Stay ConnectedA podcast tracing the development of theatre from ancient Greece to the present day through the places and people who made theatre happen. More than just dates and lists of plays we’ll learn about the social. political and historical context that fostered the creation of dramatic art.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable – https://chartable.com/privacy
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Copyright: © Copyright 2021 Philip Rowe
Episode 144:
On several occasions through the story of the renaissance theatre I have touched on how the players made use of cue sheets rather than full scripts as they rehearsed and performed plays, so I was fascinated to see that there is a company of actors working today who produce plays by Shakespeare and other renaissance playwrights using cue sheets. Although we don’t have documentary evidence about exactly how they were used at the time and therefore how the rehearsal process worked, what better way to get an understanding of how they might have been used and what impact they had on productions than to produce plays using them and work through the practical issues and artistic choices that become involved.
Shake-Scene Shakespeare have produced work for live and on-line presentation since 2017 and continue to do so today, so I was very pleased when Lizzie Conrad-Hughes, founder, company Director and book holder for the company agreed to come and talk about the experience of producing cue-based theatre for a modern audience.
https://www.shake-sceneshakespeare.co.uk/
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Episode 143:
The second part of the life of Ben Jonson takes him from his birth, through his years at school and onto working as a bricklayer. He then briefly joined the army before returning to become a player, a poet and a playwright.
Jonson’s Scottish ancestry.
His father’s loss of position under queen Mary.
His Stepfather Robert Brett, bricklayer.
Life for the Brett/Jonson family on Christopher Lane
Jonson’s education at Westminster school.
Theatre at the Westminster School.
The influence of school master William Camden.
Jonson the bricklayer’s apprentice.
Jonson briefly attends Cambridge university – maybe.
Jonson the soldier and his service in the war in the Netherlands.
The Lord Mayor’s procession and the involvement of the Guild companies
Jonson’s contribution to the Lord Mayor’s procession.
Jonson the player for Pembroke’s men.
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Episode 142
Dr Natália Pikli discusses the changing view of the 'The Shrew' in Medieval and Early Modern European culture and how women are represented in Shakespeare's early comedies,
She then goes on to outline how Shakespeare became part of national Hungarian culture and how the plays have been treated in translation.
Dr Natália Pikli is Associate Professor at the Department of English Studies, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. She teaches medieval and early modern culture and literature and is Head of the relevant PhD Program. She also teaches contemporary popular culture, as well as theatre history and theatre reviewing for students majoring in Theatre Studies. She has published extensively on Shakespeare, early modern popular culture, theatre, iconography, and on the reception of Shakespeare in our days, with a focus on contemporary theatre. Her book chapters and articles appeared in, for instance, Shakespearean Criticism (Thomson-Gale, 2004), Shakespeare's Others in 21st-century European Performance (Bloomsbury, 2021), and in academic journals: European Journal of English Studies, Journal of Early Modern Studies (Florence) Shakespeare Survey (Cambridge), Theatralia (Brno). She (co-)edited five books and is the author of two monographs, The Prism of Laughter: Shakespeare’s ’very tragical mirth’ (VDM Verlag, 2009) and Shakespeare’s Hobby-Horse and Early Modern Popular Culture (Routledge, 2022). In her free time, she directs amateur student performances and writes theatre reviews.
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Episode 141:
In this episode I set us up for a look at the life of Ben Johnson discussing some of the sources for information about his life and how far we can trust them – it’s complicated.
Jonson’s 1618 visit to Scotland and why he might have undertaken the journey on foot.
His conversations with Drummond of Hawthornden.
Jonson’s opinions on other writers as reported by Drummond and thoughts on their validity.
Descriptions of Jonson by Aubery and Dekker.
The Johnson portrait.
How Johnson might have revealed himself in his work.
How his poems appear to be self-referencing but may not be as straightforward as they seem.
How his plays possibly include some self-revealing aspects.
Admiration of Johnson as equal to, or greater than, Shakespeare.
The modern reader and the problems with Jonson.
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In October 2023 the story of the discovery of a stage floor that dated from before the Elizabethan period in St George’s Guildhall in Kings Lynn hit the news. The attrition to the headline writers was the fact that that very stage had probably supported Shakespeare as he acted as part of a playing troupe on stage. Of course, that is a great hook for the story as the interest in Shakespeare goes well beyond those of us immersed in the history of theatre and the idea that we can still share a space like that across four hundred years is a beguiling one. I remember standing on the original floor of Anne Hathaway’s cottage in Stratford Upon Avon and feeling a very similar thrill, but there is much more to the story of St George’s Guild Hall at King’s Lynn, a venue for theatre for not just four hundred years, but at least six hundred, making it the UK’s oldest working theatre. So, I was very pleased when Tim Fitzhigham, Creative Director of the Guildhall Theatre agreed to come onto the podcast and talk about St George’s Guildhall and that stage.
Tim Fitzhigham is the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Creative Director appointed to oversee the revival of St George’s Guildhall. As well as leading this extensive project he is currently completing his PhD on Robert Armin, an actor in The King’s Men who originated many of the clown and fool roles in all but the earliest Shakespeare plays and was a well-known playwright and author in his own right.
Links to the St George's Guildhall Website
https://stgeorgesguildhall.com
and Instagram Account
https://www.instagram.com/stg.guildhall/
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Episode 139:
Last time ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ gave us a look at second comedy from Shakespeare’s early phase as a playwright. As you heard certain elements in the plotting of the play and execution of its denouement make it problematic, but nevertheless it showed early promise. The lyrical nature of much of the language used in that play is quite typical of the earliest comedies and it is probably not coincidental that this was around the time that Shakespeare was writing his long lyrical poem ‘Venus and Adonis’, so we might assume that his mindset at the time was that of a lyrical poet, and maybe we see that influence still in his probable next work, the much more accomplished play ‘The Comedy of Errors’, which has remained one of the more popular Shakespeare comedies since its first performance.
The Source for the play and changes Shakespeare made to it
The original text of the play
The dating and earliest performances of the play
Foul Papers
The setting as a Roman street with three houses
A Synopsis of the play
The serious and long opening exposition.
The importance of a dramatic opening scene
Social commentary in the play
Adriana as a well-developed character for a light-hearted farce
Antipholus of Ephesus as an unpleasant character, but toned down from the source material
Antipholus of Syracuse as a more sympathetic character
The punishment of the Dromio twins
The view of authority in the play
The problems with the plot (if we take it too seriously)
The soliloquies of Antipholus of Syracuse
Luciana and the expression of the value of tradition
What should we read into the very ending of the play?
