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Shakespeare Unlimited

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Celebrating 100 episodes of Shakespeare Unlimited
Shakespeare and Beyond

Celebrating 100 episodes of Shakespeare Unlimited

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Ben Lauer

Today, we’re releasing the 100th episode of our podcast, Shakespeare Unlimited. Since 2015, when we kicked things off with an episode about Nelson Mandela and the Robben Island Shakespeare, we’ve met the people who answer letters to Juliet, chatted with rappers (on more…

Excerpt - Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars
Shakespeare and Beyond

Excerpt - Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars

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Shakespeare & Beyond

This excerpt from Ayanna Thompson’s book explores Peter Sellars’s “uniquely American take on William Shakespeare” and his 1980 production of King Lear.

Excerpt: 'Julius Caesar and Me: Exploring Shakespeare’s African Play'
Shakespeare and Beyond

Excerpt: 'Julius Caesar and Me: Exploring Shakespeare’s African Play'

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Read an excerpt from actor Paterson Joseph’s book about playing the role of Brutus in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed 2012 production of Julius Caesar.

Excerpt: 'Year of the Mad King' by Antony Sher
Antony Sher
Shakespeare and Beyond

Excerpt: 'Year of the Mad King' by Antony Sher

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Shakespeare & Beyond

What’s it like to play the role of Lear onstage? In this excerpt from Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries, actor Antony Sher gives us a window into the rehearsal process for the Royal Shakespeare Company production of King…

Laurence Olivier, Henry V, and Shakespeare on film
Laurence Olivier - Henry V
Shakespeare and Beyond

Laurence Olivier, Henry V, and Shakespeare on film

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Author
Esther French

Laurence Olivier’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” during World War II was only the third Shakespeare film ever to receive Oscar recognition.

Revisit the top five Shakespeare Unlimited podcast episodes of 2017
Shakespeare and Beyond

Revisit the top five Shakespeare Unlimited podcast episodes of 2017

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Shakespeare & Beyond

The most popular podcast episode was about attributing Christopher Marlowe as co-author for the “Henry VI” plays and how scholars make that decision.

How Shakespeare describes post-traumatic stress disorder
Lady Percy and Hotspur
Shakespeare and Beyond

How Shakespeare describes post-traumatic stress disorder

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare’s plays are full of battles dominated by men, but one of his most compelling speeches about the life of a soldier comes from a woman: Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1, speaking to her husband, Hotspur.

How Catholic and Protestant beliefs affect Hamlet's reaction to his father's ghost
Hamlet and ghost. J. Coghlan. [early 19th century?]. Folger Shakespeare Library.
Shakespeare and Beyond

How Catholic and Protestant beliefs affect Hamlet's reaction to his father's ghost

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Shakespeare & Beyond

When Hamlet first encounters his father’s ghost, the Danish prince’s reactions reflect Shakespeare’s understanding of the theological differences between early modern Catholics and Protestants regarding the spiritual realm, says David Scott Kastan.

Salmon in pastry: A Renaissance recipe from Shakespeare's Kitchen by Francine Segan
Salmon pastry
Shakespeare and Beyond

Salmon in pastry: A Renaissance recipe from Shakespeare's Kitchen by Francine Segan

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Salmon, oysters, asparagus, and grapes are all ingredients in this unusual pie recipe from Francine Segan’s cookbook “Shakespeare’s Kitchen.”

Akala and hip-hop Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Beyond

Akala and hip-hop Shakespeare

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Author
Esther French

“Is it hip-hop or is it Shakespeare?” Learn more about Akala and how he uses hip-hop to spread an understanding of the relevance of Shakespeare’s poetry.

Something Rotten: An interview with the Broadway musical creators Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick
Something Rotten
Shakespeare and Beyond

Something Rotten: An interview with the Broadway musical creators Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

Two brothers living in England in 1595 have had their playwriting careers upended by the arrival of a new guy from Stratford upon Avon, William Shakespeare. That’s the plot of Something Rotten, a new musical that opened on Broadway in…

Black History Month: A Shakespeare Unlimited podcast playlist
Shakespeare and Beyond

Black History Month: A Shakespeare Unlimited podcast playlist

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Robert Edmond Jones. Costume design for Paul Robeson as “Othello”. Ink and gouache drawing with fabric swatches attached, 1943. Folger Shakespeare Library. To commemorate Black History Month in February, we’re sharing a playlist of Shakespeare Unlimited episodes about the African…

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