Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast

Louis Bayard’s novel Mr. Timothy, a sort-of sequel to Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, imagines what happens to Tiny Tim as a grownup. It’s a moving literary thriller, with its own sort of redemption and set in and around the Victorian London underworld, and author Bayard discusses the book's origins and creation; how A Christmas Carol is a surprisingly angry book; how he realized that Bob Cratchit is not the most reliable narrator; the ways in which Tiny Tim is a Rorschach test; the desperate need to find your own narrative; the struggle of being seen as a symbol, not a person; the importance of purging and exorcizing your demons; not having a good answer to the question of where this sh1t comes from; identifying at least one Dickens descendant (who you may recognize from Game of Thrones); the importance of keeping multiple plates spinning; the fun of finding the story that's already there; and inside scoop on the upcoming film adaptation of Lou’s novel The Pale Blue Eye, starring Christian Bale.

Improviser, novelist, TV writer, podcast host, panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and now memoirist Adam Felber is the co-author, with Charles Band, of Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking, and he discusses the extraordinary life he's helped document; how he makes sure his writing is entertaining; his foray into the multi-podcast-verse; how his career has progressed in ways he didn't anticipate; the futility of thinking one can "win" showbiz; the rewards of jamming with local dads; his ongoing adventures in writing for television; and, ultimately, how a bullshitter knows a bullshitter. FEATURING: a special appearance from Mr. Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me himself, Peter Sagal! (Length 17:09) The post Adam Felber: Memoirist appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Matt Crowle has directed and choreographed Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn at the the Drury Lane Theatre outside Chicago, and this week he discusses how one job led to (and informs) the other. Featuring early inspiration from Gene Kelly, Ray Bolger, Eleanor Powell, and Bob Fosse; a litany of luck; advice from Mike Nichols; a preference for "characters who dance" over a uniform chorus line; the attraction of athleticism; the importance of serving the piece and killing your darlings; and the relief of knowing the next show will come along soon. (Length 19:15) (Pictured, above: Danielle Davis and Adrian Aguilar in Holiday Inn, directed by Matt Crowle, Drury Lane Theatre. Photo by Brett Beiner.) The post Choreographer Matt Crowle appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Brad Oscar is a double Tony Award nominee for his performances in the original Broadway productions of The Producers and Something Rotten!, opens this Sunday in the Broadway musical version of Mrs. Doubtfire, met Stephen Sondheim many times, and played Beadle Bamford in the 2017 off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd set in an actual pie shop where the audience sat at tables and ate during the performance. Brad discusses Sondheim’s legacy and work; his memories of seeing the original productions of Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Merrily We Roll Along; how Sondheim has influenced multiple generations; the value of the accumulation of details; the breadth of Sondheim’s impact and reach; and the similarities between Sondheim and Shakespeare. (Length 27:09) The post Remembering Stephen Sondheim appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Amanda Drinkall plays Desdemona in Othello, The Tragedy of the Moor of Venice, at the Court Theater in Chicago – and, as it happens, she's also played Desdemona before with the Back Room Shakespeare Project. Amanda discusses the differences between the two productions and reveals why she continues to be drawn to the role; the appeal of approaching the text irreverently; the advantages of intimacy; further attempts to make #TheatreInTheSurround happen; the question of whether Desdemona is a victim; how we see her through Othello’s eyes; how Desdemona is like other Shakespeare heroines like Juliet and Viola; and the importance of grounding tragedy in fierce love. (Length 17:25) (PICTURED: Kelvin Roston, Jr. and Amanda Drinkall in the Court Theatre production of Othello, The Tragedy of the Moor of Venice, directed by Charles Newell and Gabrielle Randle-Bent. Photo by Michael Brosilow.) The post Amanda Drinkall’s Desdemona(s) appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

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) The post Remembering Princess Diana appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Shana Cooper directed the outstanding five-actor American Players Theatre production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (which runs in person and online until November 14, 2021) and returns to the podcast to discuss how this production differs from the previous two times she's directed it. Featuring pandemic producing on the fly; changing identities; learning how to watch to play; embracing chameleonic warriors in a pandemic-inspired minimalist aesthetic; how Shakespeare continues to interrogate our society; how the play redefines the power of vulnerability; complicated feelings; and which of Shakespeare’s Histories, Comedies, and Tragedies should more accurately be designated as Satires. (Length 20:50) The post Shakespeare’s Marriage Play appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Chicago's Court Theatre is producing a powerful and intimate production of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, and they are absolutely leaning into the play’s full, proper title. Kelvin Roston Jr. (as Oedipus, left, and Othello, above) stars in the title role and discusses how he was brought in early in the process by directors Charles Newelland Gabrielle Randle-Bent, and shares fantastic insights about he approaches Shakespeare’s text; how it’s sometimes better to find physical alternatives to the text; the similarities between Shakespeare and August Wilson; how you can’t stage a vehicle without getting a good driver; the importance of specificity in language; the power of presenting an epic tragedy on a human scale; the valuable lesson that it’s not what or how the classics speak to us, but how and what we say to the classics; and a determination to make the phrase #TheatreInTheSurround happen. Now playing – and streaming! – until December 5, 2021; visit courttheatre.org for more infor