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Episode 138:
Over the course of speaking about English Renaissance Plays and Shakespeare I have had cause to mention the play ‘A Knack to Know a Knave’ several times. Most latterly because it is thought to include references to ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Titus Andronicus’ and prior to that, in the season on the Early Renaissance Theatre it had a mention as one of the plays performed at the Rose Playhouse as recorded in Henslowe’s Diary. Having been reminded of it while writing about the early Shakespeare plays I thought that it deserved a little time in the spotlight on it’s own as it gives us a little snapshot of the plays, and particularly comedies other than Shakespeare and Jonson, that was circulating at the time of the earliest of Shakespeare’s plays. So, here is a little interlude of an episode all about ‘A Knack to Know a Knave’.
A quick word on ‘Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers’ by Darren Feebury-Jones, which is published in October 2024 and on Henry Porter and his possible involvement with ‘Dr Faustus’.
The performances of ‘A Knack to Know a Knave’ as reported in Henslowe’s Diary
The mystery of the low takings for repeated performances in a second run of the play
The printed quarto edition of the play
A summary of the plot
The (possibly) missing parts of the play, including Kempe’s extemporising
How the fools of Gotham folk tale is worked into the play
The allusions to other plays in the text
The final lines of the play
If you would like to read the text of A Knack to Know a Knave, you can find it on google books here
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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
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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
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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/
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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 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
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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 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 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 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?
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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Episode 128:
Author John Taplin discusses researching the Stratford families of Shakespeare's time and particularly the ancestry of John Hall, Shakespeare's son-in-law.
John Taplin spent the majority of his career in management in the telecommunications industry until 2001 when he joined the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at Hall’s Croft and Nash’s House/New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, until retiring in 2010. A historian, genealogist and biographer, he has published articles on Shakespeare, his contemporaries and associates in and around Stratford, including the families directly associated with New Place.
Shakespeare’s Stratford home, before and after Shakespeare’s lifetime. In 2011 he published his book Shakespeare’s Country Families - A Documentary Guide to Shakespeare’s Country Society. He was a member of the Advisory Board for the Trust’s Dig for Shakespeare project at New Place between 2010-2015, and in 2018 he published a revised and updated edition of his 2011book. He has a Masters degree in historical studies from the University of Leicester.
Links to John's ebook:
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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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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/
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:
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Episode 125:
A detailed look at the first Shakespearean history play 'Henry 6th part 1'
The problems with dating 1 Henry VI
How much of the play did Shakespeare write?
The relationship of the play to parts 2 and 3
The sources of the play
A brief summary of the play
The play in relation to other history plays of the time
Criticism of the battle scenes
The theme of the loss of the English Empire and the end of chivalry
The portrayal of Joan and the French
The portrayal of the English aristocracy
Problems with the structure of the play
Support the podcast at:
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Episode 124:
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/
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Bonus Episode 36:
Sometimes things conspire against the podcaster, as has happened to me in the last couple of weeks, meaning that I have not been able to get the promised episode up to scratch in time. To make up for this and fill the gap I have created an episode that goes back to Greek theatre. It looks at that most mysterious of the ancient Greek forms, the satyr play and two of the men who were instrumental in vastly increasing our knowledge of these things.
The place of the satyr play in the history of Ancient Greek theatre
The satyr play as part of the Dionysia festival
The satyr play as a counterpoint to tragedy
The later history of the satyr play
‘Cyclops’ by Euripides
The discovery of ‘Trackers’ by Sophocles
The paperologists Hunt and Grenfell
The finds at Oxyrhincus
Arthur Hunt’s speech to the Egyptian Exploration Society
(including the plot of Trackers)
The Hypsipyle tragedy by Euripides, also in the Oxyrhincus finds
The Bacchae as a satyr play
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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 21st century
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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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 1st 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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Episode 121:
For this episode I’m very pleased to welcome Katherine Sheil, Professor of English at the University of Minnesota for the second part of our conversation about Anne Hathaway, based around her book ‘Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway’.
In this part we went on to talk about the different views of Anne in fiction and non-fiction through the centuries. The breadth of views are quite astounding and we try to unpick how some of these at lease could have come about.
Katherine is a leading expert on Anne Hathaway and her legacy to history so, following on from the recent episodes about Shakespeare’s ancestry and early life in Stratford and London this was a perfect opportunity to talk to Katherine, and if you have not done so already you should probably listen to all the preceding season six episodes before returning here.
Katherine Scheil is Professor of English at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of several books about Shakespeare, including The Taste of the Town: Shakespearean Comedy and the Early Eighteenth-Century Theatre; Shakespeare/Adaptation/Modern Drama (with Randall Martin); She Hath Been Reading: Women and Shakespeare Clubs in America; Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway; Shakespeare & Biography (with Graham Holderness); and Shakespeare & Stratford. She is finishing a book on the history of women and Stratford-upon-Avon, and a book about Shakespeare and biofiction, called Father Shakespeare. She was one of the co-editors of the recent Annethology: Poems Re-Presenting Anne Shakespeare. Her work on the epitaph of Anne Shakespeare in Holy Trinity Church will be coming out later this year with Cambridge University Press.
Links to Katherine's latest books, available from any bookshop.
www.cambridge.org/9781108404068
https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/anne-thology
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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Episode 120:
The lost years of Shakespeare’s early life have given space for some myths and legends to grow over the centuries, before we can trace a few facts of his early life in London.
The myth of Shakespeare and the Crab-tree.
The myth of Shakespeare the deer slayer.
Nicholas Rowe – the first editor of Shakespeare.
The Queen’s men in Stratford.
The myth of Shakespeare’s early days in London.
Was Shakespeare’s first London home in Shoreditch?
Tracing Shakespeare’s moves through London via tax records.
London in the late 15th century.
The ‘upstart Crow’ comment
Shakespeare’s growing popularity with the Henry 6th plays and others.
Shakespeare the poet: Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.
Shakespeare finds a patron – The Earl of Southampton
The formation of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and Shakespeare’s part in it.
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Episode 119:
For this episode I’m very pleased to welcome Katherine Sheil, Professor of English at the University of Minnesota. Katherine is Author of several books about Shakespeare, but today we particularly talk about her book about Shakespeare’s wife called ‘Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway’. It is a fascinating examination of the known facts of Anne’s life and of how her persona has been used and abused through the centuries, as a means of examining and justifying views of Shakespeare, but also about how Anne has been viewed in her own right.
