The State of Shakespeare

Bedlam

Othello May 19, 2026 “What’s he, then, that says I play the villain?” Few questions more clearly reveal where each of us stands in today’s deeply polarized society. Recorded on the eve of a profoundly tense moment in global geopolitics, we speak with Eric Tucker and Bedlam discussing their critically acclaimed four-person production of Othello, running through May 31 in New York City. Click here for information about Othello

Jesse Berger and McKinley Belcher III

Titus Andronicus; Act 5, Scene 1 AaronApril 29, 2026 “I have done a thousand dreadful thingsAs willingly as one would kill a fly,And nothing grieves me heartily indeedBut that I cannot do ten thousand more.”   Director Jesse Berger and actor McKinley Belcher III dish up their critically acclaimed Titus Andronicus, now in an extended run with Red Bull Theater in New York City. Together, we carve into why Shakespeare's notoriously blood-soaked tragedy serves the moment. Click here for information about Red Bull Theater Click here to follow along with the text. Click here for a Folio Version Click here for a scanned version

Timothy Douglas

As You Like It Folger TheatreApril 20, 2026 How should an actor approach Shakespeare’s language? Is the focus on rehearsing delivery, or on cultivating presence in the moment? Director Timothy Douglas credits the teachings of Tina Packer and Kristin Linklater for shaping his approach to helping actors “own” Shakespeare. His latest collaboration, As You Like It, at the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC runs through April 19. The quote we talk about in the interview: As You Like It; Act 4, Scene 1: (spoken by Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede to Jacques in Act 4, scene 1) 24. I fear you have sold your own lands to see other men's; then 25. to have seen much and to have nothing is to have rich eyes 26. and poor hands. Click here to go to the Folger Website.

Nancy Voigts

The Merry Wives of Windsor; Act 2 Scene 2 Mistress QuicklyApril 2, 2026 Which female character became such a fan favorite that Shakespeare featured her in four different plays? Award-winning actor Nancy Voigts brings this famously bawdy mischief-maker and mistress of misinformation to life in a vibrant new production of The Merry Wives of Windsor at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Click here for more information about the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here for the First Folio version of the text.

Carol Grieb

A Truant Dispostion: Hamlet and HoratioMarch 4, 2025 Is Horatio the villain?  A literary stand-in for the murderously opportunistic “friends” who stalked the halls of power in Elizabethan England?  Carol Grieb imagines a Hamlet in which Hamlet’s so-called best friend is anything but. Click here to go to the book website. Click here to purchase the book.