Miss Charlotte's Finishing School for Wayward Readers

Yokohama Theatre Group
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In Miss Charlotte's Finishing School for Wayward Readers, four readers choose a piece of Victorian-era literature and respond to it together, a few chapters at a time. Their guide on this journey is the titular Miss Charlotte Sampson, an expert on Victorian Lit. As they discuss the book in a thorough but irreverent manner, the readers compete for points to see who will be the Teacher's Pet and who will be the Class Dunce again.

  1. 06/18/2020

    S1 E3 – Code Shifting or Feathered Beaver – Chapters 7 – 9

    The podcast is theoretically released on Fridays, 0:01, Japanese Standard Time, except when it's not. We try. I promise. Note: we swear a bunch. This week, we discuss Chapters 7 to 9 of Wuthering Heights. We cover Catherine's feathered beaver, her efforts at code shifting, and we dig a little into late 18th century fashion. For this week's reader report, Emi has prepared a rap, and she enlists her roommate to beatbox for her because the rest of us are terrible (and the delay on the Zoom call makes it pretty much impossible). Daniel sings the hook. As always, we do the Cathartic Pop Quiz, and a new Teacher's Pet and Class Dunce are crowned. Stay tuned at the end for a couple of outtakes and a special bonus track! Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group.Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and PodcasterEmi Do, World-changer and marathon runnerJuri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. Miss Charlotte's Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. Want to be a reader for season 2? Use our contact form and get in touch! Below you can find the fashion image we discuss (you may have to view these notes in a web browser in order to see them): You can also check out the addendum of this episode, which includes the pamphlet announcing England's first public lottery at https://waywardreaders.com/season-1-episode-2-addendum/ .

  2. 07/24/2020

    S1 E1 – Pious Ejaculations – Chapters 1 – 3

    The podcast is released on Fridays, 0:01, Japanese Standard Time Note: we swear a bunch. In Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers, four readers choose a piece of Victorian-era literature and read it together, guided by our schoolmarm Charlotte Sampson. As we discuss the book in a deep but irreverent manner, we compete for points to see who will be the Teacher’s Pet and who will be the Class Dunce. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Our theme music was written by Akihiro Akane. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. Our first book is Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, and in this episode we break down Chapters 1 – 3. Miss Charlotte will provide an introduction to the world of Wuthering Heights and the Brontë family; Andrew will present the first “Reader Response” in the form of a set of dialogues and the group will talk about the strange characters; Miss Charlotte will run the first “Cathartic Pop Quiz”; and the first Teacher’s Pet and Class Dunce will be crowned. This was actually our second try at episode 1, and we’re still working the kinks out of the format, so bear with us. Also, we had a few audio issues that were discovered after the fact, so you’ll notice a few drops in quality near the end of the podcast. This is what happens when you’re trying to get five people to record together from their houses with varying levels of experience with the equipment and software. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button.

  3. 07/30/2020

    S1 E2 – Double Framed – Chapters 4 – 6

    The podcast is released on Fridays, 0:01, Japanese Standard Time Note: we swear a bunch. This week, we discuss Chapters 4 – 6 of Wuthering Heights. We cover dogs, and Nelly Dean, and a little bit about Patrick Brontë, Emily’s father.  Juri presents this week’s reader report (a diorama! see photos below!). As always, we do the Cathartic Pop Quiz, and a new Teacher’s Pet and Class Dunce are crowned. Also, stay tuned at the end for a couple of outtakes. Like them? Let us know and we’ll stick one or two at the end of each episode. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Our theme music was written by Akihiro Akane. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. Want to be a reader for season 2? Use our contact form and get in touch! Juri’s Diorama

  4. 08/21/2020

    S1 E4 – I Would Do Anything for Love But I Won’t Do That – Chapters 10 – 12

    Miss Charlotte's Finishing School for Wayward Readers

  5. 08/30/2020

    S1 E5 – What? No Room Service?

