Everyday Shakespeare – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, James Shapiro, award-winning author and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, joins us to talk about his most recent book, The Playbook: A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a Culture War. With his characteristic investigative research and sleuth work, Shapiro has uncovered the truth behind the spectacular rise and fall of Roosevelt's New Deal-funded Federal Theatre Project in the late 1930s. At the heart of Shapiro's work is his point that theater is essential to a democracy. The shocking details behind the demise of the public, progressive FTP, Shapiro makes clear, lay the groundwork for the threats to democracy in America today. 

These days, everyone seems to be talking about polyamory-- the practice of engaging simultaneously in more than one romantic and/or sexual relationship, with the full consent of everyone involved. According to a recent study, 1 in 9 Americans has tried polyamory, and 1 in 6 would like to try it. This got us wondering: Could people in Shakespeare’s day have known about and experienced anything resembling what we now identify as polyamorous desires and lifestyles? In this episode, we take a deep dive into two of Shakespeare’s cross-dressing comedies, As You Like It and Twelfth Night, to explore some potential polyamory prototypes.

It's the Jewish High Holiday season, and we’re wrapping up our first season with a look back at what Shakespeare and his contemporaries would have known and thought about Jews and their religious practices. Although English Protestants expressed plenty of anxiety and hostility towards Jews, continuing a long tradition of the same, they also respected the Jews' status as God’s chosen people and their fundamental role in the scripture. In this episode, we explore these complexities by looking at a piece of travel writing by an Englishman in Venice and talking about Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice.

We’re excited to introduce you to Play On Podcasts—epic audio adventures that harness the power of live performance.  Enjoy this act from Twelfth Night, directed by Christopher Liam Moore and starring the phenomenal Amy Brenneman as Olivia. This slice of Shakespeare’s comedy touches on many of the themes we’ve explored on our podcast, including sad male friendships, dealing with drunken houseguests, and navigating tricky courtship rituals. Bonus challenge: keep an ear out for Olivia’s comparison of love to the plague—a topic we took on in our very first episode!

In this episode, New York Times-bestselling author and Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro joins us to talk about his book Shakespeare in a Divided America and his work with the New York Public Theater. Dr. Shapiro explains how and why Shakespeare has been a lightning rod for the American culture wars—from the 1849 Astor Place Riot to a recent state ban on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Beliefs about labor, delivery, and postpartum care differ widely between cultures and eras. In this episode, we talk about how these stages were experienced and imagined in Shakespeare’s day. We start with an example of a woman writing to her unborn child and then talk about the first English-language “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book. Finally, we dive into Shakespeare’s many references to problematic births—including the tragedies that unfold when the rituals and support-systems surrounding childbirth are violated.

Shakespeare loved to give people a good laugh and had an arsenal of methods to do so. And his humor isn't confined to the plays labeled "comedies"; even the great tragedies deliver moments of hilarity. Actor and comedian Rachel Dratch joins us here to talk about the business of being funny and to help us see how Shakespeare's witty comebacks and jig-dancing clowns connect to the comedy world today. 

When it comes to the stages leading up to marriage, in Shakespeare’s day and in ours, there’s a recurring theme: the importance of having your commitment witnessed by other people every step of the way. In this episode, we take a look at the often tricky rituals of courtship, engagement, saying “I do,” and celebrating the couple by flinging them around the dance floor and stalking them on their wedding night—and talk about what has and hasn’t changed.

According to a recent study, American men are in a "friend recession." In this episode we explore ideals of male-male friendship back in Shakespeare's day. Why did they falter, and when did they blossom? We'll look at some compelling examples of true male bonding from Shakespeare's plays, and also consider some epic friendship fails (hint: if your name is Antonio, you might think twice about lending your younger, hotter ‘bestie' all your money).

In this episode, we talk to Dr. John "Ray" Proctor, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Tulane University. Dr. Proctor is an expert on the intersection of race, casting, and the peculiarities and specifics of Identity-Conscious casting practices, especially in Shakespeare. He shares his experiences with us as a director, actor, teacher and researcher to help us take a deep dive into representations of blackness and whiteness on stage—then and now.

To learn more about Dr. Proctor and his work, go to www.drjohnrayproctor.com.