The State of Shakespeare

The State of Shakespeare
  • 5.0 (16)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Great Interviews with Great Artists. We’re talking Shakespeare.

  1. NOV 10

    Saul Rubinek

    The Merchant of Venice; Act 3, Scene 1 ShylockNovember 10, 2025 The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.” Actor and storyteller Saul Rubinek takes us inside his one-man show Playing Shylock, now on stage at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in New York City. Rubinek explores Shylock’s confounding genesis and reveals why one of Shakespeare’s so-called “minor” roles continues to be one of the most groundbreaking, misunderstood and controversial characters in theater history. Click here to see the Folio Version. Click here for a Modern Version of the Text. Click here for more information about Playing Shylock. Click here for Saul's book, All in the Telling. Click here for a transcript of "The Stranger's Case" by Thomas More.

    51 min

  2. OCT 22

    Terry Knickerbocker

    Measure for Measure; Act 2, Scene 4 AngeloOctober 20, 2025 If the goal is to be a working actor, is training optional? Terry Knickerbocker offers his perspective on the purpose of actor training. And in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, we confront a timeless dilemma: is it better to perish for the sake of principle, or debase yourself and survive? Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to see the Folio Version. Click here for a scanned version of the text.

    40 min

  3. SEP 2

    Bonnie J. Monte and Isaac Hickox-Young

    Romeo & Juliet; Act 1, Scene 4 RomeoSeptember 3, 2025 From forth the fatal loins of civil strife springs a bold new Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey presents this re-envisioned classic, starring Isaac Hickox-Young and directed by Bonnie J. Monte. Is it love, lust, or something more sinister that propels the star-crossed lovers to their untimely end? Romeo and Juliet runs from September 10th to October 5th at the Shakespeare Theater of NJ. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to see the Folio Version. Click here for a scanned version of the text. Click here for information about Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey.

    35 min

  4. AUG 5

    Tracy Michelle Arnold

    King John; Act 3, Scene 1 ConstanceAugust 5, 2025 Words, words, words. A love of words makes Tracy Michelle Arnold the perfect candidate to run the Language Project at American Player's Theater. With the focus on language, words, syntax, punctuation, Arnold is the perfect guest for the State of Shakespeare. The Language Project is the latest innovation that this gem of theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin has brought us. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to see the Folio Version. Click here for a scanned version of the text. Click here for information about American Players Theater and The Language Project.

    36 min

  5. JUN 18

    Mei Ann Teo

    Twelfth Night Folger TheaterJune 18, 2025 “Most wonderful!” Olivia’s (ahem) climactic outburst isn’t just a line, it’s the line that catches the spirit of director Mei Ann Teo’s current production of Twelfth Night at the Folger Theatre. Teo, who also serves as Artistic Leader at Ping Chong and Company, teases how to treat Shakespeare’s classic as if it’s a new love (er… play.) Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to see the Folio Version. Click here for information about Twelfth Night and the Folger Theater https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/twelfth-night

    36 min

  6. MAY 29

    Gideon Rappaport

    Shakespeare, Appreciated Hamlet; Act 5, Scene 2May 29, 2025 Gideon Rappaport, author of Appreciating Shakespeare, has released a newly annotated edition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Can modern readers and actors truly grasp Shakespeare’s work as he intended? Rappaport believes they not only can, but they must. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to see the Folio Version. Gideon's Media Connections: Appreciating Shakespeare Shakespeare's Real Take Gideon's podcast

    34 min

  7. APR 1

    Derek Hunter

    Anonymous Agnostic Antichrists March 31, 2025 The Authorship Question may ebb and flow in popularity, but the mystery behind the origins of the Bard’s works remains endlessly intriguing. What better way to explore the rich world of Shakespeare’s contemporaries than by investigating who might have truly penned the plays? Our guest, author Derek Hunter, has spent over thirty years pursuing the possibilities. His tetralogy, Anonymous Agnostic Antichrists, presents four compelling theories. Amazon: Anonymouse Agnostic Antichrists

    22 min

  8. FEB 24

    Drew Lichtenberg

    Shakespeare in the U.S.February 24, 2025 As the Artistic Producer and Dramaturg at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., Drew Lichtenberg has a front-row seat to the unfolding drama at one of the globe's most powerful artistic and political nexuses. In a recent essay for The New York Times, he shared hard truths about the state of Shakespeare in contemporary America. Over the past half-decade, the number of Shakespeare productions has declined steeply. What might be driving this trend, and is it likely to change? New York TImes: Who's Afraid of William Shakespeare New York TImes: Cancel Shakespeare Shakespeare in the Theatre: Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    41 min
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Great Interviews with Great Artists. We’re talking Shakespeare.

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