    Okay, I’m going to stop saying that we release at 0:01 Fridays, Japan time, because realistically, it’s not going to happen. In fact, this episode would not have made it to release until the end of September if Joan Chen hadn’t agreed to take over editing duties from me. So, thanks for your patience. You can expect weekly episodes, but just not maybe on a strict schedule until Season 2, which will undoubtedly (doubtedly) benefit from better planning. Also, we swear a bunch. As usual. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 12 – 15 of Wuthering Heights. Andrew gives his report in the form of a religious sermon (delivered by an idiot), Andrew threatens to burn Daniel’s house down during a disagreement on Heathcliff’s relative culpability in the mess that is his relationship with Cathy, and we learn the significance of Heathcliff being “found” in Liverpool particularly. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group.Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and PodcasterEmi Do, World-changer and marathon runnerJuri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. The podcast is edited by Joan Chen. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch! Image below: the comb of Emily Brontë as mentioned in the podcast.

  6. 10/03/2020

    S1 E6 – The Faerie Cave and 20 Other Queer Places

    Thanks for your patience over our haitus, and over the fact that we’re again releasing a few days late. Yes, you can expect weekly episodes, but just not maybe on a strict schedule until Season 2, which will undoubtedly (doubtedly) benefit from better planning. Annnnddddd, be aware that we swear a bunch. What else is new? In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 16 – 19 of Wuthering Heights. Juri gives the report this week, Andrew forgets to raise his hand, Daniel makes more references to 80s newspaper comic strips, and Emi falls asleep. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. The podcast is edited by Andrew Woolner. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch!

  7. 10/09/2020

    S1 E7 – Kissin’ Cousins – Chapters 20 – 23

    Still no regular schedule, but Joan Chen will be back next week to edit, so with any luck, this podcast will drop on time for once! Please take note that we swear in this podcast: particularly in this episode. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 20 – 23 of Wuthering Heights. Miss Charlotte makes a case for maybe Heathcliff not being quite as evil as we’re led to believe, Emi tells a campfire ghost story, and Andrew gets John Bunyon mixed up with Paul Bunyon (should be a good chuckle for those of you who are fans of The Pilgrim’s Progress). Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. The podcast is edited by Andrew Woolner. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch!

  8. 10/22/2020

    S1 E8 – Steppin’ Out – Chapters 24 – 26

    Okay, we’re officially going bi-weekly on releases until we have some way of cutting down editing time (or adding a dedicated editor). Thanks for being understanding. Please take note that we swear in this podcast. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 24 – 26 of Wuthering Heights. We learn about Emily’s time in Brussels; Daniel presents us with some celebrity impressions– although his definition of “celebrity” is different than ours; and Andrew presents the Wuthering Heights version of the “Jar Jar Binks was a Sith lord” theory, which leads us to ponder the lightsaber skills of Lockwood. The image for this episode is from the plaque erected on the boarding school that Emily and Charlotte briefly attended in Brussels. Below is a street map that shows the location of the school. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. The podcast is edited by Joan Chen. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch!

  9. 11/06/2020

    S1 E9 – Decomposition – Chapters 27 to 29

    Please take note that we swear in this podcast. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 27 – 29 of Wuthering Heights. Emi does her very best to do an infomercial, and we don’t know how it went because we’re all focused on her weird accent work; the readers argue over how long it takes a body to decompose under various circumstances; and Miss Charlotte reveals to us that Wuthering Heights is only the SECOND MOST depressing Victorian novel (listen to discover the first most depressing novel). Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. The podcast is edited this week by Andrew Woolner. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch!

