Beyond Shakespeare – Details, episodes & analysis

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Beyond Shakespeare

Arts

History

Frequency: 1 episode/8d. Total Eps: 500

From the earliest drama in English, to the closing of the theatres in 1642, there was a hell of a lot of drama produced - and a lot of it wasn't by Shakespeare. Apart from a few noble exceptions these plays are often passed over, ignored or simply unknown. This podcast presents full audio productions of the plays, fragmentary and extant, that shaped the theatrical world that shaped our dramatic history.

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Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - performingArts
16/05/2026
#64
🇬🇧 Great Britain - performingArts
09/04/2026
#83
🇬🇧 Great Britain - performingArts
21/03/2026
#63
🇨🇦 Canada - performingArts
21/02/2026
#76

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https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare
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https://beyondshakespeare.org
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https://beyondshakespeare.org/
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
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Score global : 53%

Publication history

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334: Doctor John Faustus (Chapter 9)

Episode 334

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 • Duration 06:36

The History of the Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Doctor John Faustus, is the book that is the source for Christopher Marlowe's play. Chapter by chapter we will wander through the twists and turns of this story.
Performed by Robert Crighton
Chapter Nine: How Doctor Faustus would have married, and how the devil had almost killed him for it.

Our patrons also get an exploring session looking in detail at the text - join our chat here.

Thunder sfx thanks to zapsplat.com
Our patrons received this episode in October 2023 - approx. 11 months early.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

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250: John Bon and Master Parson by Luke Shepherd (Full Cast Audio Adaptation)

Episode 250

Friday, February 24, 2023 • Duration 15:08

This is our full cast audio adaptation of Luke Shepherd's John Bon and Mast Parson - an evangelical dialogue to affirm the new creed against transubstantiation. As such, it is putting forward, in a satirical way, an attack on the Catholic faith and is presented here for historical purposes and not because we have an axe to grind.

In John Bon and Mast Parson by Luke Shepherd, the intro/outro text was performed by Emily C A Snyder, John Bon by Robert Crighton and Master Parson by Liza Graham. This audio was recorded on location in London and mixed by Robert Crighton, with additional sound effects from zapsplat.com

If you'd like to dig into this text a little deeper, go to our exploring session - https://audioboom.com/posts/8225304-exploring-john-bon-and-master-parson-by-luke-shepherd-dialogueOr, if you join our patreon, there is the RAW recording of this adaptation, which also includes a lot of discussion about what is going on - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64260104

Our patrons received this episode in September 2022.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton

250: The Jests of George Peele - Episode 3

Episode 250

Friday, February 17, 2023 • Duration 08:19

The Jests of George Peele - Episode 3: How George Peele became a Physician
Performed by Sarah Blake

A full audiobook reading, performed by Sarah Blake of Sounds Curious Productions, released monthly - followed by an omnibus version. Our patrons have received early access to nearly all the episodes so far, and have exclusive access to our exploring sessions and discussion of the text - join us on the patreon to get more from the world of jest books.
Music by Tom Cowell.
Produced by Sounds Curious Productions for the Beyond Podcast.

Sarah Blake discusses the project with Robert Crighton on the podcast here - https://audioboom.com/posts/8194838-discussing-the-jests-of-george-peele-with-sarah-blake

The jests can be found variously online, though none of the ones we looked at were very tidy or void of errors - this is a fairly good option, but feel free to hunt. http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/peele1.html

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Our patrons received this episode first in August 2022. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

250: Discussing: Jack Straw with Tony Tambasco

Episode 250

Friday, February 10, 2023 • Duration 01:11:59

It's another 'Lost' discussing episode, with this 2019 (ye gods! we're so sorry!) chat about The Life and Death of Jack Straw produced by Bad Quarto in 2016 by our guest Tony Tambasco.
You can follow our guest on Twitter at - tony@badquarto.org
More info about the production, including clips, can be found here. http://badquarto.org/showPages/2016_jackStraw.php
And, of course, here's our playlist of all the audio Jack Straw things... https://audioboom.com/playlists/4629941-the-life-and-death-of-jack-straw
Plus our exploring session on YouTube - https://studio.youtube.com/video/yohgz7LhDuM/edit

Our patrons received this episode in June 2022.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

249: A History Play by John Day (Fragment)

