The History Of European Theatre (Philip Rowe)

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Episode 47

To conclude the season on the theatre of Rome this episode imagines a resident of the city in 54BCE, recounting in a letter to a sick friend, a day spent travelling to the theatre of Pompey and the time spent there.

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Episode 101:

How Marlowe’s other plays differ from Tamburlaine and Dr Faustus.

The plot of ‘The Jew of Malta’.

The depiction of Barabbas the Jew and how it might have been received by the audience.

‘Edward 2nd’ as a history play rather than a tragedy.

The theme of homosexuality in Marlowe’s work.

The plot of ‘Edward 2nd’.

The slow burn of the play adding to it’s subdued nature.

The motif of the wheel of fortune.

Edward’s character and the difficulty of empathy.

The problem with the language in the play.

The character of Gaveston.

The symbolism of the manner of Edward’s death

The character of Isabella.

Mortimer the antagonist.

Comparisons between ‘Edward 2nd’ and ‘The Jew of Malta’.

A word on ‘The Massacre at Paris’.

Final thoughts on Christopher Marlowe

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Episode 28

Theatre gets its first permanent home in Rome as Pompey builds a theatre to his own glory. The story of how he was able to do that is one of wealth, pride deception and not a little ego.

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Episode 13

A deep dive into the Euripides version of the story of Electra and her revenge on her mother. Euripides gets down to a more human level while still injecting passages of polemic, but we can also start to get elements of realism and sibling heroes who are not quite heroic enough.

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Episode 29

A look at the detail of the staging of Roman plays, including the use of the stage, scenery, masks, props and costume.

How wall paintings and sculpture may give us some useful insights into Roman theatre.

The position of actors in Roman society and how the acting troupe may have been organised.

Cicero's commentary on theatre and it's audience and some detail on his friendship with the two greatest actors of the day and how they helped him get out of a political scrape.

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As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this first episode of a short mini-series I recount a recent journey to London to see copies of the first folio that are currently on display.

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Episode 96:

The life and works of Thomas Nashe

Early Life

Cambridge University and ‘Terminus et non Terminus’

Nash moves to London and joins the ‘University Wits’

Pamphlets and work for the Archbishop of Canterbury

Nashe’s style and pseudonyms

Disagreements with the Gabriel brothers

Nash’s Dildo

Pearse Penniless

Summers Last Will and Testament, his only surviving solo-authored play

The Unfortunate Traveller

Christ’s Tears Over Jerusalem and Imprisonment

Terrors Of the Night

The Isle Of Dogs and the closure of theatres in the summer 1597

Nash’s Lentern Stuff and his final years

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A bonus episode on the origins, development and recent history of The Oberammergau Passion Play.

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Episode 23

In the penultimate episode on the story of Greek Theatre a look at the final years of Greek tragedy and comedy and the Athenian festivals. Then some thoughts on the development of Mime as a dramatic form and notes on our sources.

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Episode 111:

The true story behind 'Arden of Faversham'

The plot outline of the play

Is the domestic tragedy really tragedy?

The main themes of the play

The domestic eating of the play

The low characters

The role of destiny in the play

Questions of authorship

Other surviving domestic tragedies -

'A Warning for Faire Women'

'Two Tragedies'

'A Yorkshire Tragedy'

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Episode 50

The Synod of Winchester issued direction on the performance of the Trope in 960 and the door was open for further developments on other feast days.

Then a look at other church festivals with dramatic elements. The Boy Bishop, The Day of Fools and the Festival of the Ass.

And in the late twelfth century the Trope starts to get too big for the likes of some in the church as stage directions get more complicated and props and scenery get put to use to represent individual places and characters.

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Episode 75:

The Life of Lope de Vega, greatest dramatist of the Spanish Renaissance Theatre. He had a very full life which was not just confined to writing plays, but his output was prolific on a scale that has not been matched before or since. This is his story.

Then a short overview of what was special about his plays, his attitude to Aristotle and his prescriptions on the use of poetry.

A word on the inevitable comparison with Shakespeare.

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Episode 48

To open season three a summary of how theatre and dramatic activity survived despite the restrictions placed on it from the growing influence of the Christian Church.

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As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this second episode of a short mini-series I look at the inspiration and motivations for the First Folio and how it was produced

What prompted the creator to produce the First Folio?

Ben Johnson’s First Folio

John Hemenge – Actor and Administrator

Henry Condell – Actor and friend of Shakespeare

Richard Burbage – Just a brief sketch

How the plays existed in print and manuscript and how they were collected

Financing the project

Edward Blunt, Bookseller and his previous work with Shakespeare’s plays

Willian Jaggard, printer and his previous work with Shakespeare’s plays and poems

Isacc Jaggard and his workshop

The printing method

Apprentices and printing errors

Decretive woodblocks

The engraved portrait

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Episode 55

The Second Shepherds play is considered the best of the medieval cycle plays. In this episode I take a look at not only the second shepherds play, but the first play as well, which is often overlooked.

Why are there two shepherd's plays in this cycle?

The plot and characters in the first play

The plot and charaters in the second play

The similarities and differences between the plays

What the plays say about the social conditions of the time

The Wakefield Master, author go the plays

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A conversation with Ricky Dukes, artistic director of Lazarus Theatre.

Find more about Lazarus Theatre at: https://www.lazarustheatre.com

or on Twitter @LazarusTheatre

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Episode 58

The Castle of Perseverance is a great example of how difficult it can be to discuss the form of a play separately from the content and in this case we have an illustration that shows how the play might have been presented

A summary of the plot of the play

Details from the manuscript about dating the play

The illustration contained in the manuscript reviewed in detail

The problems with the way the audience might have been positioned and the play presented

The role of the 'Stytlery'

The ditch and how it might have been used.

To see the illustration discussed in this episode go to the website

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Episode 95:

The life and plays of some of the lesser known playwrights of the Tudor period.

George Gascoigne - his shady life story and his Italian translations into English prose.

Robert Greene - how he carved out a professional writers life from an unpromising start, his plays, and that notorious comment about Shakespeare.

Thomas Lodge - a prodigious talent who sought out an adventurous life and wrote two verse plays.

Thomas Preston - A Fellow of Cambridge University who wrote plays in many different styles.

Collaboration in the Tudor period.

George Peele - part of the 'university wits' set, best known for 'The Araynment of Paris' and 'The Battle of Alcazar', but 'The Old Wife's Tale' is the most thought provoking.

John Lily - A son of the establishment Lily produced plays for the court performed by the boy acting troupe at St Paul's School. His work is remembered for it's carefully crafted language that remained influential, but he never crossed over into the mainstream of the public playhouse.

