Bonus Episode: Interview with Kent Lehnhof on Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays
Shakespeare Anyone?Show Notes
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this bonus episode, we're joined by Dr. Kent Lehnhoff to talk about his new book, Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. Together, we explore how Shakespeare uses the concept and qualities of human voice in The Tempest, Cymbeline, King Lear, Pericles, and The Winter's Tale, how he writes for and about the voice, and beyond that, how embracing the unique voice of each character (and actor) can create a more ethical, inclusive theatre. About Kent Lehnhof Kent Lehnhof earned a BA from Brigham Young University and a PhD from Duke University. He is Professor of English at Chapman University, where he specializes in early modern literature and culture, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Dr. Lehnhof has published two dozen scholarly articles, has co-edited two essay collections, and is coming out with a new book in October titled Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. In this book and in many of his articles, Dr. Lehnhof treats Shakespeare's plays like lively enactments of ethical philosophy. He believes that one of the things that makes Shakespeare's work distinctly Shakespearean is its interest in exploring what it's like to be in relation—what it's like to be tied to other people, some of whom love you, some of whom hate you, and some of whom pay you no mind at all. At present, Dr. Lehnhof is finishing a guidebook for Arden Shakespeare called Understanding Shakespeare's Plays: A Candid Companion to All the Drama. This book goes through all the play, one by one, giving an overview of each and offering insights and analysis as to what it offers. Dr. Lehnhof only has six plays left to do, which means he's getting down to the deep cuts. Timon of Athens, anyone? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Lehnhof, Kent. Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025. Print.
More from Shakespeare Anyone?
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini episode, we sit down with Katherine Steele Brokaw and Elizabeth Freestone, authors of Performing Shakespeare on an Endangered Planet, to talk about their work producing ecological Shakespeare. We discuss what it means to approach Shakespeare's plays through an ecological lens, how that thinking shapes the choices theatremakers make in rehearsal and production, and what inspired them to write a book on the subject. We also explore how Shakespeare's plays can help us engage with the environmental challenges of our own moment. About Katherine Steele Brokaw Katherine Steele Brokaw is a Professor of English at University of Texas at Austin and the Director of Shakespeare at Winedale at UT. Her work focuses primarily on the production and study of Shakespearean performance, with a special interest in how modern productions can be used to highlight ecological issues. She is the author of Staging Harmony: Music and Religious Change in Late Medieval and Early English Drama and Shakespeare and Community Performance and she is co-author, with Elizabeth Freestone, of Performing Shakespeare on an Endangered Planet. She was the co-founding artistic director of Shakespeare in Yosemite, where she adapted and directed eight productions.
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we look at the women and boys whose performances shaped the depiction of women on Shakespeare's stage. We start in Italy, discussing the real actresses of the commedia dell'arte companies who originated the "diva" archetype, and consider how their influence may have shaped the writing and performance of Shakespeare's characters like Rosalind in As You Like It. We then look at the early modern English stage, where women were barred from performing, and examine the impact of John Lyly's Galatea on the plays and playwrights of the era. Finally, we look at the documented reality of life in the Boys' Companies of Shakespeare's time, and what that history tells us about the young actors who brought these performances to life. Content warning: this episode contains brief mentions of exploitation of children. Please listen with care. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email list Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffee Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Brown, Pamela Allen. "'Cattle of This Colour': Boying the Diva in 'As You Like It.'" Early Theatre, vol. 15, no. 1, 2012, pp. 145–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43499607. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026. Tosh, Will. Straight Acting: The Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare. Sceptre, 2025.
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we sit down with Emily Jenkins, Text Practitioner for Shakespeare's Globe Higher Education and a leading Shakespeare and acting coach for stage and screen. We discuss what a text coach actually does in the rehearsal process, how she works with actors to bring Shakespeare's language to life, and how she found her way into this specialized corner of theatre. We also talk about how she decided to start sharing Shakespeare tips on social media and built a thriving community on Instagram as @ShakespearewithEmily. Last but not least, we ask her the big question: if she could teach everyone in the world one thing about Shakespeare, what would it be? About Emily Jenkins Emily Jenkins is Text Practitioner for Shakespeare's Globe Higher Education and a leading Shakespeare and acting coach for stage and screen. Since 2012 she has worked at the Globe exploring practical, text-led approaches to Shakespeare's plays with students and professionals alike. Alongside this work, Emily is multi-award-winning playwright and theatre director. She has won two Fringe First awards, and has had her work produced and performed in London's West End. She regularly posts Shakespeare tips on instagram as ShakespearewithEmily and has build a strong community of over 22 thousand followers. Emily's website includes free Shakespeare acting resources, text guides, all the plays and apocrypha, and monologue finder that allows you to search for every speech in Shakespeare: https://emilyjenkins.studio/shakespeare https://emilyjenkins.studio/guides Emily has also created a 'Foundational verse' course. In 16 online videos, Emily talks you through, step-by-step Shakespeare's most popular form of verse, iambic pentameter, the clues it gives us and how it can support you as an actor. Find out more at https://emilyjenkins.studio/learn-shakespeare. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email list Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffee Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we explore the ecology of Shakespeare's Forest of Arden and what the events of As You Like It might have meant to an early modern audience (and a certain playwright) living through real environmental and agricultural change that impacted the real Forest of Arden near Shakespeare's hometown. We look at how shifting agricultural practices in Shakespeare's England shape the play's depiction of land, labor, and pastoral life in the Forest of Arden. We then explore the play's connection to the enclosure riots of the period, and what Shakespeare's fictional forest reveals about real anxieties over land rights, common land, and rural unrest in early modern England. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email list Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffee Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Brokaw, Katherine Steele, and Elizabeth Freestone. Performing Shakespeare on an Endangered Planet. Cambridge University Press, 2025. Martin, Randall. " Land-Uses and Convertible Husbandry in As You Like It." Shakespeare and Ecology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2015, pp. 56–77. Wilson, Richard. "'Like the Old Robin Hood': 'As You Like It' and the Enclosure Riots." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 1, 1992, pp. 1–19. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2870900. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.
Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we are digging into the history of Shrovetide in early modern England. We've previously discussed Shrovetide as a possible date for the first production of As You Like It, but what did this holiday mean for the people of Shakespeare's time? We look at Shrovetide's origins as the last hurrah before the fasting and restraint of Lent to the customs that came to define it: feasting, football, cockfighting, pancakes, and festivals. We also look at where Shrovetide turns up in Shakespeare and other literature of the early modern period. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email list Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffee Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Brears, Peter C. D. Cooking and Dining in Tudor and Early Stuart England. Prospect Books, 2015. Foster, Pamela. "Shrove Tuesday and the British Pancake Tradition: From Mrs. Patmore's Kitchen to Your Table." Downton Abbey Cooks, 16 Feb. 2026, downtonabbeycooks.com/why-do-we-have-pancakes-on-shrove-tuesday/. Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press, 2011. Olney Pancake Race, Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Olney, 2026, olneypancakerace.org/. Teysko, Heather. " From Pancakes to Fasting: Shrovetide and Lent in Tudor England." History and Coffee, YouTube, 11 Feb. 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHJaT3qZy_Y. "Why Do We Eat Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?" English Heritage, 2026, www.english-heritage.org.uk/members-area/kids/kids-rule-makes-and-bakes/pancakes-shrove-tuesday/.