing the new generation of Approved Shakespeareans; and the hoped-for possibility of getting an Avenger on Season Two. (Length 21:40) (PICTURED, clockwise from top left, the six “text detectives” from Season One of Owning Shakespeare: Isabel Adomakoh Young, Austin Tichenor, Miguel Perez, Debra Ann Byrd, Paterson Joseph, and Adjoa Andoh.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:32 — 30.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Ron OJ Parson

Ron OJ Parson is a multiple award-winning director and Resident Artist at the 2022 Tony-winning regional theater Court Theatre in Chicago, where his production of Arsenic and Old Lace opens this Saturday night. Ron’s extraordinary range includes over 30 productions of August Wilson’s plays, musicals, classics, and world premieres, and he discusses how he approaches each script, regardless of genre; how the best direction is collaboration; bonding with Brian Dennehy and formative mentoring from Marion McClinton and Stephen McKinley Henderson; the art of not doing all that much to the play while you’re doing the harder work of just doing the play; how he’s one of the folks responsible for it being a golden age of August Wilson in Chicago (and elsewhere); and how believes in the fundamental importance of laughter, not just as entertainment but as catharsis. Can you say #RonaissanceMan? (Length 18:33) (Photo of Ron OJ Parson by Joe Mazza.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:33 — 21.3MB)

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By austin, ago