Show Notes
Hamlet is everywhere right now. But this isn't the same play you read in high school English. We meet the minds behind a singing Hamlet, The Northman's Amleth, and Pulitzer prizewinner Fat Ham's Juicy – and ponder what makes this Shakespearean tragedy speak directly to our time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Where There's a Will: Finding Shakespeare
Enjoy this episode from Play On Podcasts. The lovesick Trojan prince Troilus is so consumed by his infatuation with Cressida that he refuses to fight in the endless Trojan war with the Greeks, lamenting his woes to Cressida’s uncle, Pandarus, who serves as the go-between for the lovers. Aeneas arrives with news that Troilus’s brother, Paris, has been wounded by Menalaeus in battle, persuading Troilus to rejoin the fight. Inside the Trojan Citadel, Cressida gets the gossip from her friend Alexandra before Pandarus arrives to sing Troilus’s praises. Together, Pandarus and Cressida watch the Trojan warriors return from battle. Pandarus keeps heaping praise on Troilus as Cressida remains aloof, but once alone, she confesses she’s only playing “hard to get” in order to keep Troilus interested. Meanwhile, in the Greek encampment outside Troy, the Generals Agamemnon, Nestor and Ulysses lament that the war has dragged on for years without victory. Ulysses blames it on a breakdown of hierarchy and order brought on by Achilles’ mocking their leadership, whipping the Greeks into a frenzy of anger and frustration. The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON. Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT. The cast is as follows: BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA. Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES). The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare. Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happens when William Shakespeare walks into a Yom Kippur service? We take a deep dive into how Shakespeare informs contemporary religious practices and faith traditions, and explore one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays—host Barry Edelstein's favorite—The Winter's Tale. Its focus on the idea of wonder ties all of the Bard's plays, and this season of Where There’s a Will, together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happens when a regular person has to publicly speak Shakespeare for a wedding or funeral or bat mitzvah? Barry coaches two listeners through their moments in the spotlight, and along the way illuminates how Shakespeare’s language works. Also, we check out Shakespeare in the mouths of the baseball announcers for the San Diego Padres.
Is a Shakespeare-obsessed 15 year-old geeky, or totally cool? We meet a group of teens who’ve immersed themselves in Shakespeare to hear why they believe this writer speaks to them more clearly than any other. And we also hear about even younger kids with a very special relationship to the Bard: autistic children, who discover ways to express themselves through a writer from 400 years ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To be, or not to be President? Shakespeare is a longtime ally of America’s Commanders-in-Chief, and for good reason: there's plenty to be found in his plays about leadership and how it works. We eavesdrop in the Oval Office to hear how Shakespeare shapes the thinking and feeling of political leaders, and how they draw on him for wisdom and solace. Just don't forget to keep an eye out for Brutus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.