Playwright John Cariani (who’s also an actor from the original Broadway casts of the musicals The Band’s Visit and Something Rotten!) talks about writing his play Almost, Maine, one of the most popular and widely produced scripts in the U.S. Among many surprises, John reveals love stories for character actors, F. Read more…
Podcast: Download (18.5MB)
Three of the stars and original cast members of the hit Broadway Shakespeare musical Something Rotten! — Heidi Blickenstaff, John Cariani, and Brad Oscar (pictured) — talk about the process of creating an original musical, from casting through rehearsals to last-minute changes right up to opening night. Featuring excerpts from the score, the joys Read more…
Podcast: Download (20.2MB)
”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…
Podcast: Download (16.2MB)
”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…
Podcast: Download (14.7MB)
”Only two months late comes our second annual round-up of the Top Ten most downloaded episodes of the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast in 2014. Featuring not-so-surprising appearances by the UK cast of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged); conversations with Mike McShane, Adrian Scarborough, and Sara Gmitter; fantastic Alan Partridge Read more…
Podcast: Download (18.1MB)
”Have you ever wanted to analyze an artist’s work through random roles of a twenty-sided Dungeons & Dragons die? Of course not! But that’s exactly what Jamie Gower and Sean Mitchell do on their podcast The Artist Rolls. This week we hear excerpts and outtakes from their full interview with Read more…
Podcast: Download (23.1MB)
”Jasson Minadakis is the Artistic Director of one of our favorite hometown Bay Area theaters, the Marin Theatre Company, and he talks with us candidly about his work, our work, and MTC’s place in both the Bay Area and the national conversation. Featuring engaged audiences, issue-driven theatre, differences between Cincinnati and Read more…
Podcast: Download (21.2MB)
”Austin Tichenor talks about The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) with Julie Motz, host of Arts Desire on KWMR in Point Reyes, California. Featuring some great laughs, “incisive political commentary,” surprising poignancy, a terrible hint about the RSC’s next show, a special appearance by Adrian Scarborough (who’s busy in LA shooting this), and finally the best reason Read more…
Podcast: Download ()
”Chad Yarish and Dan Saski, two of the original cast members of the workshop production of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged), attended the first performance of the West Coast Premiere of the RSC production at the Marin Theatre Company, and shared their thoughts about how the show has changed Read more…
Podcast: Download (19.1MB)
”Paul Harris, host of “The Biggest Little Morning Show in the Afternoon” on the Big 550 KTRS in St. Louis, chats with Dominic Conti and Austin Tichenor about The Complete History of Comedy (abridged), and gets us to reveal forgotten lines, the evolution of jokes, comic influences, important research, the Read more…
Podcast: Download (18.3MB)
”Science fiction as a genre isn’t particularly well-represented in the theatre, but playwright Michael Bernard is hoping to change all that. His play Alien The Family was recently presented at Sci-Fest: The Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival, and this week discusses the scarcity of science fiction in theatre, Read more…
Podcast: Download (18.2MB)
”Jessica Thebus teaches Directing at Northwestern University and has directed classics and world premieres across the country at such theaters as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the Kennedy Center, Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and Lookingglass Theatre, so she’s the perfect person to explain just what it is a Read more…
Podcast: Download (13.1MB)
”From the box office to the Vatican to drag queens (oh my)! Jacques Lamarre has not had a typical journey to becoming a playwright, yet his most recent work I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is being produced around the country, including at one of our favorite places Cincinnati Read more…
Podcast: Download (17.7MB)
”It’s been too long, but we’re finally returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August 2014 to perform the European premiere of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged). Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor talk about the changes they’ll have to make to adapt the script for European and international audiences, Read more…
Podcast: Download (15.8MB)
”Playwright Sara Gmitter talks about her new play In The Garden: A Darwinian Love Story (now getting its world premiere at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago), which explores the long and successful romance between Charles and Emma Darwin: A woman who believed in God and heaven and salvation — Read more…
Podcast: Download (20.6MB)
”Pocket of Dog Snogging returns! New York Times Best-Selling author Christopher Moore discusses his Shakespeare-inspired comic novels Fool (a retelling of King Lear from the jester’s point of view) and his latest The Serpent of Venice, which combines Othello, Merchant of Venice, Edgar Allan Poe, and a sea monster. Featuring Read more…
Podcast: Download (21.1MB)
”Reed Martin, Dominic Conti, and Austin Tichenor take a break from rehearsing the world premiere of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. The boys talk about how it’s going and share typical rehearsal room antics, excerpts from the show, a discussion of fools both Shakespearean Read more…
Podcast: Download (19.0MB)
Austin Tichenor’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is getting new life, with a new production and published acting edition. Austin talks to director Rob Richards about the current production and consider the ideal interpreters of 19th-century Romantic authors, some genius casting notions, the dangers of polite acting, the close relationship between laughter and screams, a special appearance by newly elected Senator Cory Booker, dodgy Jeff Goldblum impressions, and the nature of monstrosity. (Length 19:15) (Pictured: Matthew Geary as The Creature in the 2013 Phillips Exeter Academy production. Photo by Cheryl Semter. Used by permission.)
Podcast: Download (17.8MB)
”Anthony Clarvoe‘s plays (Pick Up Ax, Ambition Facing West, Ctrl+Alt+Delete, etc) have been produced all over the US in many of the same theaters we play, yet despite us having many friends and colleagues in common, our paths have never crossed until now. Anthony talks about his life as a Read more…
Podcast: Download (17.9MB)
”We’ve discussed our writing process before, but this week we talk about designing effective openings and killer endings. Featuring stumbles and fumbles, happy accidents, show construction, meticulous planning, adherence to form, template deviation, and impertinent comparisons to both Shakespeare and the Beatles. (MP3. Length 22:15)
Podcast: Download (20.4MB)