PODCAST · arts
Shakespeare's Shadows
by Emily Rome
Weaving together interviews with actors and academics, Shakespeare’s Shadows delves into a single Shakespeare character in each episode. Perspectives from the worlds of academia, theater, and film together shape explorations of the Bard’s shadows, his imitations of life — pretty darn good imitations, ones that reveal enough of ourselves that we’re still talking about them four centuries later.
Episodes
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BONUS: ‘Caesar: The Musical’
Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ has only two female characters, but in a new musical adaptation of the iconic play, a cast of women take on the roles of the men who were there at the fall of the Roman Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire. In the works since 2024 with a growing online…
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BONUS: Anne Hathaway — reimagining Shakespeare’s wife
Anne Hathaway was married to William Shakespeare for nearly 34 years, until his death in 1616. What was she like? What kind of relationship did she have with her famous husband? That’s been largely left a mystery to historians — but a delicious mystery for creators of fiction to play with. This...
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BONUS: ‘Dickinson’ — Shakespeare Club in the Apple TV series
William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson — both are frequently declared to be among the very best writers in the English language. And now, for Dickinson’s 195th birthday, the time has come to delve into both iconic poets on Shakespeare’s Shadows. This bonus episode spotlights the Peabody...
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BONUS: Bandits on the Run’s ‘The Shakespeare Tapes’
Shakespeare’s words from "As You Like It" and "Twelfth Night" get a catchy, folkish musical treatment on "The Shakespeare Tapes," a new EP by folk-pop-americana trio Bandits on the Run. The Brooklyn-based group’s three band members — Adrian Blake Enscoe (he/they), Sydney Shepherd (she/her), and...
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BONUS: Lauren Gunderson & Kaja Dunn on ‘A Room in the Castle’
What does it take for a woman to survive in Elsinore? What would Ophelia and Gertrude tell us — if only they got anywhere close to the number of lines Shakespeare gives Hamlet? This and more is explored in new play "A Room in the Castle," which gives the women of Hamlet their time to shine. A...
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Duke Senior & Duke Frederick
"As You Like It" is often remembered for being a rom-com, but it’s also a family drama. Duke Senior (Rosalind’s father) is usurped by his brother Duke Frederick. One brother rules at court while the exiled brother builds a new life in the Forest of Arden. In this episode — about not just one but...
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Portia
In "The Merchant of Venice," Portia is remarkable for her cleverness and the power she holds, and she’s ostensibly a hero of this story. But her journey is entwined with that of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender whose mistreatment makes "Merchant of Venice" a deeply troubling play. In this episode,...
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BONUS: Long Beach Playhouse's 'Hamlet'
Roberto Williams is one of five actors together playing the title character in Long Beach Playhouse’s current production of "Hamlet". One actor plays what’s called the core Hamlet, and the others play four parts of Hamlet’s psyche: wisdom, innocence, justice, and vengeance — Roberto plays the...
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BONUS: Punchdrunk & Emursive’s ‘Sleep No More’
"Sleep No More," the immersive, one-of-a-kind adaptation of "Macbeth," is in the spotlight in the first-ever bonus episode of Shakespeare’s Shadows. Co-produced by Punchdrunk and Emursive Productions, "Sleep No More" is a promenade-style performance that invites the audience members to freely...
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The Dauphin
In “Henry V,” King Henry gets a new foil: the French Dauphin, the heir apparent in France, England’s rival. In the conflict that culminates in the Battle of Agincourt, Shakespeare depicts the English with layers and complexity and ultimately with a great deal of nobility. Meanwhile, the French…
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Caliban
featuring interviews with actor Michael Blake, Pilobolus choreographers Matt Kent and Renée Jaworski, and SUNY New Paltz professor Matthieu Chapman A Shakespeare play that can be at turns heartwarming and troubling, “The Tempest” features two major characters who don’t look like the humans around...
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Romeo
featuring interviews with actor Bally Gill and University of the Pacific professor Courtney Lehmann One half of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers is in the spotlight in this episode, which explores how this character goes from bad poet to good poet, what it takes to deliver an authentic and...
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Petruchio
featuring interviews with actors Patrice Jean-Baptiste and Simon Paisley Day and Gonzaga University professor Heather Easterling One of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays, “The Taming of the Shrew,” gets put under the microscope in this episode as we examine the character Petruchio, the man…
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Puck
A spirit of mischief, transformation, and imagination, Puck aka Robin Goodfellow darts around "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" provoking chaos and confusion when a couple groups of humans wander into a forest populated by magical beings. Discussed in this episode is Puck’s relationship to Oberon,...
