Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast

Reduced Shakespeare Company
  • 4.9 (123)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The world’s longest-running theatre podcast, which Broadway World calls “one of the Top 10 Podcasts for Theatre Fans!” HEAR HERE!

  1. 2D AGO

    Meet The Cratchits

    Jon Hudson Odom and Helen Jon Lee (above) reveal how they bring surprising joy to their portrayals of the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit in this year's Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. Jon and Helen share the various productions that have inspired them; how they keep the performances fresh; how their own families shape their instincts; how the Cratchits code-switch; the moving and very personal interactions they've had with audience members; the value of avoiding "toxic positivity;" the Shakespearean nature of this classic text; and the importance of scorning the kind of modern-day Scrooges who would find this kind of diversity too "woke." Also: a special appearance by Erin Allen, producer and host of the WBEZ podcast Curious City. (Length 22:52) The post Meet The Cratchits appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    23 min

  2. DEC 17

    Quarter Century Caroler

    Gregory Hirte (above) reflects on the twenty-five years (!) he's been in the Goodman Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol, and how both he and the show have changed in that time. Hirte reveals the benefits of being both an actor and a musician; the challenge of going where the work is; how he got started with Chicago's famed Piven Theatre Workshop; tales of onstage mishaps; his vote for, not the best, but the fastest Scrooge; and finally, how the beauty of the story keeps bringing back actors – and audiences – year after year. (Length 18:35) (PICTURED, above: Gregory Hirte in the 2023 Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Quarter Century Caroler appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    19 min

  3. DEC 10

    Remembering 'Little Dickens'

    Matt Croke, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor remember the creation of the RSC's second radio show The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas in 1995, and how it paved the way for the RSC's eighth stage show The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged). Matt, Reed, and Austin reveal their audio inspirations (like Firesign Theatre and 'Weird Al' Yankovic); how the new golden age of radio is called podcasts; how we failed to achieve novelty hit status with "Mrs. Santa Claus;" how we incorporated inside-baseball Ringling Brothers jokes and personal holiday memories; and how the heart the recording is its ten-minute reduction A Little Dickens: The Complete Christmas Carol (abridged); and how Austin went from playing parody Scrooge to playing the real guy for Chicago's Goodman Theatre. (Length 15:02) The post Remembering ‘Little Dickens’ appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    25 min

  4. DEC 2

    Hamnet, The Movie

    Friend of the pod Katherine Scheil is the author of Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway and the co-editor of the upcoming Palgrave Handbook of Shakespearean Biofiction, is the perfect person to talk about Chloé Zhao's film version of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel. Scheil highlights some of the differences between the novel and the film; some head-scratching marketing choices; how the novel and (especially) Jessie Buckley's performance, empower Shakespeare's wife in a way we've never seen before; and a curious similarity between Paul Mescal in Hamnet and Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest. (Length 23:21) The post Hamnet, The Movie appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    23 min

  5. NOV 26

    Farah Karim-Cooper

    Folger Shakespeare Library director Farah Karim-Cooper's new book All the World's Your Stage explores for readers of all ages the life and times of William Shakespeare through eight of his most popular plays. Dr. Karim-Cooper discusses how this was one of her hardest books to write and reveals the surprising title of her favorite Shakespeare play; the relationship between profanity and a love of language; Shakespearean mythbusting; the confessions of a Texan sailor’s daughter; the value of Shakespeare – as well as museums, arts, and humanities – beyond their “relevance;” ; how Shakespeare wrote what may be the first Black power speech; and the importance of studying Shakespeare on the stage as well as on the page. (Length 27:37) (Photo of Farah Karim-Cooper above by Henri T.) The post Farah Karim-Cooper appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    28 min

  6. NOV 19

    Malkia's Christmas Carol

    Malkia Stampley (above) is directing the Goodman Theatre's 48th annual production of A Christmas Carol (in previews now, opening Sunday, and running through New Year's Eve), and reflects how her experience in other productions, as well as her background as both a performer and a person, informs her approach to Dickens's classic tale. Malkia reveals how she's amplifying the diversity the production has had for decades by allowing characters to sound like what they look like; how the story of Ebenezer Scrooge's redemption is perhaps more important than ever; how she's shaping the show around the talents the actors bring; how the story changes because of the way the world has changed; and how the timeless story of A Christmas Carol belongs to everyone. (Length 23:45) The post Malkia’s Christmas Carol appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    24 min

  7. NOV 11

    Purple F***ing Pot

    To celebrate the start of the podcast's 20th Season, playwright and author Andrew Moorhead returns to talk about his play This Purple F***ing Pot, a new office comedy now getting a limited site-specific run off-Broadway. Andrew reveals the ah-ha moment when the play's title first came to him; how he loves the sound of characters speaking; the various inspirations that helped inform his voice (including a certain three-person vaudeville theatre company); what made him become a playwright; the dramaturgical value of archetypes; and how a day job in marketing enables you to write not only great plays, but great descriptions of your plays. (Length 22:09) The post Purple F***ing Pot appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    22 min

  8. NOV 4

    Improvised Shakespeare Company

    Chicago's Improvised Shakespeare Company celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, and founder/director Blaine Swendiscusses the company's humble origins and how it now performs regularly in Chicago and Los Angeles and tours all across America. Blaine shares performing secrets; the nature of the high-wire act of improvising in iambic pentameter; how this stuff can be learned; how several of every performance's signature moments began as an attempt to solve a technical problem; and how the audience is the key ingredient to the alchemical magic that makes each performance work. (Length 19:39) The post Improvised Shakespeare Company appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

    20 min
See All (300)

4.9
out of 5
123 Ratings

About

The world’s longest-running theatre podcast, which Broadway World calls “one of the Top 10 Podcasts for Theatre Fans!” HEAR HERE!

Information

You Might Also Like