Katherine is a leading expert on Anne Hathaway and her legacy to history so, following on from the last podcast episode about Shakespeare’s early life and marriage this was a perfect opportunity to talk to Katherine, who adds much nuanced thought and detail to the subject of Anne’s life, which adds to the basic facts I detailed last time, so if you have not listened to that episode yet it’s probably a good idea to do so before returning here.
Katherine Scheil is Professor of English at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of several books about Shakespeare, including The Taste of the Town: Shakespearean Comedy and the Early Eighteenth-Century Theatre; Shakespeare/Adaptation/Modern Drama (with Randall Martin); She Hath Been Reading: Women and Shakespeare Clubs in America; Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway; Shakespeare & Biography (with Graham Holderness); and Shakespeare & Stratford. She is finishing a book on the history of women and Stratford-upon-Avon, and a book about Shakespeare and biofiction, called Father Shakespeare. She was one of the co-editors of the recent Annethology: Poems Re-Presenting Anne Shakespeare. Her work on the epitaph of Anne Shakespeare in Holy Trinity Church will be coming out later this year with Cambridge University Press.
Links to Katherine's latest books, available from any bookshop.
www.cambridge.org/9781108404068
https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/anne-thology
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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Episode 118:
Shakespeare's youth, his school days, religious life and marriage.
A couple of corrections to the last episode on John Shakespeare
The Shakespeare family's domestic set up.
Religion and the life of a child in the late 1500's
Examples of how William's education in Stratford may have looked.
Anne Hathaway and her family history.
William and Anne's marriage and the many speculations about anomalies in the records.
Support the podcast at:
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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 117:
‘To you your father should be as a God’.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 1 Scene 1
The first of a series of episodes covering the biography of William of Stratford.
Richard Shakespeare – William’s grandfather
Richard Shakespeare – William’s uncle
John Shakespeare – William’s father
His move to Stratford Upon Avon
His trade as a glover
The question of the midden heap
Marriage to Mary Arden
The elder children of John and Mary Shakespeare
The question of William’s birthdate
The effect of the plague in Stratford that summer
The younger children of John and Mary Shakespeare
The business interests of John Shakespeare
The legal activates of John Shakespeare
The rise to become Mayor of Stratford
The application for a coat of arms
Accusations of usury
Financial worries
The withdrawal from the council and church
Final years and death
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Bonus Episode 34:
Guest Dr Agata Luksza discusses her book 'Polish Theatre Revisited' where she examines theatre fan culture in Warsaw in the late 19th century.
Dr Agata Luksza is an assistant professor at the Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw. She graduated with honors from the University of Warsaw in cultural studies and journalism and holds a PhD from the same university in cultural studies..
You can read more about Agata on her website: https://agataluksza.com/
And find 'Polish Theatre Revisited' here (and elsewhere, of course):
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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.
Support to podcast at:
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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.
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Episode 114:
As an introduction to season six of the podcast in the first part of this episode I lay out the aims for the next season and the approach I will be taking to the monoliths of early English theatre tha tare Shakespeare and Jonson.
In the second part of the Episode I give a quick recap of Season Five to get you and I back in the zone for all the detail that will follow on Shakespeare and Jonson.
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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 short New Year message and about the timing for the start of season six of the podcast.
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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 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 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'
Support the podcast at:
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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.
Support the podcast at:
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Episode 109:
We don't know a lot about individual players of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, but there are three stars of the day that we have some information about.
Richard Tarlton, the Queen’s favourite comic player.
Will Kempe’s origins and early career.
‘A Knack to Know a Knave’ and ‘Fools of Gotham’.
Did Kempe fall out with Shakespeare?
‘Kempe’s Jig’ and last days.
Edward Alleyn’s family and early life.
Touring with the Earl of Worcester’s Men.
Return to London and success with the Admiral’s Men.
Praise of Alleyn from Ben Johnson.
Marriage and events in London while on tour.
Semi-retirement from acting.
Business partnership building the Fortune Playhouse and other entertainments.
Alleyn’s wealth and founding of Dulwich College.
Remarriage and death.
Richard Burbage’s family and early life.
Early career in several troupes.
Leading roles with the Lord Chamberlin’s Men.
Burbage as a character actor.
His continuing long career and death.
Mourning and praise on the death of Burbage.
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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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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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Episode 106:
We have the detail about the way a London playhouse functioned thanks, in a large part, to one document. Theatre owner Philip Henslowe kept a record of many aspects of his enterprise at the Rose theatre from 1591 to 1609. A large part of the diary comprises of daily records of the takings at the box office, which plays were performed, if they were new or revivals, and various other details about expenses, costumes and matters related to the running of The Rose.
This episode looks at activity at The Rose for two months through the eyes of Henslowe's Diary
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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
Here in the US
and from all good bookshops.
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Episode 105:
The life of Thomas Kyd, including a word on Elizabethan schooling.
Thomas Nashe on Kyd.
Kyd and the London playwright set.
Kyd and Lord Strange.
Questions over the first performances of ‘The Spanish Tragedy’.
Is ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ a sequel?
Cornelia, Kyd’s other surviving play.
The Ur-Hamlet and other plays and collaborations.
Kyd and Marlowe.
The publication of the ‘The Spanish Tragedy’
A synopsis of ‘The Spanish Tragedy’
The power of the plotting of the story.
Similarities to ‘Hamlet’.
The weaknesses of Kyd’s verse.
The strengths of Kyd’s visual and dramatic settings.
The body strewn stage at the end of the play.
Why Kyd is no Shakespeare.
The significance of ghost of Andreas and the personification of Revenge.
The role of Bel-Imperia and the growing impact of female characters of stage.
The morality of revenge debate.
Kyd as the father of ‘revenge tragedy’.
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Episode 104:
Continuing the story of the Elizabethan theatre buildings.
The construction of The Globe
Master carpenter Peter Street
The death of The Globe
The Fortune - Henslowe's replacement for The Rose
The Whitefriars Theatre
The Hope - Henslowe's replacement for his bear garden, almost.
The second Globe Playhouse
The Globe reimagined.
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Episode 103:
The story of the next phase of theatre building in Elizabethan London featuring the indoor and outdoor playhouses.