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Iago
One of Shakespeare’s most notorious and chilling villains, "Othello" character Iago, is in the spotlight in the second episode of season 2. This character has inspired debate for centuries, and this episodes’ guests — who, at times, have totally different takes on Iago — suggest that the debate...
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Juliet
The podcast relaunches with an episode all about Shakespeare’s first tragic heroine. This season 2 premiere explores what makes Juliet extraordinary: she’s brave, playful, confident, and resourceful — all at age 13. Also discussed: Romeo and Juliet’s popularity among Latinx theater-makers…
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Mercutio - Episode 11
In "Romeo and Juliet," Mercutio becomes the tipping point that turns this tale of two star-crossed lovers from a romantic comedy to a tragedy. Episode 11 delves into what kind of friend Mercutio is to Romeo, various approaches to his famed Queen Mab speech, imaginings of Mercutio’s own romantic...
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Ariel - Episode 10
Ariel, the sprite who serves Prospero in “The Tempest” is the first non-human character featured on Shakespeare’s Shadows. Dr. Brinda Charry — an English professor at Keene State College — and Mark Quartley — currently playing Ariel for the Royal Shakespeare Company — discuss Ariel’s complicated...
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Cordelia - Episode 9
For a character that doesn’t appear onstage for much of the play, there is a lot to unpack with Cordelia, and she has a major impact on the journey of her father, the title character of “King Lear.” In this episode, UCSB professor Jim Kearney returns to the podcast, and Erika Soto shares her...
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Ophelia - Episode 8
The most recognizable image of perhaps any Shakespeare heroine is Ophelia drowning — Gertrude’s description of Ophelia “mermaid-like” in the brook has inspired numerous painters. But her untimely death is not her full story. In this episode, we discuss the young woman tangled up in Hamlet’s drama...
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Rosalind - Episode 7
With more lines than any other female character in Shakespeare’s canon, Rosalind stands apart. Both a romantic and a cynic when it comes to love, she chooses her own husband and launches discourse with him negotiating their domestic life — near-unheard of for a noblewoman in her time of arranged...
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Malvolio - Episode 6
“Twelfth Night” is a comedy, so it calls for a happy ending — but not all of the play’s characters get a wedding and a ride off into the Illyrian sunset. Amid all the the farce and revelry of “Twelfth Night,” Malvolio’s story is a darker one. Featuring interviews with Amin El Gamal (“Prison…
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Richard II - Episode 5
In episode 5, Richard II is in the spotlight — right where he likes to be. This is the diva king who loves to hear himself talk but is tragically lacking leadership skills beyond his talents as an orator. Shakespeare’s late 1590s play about the king usurped 200 years prior raises compelling...
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Hermione - Episode 4
Hermione is a rarity among Shakespeare’s characters: She’s mother of young children. This queen at the center of “The Winter’s Tale” gets put through the wringer before she can be reunited with her daughter. In this episode, LMU professor Theresia de Vroom and Amy Kim Waschke — who played…
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Henry IV - Episode 3
Henry IV: Actor Harry Lennix and UCSB professor Jim Kearney delve into Henry IV’s fraught relationship with his son (the future King Henry V), his anxieties over creating a legitimate rule after forcefully taking the crown, and the prophecy that keeps him believing he’s destined to fight a holy…
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Viola - Episode 2
Twelfth Night’s Viola: The real reason for this Shakespeare heroine’s disguise as a young man, the nuances of a tricky love triangle, and Viola’s curious silence at the end of Act 5 are all discussed with this episode’s guests — actors Sara Bruner and Lisa Wolpe and University of Southern...
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Lear - Episode 1
King Lear: This episode’s guests — actors Fran Kranz and John Slade and University of California, Irvine professor Julia Lupton — discuss Lear’s descent into madness, varying interpretations of a pivotal moment with his daughter Cordelia, and where there may be optimism within the arc of one of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Weaving together interviews with actors and academics, Shakespeare’s Shadows delves into a single Shakespeare character in each episode. Perspectives from the worlds of academia, theater, and film together shape explorations of the Bard’s shadows, his imitations of life — pretty darn good imitations, ones that reveal enough of ourselves that we’re still talking about them four centuries later.
HOSTED BY
Emily Rome
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Shakespeare's Shadows have?
Shakespeare's Shadows currently has 28 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Shakespeare's Shadows about?
Weaving together interviews with actors and academics, Shakespeare’s Shadows delves into a single Shakespeare character in each episode. Perspectives from the worlds of academia, theater, and film together shape explorations of the Bard’s shadows, his imitations of life — pretty darn good...
How often does Shakespeare's Shadows release new episodes?
Shakespeare's Shadows has 28 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Shakespeare's Shadows?
You can listen to Shakespeare's Shadows on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Shakespeare's Shadows?
Shakespeare's Shadows is created and hosted by Emily Rome.
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