Folger

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)

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By austin, ago

Shakespeare Lightning Round

Austin Tichenor was a guest on the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Instagram Live series Shakespeare Lightning Round, a hugely fun format where guests from all corners of the Shakespeare world answer rapid-fire questions about all aspects of Shakespeare. Host Ben Lauer, the Folger’s Social Media and Communications Manager, hurls thirty rapid-fire questions at Austin, who reveals his favorite prop, his favorite Midsummer mechanical, and his favorite Shakespeare ghost; which Shakespeare moments have made him cry; how the RSC set a Guinness World’s Record; his favorite Shakespeare play he’s never got to work on; and how not getting #SnakesOnAPlane trending is such a missed opportunity. In the words of Shakespeare himself, strap in. (Length 23:14)

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By austin, ago

Episode 602. Broadway’s Fight Guy

Friend of the podcast Tom Schall talks about how he’s become Broadway’s Fight Guy (or, truthfully, one of them), the go-to person to design fight choreography and tell a story using actors’ physical language. Featuring how to develop and agree on physical vocabulary; how work leads to work; switching between the past and present tense; nuts and bolts; torn rotator cuffs; working with directors; a great description of working at the Folger Theatre; tales of working on Hamlet with Oscar Isaac and Keegan-Michael Key; and the joys and dangers of teaching James Bond and Martin Luther King, Jr. how to fight. (Length 20:17) Photograph of David Oyelowo as Othello and Daniel Craig as Iago by Charlie Gray for Vanity Fair.

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By austin, ago

Episode 525. Ten Year Highlights

”We highlight ten signature moments, one from each of the ten years of the first decade of the RSC Podcast, that best represent the scope of what we’ve attempted to do week after week. Featuring behind the scenes conversations showcasing how our shows are created, in-depth interviews with comedians, directors, authors, and award-winning actors, and invaluable Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 497. The Folger Theatre

”Janet Alexander Griffin has led the public programs of the Folger Shakespeare Library since 1982 and has been the Artistic Producer of the Folger Theatre’s programming since 1992. She was good enough to include us in the Folger’s festivities surrounding William Shakespeare’s 400th Deathiversary, and gracious enough to talk to us Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 495. Curator Of Manuscripts

”Heather Wolfe is the Curator of Manuscripts and Archivist at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC and the one everyone turns to find out whether a long lost manuscript is authentic. Heather talks about her work and reveals surprising details about ghost stories, swiftly changing technologies, ink recipes, where quill Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 494. Austin’s Too Busy

”It’s been a super hectic busy time so on this Memorial Day, we look back to that day three weeks ago when Peter Eramo, Marketing and Publicity Manager at the Folger Shakespeare Library, took over the microphone and interviewed a young playwright and performer named Austin Tichenor, who talks about Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 493. Good Tickle Brain

”Mya Gosling is the creator and artist of Good Tickle Brain, the definitive three-panel stick-figure Shakespearean web comic, and we got to chat about Shakespeare and comics (and musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan) when our paths recently crossed at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Mya explains her comic’s origin story and discusses early Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 492. The Shakespeare Guardian

”Everybody loves a detective story, and a detective story involving a genuine Shakespeare artifact is irresistible. Former DC cop and NEA fellow Quintin Peterson is a crime novelist and stage door guard at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC. His novel Guarding Shakespeare imagines a Shakespearean heist set against this Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 491. Reviewing The Reviews (LongLostShakes Edition)

”We just closed our world premiere of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at the Folger Theatre in Washington DC, and the critical consensus (thankfully) is glorious. We review the gamut of opinions (including the one or two negative ones) and revel in the kind words, helpful criticism, levels of reference, Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 489. “Long Lost” Opening

”We opened the world premiere of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) last weekend at the Folger Shakespeare Library as part of the international hoopla surrounding the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 1616. We go backstage behind the scenes to talk about the difference between previews and openings, Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 487. The Actors’ Nightmares

”We’re deep in rehearsal for the world premiere of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), which we open next week at the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC. And naturally, being this close to a major opening, the anxiety dreams known as “the actor’s nightmare” have begun to strike. Cast members Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 473. Meet Aaron Posner

”Playwright and director Aaron Posner (Stupid F*cking Bird) talks about his celebrated production of The Tempest at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, his upcoming production of Midsummer at the Folger Theatre, and his ongoing exploration of the classics using both reverence and irreverence. Featuring the importance of populism, the fun of making plays you want to see, the gift Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 468. Shakespeare And Football