The First Blackfriars Theatre
The Curtain
Philip Henslowe
The Rose
Francis Langley
The Swan
The Second Blackfriars Theatre
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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 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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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 third and final episode of a short mini-series I look at the printing and selling of the First Folio and the afterlife of some of the copies as they travelled the globe. This includes some history on the greatest collector of First Folios and the creation of the Folger Library.
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Episode 100:
Dr Faustus is one of the most influential plays of the Elizabethan period. Most commentators see this play as Marlowe’s masterpiece, and it is certainly the most performed of his plays through the centuries.
The two printed version of the play and how they may have come to be updated.
The Plot of ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’.
The source material for the play.
The effect of earning and wisdom.
Comparisons with Tamburlaine
The questioning of Christian doctrine.
The philosophical and religious debates in the play.
The impact of the comedic moments in the play.
How the scenes with the Pope would have been received
The play’s debt to medieval theatre.
Questions of the efficacy of repentance.
The ‘guest stars’ of the play.
A play for Marlowe’s time and all time.
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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 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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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 98:
Marlowe as a playwright at the beginning of the greatest period of Elizabethan creativity.
A short recap on Marlowe’s university life.
Marlowe moves to London.
The anonymity and earning power of Elizabethan playwrights.
‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’.
Thomas Nashe as co-author of ‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’.
Marlowe’s sexual preferences.
The Elizabethan attitude to sexuality.
Marlowe and religion.
The School of Atheism.
Marlowe’s use of rhetoric.
Marlowe, blank verse, and iambic pentameter.
Marlowe’s poetry.
Marlowe’s Mighty Line.
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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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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?
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In this special episode I discuss historic and recent audience behaviour in the Theatre and how that behaviour reflects changes in society, with some particular reference to recent events in society and at some theatrical performances.
Kirsty Sedgman is a theatre academic at the University of Bristol who specialises in studying audiences. She has spent her career studying how we construct and maintain our competing value systems, working out how people can live side by side in the same world yet come to understand it in such totally different ways. The author of On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the Rules and Making Things Better (Faber 2023), she has spoken about her research around the world, and has seen her work featured in outlets like BBC Front Row, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
Links to books by Dr Kirsty Sedgman on Amazon (other retailers are available)
Link to the Manchester Evening News article on audience disruption at a performance of 'The Bodyguard'
Link to Wikipedia article about government advisor Dominic Cummins and his breaking of lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Cummings_scandal
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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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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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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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Nick Bromley has had a long career as a Stage Manager and Company Stage Manager and has worked on many UK tours and West End shows. He recently collated his acquired knowledge into a dictionary of theatrical terms, myths and stories called 'Theatre Lore'. He kindly agreed to come and talk to me about his life and career and his book.
You can order a copy of 'Theatre Lore' direct from Nick at his website https://lnpbooks.co.uk/
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Episode 94:
Gorboduc the first tragedy in blank verse
The lives of the co-authors Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville
The plot of the play including the description of the opening dumb show
The origins of the Gorboduc story
The political message of the play
How the play incorporates ideas and style from Seneca, Aristotle, and the medieval traditions
The use of allegorical characters
The problems whit the play as good drama
The play as an academic debate
The second printing of the play
The innovation of bank verse
The highpoint of the play
How satisfactory , or not, is the ending of the play?
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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 93:
The earliest extant plays from the Tudor period include comedies and a historical morality, which give an insight into how theatre developed.
A summary of the elements that came together to make Tudor theatre a very special development.
Students and Masters become playwrights looking to Seneca
Nicolas Udal, schoolmaster and writer of the earliest surviving comedy
A summary of Ralph Roister Doister
The problem of the authorship of Gammer Gurton's Needle
A summary of Gammer Gurton's Needle
John Bale and the manuscript of King Johan
A summary of the plot of King Johan
How King Johan works as a morality play, a history play and a tragedy.
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There are just a few very well-known names from the theatre of the 18th 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’sprevious 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.
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Episode 92:
Elizabeth’s reign is seen as the golden age of theatre where many great playwrights, and one genius in particular, flourished. But did that happen because of the freedoms they were granted, or because of the constraints they worked under?
The situation in theatre as Elizabeth ascended to the throne.
The revision of the Act of Uniformity.
The renewal of the ban on Interludes and censorship play printing.
Rules introduced to combat the spread of plague.
Attempts to ban plays on moral grounds.
The arguments against stage plays performed on Sunday.
Touring companies in the north and continued performances of Corpus Christi plays.
Tightening control after the rebellion in the north and the execution of Mary.
The Earl of Leicester’s Men are granted a royal patent.
The reaction of the City of London to the royal patent.
The Revels Office and it’s effective third master, Edmund Tilney.
Censorship in the control of the Revels Office extended to all plays, play-makers and playhouses.
The limiting of official playhouses and troupes in London.
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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 91:
By the 1530s the State was concerned with the regulation & censorship of plays. Here are the key moments of legislation under Henry, Edward & Mary.
The background of what made legislation necessary.
The end of the Corpus Christi Cycle Play.
The beginnings of actions against players
The Act For The Advancement of True Religion
Pammachius performed at Cambridge and the aftermath.
Early controls in London
The death of Henry 8th and changes under Edward
Repeated attempts to ban theatre.
The death of Edward and changes under Mary.
More bans are issued and the severity of punishments increases
The death of Mary
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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 89:
As England emerged from the Medieval period theatre became established in London in purpose built theatres and in buildings adapted for the purpose. In this episode we look at those earliest theatres and their builders:
The Red Lion, a probably short lived theatre built by John Brayne
Four Inns that operated as theatres The Bel Savage, The Bull, The Bell, and the Cross Keys
The Theatre at Newington Butts
The Theatre - probably the first truly purpose built theatre since Roman times. The Story of how James Burbage and John Brayne acquired land, built The Theatre and kept it running is a story told through legal documents and The Theatre became the subject of various legal disputes.
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Episode 88:
An introduction to season 5 of the podcast.
The theatrical links between England and Continental Europe in the 16th Century. Some differences and similarities.
Why English theatre stands apart from that of continental Europe.
Sir Philip Sidney’s ‘Defence of Poetry’, his dislike of the stage and ideas on the power of poetic language.
The development of English as a language to be used poetically.
The slow rise of England out of the Medieval period.
Theatre and king Henry 8th.
The rise of secular plays during the reformation period through the reign of Elizabeth 1st.
