Skip to main content
All 85 posts by

Austin Tichenor

is the co-artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company; a writing and acting coach at The Shakespeareance; the co-author of ten stage comedies, including William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) and The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel); the co-creator of the illustrated children’s books Pop-Up Shakespeare and Daisy, the Littlest Zombie; a contributor to The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Shakespeare and Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen (from Arden Shakespeare); and the host of the world’s oldest and longest-running theater podcast, the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast.
Of Roys and kings: “The shadow of Succession”
Shakespeare and Beyond

Of Roys and kings: “The shadow of Succession”

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores the copious Shakespearean echoes in HBO’s Succession series, in which the Shakespearean actor Brian Cox plays a key role.

Sweet are the comedies of adversity: Shakespeare and Ted Lasso
Shakespeare and Beyond

Sweet are the comedies of adversity: Shakespeare and Ted Lasso

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores some surprising parallels between “Ted Lasso” and Shakespeare’s comedies, then tops off the post with paired quotes from both.

"Woeful tragedy," indeed
Shakespeare and Beyond

"Woeful tragedy," indeed

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

“We’re told from a young age that tragedy teaches us important things about what it means to be human. But does it actually teach us anything, or simply reveal what we already know?” writes Austin Tichenor, who looks at Shakespeare’s…

Speaking what we feel: Shakespeare’s plague plays
Shakespeare and Beyond

Speaking what we feel: Shakespeare’s plague plays

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

How do Shakespeare’s plays reflect a life filled with plague outbreaks, asks Austin Tichenor — and do we see his plays in new ways now?

“Freshly remembered”: Modern spins on Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day speech
actor Bill Pullman
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Freshly remembered”: Modern spins on Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day speech

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Actor Bill Pullman in a 2021 ad for Budweiser As proof that Shakespeare continues to inspire, one need look no further than a beer commercial that aired this past Fourth of July. Budweiser hired actor Bill Pullman to give a…

What's your favorite Shakespeare play?
Folger Theatre - Love's Labor's Lost
Shakespeare and Beyond

What's your favorite Shakespeare play?

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

(left-right) Joshua David Robinson, Matt Dallal, Zachary Fine, and Jack Schmitt in Love’s Labor’s Lost, Folger Theatre, 2019. Photo by Brittany Diliberto. You’d think I’d have a better answer to the question, “What’s your favorite Shakespeare play?” — but it’s…

“Good Peter Quince:” Shakespeare’s most autobiographical character
Peter Quince and Bottom
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Good Peter Quince:” Shakespeare’s most autobiographical character

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Richard Ruiz (Peter Quince) and Holly Twyford (Bottom) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Folger Theatre, 2016. Teresa Wood.  A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and for good reason. Frequently a young person’s introduction to…

"Painter’s art": Biofictional perspectives on Shakespeare
Austin Tichenor as William Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Beyond

"Painter’s art": Biofictional perspectives on Shakespeare

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor as William Shakespeare in William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), Folger Theatre, 2016. Photo by Teresa Wood. Depictions of William Shakespeare in fictional works are animated by the same impulse behind fanfiction — to fill in the…

“Therefore we marvel”: WandaVision’s Shakespearean echoes
WandaVision juxtaposed with Antony and Cleopatra
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Therefore we marvel”: WandaVision’s Shakespearean echoes

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor reflects on the tension the WandaVision series creates between character and genre, reminding him of Shakespeare’s plays.

“Eventful history:” The Shakespearean success of The Crown
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Eventful history:” The Shakespearean success of The Crown

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

“It’s no wonder that The Crown — nominated for a record six Golden Globes in this Sunday’s annual awards ceremony — is so successful and popular,” writes Austin Tichenor. “Its depiction of an English monarch struggling to rule Britain while…

To be or not to be your valentine: Shakespearean expressions of love
Shakespeare and Beyond

To be or not to be your valentine: Shakespearean expressions of love

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Shakespeare quotes can seem like good choices for Valentine’s Day cards, but his tales of love are nuanced and complicated.

Razing the Theatre, raising the Globe
Shakespeare and Beyond

Razing the Theatre, raising the Globe

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

The story of the Globe Theatre’s beginnings is one of intrigue, legal hairsplitting, holiday opportunity, and the disassembly of another playhouse.

1 2 3 4 5 6 8