The History Of European Theatre

Episode 209: After the failure of ‘Sejanus His Fall’ Jonson’s next play was a collaboration with John Marston and George Chapman, a new play for the Blackfriars’s theatre and it’s resident company of boy actors.  Jonson maybe needed the collaboration to restore his confidence in his writing, although from what we know of his character perhaps more likely it was the hope of a decent payday that spurred him on.  Returning to comedy must have been part of the attraction.  Whatever the case the three playwrights managed to produce a comedy that was funny, thoughtful, moralistic and yet still controversial.  The exact reasons for that controversy and the strength of reaction to the play from king James is now obscure to us, but at the time nearly cost the playwrights not only their liberty, but their ears as well.The three authors of the play – who wrote what?The first performance and printing of the playA synopsis of the plotThe play as a response to ‘Westward Ho!’The PrologueThe comparison of good and bad work ethicsThe child acting companies and how their plays were receivedCombining three types of play on ‘Eastward Ho’The city comedyThe citizen comedyThe morality taleThree journeys in the play            The voyage to Virginia            Gertrude’s journey            Golding’s rise in the cityReference to the Roanoke settlement and the view of the New WorldThe fate of the adventurers after the shipwreckThe influence of the city of London and alchemyThe pairing of characters for dramatic effectThe theatrical nature of the play and Quicksilver’s redemptionThe consequences of the play for the playwrightsThe later performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 207:It was just about this time last year I talked to Roberta Barker about her work on the boy actors of the Elizabethan period and she mentioned at the time that she was then working on a new edition of ‘Measure for Measure’ for Cambridge University Press and I’m pleased to say that she agreed to carve some time out of her busy schedule to discuss the play with us today.  Having been immersed in the play for a long time there is no one better placed at the moment than Roberta to discuss the play so I was particularly pleased when she agreed to come back onto the podcast at this point.Roberta Barker is a member of the Joint Faculty of King’s College, London, where she is Professor of Theatre teaching in the Foundation Year and Early Modern Studies programs, and Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia, where she teaches Theatre in the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Her research interests centre upon the relationship between performance and the social construction of identity and has explored such topics as the representation of gender and class in early modern tragedy, the early modern careers and modern afterlives of Shakespeare’s boy players, and the role played by the performance of illness on the nineteenth-century stage in the evolution of realist style.  She is also a theatre and opera director.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyoneI’m interrupting your day for a small announcement about the podcast.  If you have listened to any episodes recently you will have noticed that advertisements are now playing at the start, middle and end each episode.  Placing advertisements in the podcast is a way of helping to recoup the costs of putting the podcast out for free, which is why I took the plunge and decided to go down this path.  For those of you who support the podcast on Patreon on either of the paid levels of membership from next Monday’s episode I will be adding all new episodes without adverts to your Patreon feed, so that you can listen to them there.  The episode that comes out on a Monday morning UK time will be released on Patreon on the Sunday before.  For those of you on the top tier membership on Patreon these episodes will come on the same feed from which you currently get the extra episodes, so no need for you to make any changes.If you are currently not a supporter on Patreon and you like the uninterrupted podcast experience, then now would be a great time to join us there and it will only cost you £1 a month.  If you want to investigate that, or joining at the higher membership level and receiving two additional theatre related audio podcasts a month for an even deeper dive into theatre history then follow the link in the show notes or just go to patreon.com and search for ‘the history of European theatre’.A bit thank-you to everyone who already supports the podcast on Patreon and also thanks to all of you who listen every week as we make our way through the long history of theatre.As ever if you want to contact me about this change, or anything to do with the podcast you can reach me by email at thoetp@gmail.com, or through the website where you can leave me a voice message by clicking on the microphone icon or you can write to me on the contact page.  That’s all at www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comLink: www.patreon.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 207 Whereas the larger-than-life characters in ‘Othello’ left us with no moral ambiguities, but plenty of questions about the nature of the outsider and society’s attitude towards those who are different.  Shakespeare’s next offering, ‘Measure for Measure’ was a very different piece with few of those certainties.The dating and earliest performance of the playThe early print history of the playChanges made by Thomas MiddletonThe source material for the playA brief synopsis of the playComedy of Tragicomedy?Issues with the structure of the playJustice and mercyThe premise of the play examinedHow the characters avoid easy categorisationThe role of the dukeThe role of IsabellaThe role of AngeloThe role of LucioThe ending of the play and Isabella’s response to the dukeThe mixed critical response to the playThe later performance history of the playMeasure for Measure on filmSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 206Last time I discussed the dating and sources for Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Othello’, the early performance history, and some points about the structure and poetry in the play.  Then I took you through the first part of the play, up to the point where Iago had managed to sow seeds of doubt into Othello’s mind about the constancy of women and get his professional rival Michael Cassio so drunk and fired up that he got involved in a brawl with the town governor and is demoted.  In doing so I looked at the characters of Iago, Brabantio and Cassio, so on this occasion listening to that episode is essential before starting on this one.  