Ariana has a chat with director Bronwyn Barnwell about her Radio Shakespeare Lab production of Love’s Labour’s Lost with her dream cast! We are joined by some of the actors from her production to discuss the play and process including Charlie M

Taming of the Shrew: Act V Discussion

Aug 2nd, 2021

Anddd we are on to our Act 5 ofTaming of the Shrew discussion…ok here we go.Among many things we talk Kate and Petruchio turning into spectators and watching other public disorders, flashbacks to the induction where character upon character r

Taming of the Shrew: Act IV Discussion Part II

Jul 27th, 2021

On to part 2 of our discussion of Act IV of Taming of the Shrew! (This episode covers scenes 3-5.)We talked imitating behaviors, entitlement and reality checks, changing social perceptions, appearance vs value, provoking reactions and contrad

Taming of the Shrew: Act IV Discussion Part I

Jul 19th, 2021

We move on to part 1 of our discussion of Act IV of Taming of the Shrew! (This episode covers scenes 1 & 2.)Among many things we discussed Grumio’s garbled thoughts, status relationships within Petruchio’s household staff, servants noting beh

Taming of the Shrew: Act III Discussion

Jul 15th, 2021

And off we go to Act 3 of Taming of the Shrew! We discuss how all of Bianca’s suitors are under false pretenses, how the suitors are more interested in competing with each other than actually getting to know Bianca, the connection to the Lord

Taming of the Shrew: Act II Discussion

Jul 13th, 2021

It’s time for Act II of Taming of the Shrew when Kate and Petruchio finally meet! Among many things we discussed entering the private realm of the household, sibling rivalry and family dynamics, fighting over the same object, the bidding war

Taming of the Shrew: Act I Discussion

Jun 25th, 2021

Join us as we dive into the play within the play, Act I of Taming of the Shrew!Among many things we talk about bro energy, the play’s emphasis on education for both young men and young women, Katherine as truth-teller, the complicated relatio

Taming of the Shrew: Induction Discussion

Jun 17th, 2021

Oh goodness, it’s time for Taming of the Shrew. Welcome to a brand new difficult and complicated play and enjoy our discussion of the unique and puzzling “Induction” at the start of the play.We talk about what exactly the induction is and its

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Act V Discussion

Jun 10th, 2021

Oh boy…here we are. We have gotten to Act 5 of Two Gentlemen of Verona…We discuss Silvia constantly being under surveillance, male friendship erasing romantic love, is it all a parody, celebrations of male mediocrity, property and possession

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Act IV Discussion

May 31st, 2021

Finally, we get to spend a bit of time with Silvia & Julia in Act 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona!Among many things we discuss the outlaws as threatening/non-threatening, the strength of Silvia’s character, how Proteus language is transforming a

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Act III Discussion

May 27th, 2021

What time is it? Betrayal time! Off we go with Act 3 of Two Gentlemen of Verona.In this pivotal act, we discuss the difference between male vs female ‘honor,’ the awkward circling between the Duke and Valentine, Silvia as a sacred being, Prot

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Act II Discussion

May 17th, 2021

We move on to Act II of Two Gentlemen of Verona.We discuss servants freely sassing their employers, Valentine’s metamorphosis, how the women drive the romantic plots forward, courtly versus romantic love, how the character Lance is always und

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Act I Discussion

May 10th, 2021

We’re doing our first comedy! Welcome to our discussion of Act I of Shakespeare’s early and troubling comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona.Among many things, we discuss starting plays mid-conversation, the importance of establishing both the frien

Henry V: Act V Discussion

May 3rd, 2021

And thus we conclude Henry V with our discussion of Act V!Among many topics, we discussed how the act’s Chorus speech departs from hype man to interim narrator, the danger in Shakespeare’s contemporary references, the purpose of the final sce

Henry V: Act IV Discussion Part II

Apr 29th, 2021

We work our way through the the second half of Act IV of Henry V - this episode covers scenes 4-8.Among many things, we talk about how the boy grounds us with his moments alone with the audience, the difficulty of conveying how quickly the ba

Henry V: Act IV Discussion Part I

Apr 26th, 2021

We work our way through the beginning of Act IV of Henry V - this episode covers the Chorus speech through scene 3 (all of the pre-battle scenes).Among many things, we discussed the complicated metaphorical transformation of Henry into the su

Henry V: Act III Discussion - Part II

Apr 23rd, 2021

We work our way through the end of Act III of Henry V - this episode covers scenes 4-7.We puzzle over the singular scene almost entirely in French, how it amplifies the conflict of communication, and as a continuation of the consequences of w

Henry V: Act III Discussion - Part I

Apr 19th, 2021

We work our way through the beginning of Act III of Henry V - this episode covers the Chorus and scenes 1-3.Among many things, we discuss the cinematic imagery of the Chorus, the hammering momentum of Henry’s “Once more unto the breach” spee

Henry V: Act II Discussion

Apr 15th, 2021

Moving on to our discussion of Act II of Henry V! We talk about the expositional nature of the Chorus in Act II, our feeling that Falstaff is missing from the play and the changing cast of comedic figures in the tavern gang trying to make up

Henry V: Act I Discussion

Apr 12th, 2021

We’re heading to the finish line of the this history tetralogy…and we’re excited to share Henry V over the next 3 weeks with you, our dear audience! Here is our discussion of Act I. Among many things, we discuss how the chorus activates the a

Henry IV, Part II: Act V Discussion

Apr 8th, 2021

And thus, we conclude our journey of Henry IV, Part II with our discussion of Act V!We celebrate the return to the country justices and one last drinking scene, we talk Falstaff’s long con and how he loses his heart to Hal in the process, we

Henry IV, Part II: Act IV Discussion

Apr 5th, 2021

We tackle the massive Act IV of Henry IV, Part II.Among many thing we talk about the opacity of specific grievances from the rebellion, the super degraded and violent imagery that the Archbishop employs, how important beverages are and the vi

Henry IV, Part II: Act III Discussion

Apr 1st, 2021

On to Act III of Henry IV, Part II…We talk about how Shakespeare teaches us that Kings are incapable of sleeping, how both sides in the civil war characterize the opposing side as a disease upon the realm, the introduction of Justice Shallow

Henry IV, Part II: Act II Discussion

Mar 29th, 2021

Moving on to Act II of Henry IV, Part II! Among many things, we talk the Hostess and Falstaff’s money and romantic entanglements, the discordant realities between Falstaff and the Lord Chief Justice, the furthering of Hal and Poin’s friendshi

Henry IV, Part II: Act I Discussion

Mar 25th, 2021

Time to start a new play! Join us as we commence our journey through Henry IV, Part II with our Act I discussion with a brand new ensemble! We discuss the striking appearance of the character of Rumor at the start of the play, the insecurity