English scepticism about Continental culture.
The Playhouses, plays, playwrights and acting troupes.
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The second part of my seasonal chat with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast. We pick up the story of the history of the British Christmas Pantomime, going further back to the influence of Comedies Dell'arte and the bringing the story forward to it's zenith in the later Victorian period up to some of today's challenges for the modern Panto.
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/
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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/
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A bonus episode on the origins, development and recent history of The Oberammergau Passion Play.
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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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Thoughts on a recent trip to the Greek capital, Athens a city resonating with ancient history
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A bonus episodes as a coda to the European Renaissance Theatre season following the story of what happened to the remains of Calderon de la Bacca after his death.
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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 86:
A summary to conclude the season on European Renaissance Theatre focussing on four aspects of the theatre that I have covered in the last twenty-two episodes:
The Italian Rebirth
The Parisian Theatre
Theatre in Spain
The Commedia Dell'arte
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Episode 85:
We return to Italy, to the birthplace of the Renaissance, for one last visit in this theatrical age.
The Bernini family and their history as sculptors and architects.
The early life and career of the second-generation Bernini, Gian Lorenzo, and his place as a major sculptor and architect in Rome.
His work as a scenic designer in the theatre and the impact of his special effects.
Bernini as an all-round theatre practitioner and some examples of his work.
Bernini as a playwright and the nature of his plays.
The discovery of his one surviving play and the problems with the text.
The plot of his one surviving play ‘The Impresario’.
The Commedia Dell’arte elements in ‘The Impresario’ and how Bernini subverted them.
Giovanni Burnacini and his son Ludovichi, who worked for the Vienna Opera houses and the Holy Roman Emperor.
The use of multiple vanishing points in set design
The careers of three generations of the Galli-Bibienas in set design and architecture.
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Episode 84:
Given the destruction of the thirty years war moving backwards and forwards across the Germanic and Flemish states of Europe between 1618 and 1648 it is a wonder that any art could flourish at all but in the Netherlands, there was something of an opposite effect.
A word on the lack of examples from the Netherlands in this period and a reminder of the lasting influence of ‘Everyman’.
The political and religious landscape that enables the Dutch Golden Age, a period of trade and expansion.
The slow emergence of Dutch theatre from the medieval period.
The Rhetoricians and their influence.
The annual carnival and the drama competition.
The life and work of Pieter Hooft
The farces and comedies of G A Brendero
The outline plot of ‘The Farce of the Cow’.
Definitions of theatrical genres by publisher Cornelis van der Plasse
Farce used to comment on the immigration of Germanic people into the Netherlands. The Moffenkluchten sub-genre.
Influences from England and Southern Europe
The life and work of Joost Van Der Vondel.
Vondel’s historical play and celebration of the city of Amsterdam ‘Gysbreght van Aemstel’.
Vondel’s religious semi-tragic plays, including ‘Jeptha, or the Promised Sacrifice’ and ‘Lucifer’
The decline of the Rhetoricians.
The Amsterdam Playhouse.
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Episode 83:
The Commedia Dell’arte tropes that operated in Italy and France were like many actors before them - travelling players operating if not exactly outside of society, then in their own niche within it.
The framework that Commedia Dell’arte troupes operated in and how little had changed for the travelling player since Roman and Medieval times.
The origins of the Gelosi Troupe via their first leader, Zan Ganassa and their second, long term director and main actor Flamminio Scala.
The travels of the Gelosi through Italy and then to France for performances before King Henry 3rd, where they ran into some anti Italian feeling.
The Gelosi travel to Venice and England.
Francesco Andreini becomes leader of the Gelosi after a military career.
His marriage to Isabella Canali.
Their performance in Mantua and resulting problems.
An attempt to create a Commedia ‘super-troupe’.
The life of Isabella Andreini and her impact on Comedia Dell’arte playing madness and cross-gender roles.
The popularity of the Gelosi with the French court, the death of Isabella on tour and the memorials penned to her.
The disbandment of the Gelosi.
The life of Vittoria Piisimi and her time with the Gelosi.
The rivalry between Vittoria and Isabella.
The Accesi troupe under the lead of Tristano Martinelli.
The creation of Harlequin by Martinelli, maybe.
Martinelli’s increasing power under the duke of Mantua.
The popularity of the Commedia Dell’arte across Europe seen through the work of Martinelli and their time in Paris.
Martinelli’s final years.
The I Fedeli troupe formed by Giovanni Battista Andreini.
The behaviour of the star performers.
Flamminio Scala and ‘The Confident One’s’ troupe.
The role of the more minor troupes.
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Episode 82:
The characters of Commedia Dell’arte may have been used in every play over and over again until they became completely familiar, but the plays themselves were more varied that you might imagine.
The first preserved Commedia Dell’arte scenario from 1568.
How the play was created and the characters and players.
A first-hand account of the play.
A brief analysis of this history of the play
The play ‘Madness’ presented for a Medici wedding, performed by Isabella Andreinoi, of the Golosi troupe.
A summary of the plot of ‘Madness’
Why these two examples may not truly represent the form
The scenarios published as a collection by Flaminio Scala in 1611
The form of the scenarios in the collection
The continuing influence of Roman theatre on commedia Dell’arte
The reuse of classic stories in the scenarios, with a version of ‘The Menacmus Brothers’ as an example.
How misunderstanding, intrigue and comic business remained at the heart of Commedia Dell’arte.
‘The Mad Princess’, the only tragedy in the Scala collection.
The later development of the three-in-one play where three tenuously linked plays were presented together, a comedy, a pastoral, and a tragedy.
What the three-in-one play can tell us about the diversity within Commedia Dell’arte.
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Episode 81:
The development of common character types through the travelling troupes.
The hierarchy of character, the troupe, and how that reflected society in general.
The five main characters:
Pantalone
Il Dottore
Il Capitano
Pulchinello
Harlequin
Minor characters:
Brighella
Pedrolino
Columbine and other female characters
The young lovers
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Episode 80:
The influence of Italian literary theatre can be seen in later works, but if there is one form that infiltrated the general consciousness of theatrical comedy on the continent it is the Commedia Dell’arte.
A definition of what we mean by Commedia Dell’arte as it emerged in the Italian renaissance, and the difficulties with this.
Professionalism, comedy, masks and the degree of improvisation, or not.
Theories about the origins of the Commedia Dell’arte.