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Episode 14

Dionysus takes centre stage in a fantasy of mad women and cross dressing kings. The last and strangest play by Euripides it was a return to tragedy by this ever inventive poet, but unlike anything else that had been seen before.

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Episode 76:

A discussion of a sample of the plays by Lope de Vega

The Gardener's Dog: A Comedy The meaning of the title, a plot summary, the major themes.

Punishment Without Vengeance: A Tragedy. A plot summary, it's debt to Seneca, the ironic triangle of anti-heroes, the question of incest, and the violence of the honour culture. The historical context of the play.

Realism in the plays.

The plays of intrigue

The role of the leading female character, the 'Dama'

Sheep Well. The plot Summary. The communist reading of the play. Countryside Vs the city. The satisfaction of honour.

The lasting influence of Lope de Vega

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Episode 116:

As an introduction to the season on Shakespeare this episode gives a timeline of events in Shakespeare's life. The focus is on the best estimates for the dates of all his plays and the reasons for those estimates, but also includes the milestones of his life and other significant events of the time that occurred in England.

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A special bonus episode to celebrate the Birthday of William Shakespeare which looks at the way he used and created the English Language.

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Episode 99:

Marlowe’s ‘Tamburlaine the Great’ is a play in two parts, an early example of a writer responding to popular acclaim by giving his audience more of the same, but for all of that mercenary motivation, and the fact that the first part was conceived as a stand-alone piece, they do work well as a conjoined piece.

The history of the printed plays and the introduction by the printer Richard Jones.

A summary of the plot of part one of the play.

The relationship of the play to the historical Timor.

A summary of the plot of part two of the play.

The position and influence of God in the plays.

Marlowe’s attitude to his protagonist and how the audience might have received him.

Tamburlaine as violent and bloody theatre.

The themes of power and ambition in the plays.

Tamburlaine’s familial relationships and the psychological study of his motivations.

The mixing of the personal and the political as a focal point of the play.

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Episode 4

The situation of Athens at the time of the first extant tragedies.

The very earliest dramatists and the little we know of them

The life of Aeschylus including his service in the Persian Wars

His earliest surviving play 'The Persians'

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Episode 64

In the first part of season four we bridge the gap between the Medieval and Renaissance periods with a mention of the key artistic movements and historical events that can be used to mark the beginning of the period.

How theatre looked back to the rediscovered plays of Ancient Greece and Rome and the writings of Vitruvius on Theatre Architecture.

The earliest plays of the period, showing how the Renaissance got started in the late 1300s.

A word on the development of Opera and Ballet.

For the chance to see Lazarus Theatre production of Salome by Oscar Wilde on line until 5th December 2021 go to https://www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk/salomé

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and find more details on

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Episode 78:

Records about the second corral in Madrid tell us a lot about the theatre.  In this episode we go through the details of what the different parts of the theatre on the Calle del Principe were like.

A short reminder of the history of the Corral in Spain as featured in episode 74.

The location building of the Corral del Principe as a rival to the original Madrid playhouse, the Corral de la Cruz.

The Facade wall on Calle del Principe

The doors in the facade and how they changed

The entrance and balcony for the ladies

The entrance hall

The view from the patio

The lateral stands and benches

The windows and balconies on the adjacent houses

The VIP rooms above the entrance

The Stage

The tiring room and backstage access

Beneath the stage

The roof awning

The capacity at the corral del Principe and how it has been calculated.

Rivalry between the Corral del Principe and the Corral de la Cruz

The dispute over the balcony fees and the pulling down of the Principe

The Principe and the Cruz today

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Episode 57

The Morality play is a type of play that for all its similarities and shared heritage with the Corpus Christi cycle plays brought something new to the world of drama and had a profound effect on the future development of theatre.

How the Morality Plays are different from Cycle Plays

The Development of the ideas around the seven vices and virtues and how they developed into personified characters

The development of education in the Middle Ages and the influence on monastic preaching

The presentation of Morality plays and the move away from the church feast day

Examples of the different sort of Morality plays that we have mention of in the records

The five extant Morality Plays

The developing commercial nature of theatre including the travelling troupe of players and the booth stage

For more details on Rosslyn Chapel see:

https://thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/blog/

https://www.rosslynchapel.com

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A special episode in conversation with actor and Shakespeare expert Colin David Reese who's one man play 'Shakespeare Unbound' tells of the production of the first folio edition of Shakespeare's plays and it's creator John Heminges.

You can own a copy of Shakespeare Unbound to stream, which is available at

www.shakespeareunbound.com

Registration for the streaming event - an extract from the play and Q & A discussion - is available at

www.eventbrite.com

See Colin's Bio at: www.shakespeareunbound.com/the-actor/

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Episode 60

Religious theatre dominated the Medieval period, but there are some examples of works written just for fun and entertainment.

How celebrations like The Feast of Fools, The Boy Bishop and The Feast of Asses developed into secular theatre.

The rise and influence of the travelling players and the church reaction to some of their work.

The French travelling players Rutebeuf and Adam De La Hale.

French Medieval comedy

The establishment of performers guilds and the role of the player in service of a king or lord.

A rare example of political satire in Medieval France.

The Interlude and the work of Henry Medwell and John Hayward

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Season 4 Trailer: European Renaissance Theatre

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Episode 18

Perhaps the best known of the comedies by Aristophanes Lysistrata imagines a world where women take control in an attempt to force and end the Peloponnesian war. It is sex comedy with a message as the Athenian golden age nears the end.

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Episode 37

Terence had a short life and left only six complete comic plays, but he moved the genre on from Plautus and other earlier dramatists.

The story of his beginnings as a slave and how he came to Rome

The circles he moved in and how he got support from the Practician class and Caecilius Statius the best known comic dramatist of the day.

A short word on the history of Caecilius Statius and Ambitious Turpio, producer and actor.

Contemporary criticisms of Terence and his use of Greek comedies

A brief review of the six surviving plays.

The untimely death of Terence and his legacy

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Episode 51

The instigation of the Corpus Christi feat day too theatre out of the church and into the town and village. This episode looks at the development of the celebration of the new feast day and how the new trades guilds and other organisations took over the production of biblical plays from the church.

An understanding of the theology behind the feast day is important to an understanding of how the plays developed, so this is outlined and the concepts of time and place within the plays is discussed.

Then it's on to more practical matters such as learning lines and the emergence of the producer, director and stage manager.

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Episode 33

The life and time of Plautus, the first Roman Playwright from whom we have surviving works. After a hard start he became the most popular of the Roman playwrights churning out comedy after comedy.

This episode looks at his life story and playwriting career.

Then there is a brief summary of his six most significant plays and a discussion of the role of the courtesan character in the plays, including how this reflects the reality of life for women and prostitutes in Roman society.

