Chop Bard (In Your Ear Shakespeare)

Henry VI part 1 – Act V Scene 4, 5 

Joan makes her fiery exit as France agrees to peace, and Henry chooses his Queen.

A Midsummer Night's Dream – An Introduction –
Our Dream begins with some useful information to help us navigate this strange journey.

• Hartford Stage
• Shakespeare Uncovered

Henry VI part 3 – Act I Scene 2, 3, 4
As York’s sons urge him to reconsider his oath, Margaret and Clifford unleash their fury.

We celebrate our 100th episode with email, a brief history of theatre- maybe a little Henry VIII- and much more!

Hal an Tow, by Damh the Bard, courtesy of music.mevio.com
Rite of Passage Kevin MacLeod
Additional voice work by Tom Synnott-Bell

2 Henry IV Prologue-1.1 – We jump back into the unstable world of Henry IV as the slanderous tongue of Rumour works its way through the land and into eager ears.

Brought to you by, Paul Ammann, Caroline Foty, Ken Whitaker
with Tom Synnott-Bell as Rumour
featuring Aftermath by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• The Shakespeare Alphabet Book
• CraftLit is 300!
• The Hartford Stage
• Tracey’s Twelfth Night blog
• Shakespeare Uncovered
• The Chimes at Midnight

2 Henry IV 1.2 - 1.3 – Things are looking pretty bleak for the realm as Falstaff waddles back into our lives along with a whole new batch of rebels.

•  Hollow Crown at last!
• Hamnet
• Our Kickstarter has funded!

Henry VI part 2 – Act IV Scene 1-10

Suffolk, in disguise, sets sail into exile as Jack Cade and his Kentish rebels turn the realm upside down and inside out.

2 Henry IV 2.1 - 2.2 – Hostess Quickly attempts to reclaim a debt from Falstaff. Prince Hal unceremoniously wonders back into the play.

• Much Ado About Nothing
• Alex’s answers
• The Shakespeare Alphabet Book

2 Henry IV 2.3 – Northumberland is about to join forces with the rebels against the King, but his wife and the Lady Percy have other ideas. Spoiler: It involves going to Scotland. Special guest vocals by Heather Ordover.

• The Shakespeare Alphabet Book
• Ali Thompson, The Hamlet Project
• Rebecca G’s answers
• G.Robin Smith

2 Henry IV 2.4 – Romance is ripe, back in our favorite tavern, as Falstaff and Doll Tearsheet while away the evening. At some point a Pistol will go off.
Special guest vocals by Kymberly Tuttle.

2 Henry IV 3.1-3.2 – King Henry finally appears in his own play, while Falstaff travels out into the country––taking the long road to York––pricking as he goes.

• Hamlet (1969)

2 Henry IV 4.1-4.2 – Prince John invites the The Archbishop of York and crew to parley peace (oh look, there's wine!) and Falstaff arrives just in time to catch some action.

•  2011 Globe Much Ado About Nothing DVD
• Arkangel Shakespeare

2 Henry IV 4.3 – As the King's time comes to an end, Prince Hal gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Suddenly the future isn't looking so bright––what's a father to do?

• Caitlin DiCristofalo
• Kevin Spacey on the future
• Much Ado (1012)
• The Hollow Crown DVD
• The Hollow Crown PBS
• The Shakespeare Sound

2 Henry IV 5.1-5.5 – As the wayward prince sets aside his past in order to become the king, there's still a few loose ends to tie up and one final showdown to be had.

• Falstaff Opera

On this special episode we take an in depth look at the craft of acting Shakespeare; The tools, skills, and awareness you must develop in order to competently serve an audience.

• National Theatre Live UK
• RSC Richard II Live
• Shakespeare’s Globe Twelfth Night DVD
• Shakespeare Broadway
• Stage Beauty

Henry V – We begin our 8th series with a little history, a touch of perspective, and a lot of strife, in an effort to have a great war!

“The blessings of Union can only be understood against a background of division.”
– Edward Hall

Films

• Muse of Fire Documentary
• 1944 Henry V
• 1979 Henry V
• 1989 Henry V
• The Hollow Crown: Henry V

Books

• Arden Shakespeare, series 3
• Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare
• Goddard’s The Meaning of Shakespeare

Audio

• Arkangel Henry V

Other

• xkcd webcomic

Henry V 1.0-1.1 – Turns out, this play is full of actors only pretending to wage war. The Archbishop of Canterbury tries to save the church.

