Show Notes
On the first of our special two part episode, Stephen Fry takes us from his isolated childhood in Norfolk and the realization that language was his ultimate superpower, to the transformative discovery of Oscar Wilde that helped him embrace his identity. This conversation was recorded live at the Shaw Festival in February 2026. Stephen Fry is an award-winning English actor, author, and playwright whose connection to the Shaw Festival includes adapting the book for Me and My Girl and creating h...
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What happens when a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright decides to take on the unexpectedly twisted world of fairy tales? Branden Jacobs-Jenkins joins us to discuss his new work at the Shaw Festival. Jacobs-Jenkins pulls back the curtain on crafting a show from scratch with a new ensemble of actors, the pure magic of spontaneous puppet design, and why storytelling remains an ancient, living art form. It is an insightful and hilarious conversation about honouring old traditi...
What happens when actors have to perform two completely different masterpieces at the exact same time? Actors Tom and Michael join host Spike to talk about pulling double duty at the Shaw Festival in Amadeus and Heartbreak House. The two share stories from their earliest acting gigs before diving into what it actually takes to bounce between two massive scripts every day. They break down the literal physical challenge of acting on a steep, slanted stage, the trick to making centuries-old lang...
On the second part of the conversation, Stephen sits down with Tim Carroll for an expansive, witty, and remarkably honest Q&A session. This conversation was recorded live at the Shaw Festival in February 2026. Stephen Fry is an award-winning English actor, author, and playwright whose connection to the Shaw Festival includes adapting the book for Me and My Girl and creating his solo trilogy Mythos, directed by Tim Carroll. A legendary figure in British pop culture from Blackadder to QI to...
What happens when a creative team strips down a complex, surrealist masterwork to its rawest essentials? Director Philip Akin and actor Sophia Walker join movement director Spike to discuss their upcoming production of Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders. The semi-autobiographical play follows a celebrated writer who returns to her alma mater, only to unravel a history of deep personal trauma and institutional racism. Philip Akin returns to the Shaw Festival to direct Ohio State Murders. He...
What happens when a creative team strips away the clutter of a turn-of-the-century classic to find its modern, urgent heartbeat? Director Tim Carroll, set and costume designer Ximena Pinilla, and composer Claudio Vena sit down with movement director Alexis Milligan to pull back the curtain on their minimalist reimagining of George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House. Tim Carroll marks his 11th season as the Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival, directing Heartbreak House, Amadeus, and A Christm...