Not Another Shakespeare Podcast!
By James and Nora
Not Another Shakespeare Podcast!Feb 21, 2021
S3:E8 - The Banquet (At the Movies Series)
For once, a film we actually liked!! In this episode from our Shakespeare At the Movies series, we break down Feng Xiaogang’s 2006 wuxia Hamlet adaptation THE BANQUET (aka The Black Scorpion). James somehow connects this to the Loch Ness Monster, we envy Hamlet’s fancy hair bath, and there’s just a little too much incest for everyone’s comfort level. CONTENT NOTE This episode discusses the various forms of violence that are represented in the film, including sexual violence.
S3:E7 - HAMLET with Dr Emer McHugh, Part 2
We’re back with the second part of HAMLET, featuring our fantastic guest and VP of Merch Dr Emer McHugh! This time, Polonius is finally concise, the Ghost just wants to go to bed, Horatio and Hamlet somehow end up naked together (whoopsie, how did that happen??), and James gets salty about the lack of stage time for the pirates. With cameos from pelicans, sparrows, and a Danish seal. CONTENT NOTE: Hamlet and this episode discusses suicide and self harm, murder by stabbing and poison, “madness”, grief and burial (including a disrupted funeral). Dr Emer McHugh @emeramchugh is Marie Skłowdowska-Curie Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, working on the project ‘Shakespeare and the Irish Actor’. She specialises in early modern performance studies, Shakespeare and Ireland, histories of actors and acting, theatre and celebrity, gender and sexuality studies, and modern and contemporary Irish and British performance. Her monograph, Irish Shakespeares: Gender, Sexuality, and Performance in the Twenty-First Century, is forthcoming from Routledge. When not working, she’s reading, collecting vinyls, going to the cinema, or watching Frasier or Twin Peaks. Her favourite Christmas album is ‘Christmas’ (1999) by Low.
S3:E6 - HAMLET with Dr Emer McHugh, Part 1
The time has come, dear friends. We can avoid the elephant in the room no longer. It’s Hamlet time. Join us and the fabulous Dr Emer McHugh on a two-part adventure through the tortured psyche of the Prince of Denmark and his mommy issues! Along the way we’ll discuss the friendliness of your average ghost, our fave celebrity breakups, and whether that cloud really is backed like a weasel. CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses death and murder, suicidal ideation and self harm. Dr Emer McHugh is Marie Skłowdowska-Curie Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, working on the project ‘Shakespeare and the Irish Actor’. She specialises in early modern performance studies, Shakespeare and Ireland, histories of actors and acting, theatre and celebrity, gender and sexuality studies, and modern and contemporary Irish and British performance. Her monograph, Irish Shakespeares: Gender, Sexuality, and Performance in the Twenty-First Century, is forthcoming from Routledge. When not working, she’s reading, collecting vinyls, going to the cinema, or watching Frasier or Twin Peaks. Her favourite Christmas album is ‘Christmas’ (1999) by Low.
S3:E5 - Romeo & Juliet: Sealed With a Kiss (At the Movies Series)
It’s summer, and everyone wants to be at the beach — including the cast of ROMEO AND JULIET: SEALED WITH A KISS. Yes, they are actual seals. Join Nora and James as we discuss this dubious animated classic, complete with a crab band, ham-fisted segregation metaphors, a very annoying fish, and royalty-free music.
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S3:E4 - A Midsummer Nights Dream (Drunk Episode)
Fun with fairies, true love, a beautiful wedding at the end… Oh, wait, I thought we were listing stuff that’s NOT in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? My bad. Nora and James get drunk and dunk on this perennial Shakespeare in the Park fave.
CONTENT NOTE: this play includes and this episode discusses involuntary intoxication, forced marriage with death threats attached, sexual assault and violence, and racist language
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S3:E3 - All's Well That Ends Well
We are back with a brand-new episode on Shakespeare’s weird little play ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!! Today, we’re asking the important questions: Can your haemorrhoids give you a hernia? What rhymes with Nantucket? And do we really have to feel bad for Bertram? Diana, Roman goddess of rectums makes a surprise appearance in this, Shakespeare’s most morally grey comedy.
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Podcast Update!
Just a quick check in from Nora to explain where we've been.
