Weaving together interviews with actors and academics, Shakespeare’s Shadows delves into a single Shakespeare character in each episode. Perspectives from the worlds of academia, theater, and film together shape explorations of the Bard’s shadows, his imitations of life — pretty darn good imitations, ones that reveal enough of ourselves that we’re still talking about them four centuries later.
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Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ has only two female characters, but in a new musical adaptation of the iconic play, a cast of women take on the roles of the men who were there at the fall of the Roman Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire. In the works since 2024 with a growing online following, ‘Caesar: The Musical’ is now getting an EP release featuring studio recordings of six songs from the…
Anne Hathaway was married to William Shakespeare for nearly 34 years, until his death in 1616. What was she like? What kind of relationship did she have with her famous husband? That’s been largely left a mystery to historians — but a delicious mystery for creators of fiction to play with. This bonus episode delves into two fresh and thrilling depictions of Anne Hathaway: the hit Broadway musical…
William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson — both are frequently declared to be among the very best writers in the English language. And now, for Dickinson’s 195th birthday, the time has come to delve into both iconic poets on Shakespeare’s Shadows. This bonus episode spotlights the Peabody Award-winning Apple TV series “Dickinson,” particularly looking back at the series’ fifth episode, when Emily…
Shakespeare’s words from "As You Like It" and "Twelfth Night" get a catchy, folkish musical treatment on "The Shakespeare Tapes," a new EP by folk-pop-americana trio Bandits on the Run. The Brooklyn-based group’s three band members — Adrian Blake Enscoe (he/they), Sydney Shepherd (she/her), and Regina Stayhorn (she/her) — join Shakespeare’s Shadows for this bonus episode to talk about the…
What does it take for a woman to survive in Elsinore? What would Ophelia and Gertrude tell us — if only they got anywhere close to the number of lines Shakespeare gives Hamlet? This and more is explored in new play "A Room in the Castle," which gives the women of Hamlet their time to shine. A co-production of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the Folger Shakespeare Library, "A Room in the…
"As You Like It" is often remembered for being a rom-com, but it’s also a family drama. Duke Senior (Rosalind’s father) is usurped by his brother Duke Frederick. One brother rules at court while the exiled brother builds a new life in the Forest of Arden. In this episode — about not just one but two characters — we discuss why it is that Frederick banished his brother and then his niece, what…
Hamlet’s best friend, Horatio, gets 7 percent of the lines in "Hamlet" next to the title character “who never shuts up” (as one guest on this episode puts it) with 37 percent. This episode gives Horatio his moment to be center stage, revealing how he doesn’t have to be a one-note or one-dimensional character, even as his role is in service of Hamlet’s story. We discuss Horatio’s journey being one…
In "The Merchant of Venice," Portia is remarkable for her cleverness and the power she holds, and she’s ostensibly a hero of this story. But her journey is entwined with that of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender whose mistreatment makes "Merchant of Venice" a deeply troubling play. In this episode, we discuss just how extremely wealthy Portia is, whether or not Portia is likable (and how her…
Roberto Williams is one of five actors together playing the title character in Long Beach Playhouse’s current production of "Hamlet". One actor plays what’s called the core Hamlet, and the others play four parts of Hamlet’s psyche: wisdom, innocence, justice, and vengeance — Roberto plays the latter. In this bonus episode, Roberto discusses this unique staging of what’s often referred to as…
"Sleep No More," the immersive, one-of-a-kind adaptation of "Macbeth," is in the spotlight in the first-ever bonus episode of Shakespeare’s Shadows. Co-produced by Punchdrunk and Emursive Productions, "Sleep No More" is a promenade-style performance that invites the audience members to freely explore the eerie spaces of its 5-story set. Its iconic run in New York is currently set to close in…