A note on the lack of political commentary in the plays leads on to a look at how the prologue was used and to conclude I look at the legacy of Plautus in the way his plays have been used as source material for many later adaptations.

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Episode 56

The history of the Harrowing of Hell and the way it was portrayed in the cycle plays, including some thoughts on how it would have been staged and how the play comes alive when the demons and devils take to the stage.

The play of Noah and the Great Flood must have provided the medieval set designers with some real challenges. Some thoughts on how that might have been done and a look at some of the detail around the story of Mrs Noah, doves, ravens and Rainbows.

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A special bonus episode to celebrate the second anniversary of the podcast. We step out of the timeline of the renaissance theatre as I tell the story of the venue that was the home to my first theatrical experiences - The Castle Theatre, Farnham

For much of the information in this episode I am indebted to Matthew Lloyd for the use of material. For information about many UK theatres and music halls go to: http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk

For further information about Waverley Abbey go to: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/waverley-abbey/

For further information about Farnham Castle go to: https://www.farnhamcastle.com

For further information about Farnham and it's history go to: https://farnhamsociety.org.uk

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Episode 27

Theatre buildings in Rome developed over the long period of time from the Etruscan Period and through the republican period, but throughout they were temporary structures albeit on an ever grander scale. In this episode we trace the development and look at the political and social forces in Rome that kept theatre mobile and temporary.

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Episode 113:

As a coda to season 5 this episode is a potted history of the life of Augustine Phillips, player in the Lord Chamberlin's Men, with the details taken from documented records.

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Episode 71

The continuation of the story of Renaissance theatre in France.

The rise of the two theatres in Paris as travelling players were at last allowed to perform in the city.

Antoine de Montchrestien and his version of Greek tragedy.

The three farceurs Henri Legrand, Robert Guerin, and Hugues Gueru who made the Theatre du Bourgogne the venue in Paris for comedy.

The development of the Theatre du Bourgogne under the management of Valeran le Conte and the establishment of ‘Comediens Du Roi’.

The emergence of Alexandre Hardy and his prolific life as a playwright.

A life in the theatre for the actors of the time

Theophile Viaud and Jean Mairet - champions of the Aristotelian stage

Jean du Rotrou the last French renaissance playwright

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Episode 79:

As things moved on in the early renaissance art - painting and sculpture - led the way and theatre soon followed.  Artists tried to inject more realism into their work, showing their subjects as they really were, or as close as they could get.  The colours of clothes, skin tones, fruit, countryside scenery and, well, whatever the artist’s subject was, became more subtle and realistic as artists looked at the different impacts of viewpoint, light and light sources in paintings and strived to show the world as it really was.  The discovery of an understanding of one thing in particular made those working in the theatre sit up and take note – perspective in art had arrived.

Brunelleschi and the discovery of perspective painting.

1414 and the rediscovery of Vitruvius and ‘De Architectura’.

Leon Battista Alberti and the beginnings of theatrical perspective design .

Pellegrino de San Daniele and his perspective scenery at Ferrara.

Architect Sebastiano Serlio, his perspective designs and use of the raked stage and painted flats.

The development of wing space as an integral part of theatre design.

The problems with perspective scenery.

Aristotle de San Gallo and his reintroduction of the ‘periaktoi’.

The importance of the introduction of flats throughout theatres.

Lighting methods in Italian renaissance theatre.

The Teatro Olympico in Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio and completed by Vincenzo Scamozzi.  This theatre was the panicle of perspective theatre design with seven arches at the back of the stage using perspective effect but had a short life.

Advances in stage machinery by Nicola Sabbatini, known for his flying effects and his fondness for the ‘periaktoi’.  To improve this feature he designed mechanical ways of rotating the periaktoi. 

Sabbatini’s wave form effect.

Giacomo Torelli and his mechanical decice for moving flats on and off stage, the ‘chariot pole system’.

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Episode 2

An overview of the history of Greece to the 5th Century BCE including Minoan and Mycenaean periods, the Greek dark age and the rise of the city state.

The development of the religious festivals and their main features

An overview of the main playwrights and their plays:

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Euripides

Aristophanes

Menander

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Episode 69

The Renaissance met the Reformation in the Germanic States of Northern Europe so we start with a word on Martin Luther and his love of music and qualified approval of theatre.

Latin drama of Jacob Wimpheling and Thomas Naogeorgus.

The history of Hanswurst and Brandt's 'Ship of Fools'

'Students' by Christoph Stumble gets it's second mention on the podcast.

The versatility of Johannes Reuchlin

German biblical plays

The German plays of Henrich Julius von Braunschweig, Duke of Brunswick

The extraordinary life of Nicodemus Frischlin and his comedy 'Julius Redivivus’ 

The impact of the thirty years war.

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Episode 66

Continuing from the last episode with more comedic dramatists from the Italian renaissance we meet Angelo Beolco who, under the tutorage of Ariosto, created, and became synonymous with, the character of Ruzzante.

Then on to Alessandro Piccolomini and Giovan Maria Cecchi, who both left indelible traces on the development of comedy in the sixteenth century.

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A short episode to introduce the new website for the podcast and the Facebook Group.

Find us on the web at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

Find us as a Facebook Group as:

The History of European Theatre Podcast Group

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Episode 15

The story of the life, times and plays of Aristophanes, the creator of the only complete plays that we have from the genre of 'old comedy'. He lived in Athens during the turbulent times of the Peloponnesian war and used satire and comedy to criticise the war leaders and Athenian society.

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A bonus episode featuring Salome by Oscar Wilde. In summer 2021 I was fortunate to see the Lazarus Theatre production at the Southwark Playhouse in London. In this episode I give a brief version of the Oscar Wilde story, look at Salome in more detail and think about what the Lazarus Theatre revival brings to this lesser known play.

To see more about the work of Lazarus Theatre: www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk

For some of the pictures and cartoons mentioned in the podcast: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/blog

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Episode 90: 

The development of the profession of acting, of ‘stage-playing’ through the Tudor period.

How the professional stage player developed out of the medieval entertainer.

How travelling players became household players and then settled in the London playhouses.

The beginnings of an acting profession.

The Earl of Leicester’s Men.

The English Sumptuary laws.

The boy troupes.

The objections to players and playhouses.

The reputation of players.

Some examples of contemporary views of players.

The stars of the day – Burbage and Allen.  

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Episode 22

The Satyr play is one of the most enigmatic elements of Ancient Greek drama and we have few surviving examples of it. A look at the stories it told, its development and it's place in the story of Ancient Greek theatre.

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Episode 115:

A dive back into Ancient Greek theatre with a look at 'The Frogs' by Aristophanes.

A recap on the life and plays of Aristophanes.

A summary of the plot of the play.

Analysis of the main points raised by the play.