From Roman mime and pantomime
From non-religious medieval drama
From religious medieval drama
The impact of the system of troupe patronage in the development of the Commedia Dell’arte and how actors escaped from it.
The continued low position of actors in society and their involvement with mountebanks and charlatans.
The description of theatricals in Venice in 1608 by English traveller Thomas Coryat.
Mountebanks and charlatans in Ben Johnson’s ‘Volpone’.
The differences between Italian and English theatre as seen by Coryat.
Why actors were associated with mountebanks and charlatans and the ongoing issues of professional begging.
How the quack doctor character becomes part of Commedia Dell’arte.
The earliest records of Commedia Dell’arte and Commedia Dell’arte troupes.
‘A Song for Buffoons and Parasites’ as the earliest example of Commedia Dell’arte.
The development of acting troupes from 1500 and then after 1550 when many new theatre buildings were constructed.
The continuing prohibitions against players
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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 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 77:
The life of Pedro Calderon de la Barca who took Lope de Vega’s crown as the greatest living Spanish playwright after Lope’s death in 1635
His childhood, youthful brushes with the law, military service and early playwriting.
His best regarded play ‘Life Is a Dream’ from 1632.
A synopsis of the plot of ‘Life Is A Dream’
An analysis of the main themes of the play and it’s relationship to cloak and dagger plays.
Duty and honour
The philosophical aspects of the play
The question of reality and perception
The flaws and dissatisfactions in the play
Calderon’s later career as a court poet and creator of auto sacramental and full length religious plays
The priesthood and death
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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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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 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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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 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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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.
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Episode 72
The Situation in Spain prior to the Renaissance period with a summary of developments in the Roman and Medieval periods in Spain.
The merging of religious and secular theatre at the end of the medieval period.
The ‘autos’ and how it developed out of liturgical drama and the only surviving example ‘The Play of the Three Kings’.
From the 12th Century ‘Pamphylus in Love’.
The Spanish version of the cycle play.
The poetic dialogue and its influence on theatre.
The religious plays of Juan Ruiz
The use of rustic language for comedy in 15th century plays.
The beginning of the Spanish renaissance with the plays of Gomez Manrique.
Inigo de Mendoza spanning the medieval and the renaissance.
Fernando de Rojas and the influential play ‘Celestina’.
Juan del Encina and his three-stage career, which ended by producing some of the earliest plays of the renaissance in Spain.
The religious and pastoral plays of Lucas Fernandez.
Bartolome de Torres Naharro who mixed Plautus with his real-life experiences as a soldier and churchman in his comic and satiric plays.
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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 70
Catherine De Medici, her arrival in Paris for marriage to Henry, second son of Francis 1st. Her cultural influence and role as wife of the King, and mother to three successive French rulers.
The Hotel De Bourgogne, the only playhouse in Paris
Mellin de Saint-Gelais the royal librarian who penned adaptations of Italian tragedy
Etienne Jodelle was hailed as the new Sophocles after his first play, but quickly fell out of favour after his second and some intemperate praise.
The strong adherence to Aristotelian rules of theatre
Jean de La Taille continues in Jodelle’s footsteps with Greek inspired tragedy and lighter pieces.
Jean Antoine de Baif gets concerned about playwrights straying from Aristotle
Robert Garnier’s influential plays, including an adaptation of Ariosto. Including an example of how Thomas Kyd was inspired by his work.
How the monopoly on theatrical performance of the Confraternity of the Passion was broken and a description of their playhouse, the Hotel De Bourgogne. The arrival of the second playhouse and the first professional actress of the Parisian stage.
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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 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 67
In this third part of the story of theatre in the Italian Renaissance the counter reformation overshadows the work of playwrights.
We conclude the story of Giovan Maria Cecchi with a look at his later sacred drama that still managed to amuse and entertain.
The plays of Leone de'Sommi are mostly lost thanks to a library fire, but his surviving plays are of interest as we see a Jewish playwright operating both in and for the culture of his community and in the context of broader renaissance theatre.
The review concludes with the work of Giambattista della Porta, a Neapolitan playwright who was outspoken in his plays and paid and fell foul of the Italian Inquisition.
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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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Episode 65
The development of tragedy and comedy in early Italian renaissance theatre happened on parallel paths as each struggeled to look forward rather than back.
The development of Tragedy following the rediscovery of the plays of Sophocles.
The continuing influence of Aristotle and Seneca.
Playwrights Giovani Trissino and Giovanni Giraldi (aka Cinthio)
The court at Ferrara and bloody tragedy
Other notable tragedians from the period.
The development of comedy as 'Comedy Erudite' and the continuing influence of Terence and Plautus
The court at Ferrara and a new form of comedy
Three great comic writers: Lodovico Ariosto, Niccolo Machiavelli and Pietro Aretino
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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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Season 4 Trailer: European Renaissance Theatre
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Episode 63
In a coda to season 3 somewhere in England an acting troupe travels through a cold December at the tale end of the Medieval period, in search of an audience. A fictional account using the facts and assumptions discussed in the Medieval Theatre season of the podcast.
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In this bonus episode we get an introduction the the diary of Philip Henslowe, theatre owner and businessman during the end of the Tudor period and beginning of the Stuart period. Elements from the diary will feature on upcoming episodes for podcast supporters on Patreon.
To support the podcast go to: www.patreon.com/thoetp
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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 62
With the Reformation came the final end of the great Religious plays of the medieval period. The episode sumarises the great trends of medieval theatre and charts the final end as Europe descended into religious disagreement.
A reminder of the journey from the religious trope, thorough the folk festivals, the cycle plays, the saints play, the morality play and the interlude.
The end of Medieval Theatre as brought about by the Reformation and political and sociological changes.
Some final thoughts on the legacy of Medieval Theatre.
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Episode 61
Once the medieval theatre had moved out of the confines of the church and away from religious obligation a form of commercial theatre began, but how was money spent and income generated and was it profitable?
The rise of commercial theatre through the Interlude and the Travelling Players
Play expenses and income
The rising costs of the Cycle Plays and other entertainments
The actors contract
The production of 'Mystery Des Trois Doms' and what it tells us about collaboration
The relationship between the concerns of the Church, the State, and the Guilds
The player in the service of a Lord.
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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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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
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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
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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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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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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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Episode 54
In this episode we look at the way the cycle plays developed in the four major centres from where we have complete versions of the cycle: York, Chester, Coventry and Wakefield.