S3:E2 - She's The Man [Twelfth Night] (At The Movies Series)
It’s time for a dubious holiday (& world cup) special, a movie that has aged like pint of ice cream, our first Shakespeare film adaptation: SHE’S THE MAN!
With apologies in advance to your early ‘aughts nostalgia, we dive into this Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum classic. As is tradition, the high school characters are played by actors clearly approaching 30, the Shakespeare appropriation is ham-fisted at best (Channers’ character is literally named “Duke Orsino.” First name Duke, last name Orsino), and the gay panic/transphobia is at an all-time high. What fun!
CONTENT NOTE: As you might expect, this episode discusses gender dysphoria, transphobia, and homophobia. We also talk about body image and weight/weight loss.
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S3:E1 - Romeo & Juliet
We kick off Season 3 with two households, both alike in dignity. That’s right friends, it’s ROMEO AND JULIET time! Follow along as we discuss Juliet’s concerning youth, Queen Mab’s nut wagon, and James’s sauce obsession.
We’re changing our release schedule to one episode per month this season, to keep the podcast sustainable. Thanks for sticking with us!
CONTENT NOTE: This play includes suicide and suicidal ideation in young people.
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(Audience Choice) Middleton Mid-Season: E2 - Women Beware Women
Our Middleton Mid-Season (finally) concludes with our fan’s choice: WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN!
Join us on this wild ride of infidelity, incest, murder, and mayhem, which of course is all the fault of the pesky women and nothing to do with the men involved. Not at all. Not even one little bit. Come for the naughty chess puns; stay for the…*checks notes*…burning gold??
Content Note: this play discusses and depicts coercive sexual encounters, incest, and misogyny typical of the period (including an “inspection” of a female character by her prospective husband. This is non-penetrative but still absolutely gross). The final banquet scene has a high body count with several murders by various means taking place in quick succession.
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(Audience Choice) Middleton Mid-Season: E1 - A Chaste Maid in Cheapside with Dr Brandi K. Adams
Hi! Did you miss us?
We’re back with a bang, as our friend Dr Brandi K. Adam’s joins us to tackle Thomas Middleton’s iconic city comedy A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE! It’s got secret marriages and escaping daughters; it’s got meat babies and Puritans; it’s got Timoetheus AND his tutor; it’s even got all the mountains in Wales! Brandi’s mastery of Latin and Nintendo baddies alike comes in very handy as we navigate this wacky romp of a play.
This marks the first of two bonus episodes - aka The Middleton Mid-Season - which were chosen in an audience poll tournament.
Brandi K. Adams is an assistant professor in the Department of English at Arizona State University and member of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Her interests include book history, history of reading, early modern English drama, and premodern critical race and gender studies. Having formerly served as an undergraduate program manager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she also researches the early history of artificial intelligence, early modern automata and how studying literature can have a significant and positive impact on computing.
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Bonus Episode 4: Birthday Party / Season 2 Wrap Up
It’s our birthday!!! Not Another Shakespeare Podcast has been podding for a whole solar orbit, so in this episode we look back on season 2, rank our favourite plays so far, and preview some exciting future developments. Shoutouts for Brad Pitt’s butt in 2004, Disney princesses, sequels that are better than the original—and of course, James’s favourite characters, the lion and the bear. And towards the end of the episode, have a little request for you, our beloved listeners…
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S2:E10 - Troilus & Cressida with Charlene V. Smith
We’re back!! After a brief hiatus, we’re returning with a bang to share our take on TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, featuring special guest Charlene V. Smith! Tune in for reminiscences about TROY (2004), bizarrely over-invested uncles, and objectively the weirdest ending in the canon.
CONTENT NOTE: This play contains depictions of sexual assault and implied coercion, as well as wartime violence.
Charlene V. Smith is an actor, director, and scholar, who has worked in the DC metropolitan area since 2006. She co-founded Brave Spirits Theatre in 2011 and became Artistic Director in 2014. Sadly, Brave Spirits was forced to close during the pandemic. But at that time, they were mid-way through a historic project to stage 8 of Shakespeare’s history plays in rep. Shakespeare’s Histories will now be released as audio recordings: https://t.co/T9BLg8YeUN
Charlene completed her BA in English & Theatre at the College of William and Mary and studied at the London Dramatic Academy. She has an MLitt & an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin College (now University) in partnership w/ the American Shakespeare Center. She has written and published in a variety of venues, both academic and public-facing — you can see them all here: https://t.co/MJ7aPJljtt And, important for our purposes, she recently taught Troilus and Cressida as part of a team-taught directing class at Mary Baldwin, so she is the perfect person to discuss this wacky play with us!
