Director Michael Almereyda and actor Penn Badgley talk about Cymbeline. A contemporary take on the classic Shakespeare play—this gritty film follows a drug kingpin who’s driven to desperate measures during a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang.
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I am a Shakespeare teacher and ed tech junkie. Apple Distinguished Educator '09 . Follow me at @ShakenBakeMHS
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In this podcast we will read and discuss all of William Shakespeare’s plays over the course of a year, starting and ending on the Bard’s birthday. Together we’ll explore the big questions the plays put on the table and the poetry that makes those questions so human. Along the way we’ll be joined by poets, scholars, playwrights, and actors who can help us celebrate the poet whose influence continues to resound loudest over the Western world. Happy birthday, Shakespeare!
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Examining film adaptations of Shakespeare movie by movie
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A fortnightly theatre bookclub hosted by Nancy Netherwood and Sam Webber. Every other Thursday we take a deep dive into a different play from a range of genres, writers, times and places - join in the conversation over on Twitter, @playgroundpoddy
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In which Grace and Danny discuss Ken Branagh, the good of knowing the end before you’ve begun, and the education of women’s eyes.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss prodigal fathers, Lady Fortune, and total, abject misery.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny talk marriage, twins, and sacramental grace.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss divine right of kings, betrayal, and the crusades.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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Step 1) Nuclear Meltdown Step 2) Gang Warfare Over Simpsons Quotes Step 3) ???? Step 4) The Greatest Story Ever Told If you're not familiar with the play of post-apocalyptic pop-culture mythology, prepare to have your mind blown, as we discuss Anne Washburn's play all about The Simpsons and the fusion of high/low art. Have some feedback? A play you…
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25 - Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams
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Despite the characters explicitly talking about the cold all the time, prepare to hear about some very hot and sweaty goings on in this William's classic. When a young hot guy walks into a Southern town that's afraid of hot people, there's prejudice and hatred to deal with on top of all the wild animal metaphors that Tennessee loves so much. We dis…
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24 - Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind
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Up front: 1) TW, this episode contains quite frank discussions of a variety of grisly topics, including sexual assault and suicide. 2) This podcast is about the original play, NOT the musical version (though we do of course mention the musical as how could you not!? In particular the recent Almeida production which, spoiler alert, we love) Have som…
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23 - Cymbeline by William Shakespeare
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It was inevitable that at some point we'd bump into the bard on our ever winding theatrical-textual journey, and we do so what in our un-researched opinion is 'one of the more obscure ones.' Cymbeline is a play about a young couple who vow their love to each other but then hate each other but then don't really and also this horrible man named Clote…
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In which Grace and Danny discuss the Divine Comedy and Blackadder’s Russian codpiece—always terrifies the clergy, as Enid—I mean, Edmund—says!Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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22 - You Stupid Darkness! by Sam Steiner
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You Stupid Darkness! takes us into the world of Brightline, a call centre for those who need to talk to someone about their problems, and the 4 volunteers who answer those calls late at night. Meet Frances, Angie, Jon, and Joey the work experience boy, as they navigate life and each other. Oh, and also the apocalypse is in full swing. Have some fee…
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In which Grace and Danny discuss Cole Porter, Newland Archer (The Age of Innocence) [Edith Wharton], and Jeeves and Wooster. As one does.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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It’s a special triple episode following the ignominious and scholarly demise of Henry VI.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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The Flick is a 2013 play set in a cinema, in which you the audience sit where the screen is and watch as three employees get into some serious sweeping. This often silent and uneventful play is brim full of sad heartfelt characters, musings on what it means to be a grown up, and terrible opinions about films. Also discussed: - The power of celluloi…
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In which Grace and Danny discuss the tripartite soul, Ralph Fiennes’ hair, and the loneliness of dragons.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss honor, tax evasion, strange wooing, and the dogs of war.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss bears, Dwight Schrute, and the journey of the Magi.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss Christopher Sly, Jacob and Laban, and the resonance of names.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny talk marriage, prophecy, covenants, and thanes.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss the Fall, plague, the Michael Scott story (what did Jan say?), and the founding of Rome.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra
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Double episode! In which Grace and Danny discuss honor, John Lithgow, and the glory of Rome.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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20 - The Hothouse by Harold Pinter
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51:12
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The Hothouse (so called because the house is...hot?) is a 1980 play by Harold Pinter which was actually written in 1958, but still has his signature style of heightened language, biting edge and yes, lots of famous pauses. It's been a while since we did one of these, so there's lots of catching up to do on theatre and genre-based theatre, as well a…
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In which Grace and Danny discuss the exotic power of the potato, the origins of Bilbo, and the lovable reprobates of literature.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and I revisit Falstaff, consider the merits of Hal, and delight in Mistress Quickly.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss monarchs, wastrel sons, philosopher reprobates, and Baloo the Bear.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and Danny discuss true love, Rene Girard, literary walkoffs (Zoolander style), and big Geoff Chaucer.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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19 - Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello
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Six Characters is a modern classic. Or maybe just a classic. It's hard to know where the age boundaries for those things are. Either way in this play Pirandello brings an early example of going full meta in theatre, introducing a rehearsal room full of actors (and maybe the real director, stage manager and technician) to a group of fictional charac…
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In which Grace and Danny delve into bordellos, the world’s worst luck, piracy (two kinds), and Pixar.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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18 - The Woods by Robert Alan Evans
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The Woods is poetry on the stage. Okay, so all plays are poetry on the stage, but this one even more so. Inhabiting an American woodland and also a British kitchen, our protagonist 'The Woman' is continually haunted by 'The Wolf,' an evil figure who may be her son that was, or an abusive partner, or her inner psyche, or the outside world, or probab…
