Beyond Shakespeare
502 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsFrom the earliest drama in English, to the closing of the theatres in 1642, there was a hell of a lot of drama produced - and a lot of it wasn't by Shakespeare. Apart from a few noble exceptions these plays are often passed over, ignored or simply unknown. This podcast presents full audio productions of the plays, fragmentary and extant, that shaped the theatrical world that shaped our dramatic history.
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Episodes
177: Discussing: Supposes by George Gascoigne
May 15, 2021 15:08 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBToday we're discussing Supposes by George Gascoigne, a translation of an Italian play produced in 1566. It's super fun and worth performing today - we know this because it has been. Robert is joined by Sam Plumb, director of a production of the play from 2017, and actor Riana White, one of the cast. They discuss the language, the production, the different performance spaces and the wonders of Gascoigne. You can watch a recording of the production on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
176: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 21 to 23 (Doctors, Baptism, Temptation)
April 25, 2021 08:33 - 1 hour - 109 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with plays twenty-one to twenty-three - looking at the early life of Jesus with his encounter with the Doctors, his Baptism and Temptation in the wildernes...
175: Fantasy Production Meeting Ep 1: The Old Wives' Tale by George Peele
March 01, 2021 10:06 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBA series of podcasts looking at plays we'd like to see, where we and guests pitch a Fantasy Production. With much merriment and chat, we explore different media, different approaches and a different play each session. Each play has been covered on our YouTube channel, or on the podcast, so you can dig deeper into the text if you'd like. Regular segments include - Cocktail Minute (a play themed cocktail), from the Chatroom (reactions to the play in chat from our readings), and Fake Movie Trai...
174: Discussing: The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson
February 04, 2021 09:02 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBToday we're discussing The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson, that has just received the full cast audio adaptation treatment by The Lords of Misrule, an amateur dramatics society based at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York. Forced by lockdown to go online, their live performances have gone digital. Robert is joined by Nic Peard, co-director and editor of the production, and producer Ross McIntire, to discuss the play, the production, and future plans for more shows. You...
173: Happy New Year Message 2021
December 31, 2020 23:59 - 17 minutes - 16 MBHello, welcome to a New Year, just a little thank you to all our listeners and viewers for all your support. Have a very Happy New Year, from Robert Crighton. The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at [email protected], fol...
172: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 18 to 20 (Kings, Purification, Herod)
December 23, 2020 08:17 - 1 hour - 103 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with plays eighteen to twenty (there is no play 17! Or is there...) - looking at the appearance of the Magi, the Purification of Mary and a fond farewell t...
171: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 14 to 16 (Trial, Nativity, Shepherds)
December 18, 2020 12:16 - 1 hour - 109 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with plays fourteen to sixteen - looking at the Trial of Mary and Joseph, The Nativity and the visit by some Shepherds. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars t...
170: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 11 to 13 (Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth)
December 13, 2020 17:08 - 2 hours - 116 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with plays eleven to thirteen - we were going to do fourteen as well, but we ran out of time. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episode were Francis C...
169: Exploring: Christmas Bits! (Old Christmas/His Masque)
December 07, 2020 08:38 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBFirst of our Christmas specials - a return to Old Christmas, a fragment we've already looked at with another room, and Christmas, His Masque by Ben Jonson - our first masque, and our first complete work by Jonson. Which is nice. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episode were Eric Karoulla as Gluttony, New Year; Liza Graham as Riot, Gambol, Offer; Emma Kemp as Good Order, Carol, Cupid; Sarah Blake as Prayer, Venus. The host was Robert Crighton. The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is suppo...
168: Exploring: N-Town, Play 10 (Marriage of Mary and Joseph)
November 25, 2020 10:31 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with play ten, the Marriage of Mary and Joseph - and, boy, is this a weird one. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episode were Mark Scanlon, Richard ...
167: Exploring: John John by John Heywood
November 15, 2020 12:59 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBExploring: A Merry Play between John Johan the husband, Tyb his wife, and Sir Johan the Priest. This is a cross over episode with our YouTube channel, where most exploring sessions now live, because we want to make sure all the John Heywood material lives on the podcast. You can watch all the John Heywood videos on YouTube here - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLflmEwgdfKoKffZtkgZ7mUYF_d1mD72fr Other John Heywood material on the podcast can be heard here - https://audioboom.com/pla...