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S2:E9 - Twelfth Night, Part 2
We’re back for the second part of our holiday special, returning to TWELFTH NIGHT just in time for, well, Twelfth Night! Topsy-turvy twin shenanigans continue, with guest appearances by John Donne, the Backstreet Boys, and the Hallmark Christmas cinematic universe. Literally everyone gets married at the end. What’s more festive than that??
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S2:E8 - Twelfth Night, Part 1 (Christmas Special)
In the first part of our epic Christmas special, James rejects the play title (again), we debate the merits of meat-flavoured crisps/chips, and a barrage of festive movie references are made. How many of these people will be married by the end? Let’s be honest—probably all of them.
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S2:E7 - The Winter's Tale
Bohemian sea coasts, bad disguises, and offstage deaths, oh my! It’s THE WINTER’S TALE! In yet another case of James feeling betrayed by a play title, The Winter’s Tale is a magical story with ghosts, bears, and long-lost princesses — but it’s not set in winter. Featuring Gerard Butler and 300, and precisely how many biscuits we’d serve the Queen if she came to tea.
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S2:E6 - The Tamer Tamed
Step aside, Billy Shakes — it’s your buddy J. Fletch’s day to shine! This week we’re washing out the bad taste the Taming left in our mouths with John Fletcher’s semi-sequel THE WOMAN’S PRIZE aka THE TAMER TAMED. We detour to 80s British children’s TV stars, Bill & Ted, and Chumbawumba. Did Fletcher really do it better? Listen to find out!
Content Note: Be aware that this play (and this episode) contains discussion of rape, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence.
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S2:E5 - The Taming of the Shrew (Drunk Episode)
On today’s episode, we’re drinking wine to help us get through Shakespeare’s domestic violence comedy, The Taming of the Shrew! We detour to water voles and garden pests, James loses track of who’s who, and we test the limits of the misogynometer.
Content note: Be aware that this episode (and this play) touches on domestic / intimate partner violence, gaslighting and coercive control.
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S2:E4 - The Witch of Edmonton (Halloween Special)
“Let not the world witches or devils condemn / They follow us, and then we follow them.” Along with witches, devils, murders and Morris dancing, our spooky Halloween special features a list of James’s favourite witches, the only Dog Nora doesn’t love, a woman disguised as a boy (of course), and some casual bigamy.
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S2:E3 - Richard II with Dr Ambereen Dadabhoy
What do Mean Girls, James Bond, and baguettes all have to do with Richard II? Join James, Nora, and special guest Dr Ambereen Dadabhoy to find out! We’ve got scheming uncles, familiar castles, and improbable timelines galore in our first foray into Shakespeare’s history plays.
Ambereen is an Associate Professor of Literature at Harvey Mudd College. Her research focuses on racial and religious "otherness," in early modern English drama, particularly on plays set in the Mediterranean. She's currently working on a book on Shakespeare and Islamicate cultures, which dovetails with her interest in early modern forms of the "War on Terror." Ambereen's favourite Shakespeare play is Richard II.
Check out Ambereen’s most recent publication in the excellent Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race, edited by Ayanna Thompson. Her chapter is on ‘Barbarian Moors: Documenting Racial Formation in Early Modern England’ https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/literature/renaissance-and-early-modern-literature/cambridge-companion-shakespeare-and-race?format=PB
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S2:E2 - Measure For Measure, Part 2
We’re back for Measure for Measure, Part 2!! Join us for the epic conclusion to this deeply messed up play as we call Shakespeare out for his blatant pirate erasure, speculate on whether for fornication can occur in a garden, and invent a new superhero
Content note: Be aware that this episode (and this play) deals with sexual violence and wrongful imprisonment.