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In which Grace and I discuss justice, mercy, practical jokes, usury, and Al Pacino.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and I discuss the strangeness of the boar: his methods of seduction, his overweening (and overwhelming) pride, and his complete disregard for eternity.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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17 - The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
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This is the second in McCraney's 'Brother Sister Plays' trilogy, though is the first one he wrote. Drawing on Yoruba cosmology transposed into present day Louisiana, The Brothers Size is a poetic yet brutally grounded story of two brothers trying to reconnect after one returns from a stint in prison. Emotions abound. Have some feedback? A play you'…
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In which predictive text tries to change Othello to or hello, a far cheerier and less informative title, and in which Grace and I marvel at the mischief of Iago.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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In which Grace and I discuss the dancing, war, the prodigal son, puns, and the ineptitude of Count Claudio.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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16 - The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project
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This 2000 play is a landmark text in verbatim theatre. Documenting the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Laramie, Wyoming resident Matthew Shepard, The Laramie Project is a collation of almost 2 years of interviews with Laramie residents. All at once it is a portrait of a town, a stark warning, an examination of everyday human hypocrisy, an advocatio…
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Wherein Grace and I discuss art, beauty, bravery, and freedom, not to mention Disney princesses, stuttering aesthetes, and fish.Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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15 - The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman
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This 1930s play is about two single women who run a girls' school together, and how their lives are brought crashing down when a student accuses them of lesbianism. We discuss the play's treatment of queer issues, its place (or not) on today's stage, and the eerily accurate depiction of lockdown life in Act 3. Have some feedback? A play you'd like …
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The Shakespeare Birthday Party: The Pregame
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Happy birthday, William Shakespeare! Today we introduce Danny and Grace and talk a little bit about Shakespeare’s importance to us and the plan for the show. Enjoy!Af Danny and Grace Fitzpatrick
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Part 2 of an Oresteia double bill, this time we take a look at Robert Icke's totally new adaptation of last episode's classic. We talk altering plot points, phycological complexity, and the time period-fluid setting of Icke's plays. Have some feedback? A play you'd like us to cover? Visit the official podcast twitter @playgroundpoddy Chat to host N…
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First part of an Oresteia double bill, this time we take a look at a straight translation of the original. We talk gender representation, off-stage gore, and the complexities of justice (which is funner than it sounds) Have some feedback? A play you'd like us to cover? Visit the official podcast twitter @playgroundpoddy Chat to host Nancy @N_Nether…
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Crazy stage directions? Form-breaking? Super long and in depth but somehow still entertaining discussions on female empowerment and the male role in society? YES PLEASE! Discussion includes: Scripts that don't tell you everything, gender-reversed acting, and the benefits of snacks on stage. Have some feedback? A play you'd like us to cover? Visit t…
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11 - Hansel and Gretel by Carl Grose + Kneehigh Theatre
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It's time for some children's theatre! In this delightful, dark, funny, fantastic, terrifying tale for all ages, Kneehigh theatre does what they do best with collaborative and innovative re-telling of a classic story. Discussion includes collaboration in art, the power of children's theatre, and the joy of little chicken puppets. Have some feedback…
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This episode Nancy & Sam discuss the shocking and powerful play drama Yen by Anna Jordan. The audio of the first half got mangled by the internet, so this one jumps in partway through - in this epic half-discussion, however, is covered themes of nature vs. nurture, the harsh choices around family life, and the depiction of intimate acts on the stag…
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9 - Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (with guest Molly Farley!)
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This episode Nancy & Sam are joined by co-director of Coast to Coast Theatre Company and producer from the Norwich Fringe, Molly Farley, to discuss the intense and thought-provoking drama Gloria by Branden Jacob's Jenkins. Not only is it an absolute belter of a play, but Molly is fantastic as our first guest. Topics include: Workplace trauma, selfi…
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8 - Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch
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48:27
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Nancy and Sam smash the patriarchy (or at least try to understand just how massive and far-reaching it is) with a look at this form-smashing play. Okay, so we don't smash the patriarchy, and 50 minutes is no time at all to cover everything, but we think this play is fantastic and had a blast diving deep into all the intense and challenging themes i…
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7 - Lights Over Tesco Car Park by Jack Bradfield & Poltergeist Theatre
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In a first for the podcast, we look at a play that involves some heavy audience interaction and can change wildly from night to night depending on what the audience does. How do you script something like this? We're about to find out. (Also, this is sadly probably our last sci-fi themed play for a while as we've exhausted those we know so early on …
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Another episode of the eternal journey to read and analyse every play ever (or at least a few good ones, as our time on this earth is limited). This time we take a look at something neither of us have read before - a strangely structured magical realist play from 1997, Crazyhorse packs a real punch (even if we still can't fully understand the title…
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Oh go on then, have a little Christmas treat on us! Nancy & Sam drop their usual policy of finding the best in things for this bonus festive episode - they bring to you their top 10 list of the worst theatre-related things one could receive this Christmas. Want to see the horrendous items for yourself? Have something you think is worse? Visit the o…
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Another episode of the eternal journey to read and analyse every play ever (or at least a few good ones, as our time on this earth is limited). This time we take a dive into our first of the great Naturalistic plays of the 1800s - featuring sordid affairs, pretend inventions and, of course, one very wild duck. Ibsen proves to us this episode that j…
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Welcome back for another episode of Play Ground! This week we discuss the experimental diptych of short plays 'Heart's Desire' and 'Blue Kettle' by Caryl Churchill. Formally stranger but with a solid emotional core, Churchill proves again (despite Sam's initial hesitance) why she is our greatest living playwright. Have some feedback? A play you'd l…
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