166: Exploring: N-Town, Play 9 (Mary in the Temple)
November 08, 2020 13:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with play nine, the presentation of Mary at the Temple - there's a fair amount of run up to the Nativity in N-Town, and we really get some Mary: The Early Y...
165: Discussing: Edward II by Christopher Marlowe
October 18, 2020 09:06 - 27 minutes - 25 MBDiscussing: Edward II by Christopher Marlowe - with Dr. Kit Heyam This episode host Robert Crighton discusses a new book - The Reputation of Edward II, 1305-1697: A Literary Transformation of History by Kit Heyam. We delve into the changing story of Edward, what Marlowe does with the figure, and why the answer is never a red hot poker. The book is available to order from Amsterdam University Press now - https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463729338/the-reputation-of-edward-ii-1305-1697 Watchin...
164: Exploring: N-Town, Play 8 (Conception of Mary)
September 20, 2020 13:25 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with play eight, Joachim and Anna, or the Conception of Mary - there's a fair amount of run up to the Nativity in N-Town, and we go full on prequel here. T...
163: The Harrowing of Hell (Full Cast Audio Adaptation)
September 13, 2020 15:15 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBThe Harrowing of Hell - A full cast audio adaption of one of the earliest surviving Biblical dramas in English, with bonus material of our first exploring read through of the text. In the Harrowing of Hell - the Narrator was played by Geir Madland, Jesus by Robert Crighton, Satan by Pamela Flanagan, the Gatekeeper by Mark Scanlon, Adam by Simon Nader, Eve by Gillian Horgan, Abraham by Geir Madland, King David by Mark Scanlon, John by Seb Ranson and Moses by Rob Myson. Technical presentatio...
162: The Rising to the Crown of Richard III by Himself (via Giles Fletcher)
September 06, 2020 18:23 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBThe Rising to the Crown of Richard the Third written by himself via Giles Fletcher - read by David Ault. This is a narrative poem about, as the title says, the rise of Richard III - it's part of a mini season of work on the various narratives on Richard that existed in the early modern period. We have also on the podcast looked at: The True Tragedy of Richard III - https://audioboom.com/posts/7664659-the-true-tragedy-of-richard-iii-induction The Ghost of Richard III - discussion thereof...
161: Exploring: N-Town, Play 7 (Jesse Root)
August 30, 2020 11:15 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with play seven, a prophets play - a bit of a breather before we get to the opening of the Nativity sequence. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episod...
160: The True Tragedy of Richard III (Induction)
August 23, 2020 19:25 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBWhat's Past is Prologue: The True Tragedy of Richard III, by someone for the Queen's Men. The True Tragedy of Richard III is a a truly disturbing piece of Brechtian theatre, several centuries early, and one we'd like to do one day. Here's just the prologue/opening to tantalise and moderately annoy you. The opening is performed by Geir Madland as the ghost of Clarence, Pamela Flanagan as Truth, and Seb Ransom as Poetry. Our little recording is followed by a read through from our YouTube e...
159: Exploring: N-Town, Play 6 (Moses)
August 10, 2020 09:47 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with the Moses play. We haven't done that much on Moses elsewhere in the canon, he's clearly a tricky one to dramatise. He does pop up in Chester - albeit i...
158: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Act 5)
July 26, 2020 10:15 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBSpoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary (Act 5) Welcome to this spoiler episode for The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's very spoilery! The canvas has narrowed again for Act 5, as it's almost a solo turn by Herod. If it weren't for the arrival of Nuntio there would be no one else. With a plain text recording of the Act and chorus overview at the end. In the plain text: Geir Madland as Herod and Richard Fawcett as Nuntio. Hosted by Robert Cr...
157: Discussing: The Ghost of Richard III by Christopher Brooke
July 15, 2020 11:43 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBDiscussing: The Ghost of Richard III by Christopher Brooke with Dr Jitka Štollová. In 1614, Christopher Brooke produced his Ghost poem on the life of Richard III. To celebrate (wantonly plug) our live streamed stage adaptation, Robert Crighton discusses the poem and a whole world of other texts on Richard III. Dr Jitka Štollová is a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College. At time of release - the live stream will be occurring on Tuesday 21st July at 19.00 BST - links for the stream wi...
