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.
Shakespeare and the Bloomsbury Group, with Marjorie Garber
Marjorie Garber explores Shakespeare’s influence on Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group.
Patrick Stewart on a Life Shaped by Shakespeare
We talk to Sir Patrick Stewart about his Yorkshire youth, auditioning for the RSC, and his most famous roles on the stage and screen.
Michael Patrick Thornton on Learning to Breathe Again with Shakespeare
Michael Patrick Thornton joins us on the podcast to talk about his experiences navigating the theater world in a wheelchair after recovering from a spinal stroke.
The Many Lives of John Donne, with Katherine Rundell
From hotshot poet to penniless prisoner to rock star preacher, the extraordinary life—or should we say lives?—of John Donne.
Shakespeare and the Ocean, with Steve Mentz
Steve Mentz’s books connect literary criticism with marine ecology. He takes us on a deep dive into Shakespeare and the sea.
Farah Karim-Cooper on The Great White Bard
Can we love Shakespeare and be antiracist? Farah Karim-Cooper’s new book explores the language of race and difference in plays such as Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, and The Tempest.
Isabella Hammad on Enter Ghost
A Palestinian production of Hamlet in the West Bank is the backdrop for Isabella Hammad’s new novel, Enter Ghost.
Mat Osman's The Ghost Theatre Imagines the Lives of Elizabethan London's Child Actors
The novelist and Suede bass player takes us flying over the rooftops of Elizabethan London and down into the gritty lives of its child actors.
Adrian Lester on Playing Rosalind, Henry V, Othello, and Hamlet
Actor Adrian Lester walks us through big moments in his illustrious career, including Cheek by Jowl’s all-male “As You Like It” and Peter Brook’s “Hamlet.”
Greg Doran on Forty Years of Directing Shakespeare
The former Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director talks about First Folios, a disastrous performance of Romeo and Juliet, and his partnership with the late Antony Sher.
David West Read on & Juliet
Hit musical & Juliet combines Romeo and Juliet with the songs of pop hitmaker Max Martin. Its writer, Schitt’s Creek writer and executive producer David West Read, tells us about how the idea came to him while he was concussed.
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.