Shakespeare Unlimited podcast
William Shakespeare and his works are woven throughout our global culture, from theater, music, and films to new scholarship, education, amazing discoveries, and more. In our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, Shakespeare opens a window into topics ranging from the American West, to the real history of Elizabethan street fighting, to interviews with Shakespearean stars. As you’ll hear, he turns up in surprising places, too—including outer space. Join us for a “no limits” tour of the connections between Shakespeare, his works, and our world.
Robert O'Hara on Directing Richard III
The award-winning director tells us what it’s like to direct Shakespeare in the Park. Spoiler: It’s a whirlwind.
Publishing Shakespeare's First Folio, with Chris Laoutaris
We talk with Chris Laoutaris about his new book, an in-depth look at the First Folio, its creation, and its legacy.
Lolita Chakrabarti on Adapting Hamnet for the Stage
Lolita Chakrabarti on writing the Shakespeare family, puppet kestrels, Ira Aldridge, and adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet for the stage.
James Ijames on Fat Ham
The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright tells us about his hilarious adaptation of Hamlet.
Marion Turner on The Wife of Bath: A Biography
Marion Turner’s new book is a biography of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous character.
Patrick Page on King Lear and Shakespeare's Villains
Patrick Page tells us how he gets inside the mind of Lear in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 2023 production.
Artificial Intelligence Goes to English Class
Our panelists talk us through the challenges and opportunities that AI tools like ChatGPT present when it comes to teaching Shakespeare.
Margo Hendricks on Shakespeare, Race, and Romance
Margo Hendricks joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about her research in pre-modern race studies and her romance and mystery novels.
Lucy Wooding on Tudor England: A History
In her book Tudor England: A History, Lucy Wooding argues that to really know the Tudors, we must look past the famous names and racy plotlines.
Debra Ann Byrd on Becoming Othello
Theater-maker and past Folger Fellow Debra Ann Byrd tells us about her solo show.
Ian Smith on Black Shakespeare
Ian Smith returns to Shakespeare Unlimited and talks with Barbara Bogaev about how we can develop our “racial literacy” and read race in plays like Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and Hamlet.
Talene Monahon on Her New Revenge Comedy, Jane Anger
Talene Monahon’s play Jane Anger was inspired by the pandemic and a radical 16th-century proto-feminist pamphlet.