156: Exploring: N-Town, Play 5 (Abraham and Isaac)
June 21, 2020 09:03 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with the happy story of listening to the voices in your head, it's Abraham and Isaac. We looked at this play twice in this session. For an alternative look...
155: Discussing: John Heywood - Comedy and Survival in Tudor England
June 14, 2020 11:05 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBA special follow up discussion episode on John Heywood, to celebrate the release of John Heywood - Comedy and Survival in Tudor England by Greg Walker, Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. The book is a full biography of Heywood's life, from cradle to grave, and covers his complete surviving literary output. The book is published by Oxford University Press and can be found here - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/john-heywood-9780198851516...
154: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Act 4)
June 06, 2020 09:05 - 1 hour - 97.5 MBWelcome to this spoiler episode for The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's very spoilery! It's all change again in Act 4, as Herod returns! We say goodbye to Salome, Mariam, Doris... pretty much everyone except Herod. With a plain text recording of the Act and chorus overview at the end. In the plain text: Introducing Geir Madland as Herod, with Pamela Flanagan as Salome, Gillian Horgan as Mariam, Pollie Hall as Doris, Heydn McCabe as Constabarus, Hugh...
153: Exploring: Occupation and Idleness
May 31, 2020 12:45 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBFrom the Winchester Dialogues this is a read through and discussion of Occupation and Idleness, edited from our zoom sessions on YouTube. Written sometime in the midst of the 15th century, this prefigures much of the interlude drama of the 16th century and deserves more attention. The explorers were Sascha Cooper, Liza Graham, Ruth Evans, Gregory Musson, and Iain Black. The host is Robert Crighton The only copy we can find online can be viewed here - https://medievalit.com/home/edrama/mo...
152: Eastward Ho! by Various (Prologue)
May 24, 2020 10:57 - 6 minutes - 5.69 MBWhat's Past is Prologue: Eastward Ho! by Ben Jonson, George Chapman and John Marston. Eastward Ho! is a fantastic play, and one we'd like to do one day. Here's just the prologue to tantalise and moderately annoy you. The prologue is performed by the fabulous Sarah Golding, voice actor and audio producer extraordinary - you can hear Sarah Golding all over the podcasting world as a voice actor, and as the creator of MADIVA Podcast (or MODERN AUDIO DRAMA INDIE VOICE ACTING PODCAST) @QuirkyVoi...
151: Exploring: N-Town, Play 4 (Noah)
May 16, 2020 08:27 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with Noah and every child's favourite genocide story. For some light relief, there's the return of Cain! For an alternative look at the Noah story, we have...
150: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Act 3)
May 10, 2020 08:15 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBWelcome to this spoiler episode for The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's very spoilery! The plot pivots in Act 3, with some news of Herod. He's ALIVE! Cue a host of reactions, happy and sad. With a plain text recording of the Act and chorus overview at the end. In the plain text: with Pamela Flanagan as Salome, Gillian Horgan as Mariam, Rob Myson as Sohemus, Andy Barrett as Ananell, Alan Scott as Silleus Man. Hosted by Robert Crighton - who's also play...
149: The Dutch Courtesan by John Marston (Prologue)
May 02, 2020 10:04 - 6 minutes - 6.26 MBWhat's Past is Prologue: The Dutch Courtesan by John Marston The Dutch Courtesan is a fascinating play, and one we'd like to do one day. Here's just the prologue to tantalise and moderately annoy you. The prologue is performed by the fabulous Sarah Golding, voice actor and audio producer extraordinary - you can hear Sarah Golding all over the podcasting world as a voice actor, and as the creator of MADIVA Podcast (or MODERN AUDIO DRAMA INDIE VOICE ACTING PODCAST) @QuirkyVoices DO YOU WANT...
148: Exploring: N-Town, Play 3 (Cain and Abel)
April 25, 2020 10:17 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues with Cain and Abel - and our first murder. Don't worry Cain fans, he'll be back! There are other plays featuring Cain and Abel - we've done both an explori...
147: Exploring: Lucidus and Dubius (Fragments)
April 18, 2020 07:57 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBFrom the Winchester Dialogues this is a read through and discussion of Lucidus and Dubius, written sometime in the midst of the 15th century. There's some question as to whether this is actually a performed play, but we take it on principle that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - it's a firking duck. Though there is no plot exactly, there is a relationship between the characters that develops and we had a lot more fun with this than expected. The read through is with Beyond Sha...