If you need to do that as soon as you are back, I will be picking up from exactly where I left off last time.The character and expected role of EmeliaThe relationship of Emelia and DesdemonaThe character of Bianca and the Venetian courtesanHow Bianca contrasts with DesdemonaConflicting views of the character of DesdemonaThe character of OthelloThe play as a tragedy of Greek proportionsThe disintegration of Othello from strong leader to murdererOthello as a social disruptorThe ‘noble savage’ Vs the veneer of sophisticationThe role of resentment and honour in the playLater performances of the playSome very selected criticism of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 205:Last time Ben Jonson’s retelling of a slice of Roman Imperial history failed to impress at the Globe theatre.  As an actor in that play Shakespeare had first-hand experience of the way the audience in the theatre could turn on the poet and the players alike, but it is difficult to think that his confidence in his own work was much dented by the experience.  His next play ‘The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice’ is, I would say, brim full of the confidence of an experienced playwright who knew that his play would both entertain on several levels and provoke much thought in the audience.The dating and first performance of the playThe early publication history of the playDetails from a performance in 1610The source material for the playThe structure of the playThe significance of Venice and CyprusThe structural balances in the playThe poetry and imagery in the playThe use of language as a dramatic techniqueThe urgency of the opening of the playThe character of Iago and how he manipulates his victimsThe character of BrabantioWhat the Elizabethan audience might have thought of a ‘moor’Queen Elizabeth’s attitude to immigrants from AfricaHow Shakespeare handled the racial aspects of the playThe character of Micheal CassioSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 204:For today’s guest episode we welcome Robert Crighton to the podcast.  Robert is the guiding light behind ‘Beyond Shakespeare’ a project that aims to shine a light on very early theatre through to Early Modern theatre.  As the name ‘Beyond Shakespeare’ suggests Robert is keen to look at plays not written by Shakespeare and indeed, as you will hear, much of Robert’s work looks at works written long before Shakespeare was around.  I first came across ‘Beyond Shakespeare’ through the online readings of early modern plays that Robert has produced as a means of working towards full audio and staged productions.  It was a very useful point of reference for me when I was looking as those early Jonson plays where there is little chance of seeing a performance.Beyond Shakespeare:Link to Website: https://beyondshakespeare.org/Link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondShakespeareSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 203: We now stay in the world of the Elizabethan interpretation of classical history and myth with Ben Jonson’s next play ‘Sejanus His Fall’.  Rooted more firmly in history than myth Jonson’s play uses the story of a power struggle motivated by personal ambition to look at the nature of power, justice and politics.  This was quite evidently dangerous ground for a playwright already known for his clashes with the authorities, but it was not just that commentary of contemporary politics that got Jonson into trouble with this play. A brief word on the unfinished tragedy ‘Mortimer His Fall’The ‘argument’ of the play and some thoughts on what the play might have beenThe early performance history of ‘Sejanus His Fall’The possible co-author of the playThe early reception of the playThe background to the poor reception of the playA synopsis of the playThe ban on satires and historiesThe translations of Tacitus and complications with EssexHow John Heyward’s problems with censorship influence the playThe play as a commentary on Elizabethan societyQuestions of the control of power in the playQuestions of the application of justice in the playThe motivations of SejanusThe aesthetic issues with the playHow Jonson mixed comedy and tragedy in the playThe influence of Marlowe on the verse in the playJonson censured for the playThe later performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 202:For today’s guest episode it is a very warm welcome back to Racheal Aanstad.  You will remember that Racheal and I have discussed Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the podcast and now she returns to discuss ‘Troilus and Cressida’. As you will hear Racheal was able to bring thoughts about the history of the play and it’s sources, particularly Homer’s Iliad, which, I think, really enhances our understanding of this challenging play.Rachel Aanstad is a writer, artist, historian, and Shakespeare nerd with an MFA in theatre. She is the former Artistic Director of the Rose City Shakespeare Company and the author of A Bawdy Twelfth Night or What You Will Encyclopaedia & Dramaturgical Handbook and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopaedia. She lives in the Pacific Northwest from where I spoke to her over a zoom call.Link to Shakespeare and Friends on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShakespeareandfriendsLink to A Bawdy Twelfth Night UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Encyclopedia-Dramaturgical-Shakespearean-Encyclopedias-Handbooks/dp/B0BT2DZGTK/ref=sr_1_1Link to A Bawdy Twelfth Night USA: https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Dramaturgical-Shakespearean-Encyclopedias-Handbooks/dp/B0BT2DZGTK/ref=sr_1_1Link to Midsummer Nights Dream UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1SLink to Midsummer Nights Dream USA: https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Nights-Illustrated-Handbook-Encyclopedia/dp/B09PKSTL1SLink to Marquee TV RSC Production: https://marquee.tv/videos/royal-shakespeare-troilus-cressidaSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 201‘Troilus and Cressida’, is a challenging piece by pretty much everybody’s estimation.  Although it is no surprise that Shakespeare looked to the Homeric tales for his next inspiration which part of that story he chose to dramatize perhaps is and what he chose to do with it has perplexed commentators ever since.  Ambiguous is the word most often used, but ultimately opinions range through ‘failure’ to ‘misunderstood’ to ‘modernistic’, and just about everything else in-between.  The early print history and dating of the playThe confusion caused by the two quarto versions and the First Folio versionThe source material for the playA brief synopsis of the play‘Troilus and Cressida’ as a ‘problem play’The PrologueThe play as an ensemble pieceThe ignoble nature of the characters in the playCassandra as the voice of truthTroilus and his view of CressidaIs there a parallel with Romeo and Juliet?The portrayal of Achilles and HectorUlysses and the ‘great chain of being’ argumentWas the play written for the Inns of Court?Pandarus and the bitter ending to the play explainedThe critical reception of the playThe performance history of the playSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.