On the eve of the RSC Podcast’s 15th anniversary, podcast host and RSC actor/consigliere Matthew Croke, joins us to discuss whether it's time to change things up. What do you think? Should we change the format or the emphasis? Make it longer or more infrequent? Should we eliminate some annoying tics or regular features, or is it just perfect the way it is? Let us know what you think as we discuss how to stimulate engagement; changing trends; supply and demand; the importance of stories and anecdotes; unnecessary whining; more inside baseball; which Stephen King novel would make a good Shakespeare play; and – most importantly – which Shakespeare character would make the best Starfleet captain. Also: Should we upgrade our equipment?? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! (Length 21:03) The post Change The Podcast? appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Friends of the pod Alejandra Escalante and Daniel José Molina are playing Kate and Petruchio in the five-actor American Players Theatre production of The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Shana Cooper, until November 14, 2021. Alejandra and Daniel discuss how they decided to do the play; how they approached their characters; what the play is about now; how the language defines the play; the advantages of seeing many previous productions; how it’s a play about navigating relationships, the various worlds of the play, marriage; and, ultimately, two misfits in a patriarchal, transactional society. BONUS: Here's where you can watch this production online! (Length 26:27) (PICTURED: Alejandra Escalante and Daniel José Molina in Taming of the Shrew at American Players Theatre, directed by Shana Cooper, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Kate And Petruchio appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Matt Walker is the founder and artistic director of the Troubador Theatre Company, the LA-based ensemble that combines classic texts with classic Top-40 songs to create such astonishing mashups as Much A-Doobie Brothers About Nothing, The Comedy of Aerosmith, Fleetwood MacBeth, Santa Claus is Coming to Motown, The Little Drummer Bowie, Julius Weezer, Abbamemnon, As U2 Like It, A Christmas Carole King, Hamlet – the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark, A Midsummer Saturday Night’s Fever Dream, and It’s a Stevie Wonderful Life. The Troubies’ most recent magnum opus, which just closed its sold-out run at LA’s Getty Villa, was Lizastrata, which combined Aristophanes bawdy political comedy with music associated with Liza Minnelli. Matt explains how "The Troubies", after more than 18 months, finally made the show go on; hired a COVID Compliance Officer; got advice from classical scholars; received letters anyway from "concerned" patrons; held a funhouse mirror up to nature…and hung it over the bed; and were v

Dr. Kavita Mudan Finn is an independent scholar (late of Georgetown University, George Washington University, and most recently, MIT) who is both a creator and scholar of Fan Fiction Studies, and who recently filmed an hour-long interactive conversation with Austin Tichenor on The Shakespeareance. In this excerpt, Dr. Finn discusses how "fan fiction" might be best defined; how fan fiction is a surprisingly new field of study, despite it being a centuries-old practice; some of fan fiction's earliest examples, including the identity of two OG slashers; the distinctions (such as they are) between performance studies and fan studies; what the actual opposite of fandom is; ridiculous casting uproars; and how the shows of the Reduced Shakespeare Company – including the RSC name – are forms of fan fiction themselves. (Length 21:17) The post Fan Fiction Finn appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Two-time Olivier Award winner Adrian Scarborough returns to the podcast to give a masterclass in learning to love Shakespeare, studying him in drama school, and performing him professionally. Adrian shares experiences of learning Shakespeare at his mother's knee; playing Shakespeare's clowns; getting direction from Sam Mendes; occasional rush-hour trains going by; the advantage of dance training in performing Shakespeare; an auspicious debut (playing young doomed Macduff as a child); an intensity of intention; how to root one’s self in rehearsal; the importance of heading for the full stop and the dogged pursuit of an idea; and the value of going for the truth instead of going for the comedy...because going for the truth gives you better comedy. (Length 22:51) The post Adrian Scarborough Masterclass appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