146: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Act 2)
April 11, 2020 11:29 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBSpoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary (Act 2) Welcome to this spoiler episode for The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's very spoilery! After the enclosed first act, act 2 starts to open up the court. There's still a lot going on, and this episode doesn't come close to covering it. We just ran out of time - again. With a plain text recording of the Act and chorus overview at the end. In the plain text: with Nemonee Stone as Graphina, Heydn ...
145: Exploring: The Disobedient Child
April 05, 2020 09:02 - 2 hours - 115 MBExploring: The Disobedient Child by Thomas Ingleand This exploring episode was recorded virtually online, as the lockdown bites around the world - other virtual episodes are available as videos on YouTube, except this one, because of a few problems with the feed which are easier fixed in audio than video. More of these will come into the podcast as we go. The Disobedient Child was printed in the 1560's, but there's a putative date of writing around 1550. It's... all a bit sad by the end, b...
144: Exploring: The Norwich Grocers' Play
March 29, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBExploring: The Norwich Grocers' Play - A and B text. We're taking a break from N-Town to look at another East Anglian play text - or texts - two differing versions of a pageant from Norwich. Sadly we can't currently find an online version of the text to follow along with - so have a hunt if you can. For contrast of other Adam and Eve plays, go to the last couple of N-Town exploring sessions or here's Chester - https://audioboom.com/posts/2449437-chester-plays-2-1-adam-and-eve (there's a p...
143: Exploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 5)
March 23, 2020 08:05 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBExploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 5) From our pre-production Exploring sessions, where we read through the text of this play for future use towards an audio/stage show. The Tragedy of Antony is a translation of Robert Garnier's play, done into English by Mary Sidney, or Mary Herbert (Countess of Pembroke), in 1592. These are recordings of various readers and actors working through Act 5, as we tried to find a route into the play. It's the first step in a journey to understand and produ...
142: Sophonisba by John Marston (Epilogue)
March 19, 2020 08:26 - 6 minutes - 6.15 MBSophonisba by John Marston (Epilogue) - Epic Epilogues Performances of the epilogue to Sophonisba by John Marston - the prologue is also available as part of a sort of Marston sandwich. The epilogue is performed (a few times) by Fiona Thraille - a British voice actor, narrator and audio producer who has worked in voiceover, podcasts, and who has narrated and produced over a dozen audiobooks through Audible. She is the founder and producer of Dashing Onions Audio - an audio drama podcast, w...
141: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Act 1)
March 16, 2020 09:16 - 1 hour - 89 MBSpoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary (Act 1) Welcome to this spoiler episode for The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's very spoilery! It's our favourite Act, it's got so much going on, and this episode doesn't come close to covering it. We just ran out of time. With a plain text recording of the Act and chorus overview at the end. In the plain text: Gillian Horgan as Mariam, Leigh McDonald as Alexandra, Pamela Flanagan as Salome, Simon Nad...
140: Notes for a Plague Year
March 14, 2020 11:46 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBDue to the arrival of plague, we're having to adjust our plans for the next couple of years. Robert Crighton outlines our plans for keeping going during this difficult year to come. The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare or for one off support go to https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare. You can follow us on Twitter @BeyondShakes or even go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
139: A Letter to the Lord Mayor (1593)
March 13, 2020 20:16 - 2 minutes - 2.7 MBA Letter from the Privy Council to the Lord Mayor and the Aldermen of the City of London from 28th January 1593 - ordering the closing of public entertainment spaces.
138: Exploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 4)
March 06, 2020 10:31 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBExploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 4) From our pre-production Exploring sessions, where we read through the text of this play for future use towards an audio/stage show. The Tragedy of Antony is a translation of Robert Garnier's play, done into English by Mary Sidney, or Mary Herbert (Countess of Pembroke), in 1592. These are recordings of various readers and actors working through Act 4, as we tried to find a route into the play. It's the first step in a journey to understand and produ...
137: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 1 and 2 (Again!)
February 27, 2020 10:13 - 1 hour - 73.8 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. The journey continues - in that we actually start all over again! We return to plays 1 and 2 as well as the relevant banns over a couple of sessions, trying to dig a little deep...