A short word on a recent production of the play by 'Spymonkey' played at the Kiln Theatre, London in February and March 2024.

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 87:

A fictionalised account of a day in the life of one of Madrid's Renaissance period theatres, the Corral Del Principe, using some of the facts and assumptions discussed in the season about the European Renaissance Theatre.

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Episode 97:

Christopher Marlowe was one of the giants of Elizabethan theatre, but he died young in mysterious circumstances. In this episode I try to unpick the mystery of why he died. Was it just an argument about the cost of a meal, or the result of some far more sinister goings-on in the world of Elizabethan espionage and court rivalry?

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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A special episode to make the First Birthday of the Podcast featuring five stories from the history of the London Theatre

Charles 2nd and Nell Gwyn

King George, the Prince of Wales, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The ghost of William Terriss

Noel Coward's West End Flop

The tradition of the Baddeley Cake

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A bonus episode where Peter Schmitz of the 'Adventures In Theatre History - Philadelphia' podcast takes us through an overview of the development of theatre in Philadelphia.

Peter Schmitz is an actor, dialect coach, and teacher of Theater History who lives in the Philadelphia area. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he got his BA in History from Yale University, and his MFA in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program. Over the past 35 years, he has performed with many American regional theaters, including the Yale Rep in New Haven CT, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis MN, the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul MN, and the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. In New York City, he did everything from children's theater to Off-Broadway shows, and was a member of the Broadway company of My Fair Lady in 1994. In Philadelphia, he has appeared with the Arden Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Lantern Theater Co., the Wilma Theater, the Act II Playhouse - and many shows at the Walnut Street Theatre. And he even had a small role in the movie Fargo, for which he leaned to speak Minnesotan. As a theatrical dialect coach in the Philadelphia region, he has worked with many of Philadelphia's theater companies, both small and large. At present, Peter is an Adjunct Professor in the Theater Department of Temple University in Philadelphia, teaching courses in writing, dramatic literature . . . and the History of theatre.

Find more information about Peter and his podcast at https://www.aithpodcast.com/

on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast

and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/

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A conversation with Tamsin Shasha, Actor, Ariel Performer and artistic director of The Actors of Dionysus.

Find out more about Tamsin's work here:

www.actorsofdionysus.com

Twitter: @aodtheatre

For the official website of the UN Climate Change Conference 2021:

www.ukcop26.org

and The Brighton Fringe

www.brightonfringe.org

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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Episode 112:

To close season five of the podcast I pick up three items I dropped in the previous narrative and then offer some concluding thoughts:

Thomas Watson – the life and works of the possible co-author of ‘Arden of Faversham.

Henry Chettle – the life and works of the prolific collaborator.

Thomas Heywood – the life and works of a playwright now better remembered for his commentary on others rather than for his own work.

Drawing some conclusions on:

The public playhouses

The players

The State vs. the theatre

The growth of education

Pamphlets, prose, and poetry

Christopher Marlowe

The city of London

The lesser known playwrights

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Episode 19

The Hellenistic world moves on into a period of domination first by Sparta and then by Macedon, but theatre survives and thrives as New Comedy. Our view of how that development progressed is entwined with the life of Menander who is the only representative poet for this period.

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Bonus Episode 35:

A conversation with Cassidy Cash, producer and host of 'That Shakespeare Life', the podcast that interviews expert historians to explore people, events, and objects that were living or happening in Shakespeare’s lifetime.

Cassidy Cash is a Shakespeare historian, historical map illustrator, and host of That Shakespeare Life, That Shakespeare Life is currently ranked the #2 Shakespeare history podcast in the world. In addition to podcasting, Cassidy creates independent films about 16-17th century history and illustrated history maps that diagram life in turn of the 17th century England. Her documentary shorts and animated films about Shakespeare's history have won international film awards for both history and animation. Cassidy is a member of the National Council on Public History, The American Historical Association, the Renaissance Society of America, the Shakespeare Association of America, and most recently she was elected Associate Fellow at the Royal Historical Society for her contributions to history. Her work and historical map ilustrations have been published in multiple academic journals and on major history platforms including History Magazine, HistoryHit, Tudor Places Magazine, and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Connect with Cassidy and hear current episodes of That Shakespeare Life at www.cassidycash.com 



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Episode 7

The life of Sophocles almost spanned the 5th Century BCE and included events from the defeat of the Persian invasion to the relentless grind of the Peloponnesian wars. We look at his life and times and get an overview of the surviving plays and theatrical innovations the he created.

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Episode 102:

The sources of information on the playing troupes.

The Earl of Leicester’s Men – the earliest recorded acting troupe.

How troupes operated under the patronage of their master.

The royal patent and how it changed the way troupes operated.

The sumptuary laws and protections that actors were given.

The decline of the Earl of Leicester’s Men.

Lord Strange’s Men.

The merging of Lord Strange’s Men and The Admiral’s Men

Lord Strange’s Men become touring players.

The Earl of Sussex’s Men and complications at The Rose Theatre.

The Queen’s Men at The Rose Theatre (briefly).

Lord Hudson’s Men become the Lord Chamberlin’s Men.

The Lord Chamberlin’s Men at Newington Butts.

The Lord Chamberlin’s Men move from The Theatre to The Curtain.

The leading men of The Lord Chamberlin’s Men.

The ‘sharer’ system of the Elizabethan theatre.

The Lord Chamberlin’s Men become The King’s Men’.

The Earl of Pembroke’s Men and the perils of touring.

The Earl of Pembroke’s Men and ‘The Isle of Dogs’.

The history of The Admiral’s Men – a troubled start, but with later success.

The Fortune Theatre and the insight it gives us into the profits available in theatres.

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 59

Everyman is the most well known of all the Morality plays and probably an English adaptation of a Dutch original.

Different types of Morality Plays

The Morality play in Europe and how they differed from the English offering

A synopsys and analysis of Everyman

The Dance Macabre and the role of Death

To support the podcast:

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Episode 34

In this eisode we take a detailed look at Casina by Plautus. It's a tale of two men who try to use their slaves in a plot marry the young Casina by proxy.

It has a prologue of particular interest. The usual stock characters are there, but for once the women come out strongly as they take control of the situation and thwart the plans in comic style.

The play prompts a look at the role of the head of the household, the 'pater families' in Rome and as some suggestions that there is some social commentary on recent events concerning some recent behaviour of the Bacchic cult.

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www.Patreon.com or www.ko-fi.com

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Episode 129:

A brief recap on the dating and sources of the play

A brief synopsis of the play

The problem of multiple battlefield scenes and the depiction of violence

How language in the play is used to underline the changing fortunes of the two sides.