Episode 249

Friday, February 3, 2023 • Duration 07:35

A fragment of a history play by John Day gets the full works this week. It's a few lines from a play from the summer of 1601. For more information, listen.
Hosted by Robert Crighton, with Simon Nader as the Brother.
The original First Look session can be found here - https://youtu.be/jw1Vw6Y-BdY
For a look at the text go to the Lost Plays Database -https://lostplays.folger.edu/History_play_including_the_death_of_Percy

Our patrons received this episode in March 2022. They have had the full audio recording since September 2022.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

248: Exploring: John Bon and Master Parson by Luke Shepherd (Dialogue)

Episode 248

Friday, January 27, 2023 • Duration 30:02

Exploring: John Bon and Master Parson by Luke Shepherd (Dialogue)
Welcome to the first of a semi-regular new series of works looking at Dialogues and other semi-dramatic material. We've touched on the dramatic edges of these kinds of things before, with plays that are a bit didactic, but now we're having a look at printed works never designed for performance, but which are very performable. Or hopefully are.
This is an exploring session recorded in London in the spring of 2022, and there will be a full audio production to follow.
Till then, enjoy John Bon and Master Parson by Luke Shepherd, a satirical writer on the Protestant side of the fence, writing to promote the new religion in the reign of Edward VI. This text is mostly concerned about the nature of the host and the feast of Corpus Christi.
With Liza Graham and Robert Crighton

Our patrons received this episode in March 2022. They have had the full audio recording since September 2022.
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton

247: The Jests of George Peele - Episode 2

Episode 247

Friday, January 20, 2023 • Duration 08:59

The Jests of George Peele - Episode 2: The Jest of George and the Barber.
Performed by Sarah Blake

A full audiobook reading, performed by Sarah Blake of Sounds Curious Productions, released monthly - followed by an omnibus version. Our patrons have received early access to nearly all the episodes so far, and have exclusive access to our exploring sessions and discussion of the text - join us on the patreon to get more from the world of jest books.
Music by Tom Cowell.
Produced by Sounds Curious Productions for the Beyond Podcast.

Sarah Blake discusses the project with Robert Crighton on the podcast here - https://audioboom.com/posts/8194838-discussing-the-jests-of-george-peele-with-sarah-blake

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

246: The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary (Full Cast Audio Adaptation)

Episode 246

Friday, January 13, 2023 • Duration 01:52:42

A Full Cast Audio Adaptation of The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary.
See below for content warnings...

MARIAM, the Queen - Gillian Horgan
ALEXANDRA, Mariam’s mother - Leigh McDonald
SALOME, Herod’s sister - Pamela Flanagan
SILLIUS, Salome’s lover - Simon Nader
CONSTABARUS, husband to Salome - Heydn McCabe
PHERORAS, Herod’s Brother - Robert Crighton
GRAPHINA, Pheroras’ lover - Nemonee Stone
DORIS, Herod’ first wife - Pollie Hall
ANTIPATER, Herod’s son by Doris - Fiona Thraille
First Son of BABUS - Hugh Weller-Poley
Second Son of BABUS - Mark Scanlon
ANNANELL, the high Priest - Andy Barrett
SOHEMUS, A Counsellor/Mariam’s guardian - Rob Myson
NUNTIO - Richard Fawcett
HEROD - Geir Madland
BUTLER - Valentina Vinci
SILLIUS' Man - Alan Scott

Additional voices by Liza Graham and other members of the company.
Additional sound effects from zapsplat.com
Produced by Robert Crighton

The full Mariam playlist on the podcast can be found here - https://audioboom.com/playlists/4631219-the-tragedy-of-mariam-by-elizabeth-cary
An exploring session on YouTube can be found here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLflmEwgdfKoJH6-GM7WcJ2vUef7XPaQ0a
There's also a dedicated webpage for Mariam - https://beyondshakespeare.org/the-tragedy-of-mariam-by-elizabeth-cary/ : Details and depictions of murder, racially charged language (mostly removed for the FCAA, fully present in the !Spoilers! episodes), gun shots, death, suicide, hanging, expressions of misogyny. The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton

Beyond Shakespeare – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

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Beyond Shakespeare – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Youtube76

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Youtube76

Spotify

Patreon47