136: Sophonisba by John Marston (Prologue)
February 19, 2020 10:33 - 10 minutes - 9.57 MBWhat's Past is Prologue: Sophonisba by John Marston - a quick look at the prologue, which really is a prologue. Sophonisba opens with business. Businessy business, and people and stuff. It's an all plot prologue and it is necessary. Look at these people move. And if you're really good, there'll be the epilogue soon. In fact, if you're a patron, it's available now. A Sophonisba sandwich, if you will. The prologue is performed by the fabulous Sarah Golding, voice actor and audio producer ex...
135: The Hunting of Cupid by George Peele (Fragments)
February 14, 2020 13:19 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBThe Hunting of Cupid by George Peele (Fragments) This is not a reconstruction of this lost play, because most of the fragments are notebook scratchings by William Drummond and make almost no sense. So we've put together this tone poem that dances through the text in a fun way which we hope you'll enjoy. It's also followed by a more straightforward look at the fragments from our exploring sessions in 2019 - and you can follow along with this online version of the text https://archive.org/det...
134: Exploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 3)
February 10, 2020 08:36 - 1 hour - 79.6 MBExploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 3) From our pre-production Exploring sessions, where we read through the text of this play for future use towards an audio/stage show. The Tragedy of Antony is a translation of Robert Garnier's play, done into English by Mary Sidney, or Mary Herbert (Countess of Pembroke), in 1592. These are recordings of various readers and actors working through Act 3, as we tried to find a route into the play. It's the first step in a journey to understand and produ...
133: Exploring: Somebody and Others (Fragment)
February 06, 2020 08:20 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBExploring: Somebody and Others (Fragment) This play is called variously (because there isn't a proper title) Somebody and Others, or The Spoiling of Lady Verity, or Somebody, Avarice and Minister - dated to around 1547 to 1550 (the maximum range is from 1534 to 1562) and possibly printed around 1550 - it is apparently an adaptation of French play - which we've not seen. As with all these sessions it's probable that we've hared off on a false scent - especially regarding the nature of Minis...
132: Spoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam (Introduction/Argument)
February 03, 2020 11:54 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBSpoilers: The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary (Introduction and Argument) Welcome to this first spoiler episode to The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry by Elizabeth Cary - and it's sort of not very spoilery! It's all about backstory and what comes before the action of the play (though there are some spoilers to the play). Host Robert Crighton attempts to explain the backstory and then is joined by Pamela Flanagan (who will be playing Salome) to read through Elizabeth Cary's at...
131: Exploring: N-Town, Play 2 (Fall of Adam and Eve)
January 30, 2020 10:27 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBExploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible. We continue with Play 2, following the story of the fall of Adam and Eve. It follows on directly from the previous play with the creation of the rest of the universe - and we'll b...
130: Exploring: The Cruel Debtor (Fragment)
January 27, 2020 09:28 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBExploring: The Cruel Debtor (Fragment) - written by one of the Wagers, William or Lewis. This play survives in a couple of fragments and we may not have quite pieced it all together properly - or not put in the correct gaps - but there's a lot of fun material to play with in this big con of a play. One day we will come back, yes one day, but till then, here's a starting point for a fuller production. The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episode were Liz Cole, Mark Scanlon, and Alan Scott ...
129: A Looking Glass for London and England (Epilogue)
January 23, 2020 12:14 - 10 minutes - 9.81 MBA Looking Glass for London and England (Epilogue) - Epic Epilogues Performances of the epilogue to A Looking Glass for London and England by Robert Greene and Thomas Lodge - a sort of late style morality tale (c1589ish) to show the people of England a cautionary tale that they might learn from. The epilogue is performed (a few times) by Fiona Thraille - a British voice actor, narrator and audio producer who has worked in voiceover, podcasts, and who has narrated and produced over a dozen a...
128: Exploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 2)
January 20, 2020 19:35 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBExploring: The Tragedy of Antony (Act 2) From our pre-production Exploring sessions, where we read through the text of this play for future use towards an audio/stage show. The Tragedy of Antony is a translation of Robert Garnier's play, done into English by Mary Sidney, or Mary Herbert (Countess of Pembroke), in 1592. These are recordings of various readers and actors working through the the bulk of Act 2, as we tried to find a route into the play. It's the first step in a journey to unde...