The depth of strong characterisation in the play

Warwick, the would-be kingmaker

Henry as an early humanist

Fathers and sons at war with each other

The revenge motive running through the play

A brief recap on the role and character of Margaret

The development of the character of Richard

The question of the extent if Richard’s deformity

Did the play resonate with the contemporary audience?

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Episode 130:

Mathew Morris talk to me about the archaeological dig that resulted in the discovery of the final remains of Richard 3rd, which serves as a prelude to the next episode which will be all about Shakespeare’s take on the final Yorkist king.  Towards the end of our conversation, we spoke about the differences between the Richard of the play and what the skeletal remains that were uncovered tell us about the real-life king, but most of the conversation is about how the remains were discovered, recovered for analysis, and how they were proved to be the remains of Richard 3rd.

Mathew Morris is a Project Officer at the University of Leicester Archaeological Service with over a decade of archaeological experience, having excavated a wide range of rural and urban archaeology across the Midlands, from the prehistoric period through to the Second World War.  His specialisms include urban archaeology, community archaeology and Roman and medieval archaeology.

Mathew graduated from the University of Leicester in 2003 with a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Landscape Studies, joining ULAS in 2004.  Notable projects include a massive multi-period urban excavation at Highcross in Leicester that included excavation of Roman town houses, commercial buildings, two lost medieval churches and medieval cemeteries and a Roman cemetery  at Western Road in Leicester, and, of course in 2012 he directed the successful archaeological search for the lost grave of King Richard III.  Recently, he has been digging up more Roman buildings and mosaics in Leicester, at the former Southgates Bus Depot and All Saints' Brewery sites and is currently leading the archaeological work for the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project.

He has co-authored the most comprehensive book ever written on the archaeology of Leicester - 'Life in Roman and Medieval Leicester' (2021) and three popular archaeology books: 'Visions of Ancient Leicester' (2011), 'Richard III: The King under the Car Park' (2013) and 'Roman Leicester: Life in the Roman World' (2018). He is actively involved in promoting archaeology to the general public, regularly providing talks to local societies, and is a Committee member of the Leicestershire Fieldworkers, and a Branch Leader for the Leicestershire Young Archaeologists’ Club.  He also currently leads the Castle Hill Community Archaeology Dig and the Bosworth Links Community Dig.

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Episode 131: Richard 3rd: ‘And Thus I Clothe My Naked Villainy.’

Shakespeare dramatises the life of the last Plantagenet king and create one of theatre's most spectacular villains.

The dating of the play

The quarto editions of the play

When is a history play a tragedy, or not?

The sources of the play

The influence of Seneca

Other contemporary versions of the Richard 3rd story.

The centrality of the character of Richard

A brief plot summary

The boldness of Richard’s actions

Richard as prologue and then guide in the play

Lady Anne and her reaction to Richard’s proposal

The influence of Marlowe on Richard 3rd

The role of the female characters in the play

How should we view the presence of Margaret in the play?

The curses and prophecy of Margaret

How deformity and old age can be seen to link Richard and Margaret

Richard afflicted by guilt

The theatricality of the play

Does our liking for Richard affect the morality of the play

What the lay can tell us about players and changes in Tudor society

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Episode 132

My thoughts on seeing a recent production of Richard 3rd at Shakespeare's Globe, starring Michelle Terry in the titular role. The production and the cotrovercy that surrounded it raises questions about gender fluid casting, the nature of leadership and the casting of able bodied actors in this famous portrayal of deformity.

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Episode 133: 

The complications with dating the play and it’s relationship with a similar Elizabethan play

The sources for the play

A short summary of the play

The Christopher Sly framing device

Switching of roles in the play

The disguise motif

The motivations of the leading characters

The implication of the falconry images in the play

The Elizabethan idea of a proper wife and correct behaviour

Similarities with Elizabethan ‘wife taming’ ballads

The play as an inheritor of Roman comedy

The protagonists as stock characters

Katherine’s imbalance of the humours

Are Petruchio and Katherine a matched couple?

Do the three marriages resolve the play?

Does the play make a serious point about gender relationships in Elizabethan England?

The ‘difficult’ final speech by Katherine

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 134:

Author Jem Bloomfield joins us to talk about his recently published book, ‘Allusion in Detective Fiction’, which looks at how and why allusion to Shakespeare and the Bible was used by the masters, or I should say mistresses, of golden age detective fiction.  This may not seem like an obvious area when considering the pervasive influence of Shakespeare, but as you will here the connections that Jem has made can tell us a lot about how knowledge and use of Shakespeare is constantly changing.

Warning – Spoilers present!

Jem discusses major plot points of several classic detective novels, but we thought that they can hardly be counted as spoilers up to about a century after they were first published, but you have been warned.

Link to Jem's book on the publishers website:

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-58339-1

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Episode 135:

Is Shakespeare’s early tragedy more than just a gore-fest?

The first performance of the play, maybe

The three playing troupes involved with the play

Is the play a collaboration with George Peele?

The popularity of violence in plays

The sources for the play

A brief summary of the play

The establishing of characters in the first act

The justifications for Titus’ desire for revenge

The role of young Lucius

The flaw in Titus’ character that leads to tragedy

Family life as represented in the play

The contrasts drawn between Lavinia and Tamora

The portrayal of fatherhood in the play

The use of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphosis’

Shakespeare’s use of personification, borrowed from medieval morality plays

The extreme violence in the play

The Peacham Drawing

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A short word from my good podcasting friend Peter Schmitz, he of the ‘Adventures In Theatre History Philadelphia’ podcast, who has written a book on that very subject and I’m sure that it will be as informative, as amusing and generally as fascinating as his podcast episodes always are.  What is even better is that Peter has produced a short audio that gives you all the information you need about the book and how you can get hold of it. These links might be useful:

https://www.brooklinebooks.com/9781955041379/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Theater-History-Peter-Schmitz/dp/1955041377/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FQHNN2ZJG5SE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8oSl8huLrCxYxe1gR-WgMTKb62F56xPJLXJ49C4eLW52Njy6h53qTfk_QyAlISrCS1nBtjE5fP18rp_sk3gIYoPR7RAWKCe1UItqgZQpd-9PXkMqKB8ftKvQb9JhK0iqaMPdFPSCfo8AyM-8tvFcwNkejTFM0ThPPZlfC0KousFlD-3ZYd4wH6TjhApBJSBVy125ksgHOGMFVNkzSDVWzIz0g_2hLt5zWxDV81pmrfs.pPMmYdPY47WYuKoK1DNaM-yz5JQz_DXXrrqyiIMM2Zg&dib_tag=se&keywords=adventures+in+theatre+history&qid=1726229400&sprefix=adventures+in+theatre+history%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Theater-History-Peter-Schmitz/dp/1955041377/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CNUES6XNBNLW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IxlWUqR1nThHNR-GNJvuEjIo6f36mo82bS9_8A4Sx2PBGFys45ykLfXSgWrSIMpHJ0mn7qGooCMBFwWMv2nZqMK8rKgLgx9kTpDPQhHmqxigZbGPTyZ83Q5H5P2GQscDk4bNo7HYgM_9jXyO9EXcBSn0HZEqFpQmV_RWMmCXUSL4ld_Z22rnfxbih_CgyVUrMPqutRrwuii1_Hxe1fxx4hszZpQbw9dLxGUkrYUu2-Q.lr0Eg8P1HNDd9nfK-0DQttltOiAQaSpi0unC8HFtmZg&dib_tag=se&keywords=adventures+in+theater+history+philadelphia&qid=1726229447&sprefix=adventures+in+theatre+history+%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1