The development of the York Plays
Further details on the guilds and how they functioned in society
The development of the Chester plays
The development of the Coventry Cycle
The development of the Wakefield cycle
The N-Town cycle Manuscript
The Wakefield cycle plays
The literary merits of the plays
For the list of plays and associated guilds from York see: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheare.com/blog
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Episode 53
Stage sets, costuming and special effects became quite sophisticated in the cycle plays during the sixteenth century. This episode looks at the examples of stage sets that we have from Valenciennes. You can see the drawing that is described in the podcast here:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/gallery
A look at evidence for costuming the has survived
And then we take a look at the the different stager special effects used to impress the audience, especially the representations of Hell's Mouth, with associated demons, fires and pyrotechnics.
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Episode 52
This episode looks at how the Corpus Christi plays were organised and staffed with actors, tradesmen and other organisers and supporters.
How rehearsals were organised and what was expected of actors, including details of the contrast they were expected to sign.
The different playing spaces that were used for the plays, including three main types, the round, the wagon, and the market place.
The role of 'The Ordinary' and other things we know about the way the plays were presented.
The rise and fall of the Saints Play
For the illustration of the martyrdom of St Appolonia see: https://thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/gallery/
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A short bonus episode celebrating Hamlet in a production by Sean Mathias, staring Sir Ian McKellen, which marked my return to live theatre after more than a year.
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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 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 49
The story of how theatre found it's way into the church service on the most important days in the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. For a long time drama was a small elaboration to the massif the same way music, architecture and art were only included to amplify the message of the service and the word of God. Following a lot at their impact and use we get to the Trope, but it that really the beginnings of church drama? The Synod of Winchester in 970 might just have the answer.
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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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Season 3 Trailer: Medieval Theatre
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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
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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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A conversation about the earliest forms of theatre, the Greeks, Dionysus and more with performer and podcaster Rosie Beech. Rosie has a masters degree in Social Anthropology and applies the rigours of that subject to her knowledge of the earliest forms of theatre and the role of religion, women and much more in Greek Theatre.
Find Rosie's podcast as Yorick Radio Productions on all good podcast apps and on twitter @RadioYorick
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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 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
Also at Patreon.com/thoetp
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A special bonus episode to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare. Here, in seven parts, is a glimpse into a Shakespearean life: Birth, The School Room, The Players, Marriage, Poet, London and The Death Scene
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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 46:
The second and concluding 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 5 to number 1.
No spoilers as to the content of the episode here. You'll have
to listen to hear the countdown.
And then the story of the final demise of theatre in the Roman Empire
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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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Episode 44:
A detailed look at the Roman art of Pantomime which was the preeminent form of dramatic art during the Imperial period.
Dr Elodie Palliard's thoughts on why Pantomime dominated and how it was used by the Emperors.
The origins of Pantomime
The performers Pylades, Bathyllus and their relationship with Emperor Augustus
Pantomime as a non-verbal performance style
Description of Pantomime and the regiment for it's supremacy over other forms by Lucian
The banishment of performers and their reinstatement by Caligula
Caligula and pantomime
The morality of pantomime
2nd century description of pantomime by Apuleius.
Dr Paillard is Honorary Associate in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney and lecturer and scientific collaborator in the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel. She is currently leading a research project on Greek theatre in Roman Italy, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. She is the author of 'The Stage and the City. Non-élite Characters in the Tragedies of Sophocles' (Paris 2017).
She is currently co-editing two forthcoming collective volumes, one on Greek Theatre and Metatheatre: Definitions, Problems & Limits and one on Theatre and Autocracy in the Ancient World. In parallel to her interest in ancient Greek theatre, she is also working on the social structure of Classical Athens and the emergence of democracy.
You can connect with her on Twitter @elopai
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Episode 43:
The history of Roman Mime, one for the two dramatic forms that dominated theatre in the Roman Imperial period.
A word on Horace and his work The Art Of Poetry, one of the most influential works of dramatic theory. His rules for the stage and where he did and didn’t agree with Aristotle
The differences between Mime and other dramatic forms
The origins of mime in Greece ad the Greek colonies in Italy
Mime in Rome and at the Ludi festivals
The limits of textual evidence for mime
Some descriptions of mime plays and titles
Moral issues with mime because of the content relating to adultery
Mime of political satire, including stories from Tiberius, Caligula, Nero and Vespasian.
Mime as part of religious festivals
Women performers in Mime
If you would like to support the podcast please find us at:
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Episode 42:
This episode takes a detailed look at Phaedra, Seneca's version of the Hippolytus myth.
The two versions by Euripides and how Seneca used these
A summary of the play
The differences in Seneca's version from Euripides -
The position of Phaedra as innocent or responsible
Greek shame Vs Roman guilt and repentance
Phaedra and the Roman bas step-mother trope
The play in relation to Stoic philosophy
The motif of the hunt, the hunter and the hunted
Presentations of the play in the medieval period
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Episode 41
In this episode I take a detailed look at Seneca's version of Medea. The story of a woman who is a foreigner and a witch suited his form of dark tragedy perfectly.
A summary of the narrative of the play
The impact of the language used and how it becomes overblown.
An analysis of the final scene and why Seneca might have chosen to make this the only moment of visual drama in the play.
Questions about how and if the play was staged and the use of stage machinery
Medea as a witch and how that plays into Roman tropes
The character of Jason an his effect on the play
A comparison of the Euripides version to Seneca's
The legacy of Seneca's tragedy on the medieval period.
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Episode 40
The life and tines of Seneca - Philosopher, Playwright, Poet and Statesman who operated in the time of emperor Nero.
The origins of Roman Tragic drama and the little we know about it's exponents.
The life of Seneca from his birth in Spain and education in Rome.
Seneca's rise to political office. The accession Claudius and the rise of his wife Agrippina and her son Nero.
Court intrigues and an eight year exile in Corsica.
Rehabilitation and tutor to Nero.
Life under Nero and Seneca's fall from favour and death.
An overview of his nine plays
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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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Episode 38
A look at 'The Self Tormenter' by Terrence. Written in 162 or 163 BCE this is the story of disagreements between fathers and sons over the choice of women and how a clever slave almost wins the day.
A synopsis of the pay with some comments about the Prologue, the action of the play and the general style.
The way Terence changes the standard stock characters and makes them more rounded characters than anything we have seen before, including how the portrayal of the clever slave and the courtesan are more subtle than in previous plays.