”Peter Eramo is not only the Publicity and Marketing Manager for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, he’s also the commissioner of the Folger Fantasy Football League, which each year pits teams in the Montague and Capulet divisions against each other as they vie for the coveted and illustrious Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 463. Rewriting William Shakespeare

”The Oregon Shakespeare Festival recently announced “Play On!”, their project to create “translations” of all of Shakespeare’s plays, working with thirty-six contemporary playwrights and dramaturges, which will serve as companions to the original texts. Scholars and artists the world over have weighed in, so as authors of Shakespearean “companions” ourselves, Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 452. Beyond The Stage

Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, and Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival workshop cast members Chad Yarish, Dan Saski, and Teddy Spencer discuss the development of the new script William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) as part of NDSF’s “Beyond The Stage” series. Featuring questions from NDSF Artistic Director Grant Mudge and members of the audience, and discussion about the power of story, outrageous tales of audience participation, the challenges of working with two directors, the tricks of telling the truth and interacting with the public, inevitable comparisons, and the wonder of Shakespearean inspiration. (Length 22:18)

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By austin, ago

Episode 444. The New Pages

”Authors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor talk about the development process of their ninth stage collaboration William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), and reveal the joys and anguish of the writing process, shuffling of ideas and scenes, the five stages of writing, the pleasures of research, the discoveries of rehearsal, Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 441. Shakespeare’s Lost Play

”No, not Cardenio. Not Double Falsehood. In a strangely treasure-filled car park in Leicester, we have stumbled upon the literary holy grail — William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged). The RSC’s tenth stage show will premiere in April 2016 at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, and this week Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 437. Back Room Shakespeare

”Chicago actor and now author Samuel Taylor chronicles the origins of the Back Room Shakespeare Project in his new book My Life With The Shakespeare Cult. Part cri de coeur, part call to arms, Sam’s book is a brief and inspiring manifesto about restoring life to Shakespeare performance. Featuring the Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 403. The Reston Extravaganza

”Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor announce an unprecedented event: The Complete Works of the Reduced Shakespeare Company (abridged) Extravaganza, produced by the Reston Community Center in Reston, VA, from September 12-21, 2014: seven shows in ten days, appearances from past and present members of the RSC, workshops, special performances, talkbacks, live Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 367. Books We Want

”Live! From their dressing room at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Reed Martin, Dominic Conti, and Austin Tichenor talk about the books they want this holiday season — both to give and to get. Featuring puns both intended and unintended, books inspired by the Bible, books dealing with aspects of Read more…

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By austin, ago

Episode 256. We Review ‘Anonymous’

During a break from our successful run of The Complete World of Sports (abridged) at the New Victory Theatre in New York City, we aim our satirical guns at the much-debated film “Anonymous” and the theories that underlie it. Joined by theatrical pundit and raconteur Howard Sherman, the members of the RSC (Reed Martin, Matt Rippy, Austin Tichenor, and office manager Alli Bostedt) improvised their review and analysis in the offices of the New Victory Theater immediately after the film. Featuring differing opinions, much benefit of the doubt, unabridged wig appreciation, a perfect critical response from NPR’s Bob Mondello — and zero convincing. For a definitive rebuttal to the so-called Authorship Question, download the entirely free PDF “Shakespeare Bites Back: Not So Anonymous,” by Rev. Dr. Paul Edmondson and Prof. Stanley Wells, CBE of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. (Length 26:53)

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By austin, ago

Episode 247. Folger Shakespeare Director

Michael Witmore is the new (and appropriately named) director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and shares his enthusiastic insight into how Shakespeare opens doors into other worlds, why original annotated texts are awesome, why the humanities matter, how Shakespeare got away with what he did, why the Read more…

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By austin, ago

Take a Private Tour of the FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY!

The Folger Shakespeare Library is the largest collection of Shakespeare Folios and Shakespeareana in the world, and we were given a private tour by none other than Folger Director Gail Paster and Head of Reference Georgianna Ziegler themselves.

We recorded the whole thing for the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast, which you can listen to here.

And the Folger put up a fantastic slideshow of all the things we looked at, which you can see here.  (more…)

By austin, ago

Episode 191. Folger Shakespeare Library

We touched a Folio…and we liked it! Join us for this rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the largest collection of Shakespearean treasures in the world. Gail Paster, the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library and Head of Reference Georgianna Ziegler take us on a guided tour and bust myths while showing off Read more…

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By austin, ago