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Episode 136:

Having given you my own thoughts on ‘Titus Andronicus’ last time I’m pleased to say that for this special guest episode I was able to take the discussion even further with Eleanor Conlon, a fellow podcaster and a theatre professional as you will hear Eleanor has a lot to say about the play and insights that, in some cases, go in different directions from what I was able to say about the play.

Eleanor Conlon is an actor, director, and award-winning writer based in Sussex.

After completing her BA in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, Eleanor earned her MA in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at Kings College and Shakespeare’s Globe. While at The Globe, Eleanor worked dramaturgically on productions by Dominic Dromgoole Matthew Dunster and Jeremy Herrin, and with Jenny Tiramani on the Original Practices Costume Archive.

After achieving success with her theatre company The Barefoot Players in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with which she produced plays including Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Doctor Faustus and The Alchemist, the latter two of which she also directed, as well as productions of several of Shakespeare’s works, plays by Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, and others, she founded her current and much acclaimed theatre company Rust & Stardust.

Writing over a dozen plays rooted in English folklore, Eleanor has worked with her puppet-maker partner Katie Sommers to tour Rust & Stardust’s shows all over the UK, including their plays The Wild Man of Orford, Black Shuck, The Marsh Demons of Iken, and Doctor Dee’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s with celebrated recorder quartet Palisander.

In addition to recent adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays including The Tempest and Macbeth with Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, in 2023 she launched the Three Ravens Podcast with her partner Martin Vaux – also a writer and actor – which explores history, legends, and diverse aspects of folk culture.

Featuring original stories each week based on the lore of England’s 39 historic counties, Three Ravens quickly rose into the Top 1% of podcasts globally. It currently sits in the Top 50 UK Fiction Podcasts, with 4.9/5 star ratings on iTunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify and a passionate fanbase across social media.

For Three Ravens contact:

Website: https://www.threeravenspodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threeravenspodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threeravenspodcast

X: @threeravenspod

For Rust + Stardust Theatre

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleanorstardust/

Website: https://www.rustandstardust.co.uk

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 137:

The dating of the play

Printing in the First Folio

The sources for the play and the nature of the text

A brief synopsis of the play

The major themes of the play

How the status and youth of Valentine and Proteus helps to understand their actions in the play

The role of Speed and how the play features the embryo of Shakespearean wordplay

The role and values of Lance, and Crab the dog, as a comparison to Proteus

Some well-regarded verse from the play

Different readings of the theme of love

The problematic rape and forgiveness scene

The play as a courtly romance

The play as a parody of past cultural norms

Is the text more corrupt than is generally thought?

How our understanding of male relationships at the time might affect our view of the play

The performance history of the play

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

www.patreon.com/thoetp

www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

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Episode 6

A detailed review of The Libation Bearers and Eumenides, the second and third part of The Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus

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Episode 73

Continuing the story of the development of theatre through the early Spanish renaissance via the life and works of the playwrights. With apologies for the slightly raspy 'post-covid' throat at the time of recording. I hope it does not spoil your enjoyment of the episode.

Gil Vicente, the only Portuguese playwright of the period, but one who worked across the Spanish peninsular and produced influential works.

Lope de Rueda took theatre to the masses and produced the first truly commercial theatre of the period.

Alonso de la Vega, an acting pulp of Rueda who advanced the mixing of secular and religious themes.

The role of the 'Auto Sacramental' in the development of tragedy from religious plays and the continuing influence of religious drama.

How tragedy in Spain developed through copying of classical models and Italian versions of Roman tragedy.

How tragedy developed with the introduction of local legends and myths into Spanish thetare

Cristobal de Virues and the development of the three act tragedy.

Juan de la Cueva advancing political and social messages through his tragendies and his contribution to the expansion of language on the Spanish stage.

Miguel de Cervantes and his place as the last of the playwrights before the advent of the Comedy in the Spanish Golden Age. His 'Don Quixote' invented the modern novel and changed the literary world. His impact on theatre was not quite so significant.

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 126:

A conversation with Dr. Darren Freebury-Jones, author of 'Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers' about the influence of early modern playwrights on Shakespeare where we talk about Marlowe, Kyd, Greene and others and the role of data analytics in modern author attribution studies.

Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of several works on early modern theatre including: 

Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare’s Rival 

Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd

and his latest work Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers, will be published in October 2024.

Darren is Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901. He has also investigated the boundaries of John Marston’s dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene published by Edinburgh University Press.  His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers in the UK and on BBC Radio. His debut poetry collection, Rambling published by Broken Sleep Books, was published in 2024.  In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship. 

Links to 'Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers'

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526177322/shakespeares-borrowed-feathers/

https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-borrowed-feathers-playwrights-greatest/dp/1526177323/ref=sr_1_1?crid=94S4BGF6FW1K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pfj-18kdWvHO-sbFvYC3sw.Bx51-kXl5CIuz42hJHAOTCZs4KerccNu9A8tK9wC0Tc&dib_tag=se&keywords=shakespeare%27s+borrowed+feathers&qid=1720274180&sprefix=shakespeares+borrowed+feathers%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

Link to Darren's on-line talk on Robert Greene 22nd July 2024 in aid of the Rose Playhouse

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/63856?

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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Episode 127:

A recap of Henry VI part one and the potential involvement of Christopher Marlowe

A word on methods of authorship attribution in the context of Shakespeare and Marlowe

The dating and sources of the play

A synopsis of Henry VI part two

The characterisation of the War of the Roses

The decline of England mapped out in the play

The main characters in the play

The weakness of the king as portrayed in the play

The powerplay between Gloucester, York and Margaret

Margaret as a central character in the play

The use of language to define different characters

The contrast between Henry and Margaret

The Jack Cade rebellion and the utopia of a classless society

Gloucester and the view of justice-based government

How the world depicted in the play might have been viewed by the first audiences

The historical accuracy of the play

The arrival of Richard, future king, on stage

The performance history of the play

Support the podcast at:

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A seasonal episode with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast where the main subject of the day is the phenomenon of the British Christmas Pantomime, but in a wide-ranging chat about theatre in general we also covered Aaron’s background and some of his current projects with Trident Theatre Company.