Opening music:
"Devastation and Revenge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

• The History of England Podcast
• The Princes who swallowed a Glass Piano

Henry V 1.2 – The Salic law issue is laid to rest, and the ambassadors from France bring a very special gift from the Dauphin to King Henry.

• Made of Glass, by Jackie Reuter
• McGuffin

Henry V 2.0-2.1 – The youth of England may be hot for war, but before we follow the King to Southampton, we need to visit some old friends in Eastcheap.

It’s act III, and everything is about to change. Spoiler alert: not everyone will make it out alive.

Some of the music provided in this show, comes from http://music.mevio.com

We take a brief intermission from the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet and talk about Orange-girls, the authorship question and... intermission.

Some of the music provided in this show comes from http://music.mevio.com

Richard III – Act V Scene 3, 4, 5

At Bosworth field Richard will defend his crown. But the real battle will be fought within.

Act III.2 gives us Juliet, as she impatiently awaits the arrival of her untried husband- is it just me or did it suddenly get a lot hotter in here? Quick, somebody call the nurse!

Some of the music provided in this show comes from http://music.mevio.com

The final scene in act III is chock full of sorrow and obstacles.
The kids part ways, and Juliet is given an ultimatum...
Take a bite anyway- it's good for you!

Twelfth Night – Act 2 scene 4 – Orsino attempts to educate Cesario in the ways of women and relationships. Viola has something to say about that. Feste sings another song. Love is weird in Illyria.
Featuring Matt Gordon, and Eve Marie Mugar.
Something About You, by Ukulele Jim, courtesy of music.mevio.com

Richard III – Act III Scene 1

Prince Edward returns to London, accompanied by his Uncle Richard and Buckingham, minus an escort or two. 

• Kids Learning For Life
• Bard Cards

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Act II scene 1
The faerie king and queen, Oberon and Titania, are quarreling. It is not a good time for Demetrius and Helena to be out in the woods at night.

Friday Adventures, by PV Jackson

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble

Henry VI part 2 – Act II Scene 1 

King Henry and Queen Margaret, accompanied by quarreling nobles, are hawking in St. Albans when they encounter a miracle.

Julius Caesar – Act I scene 1

 A group of citizens are scolded for celebrating Caesar’s triumph.

Henry VI part 1 – Act I Scene 1
At the foot of Henry V’s coffin, messengers deliver bad news from France. Winchester goes to the dark side.

Scott’s Law - Connecting the use of Thou vs. You with personal space.

• “Character A might call Character B "thou" if and only if Character A would be allowed to step into Character B's personal space.” - Scott Maxwell
• Use You: to address someone of equal, or greater personal space.
  Use Thou: to address someone with lesser, or shared personal space.

Richard III – Act III Scene 2, 3, 4

It’s the day of the coronation council, and heads will roll.

Its drink and dagger time in Verona as we end the play with act 5 scene 3. Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished- hey, we get one more sword fight!

Bring it on by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, courtesy of http://music.mevio.com

We begin our series on Hamlet by letting go of some of the baggage this poor play has had to carry around, while we shed some light on the myth of Hamlet’s mommy issues.

Shakespeare Pie by The FuMP, courtesy of http://music.mevio.com

Henry VI part 3 – Act IV Scene 1, 2, 3, 4

The crown is once again put in jeopardy, as King Edward refuses to see the error of his actions, and favors his new wife’s family over his own brothers.

Richard III – Act II Scene 1 

The ailing King Edward tries to make peace among the peers before his time is done. Richard shows up to help.

King Lear – Act V scene 3 – The wheel turns again as Lear and company make their weary way toward the inevitable conclusion.
In memory of Judy Ziegler, Oct 26 1944 - April 10 2016

Henry V 2.3-2.4 – After one final visit to the old tavern in Eastcheap, we say farewell to England and bonjour to France, where King Charles VI prepares for the worst.

Much Ado About Nothing – Act IV scene 1

The worst wedding, two confessions of love, and a promise of death.

Hamlet 1.3 – Ophelia gets a double dose of advice, from her Brother and her father; both drumming to the same tune- stay away from Hamlet. What’s a girl to do…?