LIVE FROM LONDON, ENGLAND! The Show Must Go Online – the international phenomenon that performed Shakespeare's uncut complete works once a week during the pandemic on Zoom – had an in-person reunion at the Globe Theater in London on September 22nd and 23rd, and Austin Tichenor and Elizabeth Dennehy (who each performed in three of the shows) were there to surprise co-creators Rob Myles and Sarah Peachey, and the several dozen alumni who came from all over the world to celebrate this community born of lockdown. Enjoy the surprise, the fear of anti-climax, the possible double surprise, the excited reunion, the loving testimonials, and revel in the possibility and hope for the future The Show Must Go Online represents. (Length 22:18) The post #TheShowMustGoOnline In Person appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Flatwater Shakespeare Company is hosting its first (and hopefully annual) "Unshaken Festival," five solo pieces that engage with Shakespeare comically, poignantly, and powerfully (including Dee Ryan's Broadguess, featuring actor Fred Vogel). Summer Lukasiewicz is Flatwater's outgoing executive artistic director, and she shares how these new pieces were selected; how the festival came to be, and how it's a reaction to the pandemic; the importance of getting changes to the tech crew; the differences between working with living playwrights (as opposed to dead ones), including why the royalty line-item suddenly has numbers in it bigger than zero; whether (and how) the “Unhaken Festival” will continue; and why seeing Shakespeare through difference lenses and from different perspectives is one reason why Shakespeare continues to live. (Length 20:25) The post Flatwater Shakespeare’s ‘Unshaken’ appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

John Mayer – actor, director, and chair of the Theatre Department at Cal State Stanislaus – has written Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago: In Their Own Words, the (so far) definitive chronicle of Chicago's groundbreaking theatre ensemble. A high school friend of two of the company's founders – Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry – John interviewed dozens of artists and administrators who were instrumental in Steppenwolf's evolution, and reveals such tidbits as Sinise's early fundraising efforts (which involve a hubcap); the greatest summation of Steppenwolf ever; shout-outs to amazing influential teachers; what an MFA really gives you; tensions between art and commerce; memories of John Malkovich’s landmark production of Balm In Gilead; and, most importantly, how passion, chutzpah, drive, and the ability to adapt and change creates long-term artistry. (Length 21:31) The post The Steppenwolf Story appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Barbara Wallace, who, along with her writing partner Thomas R. Wolfe created the TV series Welcome To New York (starring Christine Baranski and Rocky Carroll), talks about one of her biggest pet peeves, an almost indefinable bit of stage business that always feels forced (and is not to be confused with an actual exit). Barb also discusses her creative journey from sketch comedy in Chicago to writing and creating TV series in both Hollywood and New York. Featuring: whether or not actors should be allowed to breathe; conflicting definitions of “hugely successful;” the importance of writing the best thing you can, not what you think people will like; fighting for gender parity at Second City in the early 1990s; the mixed benefits of multiple streaming platforms; getting close enough to the glass ceiling to fog it up but not break it; the joys of working with TV legend Christine Baranski; and finally, the ABCs of surviving in showbiz – Always Be Creating your own content. (Length 21:15) The post The False Exit ap

If you’ve ever wanted to cut down a massive Shakespeare play – or indeed any epic already in the public domain – but wanted a more sophisticated understanding of how it could best be done, directors and dramaturgs Aili Huber and Toby Malone have done that work for you. They’ve written Cutting Plays for Performance, a practical guide on how to go about…not reducing, but…shortening your play for any and all kinds of reasons, from the practical to the craven to the artistic. Featuring: the open secret that almost every Shakespeare play is for performance, every single time; how an initial argument led to a great partnership; tricks and philosophies for cutting and focusing; how these tips work for everyone from high schools to New York's Shakespeare in the Park; why there's so little pushback; what plays you emphatically cannot cut; and what The Complete Iceman Cometh (abridged) might sound like. (Length 23:45) The post Cutting The Plays appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Elizabeth Dennehy discusses how teaching Shakespeare intersects with her experience playing Lt. Cmdr. Shelby on the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 & 2". Elizabeth shares behind-the-scenes stories about how she got the role and shot the episode; how her theatrical training (warp) factored into her ability to memorize sci-fi technobabble; how she and co-star Jonathan Frakes planted the seeds for any direction the narrative could take; how she prefers different kinds of costume fantasies; which Shakespeare characters and scenes resonate best with her students; how to measure photon torpedo hits; the further adventures of Sir Patrick Stewart: Matchmaker; and how she utilizes “The Price Is Right Guide to Shakespeare.” NOTE: This is edited from a longer conversation on The Shakespeareance. (Length 23:01) The post Star Trek Shakespeare appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Adam Wesley Brown (left) and Ron E. Rains (right) played Stephano and Trinculo in the 2015 Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of The Tempest directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, and for no reason other than we're huge fans, they discuss the rewards of playing Shakespearean clowns (these two in particular). Featuring the wonder of immediate connections at the auditions; the occasional difficulty of calling it ‘work’; shout-out to Zach Eisenstat and Manelich Minniefee from Pilobolus Dance Company, who played an eight-limbed, two-headed Caliban; the beauty of being a bit factory; the dramaturgical importance of clowns, and realizing that if the most memorable character in Hamlet is the Gravedigger you’ve done something wrong; how it behooves young actors to get some musical skills, and how a knowledge of music helps particularly with speaking Shakespeare; how you must always fight for the biggest flask; how we didn't even discuss Ron also being The Onion’s Film Critic, Peter K. Rosenthal; and the importance