BONUS: ‘Caesar: The Musical’

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 following, ‘Caesar: The Musical’ is now getting an EP release featuring studio recordings of six songs from the show’s first act. Writer of the music, lyrics, and book of ‘Caesar: The Musical’ Grace Yurchuk — who also plays Brutus on the EP — joins podcast host Emily Rome in this bonus episode. The EP comes out Friday, June 19. Among the talented cast Grace assembled for this studio recording are Broadway actors Samantha Pauly (‘Six’), Savy Jackson (‘Maybe Happy Ending’), and Elizabeth Teeter (‘Beetlejuice’). Taking some inspiration from Stephen Sondheim and Lin-Manuel Miranda and ’70s rock, digging further into Brutus’s astonishing backstory than even Shakespeare goes, what it means to tell an inherently political story today, and the challenge of deciding where to end the story are all discussed in this deep dive into the making of ‘Caesar: The Musical.’ Edited by Billie-Rose Hamilton Script and interviewing by Emily Rome

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 bonus episode delves into two fresh and thrilling depictions of Anne Hathaway: the hit Broadway musical “& Juliet” and new, intimate two-person play “Muse of Fire.” Previous works imagining Shakespeare’s life have not been kind to Anne Hathaway, leaving her behind in Stratford-upon-Avon, illiterate, and often cheated on by her husband. “& Juliet” and “Muse of Fire,” meanwhile, both depict Anne and Will Shakespeare working through some marital challenges but ultimately as a couple head over heels for each other and Anne as a vivacious, strong-willed woman. Anne Hathaway is having her moment on the big screen too — this episode also features some discussion of the portrayal of Anne aka Agnes in the film and book “Hamnet.” Also discussed: what’s up with Shakespeare leaving his wife the “second-best bed” in his will, plus the new research that revealed that the real Anne Hathaway — contrary to assumptions she remained in Stratford — may have joined her playwright husband living in London. Guests on this episode: • Teal Wicks (she/her) is currently playing Anne Hathaway in “& Juliet” on Broadway, after playing the role in the first North American tour of the hit musical. Among her previous Broadway credits are the 2013 revival of the “Jekyll & Hyde” musical, “Finding Neverland,” “The Cher Show,” and “Wicked,” starring as Elphaba in 2011. • Lauren Gunderson (she/her) has repeatedly been among the most-produced playwrights in the U.S., topping the list (which excludes Shakespeare!) four times over the past decade. Her writing credits include the plays “I and You,” “Silent Sky,” the Pemberley trilogy, “A Room in the Castle,” and “The Book of Will.” Her new play “Muse of Fire” has had workshop readings at the Colorado New Play Festival and the Prague Shakespeare Company and will have its first fully staged production at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco in Fall 2026. For related articles and other links, visit shakespearesshadows.com/hathaway-learn-more [http://shakespearesshadows.com/hathaway-learn-more]

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 Award-winning Apple TV series “Dickinson,” particularly looking back at the series’ fifth episode, when Emily and her siblings host Shakespeare Club. Emily (played by Hailee Steinfeld) chooses “Othello” for the club’s latest gathering. The play ends up being a contentious choice for these young people growing up in the years approaching the American Civil War, a launchpad for “Dickinson” to explore questions of privilege and identity. Featuring interviews with “Dickinson” alums from both behind and in front of the camera, we discuss how the series’ writers packed so much into that one episode of the show, their memories from making that special episode including one fabulous montage dripping with Shakespearean Easter eggs, and why fans of Shakespeare should spend more time with Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Guests on this episode are: • Alena Smith (she/her), creator and showrunner of “Dickinson,” which was released on Apple TV from 2019 to 2021. She holds an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. Among her published plays are “The New Splendid,” “The Bad Guys,” and “Plucker.” Currently she is an executive producer and writer on FX’s upcoming limited series “Cry Wolf.” • Adrian Blake Enscoe (he/they), who plays Emily Dickinson’s brother, Austin, in “Dickinson.” Adrian was in the Broadway original cast of the musical “Swept Away.” They are a member of the folk-pop-americana trio Bandits on the Run, which released their latest EP, “The Shakespeare Tapes,” in May 2025. Also appearing in this bonus episode is poet, actor, and teaching artist Melissa Lauricella Bergstrom reading the Dickinson poem “I am afraid to own a Body,” the poem that inspired the title of the Shakespeare Club “Dickinson” episode. This episode contains explicit language and discussion of racism and slavery.

BONUS: Bandits on the Run’s ‘The Shakespeare Tapes’

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a42222bebafb5c4b355474/030017c2-95b8-45a4-9f2a-8061b70b4875/bandits-on-the-run.png?format=1000w] 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 Regina Stayhorn (she/her) — join Shakespeare’s Shadows for this bonus episode to talk about the forthcoming EP, which has one single, “Tiny Boy,” out now. Bandits on the Run originally composed the EP’s six songs for a 2022 production of As You Like It directed by Peter Andersen at Carnegie Mellon University. The band chatted with Shakespeare’s Shadows host Emily Rome about leaning into As You Like It’s themes of gender and self-discovery with this music, about performing the songs on tour, and why recording this in Nashville felt “actively defiant.” Currently Bandits on the Run are working on the stage musical adaptation of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and they will be on tour across the U.S. this summer. Among the band members’ past work: Sydney has played such roles as Lizzie Borden in the musical Lizzie and Viola in the Twelfth Night musical adaptation Illyria, Regina has performed Off-Broadway at the Secret Theatre and Lincoln Center, and Adrian starred in Broadway musical Swept Away and Apple TV+ series Dickinson.

BONUS: Lauren Gunderson & Kaja Dunn on ‘A Room in the Castle’

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a42222bebafb5c4b355474/6d3e7df6-fe8d-4b38-940b-cfb277ac2722/shakespeares-shadows-bonus-lauren-gunderson-kaja-dunn-room-in-the-castle.png?format=1000w] FEATURING AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR KAJA DUNN AND PLAYWRIGHT LAUREN GUNDERSON 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 co-production of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the Folger Shakespeare Library, A Room in the Castle is in the midst of its world premiere, onstage at the Folger through April 6. A Room in the Castle director Kaja Dunn and playwright Lauren Gunderson join Shakespeare’s Shadows for a bonus episode delving into the origins of this satisfying new play, the significance of who gets to have soliloquies, and what happens when women are labeled “mad” — plus, we also take some time to discuss Lauren Gunderson’s new adaptation of Little Women. Guests on this episode are: * Kaja Dunn (she/her), whose directing credits include previous productions at the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Old Globe, and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Her work as an intimacy professional includes productions at the Folger and A Strange Loop on Broadway. She is an associate professor at Carnegie Melon University. * Lauren Gunderson (she/her) has repeatedly been among the most-produced playwrights in the U.S., topping the list [https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/09/18/the-top-20-most-produced-playwrights-of-the-2019-20-season/] (which excludes Shakespeare!) thrice over the past decade. Her writing credits include the plays I and You, Silent Sky, The Revolutionists, the Pemberley trilogy, and The Book of Will. This episode contains brief discussion of assault, murder, and suicide ideation.