Richard II: Act I Discussion

And we begin our second play, the lyrical Richard II! Join us with a brand new group of actors as we work through Act I of Richard II. (A warning that there is a graphic description of the punishment for treason during Elizabethan times near the beginning of the podcast.) We familiarize ourselves with the complex circumstances that happen before the play starts, the dizzying number of titles of many of the characters, and the whims of King Richard.

Our cast for this project includes: Stephen Wagener Bennett, Nazlah Black, Zoe Burke, Mairi Chanel, Caryl Farkas, Zoë Goslin, Mike Marcou, Amy Meilander, & William Potter, facilitated by Ariana Karp.

King John: Act V Discussion

And so ends our first play! This week we looked at the curious Act V of King John and discussed the ‘student becoming the master’ phenomena with both the Bastard and Lewis, the surreal and feverish imagery of John in the last scene and Shakespeare’s fondness for shipwrecks as plot devices (this play has 4 ship wrecks!).

The episode features Bronwyn Barnwell, Olivia Rose Barresi, Meg Hachmann, Julia Larsen, & Rafe Terrizzi facilitated by Ariana Karp. Unfortunately Patrick Harvey & Sam Gibbs were unable to join us for this episode, but don’t worry, they’ll be in the final play recording!

We will be releasing the full radio play of King John with music and sound effects this week! Stayed tuned for more info!

King John: Act IV Discussion

For this episode, we delved into the climactic Act IV, or the Arthur Act, of King John. Among many things, we discussed the strange and brutal Oedipal resonances of Arthur’s planned execution, & how the violence of this act marks a drastic shift in the style and tone of the play.

Olivia Rose Barresi, Sam Gibbs, Meg Hachmann, Julia Larsen, Liam Mitchell, & Rafe Terrizzi facilitated by Ariana Karp continue our exploration. Unfortunately Patrick Harvey was unable to join us for this episode, but don’t worry, he’ll be in the final play recording!

King John: Act III Discussion

Bronwyn Barnwell, Olivia Rose Barresi, Sam Gibbs, Meg Hachmann, Julia Larsen, Liam Mitchell, Danielle Reddick, Rafe Terrizzi, & Jesse Van Buren facilitated by Ariana Karp continue our exploration of King John with a discussion of Act III. Unfortunately Patrick Harvey was unable to join us for this episode, so Ariana read in for King John, but don’t worry, he’ll be in the final recording!

Among many things, we talked about the stark differences between the language of the women and the men, and who feels the repercussions of the political wheeling and dealing.


King John: Act II Discussion

Our cast of Bronwyn Barnwell, Olivia Rose Barresi, Sam Gibbs, Meg Hachmann, Patrick Harvey, Julia Larsen, Liam Mitchell, Danielle Reddick, Rafe Terrizzi, & Jesse Van Buren facilitated by Ariana Karp continue our exploration of King John with a discussion of Act II.

We note the mingling of the different meanings of blood; blood as a symbol of violence and blood as a symbol of family and kinship. We also note that war and marriage are both used as tactics of diplomacy. And what a remarkable and farcical interpretation of politics and political allegiances this act represents!

King John: Act I Discussion

We begin our journey through Shakespeare’s canon with the weird and wonderful King John. Get to know our cast in this first episode as we work through King John’s first act. Our cast includes: Bronwyn Barnwell, Olivia Rose Barresi, Sam Gibbs, Meg Hachmann, Patrick Harvey, Julia Larsen, Liam Mitchell, Danielle Reddick, Rafe Terrizzi, & Jesse Van Buren. Additional participants include Brittany Chandler. Marty Madden, Bill Potter, & Ariana Karp.

BONUS: James Shapiro Interview, Santa Fe, 2018

Our first episode of the Radio Shakespeare Lab airs on January 4th, but as a special treat, enjoy this interview that Ariana conducted from back in 2018 with James Shapiro about King Lear !

Jim teaches at Columbia University and is a renowned Shakespeare scholar. Author of Shakespeare and The Jews, 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?, 1606: The Year of Lear, and most recently, Shakespeare in A Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future, which was on the 2020 New York Times 10 Best books of the year.

Coming Soon...Radio Shakespeare Lab

Tabling: The Podcast has commenced work with International Shakespeare Center Santa Fe (ISC) on a long term project entitled Radio Shakespeare Lab, creating a complete radio library of Shakespeare's canon! This project will include both uncut radio plays and five episodes of in-depth “table work” discussions about text, character, and dramaturgy for each play. “Table work” is a precious time in the rehearsal process for the ensemble to ask questions, explore ideas, and begin to analyze character relationships. Over 50 actors, directors, and theatre makers from all across the country will be participating in this endeavor.

Radio Shakespeare Lab is a fusion of the things most important to us at the ISC: exploring Shakespeare through education, community building, & performance.  We are so excited to share this joyful process of puzzling through a play with you!

Keep your eyes open for a bonus episode with Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, a recording of his visit to Santa Fe back in the spring of 2018 to discuss his book The Year of Lear that we will be releasing very soon!