Run Runaway by Great Big Sea courtesy of http://music.mevio.com

Henry VI part 3 – Act III Scene 3

Margaret and her Son Prince Edward travel to France seeking aid from King Lewis, just as Warwick arrives with a tempting offer for alliance with England. 

Hamlet 2.1 – Reynaldo (who’s Reynaldo?) is sent to Paris by Polonius to spy on Laertes, while Ophelia is having more boy trouble. It’s rough growing up in Denmark.
Love is denied by The Pulpit courtesy of http://music.mevio.com

Henry V 3.7, 4.0 – In the long hours before battle, the French boast and play at wits, while the English contemplate their doom.

• NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage

Hamlet 2.2 part 2 – Hamlet is reunited with his old chums Rosencrantz & Guildenstern… or is it Guildenstern & Rosencrantz… then the actors show up, a plan is born, and we get another famous soliloquy- lights out, and scene.
Mari Mac, by The Dust Rhinos - music.mevio.com

Hamlet 3.1 – "To be or not to be", and "get thee to a nunnery". What else is there to say? Hamlet has a tough choice to make, a difficult encounter to navigate and- oh yeah, a play to edit.

King Lear – Act IV scene 1 & 2 – Edgar encounters his blind father, as passion ignites in the north.

• Bardfilm

Henry V 5.0 - 5.2 – The battle of Agincourt may be over, but Henry has yet to face his greatest challenge: Winning the heart of Katherine of France.

• Alan Cumming, The Head That Wears A Crown

Henry V 4.7 - 4.8 – Time to end the bloody battle, count the dead, and bring out the gloves.

• National Theatre Live: King Lear
• Complete Works

Henry VI part 1 – Intro –
Is this Shakespeare? What’s Stylometry? Were there any famous Elizabethan pamphleteers? All of these questions, plus a recap of the previous (second) tetralogy, and more, in our introduction to part one of Henry VI.

• History Chart
• The Hollow Crown, Season 2
• 1983 Henry VI part 1
• Marlow and Shakespeare as coauthors
• Literary Criticism of New Oxford
• Stylometrics - Marlowe and Shakespeare
  

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Act IV scene 1 & 2 –
The dream is ending. With the coming of dawn the mortal world takes hold, but some enchantments remain.

King Lear – Act III scene 5 & 6 – Edmund betrays his father, while the broken Lear conducts an imaginary trial.

Hamlet 4.4 – En Route to England, our escorted prince runs into Fortinbras and his army, inspiring him to perform one final soliloquy… we are promised bloody thoughts. Hurray!

How's It Gonna End, by Tom Waits, courtesy of http://music.mevio.com

The Winter's Tale – Act III scenes 1-2 – Cleomines and Dion return with the oracles response, as Hermione is brought to trial. For good, or ill, her ordeal ends here.

• Arkangel Shakespeare

Hamlet 4.6 - 4.7 – Horatio gets a letter from Hamlet, and oh joy, he’s back in town. Claudius gets a similar letter, but isn’t so happy; time to come up with a plan to kill the little @#$% before it’s too late! And oh, poor Laertes, I’m afraid we have some bad news…

Three recommendations this episode:

1. Forgotten Classics– Julie talks about Chop Bard in Episode 132: The Riddle of the Sands, chapter 27
   She has some very nice things to say about Chop bard. Listen to her, she knows what she’s talking about!
2. CraftLit – A Podcast for Crafters Who Love Books. You’re in good hands with host Heather, as she’ll lead you through these dangerous  books- you’ll be the better for it.
3. The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare – Julie mentioned she was inspired by Chop Bard to listen to Hamlet in this audio series. I’ve heard of these, but never listened. I’ve order one, and can’t wait to try it out.

Much Ado About Nothing – Act II, scene 1

In the midst of a clever dance we encounter witty word play, misconceptions, and a new challenge.

Hamlet 5.1 – Finally, Hamlet’s back in the play, and there are clowns in the graveyard! It doesn’t make Ophelia’s funeral any more festive though.

• Nice email from Tracy, expressing her ideas on “To be, or not to be”, and offering a counter point to mine- always room for more.
• I’m on CraftLit! Check out the interview on show: Twain-Episode One hundred eighty: CraftLit, meet Bard, Bard, meet CraftLit

As You Like It – Act I, scene 1 –

Orlando wants what’s rightfully his.

