The History Of European Theatre

Episode 167 A conversation with Kyle Thomas where we discussed the long transition period between Roman theatre and medieval theatre.  As you may remember from my episodes on the medieval theatre this is a very opaque period where details are few and far between.  In my episodes in season three of the podcast I mostly followed the view that medieval theatre grew out of parts of the church liturgy that became dramatized as very simple, short plays.  As you will hear in our conversation Kyle puts a more nuanced perspective on that and also speaks to the role of the education system of the time in that process. Links to Kyle’s projects: Ensemble Member: Stage Left Theatre [https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stagelefttheatre.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C00466e244f9b48f039ed08dd64b5d240%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638777454329570894%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hHsZc6mSJ0CWy80k7UDMKAnBdxmOETy1ivRw%2BRX%2FnN8%3D&reserved=0] Reviewer for ChicagoOnStage.com [https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagoonstage.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C00466e244f9b48f039ed08dd64b5d240%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638777454329594200%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6FjBowbPB%2B5K3pSSCL%2FQF5Zt3bxYgfM9qoFIiP2qQc0%3D&reserved=0] Chief Editor of ROMARD: Research on Medieval and Renaissance Drama [https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscholarworks.wmich.edu%2Fromard&data=05%7C02%7C%7C00466e244f9b48f039ed08dd64b5d240%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638777454329609095%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=n%2BqljjAV6zmamJPx5FGBvTszDIsS2DqNTqKwKYw24Gk%3D&reserved=0] Featured Expert on Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America (Discovery Channel) [https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.discoveryplus.com%2Fshow%2Fmysteries-of-the-abandoned-hidden-america-us&data=05%7C02%7C%7C00466e244f9b48f039ed08dd64b5d240%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638777454329623776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=CiDRTZgNhrwk5nmAbMR31aec9sbX8pvFqbpxmLS5UuY%3D&reserved=0] Lead Author of The Play About the Antichrist (Ludus de Antichristo): A Dramaturgical Analysis, Historical Commentary, and Latin Edition with a New English Verse Translation [https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa.co%2Fd%2FikJwBFb&data=05%7C02%7C%7C00466e244f9b48f039ed08dd64b5d240%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638777454329638312%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pnl0cbGRLakUf5Gj05NX6eYb6yo2KyWhdo32oyMzH6U%3D&reserved=0] Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com [http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/] www.patreon.com/thoetp [http://www.patreon.com/thoetp] www.ko-fi.com/thoetp [http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 166: As with 'Richard II' 'Henry IV part 1' handles some complex English history as it examines the relationships between the King, his son and the powerful Percy family.  After the deposition of Richard II Henry ruled for fourteen years until his death. Having ended 'Richard II' with Henry’s accession to the throne and Richard’s death in prison Shakespeare opens this play just a few years later, but with a vision of a tired king and a country dissatisfied with his rule.   The setting for the play A brief synopsis of the play The dating of the play The early performance history of the play The publication history of the play The sources for the play The balance of history and comedy The historical accuracy of the play The play as an examination of the father/son relationship The character of Hotspur as a medieval knight The portrayal of Glendower as a mystic leader The role of the aristocratic ladies Prince Hal as a new sort of leader Falstaff, ruler of his own sort of court and a king of everyman The historical figure of Sir John Oldcastle The later performance history of the play Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com [http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/] www.patreon.com/thoetp [http://www.patreon.com/thoetp] www.ko-fi.com/thoetp [http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 165 In today’s guest episode it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Darren Freebury-Jones.  Darren appeared previously to discuss his book ‘Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers’ and I asked him back on this occasion because his earlier book ‘Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd’ is now published in a paperback edition by Manchester University Press, making it a much more accessible resource for any enthusiast of early modern theatre.  In our conversation about the book Darren mentions a few points, like the detail of verse structure and characters like Robert Greene and Thomas Nashe that we discussed in more detail in our earlier encounter.  If you would like to listen to that again it is still out there on the podcast feed as episode 126, that’s season six episode thirteen. Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of the monographs: Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare’s Rival, Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd, and Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers.  He is also Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901.  He has investigated the boundaries of John Marston’s dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene, also published by Edinburgh University Press. His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, and The Independent as well as BBC Radio.  His debut poetry collection, Rambling, was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2024. In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship. Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeares-Tutor-Influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeares-Tutor-Influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] Amazon US Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-tutor-influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=sr_1_1 [https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-tutor-influence-Thomas-Kyd/dp/1526182610/ref=sr_1_1]? Manchester Universty Press link: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526182616/ [https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526182616/] Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com [http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/] www.patreon.com/thoetp [http://www.patreon.com/thoetp] www.ko-fi.com/thoetp [http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 164 Fate, as in Romeo and Juliet, plays a large part in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, as do deep seated grudges, but these are more societal than familial.  We are still in Italy, but no longer in close knit Verona, but mercantile and outward looking Venice.  As Shakespeare wrote this play London was becoming orientated around increasing global trade and English trading ships were regularly making their way to Venice as a major trading hub, so perhaps it is no surprise that Venice, with its eyes on commerce and profit, was a suitably exotic setting for this tale of greed, love and a clash of cultures.  The dating of the play The printed history of the play The sources of the play including earlier theatrical ‘Jew’ plays A brief outline of the plot The different views of the character of Shylock – stereotype or sympathetic The Jewish experience in Elizabethan London The comic elements of the play The character of Antonio Portia’s role in the play Portia’s ‘mercy’ speech The performance history of the play  Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com [http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/] www.patreon.com/thoetp [http://www.patreon.com/thoetp] www.ko-fi.com/thoetp [http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 163 My background reading while preparing the episode on Romeo and Juliet took me to many stories about and thoughts on the afterlife of the play and its continuing influence on western culture, what follows is just a few stories and thoughts that illustrate that continuing influence. Verona and Juliet’s Statue Juliet’s tomb Cibber’s Juliet Franco Zeffirelli’s film for the ‘love generation’ West Side Story Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com [http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/] www.patreon.com/thoetp [http://www.patreon.com/thoetp] www.ko-fi.com/thoetp [http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.