Part two of our conversation is following soon. 

For more details about Aaron and his work: https://tridenttheatre.com/about/

The Euripides Eumenides Podcast is available on all good podcast apps or you can find details here: https://tridenttheatre.com/euripides-eumenides/

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 68

A detailed look at 'La Pellegrina', a play written for the wedding celebrations of Grand Duke Fernando of Sienna in 1589.

The background to the writing of the play commissioned by Cardinal Fernando Di Midici

A description of the plot of the play

Some commentary on the play, its relationship to Ancient Greek and Roman drama, the changes in stop characters since the beginning of Renaissance Italian Theatre and its legacy.

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Episode 5

A detailed review of Agamemnon, the first part of The Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus

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Episode 36

The influence of Plautus and other Roman playwrights has long been understood, but what are those influences and how did the Roman plays come to the attention of Rennaisance playwrights?

How manuscripts survived after antiquity and were rediscovered in the early Renaissance.

The growth of secular drama in Italy and the role of Duke Ercole d'Este in Ferrara

Terence Vs Plautus as the Roman plays became known and appreciated in northern Europe.

How early English plays used the Roman models and how the growing education system in Elizabethan England used Latin plays.

The influence of Plautus on Shakespeare and similarities in settings, characters and plots.

Ben Johnson's debt to Plautus

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Episode 110:

The problems of the lack of evidence about conventions and acting style.

How a player learned his craft.

The rhetorical or performance style of acting.

Theatre as a poetic form.

The rhetorical style is overtaken by a more naturalistic style.

Stage sets and costume.

Thomas Hayward’s thoughts on a player’s skills.

Hayward on players as scholars.

The impact of Iambic Pentameter.

Hayward on Alleyn and Perkins playing Barabas in ‘The Jew of Malta’.

The convention of the soliloquy.

The convention of the aside.

The convention of eavesdropping.

The convention of boy players and female roles.

The convention of the play within the play.

The convention of the masque.

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Episode 123: 

The Origins of New Place

The Clopton’s of Stratford-Upon-Avon

The first house at New Place

Hugh Clopton and his support for Stratford

William Clopton

William Bott and murder at New Place (maybe)

William Underhill sells New Place to Shakespeare

William Underhill and his son Faulk (another murder)

The New Place of Shakespeare’s time

The question of how much time Shakespeare spent in New Place

The gardens of New Place

The house passes through Shakespeare’s family after his death.

New Place is rebuilt

Shakespeare and the New Place mulberry tree

Francis Gastrell’s eventful time at New Place

Jame Halliwell-Phillips purchases New Place and commences archaeological works

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is created

Further Archaeological work and the renewal of the site in the 21^st century

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Episode 45

The first part of a summary of Roman Theatre presented as my personal top ten of the most influential, interesting and surprising aspects of Roman Theatre.

This episode goes from number 10 to number 6. The top 5 will follow next time.

No spoilers as to the content of the episode here. You'll have to listen to hear the countdown.

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A Bonus episode featuring a sample of the content available to members subscribed to The History Of European Theatre on Patreon. To join up go to: www.patreon.com/thoetp

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Episode 9

We travel back into the heart of the Oedipus myth with Sophocles' interpretation of this dark story. Seen by many as his greatest work it is a dark tale of unwitting patricide and incest that relentlessly leads to tragedy.

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Episode 108:

The second part of the story of Thomas Dekker and his works

'Old Fortunas' - Dekker's first known play

‘The Honest Whore’, a good example of what was good and bad in Dekker’s work.

‘The Civil Wars in France’ - three parts, an introduction and a bit of a mystery.

Dekker's debt to the Lord Chamberlin's Men and rescue by Henslowe.

How Henslowe's Diary shows Dekker's incredible work rate.

The Play of Sir Thomas Moore - including a word on Shakespeare's contribution.

'The Shoemaker's Holiday', Dekker's best surviving work

The Bishop's Ban of 1599 and a theatrical spat.

Dekker's account of the failure of 'The Whore of Babylon'.

Later works, the Lord Mayor's pageant and prison.

Last years and death in poverty.

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A conversation with Margaret Oakes about the book 'To Gender or Not to Gender: Casting and Characters for 21st Century Shakespeare’ which explores ways in which gender is being reinterpreted by British and North American productions since the turn of the millennium. After an initial chapter outlining recent gender theory, which is very useful to a newcomer to this as an academic study, like myself, the rest of the book uses examples of recent productions to illustrate different possibilities in cross gender casting, and the questions that this approach can lead to.  I found it to be an absolutely fascinating read, driven by Margaret’s enthusiasm for her subject, which you can also hear in our conversation.

Margaret J. Oakes is a Professor of English at Furman University, a liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. She specializes in early modern British poetry and drama and detective fiction. She holds a B.A. in English and a J.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. in English from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in English and Humanities from Stanford University. She has published on George Herbert, Francis Bacon, J.K. Rowling, Sara Paretsky, and Dorothy L Sayers.

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/to-gender-or-not-to-gender/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Not-Casting-Characters-Shakespeare-ebook/dp/B0D76WMZZK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11CZZNA8QVXMS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Fihl0uzGo8sTOhBH_I4U8wOKjYHyDayfQRaiJC8DtmU2ys8o2ElWldOC_VbzQCTL8m9pHSr8AoWvS-DvPKEK95JDT0OLndsd1tmX0761a0mRVME0k2kAiYP2gv6iazDe_eDgN3NATv9tYPQW2r5F3odhSC2oKCtn9O8jhT_SDIZm4-SSu4y_Rn_KxtwO4aRTW3gap_sqUj1T_nfvUY_3VQXB04ieAYtntSqU7UrZq9k.QIlJWmZhVaV9c6eAKS1TbJIl5tUJlRuDAD4RIRn2fpM&dib_tag=se&keywords=to+gender+or+not+to+gender&qid=1718710353&s=books&sprefix=to+gender+or+not+to+gender%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1

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Episode 122:

The fourth and final part of the biography of Shakespeare.

The rise of Shakespeare as actor and playwright for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

‘The Comedy of Errors’ performed at Grey’s Inn, ‘the night of errors.’

The influence of the inns of court.

Plays for special occasions.

Francis Meres’ comments on Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s involvement in a legal summons.

The move from The Theatre to The Globe.

The opening of The Globe.

The sharers at The Globe.

Shakespeare lodging on Silver Street and his involvement with the Mountjoy family.

Shakespeare’s interests in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

The death of Hamnet Shakespeare.

