Shakespeare Unlimited podcast
William Shakespeare and his works are woven throughout our global culture, from theater, music, and films to new scholarship, education, amazing discoveries, and more. In our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, Shakespeare opens a window into topics ranging from the American West, to the real history of Elizabethan street fighting, to interviews with Shakespearean stars. As you’ll hear, he turns up in surprising places, too—including outer space. Join us for a “no limits” tour of the connections between Shakespeare, his works, and our world.
Olivia Hussey: The Girl on the Balcony
Olivia Hussey was just 15 when Franco Zeffirelli cast her in Romeo and Juliet. When the film was released in 1968, it catapulted Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the young actor playing Romeo, to global stardom. For many, it’s still the definitive film adaptation of the play.
Shakespeare and his contemporaries, with Darren Freebury-Jones
Darren Freebury-Jones explores the ways in which Shakespeare reshaped the works of contemporaries like John Lyly, Thomas Kyd, and Christopher Marlowe into something distinctly his own.
Directing Romeo and Juliet, with Sam Gold
Director Sam Gold reflects on the challenges and joys of reinterpreting a well-known story for Broadway and shares the creative process behind staging a Romeo and Juliet that feels relevant to a whole new generation of theatergoers.
The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, with Helen Castor
What happens when a king loses his people’s trust? Historian Helen Castor delves into the 14th century drama behind Richard II’s fall and Henry IV’s rise, the events that inspired Shakespeare’s celebrated history plays.
Studying Shakespeare Now
Discover how the Folger’s new teaching guides make Shakespeare’s works more engaging, accessible, and relevant, with strategies for teaching the plays, tackling topics like race and gender, and meeting the needs of today’s students.
How Shakespeare Revolutionized Tragedy, with Rhodri Lewis
Explore how Shakespeare reshaped the tragic form with complex characters and self-deception. Rhodri Lewis dives into the evolution of Shakespearean tragedy, revealing its lasting modern impact.
Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England
Uncover the world of cunning folk in Shakespeare’s England, as scholar Tabitha Stanmore reveals how these magic practitioners helped everyone from commoners to royalty with their practical spells and charms.
Will Tosh on the Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare
Scholar Will Tosh explores the hidden queer lives in Shakespeare’s works, revealing how early modern gender fluidity and same-sex desire influenced the Bard’s plays and characters.
Throughlines, with Ayanna Thompson and Ruben Espinosa
Explore Throughlines, a free resource offering teaching materials to help educators integrate discussions of race into Shakespeare and other premodern texts in college classrooms.
Juliet, Then and Now, with Sophie Duncan
Discover how our perceptions of Juliet have evolved over centuries, as Sophie Duncan explores the lasting legacy of Shakespeare’s first tragic heroine.
Barry Edelstein on The Old Globe's Henry 6
Go behind the scenes with Artistic Director Barry Edelstein as San Diego’s Old Globe becomes one of less than a dozen American theaters who have performed the entire Shakespeare canon.
Colman Domingo on the Power of Theater
Actor Colman Domingo takes us behind the scenes of the making of his new film, Sing Sing, the inspiring true story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the maximum security prison.