Some of the issues with the play.
How Terence continued to use metatheatre and how he changed it.
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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 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 35
The Menaechmus Brothers is taken from a Greek new comedy original and via this version by Plautus was used by later dramatists, most notably Shakespeare.
In the first half of this episode I summaries the plot that features identical twins and gets quite complicated and confusing for all concerned.
I then discuss the weaknesses in the play and it's more cynical outlook than seen in other plays by Plautus.
A look at he naming of stock characters and some thoughts on the problematic female characters is followed by a look at the influence of the Saturnalia festival on the play.
The theme of the identical twins is strong in the play and supported by other semantical elements in the structure and the Roman ideas of industria and voluptas.
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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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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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A little extra episode for Christmas week with best wishes to you all for the holiday season.
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Episode 32
An interview with theatre director Jimmy Walters about his 20217 production of Trackers of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison. This version of the Satyr play 'Trackers' by Sophocles was originally performed by the National Theatre in 1988. Jimmy's revival in 2017 was at the Finborough Theatre in west London.
In conversation we discussed the approach to the play and the way the adaptation by Tony Harrison put current social concerns at the heart of the play, which still remained true to many aspects of the original Greek play.
Jimmy Walters' credits include productions of John Osborne's A Subject of Scandal and Concern, Julius Caesar, Improbable Fiction, A Naughty Night With Noël Coward, Hamlet (for a tour in the United Arab Emirates), I the Jury, Breaded Butler, and Dear Ray at the Edinburgh Festival. Recently he directed Billy Bishop Goes to War for Southwark playhouse and Jermyn Street Theatre and The Skin Game also for Jermyn Street Theatre, which due to the UK lockdown in 2020 was presented via Zoom.
Jimmy co-hosts the '…In quarantine' podcast with Alexandra Evans. Season 1 discussed several Shakespeare plays and season 2 is taking on the challenge of discussing novels by Charles Dickens.
You can connect with Jimmy on Twitter @jimmywalters101
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Episode 31
An interview with Dr Elodie Paillard discussing her work on the non-elite characters in the plays of Sophocles and what they tell us about changes in athenian society in the 5th Century BCE.
Dr Paillard is Honorary Associate in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney and lecturer and scientific collaborator in the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel. She is currently leading a research project on Greek theatre in Roman Italy, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. She is the author of 'The Stage and the City. Non-élite Characters in the Tragedies of Sophocles' (Paris 2017).
She is currently co-editing two forthcoming collective volumes, one on Greek Theatre and Metatheatre: Definitions, Problems & Limits and one on Theatre and Autocracy in the Ancient World. In parallel to her interest in ancient Greek theatre, she is also working on the social structure of Classical Athens and the emergence of democracy.
You can connect with her on Twitter @elopai
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Episode 30
An interview with Dr Elodie Paillard discussing the development of Roman theatre and the extent to which it developed out of Greek theatre.
Dr Paillard is Honorary Associate in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney and lecturer and scientific collaborator in the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel. She is currently leading a research project on Greek theatre in Roman Italy, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. She is the author of 'The Stage and the City. Non-élite Characters in the Tragedies of Sophocles' (Paris 2017).
She is currently co-editing two forthcoming collective volumes, one on Greek Theatre and Metatheatre: Definitions, Problems & Limits and one on Theatre and Autocracy in the Ancient World. In parallel to her interest in ancient Greek theatre, she is also working on the social structure of Classical Athens and the emergence of democracy.
You can connect with her on Twitter @elopai
Please support the podcast at
www.patreon.com
www.ko-fi.com
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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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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 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 26
In the second part of the introduction to the theatre of Rome the Greek influence becomes more obvious and we start to get some details about the playwrights of the time. Taking this overview through to the beginning of the period of Empire the scene is now set for the entrance of the three playwrights of the period who's work is known to us.
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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 24
In the final episode on the story of Greek Theatre a further fleshing out of three big subjects in Ancient Greek theatre - The Mask, The Theatre Buildings and The audience.
The podcast will then take a short break before we start on the Roman theatre in season 2. Thanks for coming with me through the story of Greek theatre and the meantime please review, rate and like the podcast wherever you listen from so more theatre and history lowing people can find us.
and if you feel inclined you can tip me the price of a cup of coffee here
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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 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 21
A look at three substantial fragments of Menander's plays as they have come to us through the centuries.
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Episode 20
A look at the only surviving complete play by Menander and our only full representative of the genre of new comedy.
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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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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 17
Aristophanes takes a dig at the Athenian legal system and the city leaders who use it to their own ends. The system was part of the democratic process that Athens was still hanging on to despite the rigours of the Peloponnesian war. Citizens took part in the legal process with the same vigour that they displayed when voting or debating. From street crime to murder, how were the criminals judged and punished?
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Episode 16
Aristophanes took a wry look at the art of philosophy that had become very trendy in Athens. In particular he pokes fun at Socrates and his philosophical method as a father and son try to escape their mounting debts. It's a funny story, but had a bitter twist for Socrates.
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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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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 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 12
A deep dive into one of Euripides' greatest plays. Is it pure melodrama, a polemic on the rights and treatment of women, or one of the greatest tragedies ever written? As ever Euripides splits opinion.
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Episode 11
A summary of the life and times of Euripides, the youngest and most daring of the three great Greek tragedians, but who suffered from a mixed reception in his own time.
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Episode 10
The story of the death of Oedipus was Sophocles' last work and puts the role of the Greek hero into a new light. We travel to Colonus, the home town of the playwright, to see the end of Oedipus' troubled life.
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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 8
A detailed look at the first of the Theban plays by Sophocles. Greek drama gets personal as the end of a great family drama is acted out, but it's also a political debate as Sophocles questions what happens when man made law bumps up against natural law.
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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 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 5
A detailed review of Agamemnon, the first part of The Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus
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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 3
The vocabulary of the theatre we inherit from the Greeks
The layout of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens and it's main features
Developments in the theatre over time
The Chorus
Stage Machinery
Masks and costume
The judging and prizes
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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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An introduction to The History Of European Theatre Podcast
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Episode 1
An Introduction to the podcast and your host.
Pre-history and how the urge to mimic and present might have been the start of theatre.
Religious ritual and Shamanism.
The Abydos Passion play and the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
The beginning of Greek Theatre.
A note on dates and the nature of translations.
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