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S2:E1 - Measure For Measure, Part 1
We’re back! Season 2 kicks off with a two-part Measure for Measure episode. We’ll explore the play that Nora’s been researching for years, with a detour to the Mr Men (again), and a pitch to get Fiat to sponsor us. Is Angelo’s dick actually made of ice? Will we finally crank the misogynometer up to 11? Tune in to find out!
Content note: Be aware that this episode (and this play) deals with sexual violence and wrongful imprisonment.
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Bonus Episode 3: Season Wrap Up
In our last Summer Bonus Episode, we answer the important lingering questions from Season 1 and discuss alternate endings for the plays we’ve covered so far. Special guests include Mr Bump and Jigglypuff. We always earn our “E” tag, but this one’s explicit even for us. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
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Bonus Episode 2: Muppets Take Shakespeare with Kristen Zaza
Join James, Nora, and special guest Kristen Zaza on a journey to answer life’s most essential question: what if the Muppets did Shakespeare? That’s right! We’re playing the timeless game of casting a classic work of literature with Muppets and one human actor. Daniel Day Lewis bonds with Beaker, Ernie and Bert find true love, and Sam the Eagle steps into the role he was born to play.
Kristen Zaza is a writer, composer, performer and podcaster based in Toronto, Canada. Her award-winning solo audiodrama podcast, On a Dark, Cold Night, is currently in its second season, which Kristen writes, performs, produces, and composes music for on a weekly basis. You can listen to On a Dark, Cold Night at kristenzaza.com/podcast, or your favourite podcast app.
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Bonus Episode 1: James Takes a Shakespeare Quiz
In the first of our three summer Bonus Episodes, Nora assigns James the same Shakespeare quiz she gives her students. We cover King Charles II's feminist credentials (questionable) and Shakespeare's lifelong quest to achieve ad sponsorship from Italy. Special appearances from Boyz II Men, Will.i.am, and Celine Dion. Will we have a feminine ending? You'll have to listen to find out...
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S1:E7 - Macbeth, Part 2
In the second half of our two-part season finale, we speculate on the Freudian possibilities of Banquo’s ghost, Flandolph makes a triumphant return, and Lady Macbeth gets the lion treatment.
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S1:E6 - Macbeth, Part 1
In the first instalment of our epic, two-part season one finale, we learn that murder can sour a marriage, the witches give a two-for-one prophecy discount, Macbeth talks to his psychic penis, and James makes a surprising Tolkien connection.
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S1:E5 - Cymbeline
Nora’s favourite and arguably Shakespeare’s weirdest play takes us to Roman Britain, where we meet a crusty jumper, Jupiter calls an Uber, and for some reason all roads lead to Milford Haven. What’s a love token? You’ll wish you’d never asked…
Content Note: Be aware that this play (and this episode) contains depiction and discussions of sexual assault, suicide and self harm, and spousal abuse.
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S1:E4 - The Changeling
We pivot away from Shakespeare this week to explore a Jacobean tragedy by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. What does Diet Fanta have to do with a bed trick? WTF even is a bed trick?? How many boo ghosts will there be??? Listen to find out!
Content Note: Be aware that this play (and this episode) contains depiction and discussions of sexual harassment and assault and harmful stereotypes of mental illness and intellectual disability.
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S1:E3 - As You Like It, Part 2
We’re back in the Forest of Arden for Part 2 of our As You Like It double episode extravaganza. Join Nora & James to meet the second son of Sir Rowland, a random lion, the god Hymen (yes, really), and a very persuasive hermit. How many weddings will there be? Listen to find out!
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S1:E2 - As You Like It, Part 1
In the first part of our As You Like It double episode, James learns about the Shakespeare cinematic universe (SCU), we talk alien inspiration and Expendables spin-offs, and everyone licks some trees in the Forest of Arden.
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S1:E1 - The Merry Wives of Windsor
A weird place to start your Shakespeare podcast? Maybe! But this is the play that sparked the whole idea, so we had to give it pride of place. Follow along as James expresses astonishment at the ratio of wives to dudes in Shakespeare's Windsor, the Muppets, Bill Shatner, and Friends make surprise appearances, and we launch our signature Shakespeare rating system.
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Teaser Trailer
Introducing the podcast that takes neither itself nor Shakespeare very seriously, with your hosts James (husband and theatre skeptic) and Nora (university lecturer and early modern drama expert).