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)

Meet Suzy Nakamura!

Suzy Nakamura, a familiar face from The West Wing, Dr. Ken, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, Veep, and over a hundred film and TV credits, is in London shooting the second season of Avenue 5, Armando Iannucci’s comedy starring Hugh Laurie (left) about an interstellar cruise ship that gets knocked off course and struggles to return to Earth. Suzy talks about her journey from Second City to Los Angeles in the 90s; the early rounds of auditions; adventures in babysitting; the rewards and challenges of being in the room; memories of sitting around LA’s Farmer’s Market; fond recollections of the London A-Z Street Atlas; the origin story of the character of Ginger from The West Wing; the pleasure and catharsis of playing characters wildly different from yourself; being told to quiet down from the Harry Potter tour next door; and extolling the talent and genius that is Hugh Laurie. (Length 19:19)

Episode 485. The ‘Curtain Call’

”Long-time RSC actor John Schwab and photographer Matt Humphrey have created the beautiful new book Curtain Call, an invaluable collection of photographs and interviews celebrating the amazing variety of London theatre in the year 2015. The book is both a handsome collectible and an invaluable piece of theatre journalism, and John talks about Read more…

Episode 370. Meeting Mike McShane

Let’s ring in the new year with an old friend! Improv legend (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and TV (Doctor Who; Brotherly Love) and film (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; A Bug’s Life) veteran Mike McShane talks about his wildly eventful life and shares tales about the differences between improv Read more…

Episode 365. The Park Theatre

”Opened in May 2013, the Park Theatre has already become the artistic center of Finsbury Park in London, and this week it hosts the eight-performance conclusion of our autumn tour of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) . Creative Director Melli Bond talks with Matt Rippy about the creation of Read more…

Episode 266. Returning To England

”It’s been too long! This summer we return to England for the European premiere of The Complete World of Sports (abridged) – just in time to coincide with some minor international sporting event that will apparently be there at the same time. Featuring the number of weeks we’ll be there (11), the places Read more…

Episode 184. Shakespeare Fun Facts

”Facts both silly and true highlight our reduced knowledge of the immortal bard in this podcast inspired by a recent London Times article. Featuring audio footnotes; excerpts from our “Complete Guide to London (abridged)”, the Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show, and Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged); special appearances Read more…

Episode 70. More From London

”LIVE! from the Captain’s Cabin pub in London: a conversation with former RSC stage manager Davey Naylor. Featuring the pitfalls of the Internet, a glorification of the Facebook Group I Worked With the Reduced Shakespeare Company!, a distinct cry for help, and fascinating technical details about how we record our Read more…

Episode 67. Plane Ol’ Podcast

”LIVE! from Virgin Atlantic Flight #8….and from a UK Taxi….and from various cafes and pubs all over London. Reed and Austin discuss the various business hoops one has to jump through in order to set up a tour of Great Britain. Featuring detours to Holland, a reduced Oscar post-mortem, some Read more…

Episode 28. Meet “Professor” Letwin

”A Very Special “Where Are They Now?” (or rather, a “Who Are They Again?”) episode. David Letwin, an original member of the Criterion Theatre cast in London, tells outrageous tales of Royals in the stalls, Adventures in Lecturing, and an audience with Moses Himself. Special appearance by Gary Rudoren, co-author Read more…