King Lear – Act III scene 3 & 4 – Seeking shelter from the storm, Lear & company encounter Edgar (disguised as Poor Tom), while Gloucester makes a desperate decision.

• GUINNESS WORLD RECORD: Largest Shakespeare Battle Reenactment, Benefiting UW Drama Department
• Washington Shakespeare Festival Endowed Fund in Drama

King Lear – Act I scenes 3 & 4 – Goneril takes steps to remedy the burden of her father. A disguised Kent returns, and Lear's fool finally makes an appearance.
Featuring: Kate Miller

• Kate Miller, IMDB
• I Know That Voice

The Tempest – We begin our third series with one of Shakespeare’s last plays: on a mysterious island, inhabited by spirits, monsters and survivors… wait, is this about Lost?
Leis a lurrighan, by Ceili Moss, courtesy of music.mevio.com

• The Tempest coming out,  directed by Julie Taymor.

The Tempest 1.1 – A ship bound for Naples, is caught in a violent storm.
If you thought Ophelia had “too much of water”, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Lovesong, by Dont be a Stranger, courtesy of music.mevio.com

• Teri wrote in to recommend a book: The Friendly Shakespeare by Norrie Epstein
• G. Robin Smith has brought it to our attention, that The Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ontario is doing The Tempest with Christopher Plummer as Prospero.

The Tempest 1.2a – Safe on dry land, it’s story time as we meet a couple exiles; Prospero and his young daughter, Miranda. If you fall asleep, blame it on the magic.
Another Man's Vine, by Tom Waits, courtesy of music.mevio.com

From listener Jackie, we are alerted to free Shakespeare; King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth can all be found at:
PBS Great Performances

The Tempest 1.2b – Behind every great sorcerer, you'll find great servants- enter Ariel, and Caliban. Show me the magic!
The Mermaid, by Great Big Sea, courtesy of music.mevio.com

The Tempest in review! In this episode, we'll take a look at Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest', as well as a few other versions, like Forbidden Planet and Shakespeare Behind Bars.
Cheers To You, by Dust Rhinos, courtesy of music.mevio.com

The Tempest 1.2c – Poor Ferdinand... His father is drowned, his friends are lost, and he's stuck on a lonely island without- wait, a girl! You live around here?

Simple Magic, by Marina V, courtesy of music.mevio.com

The Tempest 2.1 – Time for some villainy, as we catch up with the King, and his sea-swallowed court.... do I smell regicide cooking? Good thing Francisco and Adrian are around.
Lion Sleeps No More, by Amaryoni, courtesy of music.mevio.com

The Tempest 2.2 – Caliban, unhappy with his current job situation, makes a huge career shift, and takes company with the recently unemployed, Trinculo, and Stephano.
Featuring the voice of Peter Petropoulakos, as Trinculo.
Drunken Sailor, by Blaggards, courtesy of music.mevio.com

The Tempest 3.1 – In honor of Valentine's Day, we peek in on the lovers. It's not nice to spy, but since Prospero's hiding behind that bush over there...
I'se The B'y, by Great Big Sea, courtesy of music.mevio.com

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Act III scene 2 –
Mistakes have been made, and hearts broken, setting the scene for one last romp in the faerie wood.

Henry VI part 2 – Act III Scene 2, 3

As the King is about to try Gloucester’s case, a suspicious death is discovered, and there will be hell to pay.

The Tempest 3.2-3 – Caliban plots a murder with his new master, and Prospero throws a dinner party for King and company; guess what he's serving...
Crazy Dreams, by Jolie Holland, courtesy of music.mevio.com

Henry VI part 3 – Act V Scene 5, 6, 7 

King Edward gets to work securing his reign. But restoring the peace means dealing with Margaret, the prince, and Henry VI. Richard takes matters into his own hands. 

Henry V 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 – Katherine learns English, and the French vent their fury, while Henry and his army limp along toward Calais.

• What Makes a Great Shakespearean?
• Globe to Globe Hamlet
• Fool
• Serpent of Venice

King Lear – Act I scene 1 – The King has decided to retire and demands to know which of his daughters loves him the most, as he breaks apart the kingdom. It does not go well.
Featuring: Rebecca Gross

• Ran

As You Like It – Act I, scene 3 –

Rosalind and Celia’s world undergoes a sudden transformation.

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Act I scene 2
The "rude mechanicals" gather in preparation for their great endeavor of performing a play for the Duke and Duchess.