  10. 11/20/2020

    S1 E10 – Shoot Off Your Mouth, Not Your Arm – Chapters 30 to 32

    Ugh. If your podcast app auto-downloaded this episode when it dropped, you may want to delete it and re-download. There was a glitch with the first version of the file that was pretty annoying and cut out words here and there. Please take note that we swear in this podcast. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 30 – 32 of Wuthering Heights. Emi calls in from a hostel in Toyama, after cycling around 400 kilometers in two days to get there, so you may notice a perceptible drop in her audio quality. In this episode, we talk about beauty contests in Gimmerton, Joseph’s accent, and Lockwood devestatin’ the moors! Woo-hoo! Babes and brewskies! (Not quite.) More seriously, we do a deep dive into parallels between Beauty and the Beast and these chapters of Wuthering Heights. Also stay tuned for the outtakes at the end this week: they include strange noises that Emi was making in Toyama. Another note: Juri had to drop out of the recording before the cathartic pop quiz. That’s why she’s missing by the end of the episode. Our wayward readers are: Andrew Woolner, Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Daniel Wishes, Puppeteer and Podcaster Emi Do, World-changer and marathon runner Juri Ito, Assistant Artistic Director of the Yokohama Theatre Group. Akihiro Akane wrote our theme song. You can find out more about him and his work at https://www.instagram.com/ardenaki/ and https://ardenaki.com/. Andrew wrote the words. Special guest Northern accent David Sagar. The podcast is edited this week by Andrew Woolner. Miss Charlotte’s Finishing School for Wayward Readers is an audio production of the Yokohama Theatre Group, or YTG, a non-profit theatre company based in Japan. If you want to support the theatrical work we do, you can head over to ytg.jp and click the support button. P.S. Do you want to join us as a Wayward Reader for our second season? If you think you have what it takes, head over to our contact page and get in touch! LINKS Translations for some of Joseph’s dialogue: https://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/wh/josephs-speech.php CITATIONS Williams, Anne. “Natural Supernaturalism in ‘Wuthering Heights.’” Studies in Philology, vol. 82, no. 1, 1985, pp. 104–127.

  11. 02/05/2021

    S1 E11 – It Is A Poor Conclusion, Is It Not? – Chapters 33 and 34

    Please take note that we swear in this podcast. In this week’s episode, we discuss Chapters 33 and 34 of Wuthering Heights, bringing Emily Brontë’s bleak saga to a close. Andrew paints an idyllic picture of the far-flung future in his reader response, using the most obnoxious sound effect possible. We also have a fun conversation about the cycle of abuse, because Wuthering Heights is depressing to the very end. Miss Charlotte tells us what 19th-century readers REALLY thought of Wuthering Heights, and we discuss Linton Heathcliff’s dirty little secret. Also featured: shrub discourse, Daniel’s obsession with porridge, and the phrase “brain lips.” THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE! This episode, for no reason, was the hardest to produce so far. Three different editors, malfunctioning software, weird noise issues on the audio tracks, Andrew being buried in producing a show… you name it. Episode 12 has already had a first pass of editing, and we plan to release it and episode 13 over the next two weeks. (In that time, we also plan to start recording Semester 2, with an all-new book and group of readers, so stay tuned.) Citations Joudrey, Thomas J. “‘Well, We Must Be for Ourselves in the Long Run’: Selfishness and Sociality in Wuthering Heights.” Nineteenth-Century Literature, vol. 70, no. 2, 2015, pp. 165–193.

  12. 02/15/2021

    S1 E12 – The End of the Beginning – Candid Review & Final Grades

    Please take note that we swear in this podcast. We’ve finished the novel, but like the ghost of a lover haunting the moors of Yorkshire, the torture and pain of the experience lingers on! In this week’s episode, the class lets loose and gives Wuthering Heights a piece of their minds in their final candid review. Juri demonstrates the value of doing one’s homework, Emi demonstrates the pitfalls of improvising one’s homework on the spot, Andrew demonstrates the futility of doing one’s homework in a way Miss Charlotte likes slightly less, and Daniel demonstrates his love for Judy Blume’s literary oeuvre in lieu of doing his homework. Also featured: the final point tally, and the big reveal of the much-anticipated prize for the top student in the class. Citations Fish, Stanley. Is There a Text in This Class? The Authority of Interpretive Communities. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1980. ERRATA: Miss Charlotte has confirmed with Thomas Joudry, whose article appeared in Episode 11, that his last name is indeed pronounced “Joe-dree.”

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In Miss Charlotte's Finishing School for Wayward Readers, four readers choose a piece of Victorian-era literature and respond to it together, a few chapters at a time. Their guide on this journey is the titular Miss Charlotte Sampson, an expert on Victorian Lit. As they discuss the book in a thorough but irreverent manner, the readers compete for points to see who will be the Teacher's Pet and who will be the Class Dunce again.

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