New Place – Shakespeare’s home in Stratford.

Shakespeare’s business interests in Stratford.

The accession of James 1^st and the creation of the King’s Men.

The King’s Men’s record of performance at Court.

The King’s Men take on the indoor Blackfriars Theatre.

Shakespeare buys a house near the Blackfriars Theatre.

The last works with collaborators.

The burning down and rebuilding of The Globe.

The last years in Stratford.

The death of Shakespere.

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A conversation with author Yvonne Korshak about her novel 'Pericles and Aspasia'

The novel unfolds against the background of the arts and history of the Golden Age seen through the eyes of two individuals who lent their luster to make it “golden,” Pericles, the great orator and visionary of democracy and its most influential woman, Aspasia. Their story takes them from the Agora—Athens’ marketplace—to the Acropolis, from the mercantile, raunchy Athenian Port Piraeus across the Aegean Sea to East Greece. Pericles and Aspasia—together and apart—navigate treacherous paths from venal calculations to impassioned philosophical inquiry, from high-stakes sea battles to the passions of family life.

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Episode 25

Season 2 of the podcast begins with an overview of the transition from Greek Theatre to Roman Theatre with the history of the early Roman Republic and the early forms of theatre, starting at 364 BCE and taking us through to the beginning of the end of the Republic in the second century BCE

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Episode 107:

In the first of two episodes on Thomas Dekker I discuss his earliest life and his prose works.

Dekker's early life and first forays into the playhouse.

His prose work 'The Wonderful Year'

The Gull's Handbook - with some extensive quotes from and explanation of his piece on behaviour in the playhouse

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A little extra episode for Christmas week with best wishes to you all for the holiday season.

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www.Patreon.com or www.ko-fi.com

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There are just a few very well-known names from the theatre of the 18^th century – Sheridan, Goldsmith, Garrick and some other, less well known.  One playwright you have probably never heard of is John Borgoyne – well not as a playwright anyway. In his biography of Burgoyne ‘From the Battlefield to the Stage’ Professor Norman Poser unpicks the often scarce and conflicting sources and tells the story of Burgouyne from his beginnings, through his military career and his theatrical successes. I spoke to Professor Poser on Zoom from his home in New York.

About the author: Norman S. Poser is the author of From the Battlefield to the Stage: The Many Lives of General Burgoyne (the first biography of the Georgian general and socialite to explore his plays in detail). Prof. Poser’s previous historical books are Lord Mansfield: Justice in the Age of Reason, also published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, and The Birth of Modern Theatre: Rivalry, Riots, and Romance in the Age of Garrick (Routledge). An Emeritus Law Professor at Brooklyn Law School, he lives with his wife in New York. Before retiring and becoming a full-time author passionate about the Georgian era on both sides of the Atlantic, he was an internationally respected academic for many years. Prior to this, he was Chief of the Office of Regulation and an Assistant Director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also a consultant to the World Bank in Central America, the Central Bank of Brazil and the Ministry of Finance in India.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlefield-Stage-Lives-General-Burgoyne/dp/0228014530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L93O15O5VZEL&keywords=from+the+battlefield+to+the+stage&qid=1678272366&sprefix=from+the+battlefield+to+the+stage%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-the-battlefield-to-the-stage-norman-s-poser/1141220893?ean=9780228014539

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Episode 74: 

The development of Spanish theatre buildings, including the original, the Corral de la Olivera in Valencia.

Alberto Ganassa and the influence of his Comedia Dell Arte troupe.

The first theatre in Madrid the Corral de Pachea  

 The main points of the layout and characteristics of the Spanish playhouse.

The way plays changed to suit the playhouse, including the breaking of Aristotle’s rules.

The financial structures that were used to generate charitable income from the theatre and the impact that had.

The role of the theatre manager and changes as more permanent theatres were built in Spanish cities.

The use of music and dance to augment the theatrical entertainments.

How the acting troupes worked in the framework of the playhouse and its manager.

Women performing on stage and the reaction by the Church and State.

The impact of costumes on stage and the attempts to curtail excessive costume changes and expenses.

The actor’s life in Spain, which may have been a little more secure than elsewhere in Europe.

The establishment of the Actors Guild in 1631.

The continuation of court theatre.

Changes to the position of the dramatist during the period.

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Nick Bromley returns to discuss his book Stage Ghosts and Haunted Theatres. Stories of strange happenings in theatres abound and Nick has collected them together that takes you on a ghostly tour of London's West End and UK regional theatres.

Both of Nick's books are available through his website: www.LNPbooks.co.uk

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To celebrate Shakespeare's birthday a special episode with guest Colin David Reese, actor, author and performer of 'Shakespeare Unbound', a one man play about the creation of the First Folio Edition of Shakespeare's plays, which was published 400 years ago this year.

David spoke to me previously (see bonus episode 'Shakespeare Unbound') about his play and the creation of the first folio and he makes a welcome return here to further discuss our continuing fascination with Shakespeare, how we view his genius, and what the truth really is behind that image.

Find out more about David's work and 'Shakespeare Unbound' at www.shakespeareunbound.com

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Bonus Episode 31

Guest Jacob Bloomfield discusses his book 'Drag: A British History', with particular reference to Arthur Lucan (AKA Old Mother Riley), the drag review shows that came out of both WW1 and WW2 concert parties and the demise of theatre censorship in the UK through the lens of drag performances.

Jacob Bloomfield is Zukunftskolleg Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Konstanz and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent. His research is situated primarily in the fields of cultural history, the history of sexuality, and gender history. He is currently working on a book about the historical reception to musician Little Richard in the United States and Europe. 

'Drag: A British History' is available here in the UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drag-British-History-Berkeley-Studies/dp/0520393325/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IUQICBCBTYJ8&keywords=drag+a+british+history&qid=1693586351&sprefix=drag+a+british+history%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-1

Here in the US

https://www.amazon.com/Drag-British-History-Berkeley-Studies/dp/0520393325/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1194T6PB8E6C9&keywords=drag+a+british+history&qid=1693586422&sprefix=drag+a+britiah+history%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1

and from all good bookshops.

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Episode 39

The Brothers, dated to 160 BCE, is Terence’s last surviving work.  We have that date exactly because the play is recorded as being presented at the games held to honour the Roman general Lucius Aemillus Paullus.  

The first presentation of the play and who was Lucius Aemillus Paullus?

The prologue to the play and Terence's defence of his use of Greek plays to create a new piece.

A synopsys of the play

The Brothers as a play of ideas and a discussion of it's main themes about the best way to raise sons.

The external influences in an expanding Roman Republic and how they influence the play.

The main characters Demea and Micio as more complex and developed characters than have been seen before.

The role of Sannio the slave dealer and other minor characters.

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