The History Of European Theatre

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this third and final episode of a short mini-series I look at the printing and selling of the First Folio and the afterlife of some of the copies as they travelled the globe. This includes some history on the greatest collector of First Folios and the creation of the Folger Library.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 100:Dr Faustus is one of the most influential plays of the Elizabethan period.  Most commentators see this play as Marlowe’s masterpiece, and it is certainly the most performed of his plays through the centuries.The two printed version of the play and how they may have come to be updated.The Plot of ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’.The source material for the play.The effect of earning and wisdom.Comparisons with TamburlaineThe questioning of Christian doctrine.The philosophical and religious debates in the play.The impact of the comedic moments in the play.How the scenes with the Pope would have been receivedThe play’s debt to medieval theatre.Questions of the efficacy of repentance.The ‘guest stars’ of the play.A play for Marlowe’s time and all time.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this second episode of a short mini-series I look at the inspiration and motivations for the First Folio and how it was producedWhat prompted the creator to produce the First Folio?Ben Johnson’s First FolioJohn Hemenge – Actor and AdministratorHenry Condell – Actor and friend of ShakespeareRichard Burbage – Just a brief sketchHow the plays existed in print and manuscript and how they were collectedFinancing the projectEdward Blunt, Bookseller and his previous work with Shakespeare’s playsWillian Jaggard, printer and his previous work with Shakespeare’s plays and poemsIsacc Jaggard and his workshopThe printing methodApprentices and printing errorsDecretive woodblocksThe engraved portraitSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 99:Marlowe’s ‘Tamburlaine the Great’ is a play in two parts, an early example of a writer responding to popular acclaim by giving his audience more of the same, but for all of that mercenary motivation, and the fact that the first part was conceived as a stand-alone piece, they do work well as a conjoined piece.The history of the printed plays and the introduction by the printer Richard Jones.A summary of the plot of part one of the play.The relationship of the play to the historical Timor.A summary of the plot of part two of the play.The position and influence of God in the plays.Marlowe’s attitude to his protagonist and how the audience might have received him.Tamburlaine as violent and bloody theatre.The themes of power and ambition in the plays.Tamburlaine’s familial relationships and the psychological study of his motivations.The mixing of the personal and the political as a focal point of the play.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this first episode of a short mini-series I recount a recent journey to London to see copies of the first folio that are currently on display.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 98:Marlowe as a playwright at the beginning of the greatest period of Elizabethan creativity.A short recap on Marlowe’s university life.Marlowe moves to London.The anonymity and earning power of Elizabethan playwrights.‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’.Thomas Nashe as co-author of ‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’.Marlowe’s sexual preferences.The Elizabethan attitude to sexuality.Marlowe and religion.The School of Atheism.Marlowe’s use of rhetoric.Marlowe, blank verse, and iambic pentameter.Marlowe’s poetry.Marlowe’s Mighty Line.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Bromley returns to discuss his book Stage Ghosts and Haunted Theatres. Stories of strange happenings in theatres abound and Nick has collected them together that takes you on a ghostly tour of London's West End and UK regional theatres.Both of Nick's books are available through his website: www.LNPbooks.co.ukSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 97:Christopher Marlowe was one of the giants of Elizabethan theatre, but he died young in mysterious circumstances. In this episode I try to unpick the mystery of why he died. Was it just an argument about the cost of a meal, or the result of some far more sinister goings-on in the world of Elizabethan espionage and court rivalry?Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode I discuss historic and recent audience behaviour in the Theatre and how that behaviour reflects changes in society, with some particular reference to recent events in society and at some theatrical performances.Kirsty Sedgman is a theatre academic at the University of Bristol who specialises in studying audiences. She has spent her career studying how we construct and maintain our competing value systems, working out how people can live side by side in the same world yet come to understand it in such totally different ways. The author of On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the Rules and Making Things Better (Faber 2023), she has spoken about her research around the world, and has seen her work featured in outlets like BBC Front Row, the Guardian, and the New York Times.Links to books by Dr Kirsty Sedgman on Amazon (other retailers are available)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Unreasonable-Breaking-Making-Things-ebook/dp/B0B4M249LC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WYQ904L9PAIX&keywords=kirsty+sedgman&qid=1682521965&sprefix=kirsty+sedgman%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reasonable-Audience-Etiquette-Performance-Experience-ebook/dp/B07FKHDN77/ref=sr_1_2?crid=WYQ904L9PAIX&keywords=kirsty+sedgman&qid=1682521965&sprefix=kirsty+sedgman%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-2Link to the Manchester Evening News article on audience disruption at a performance of 'The Bodyguard'https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/astonishing-moment-audience-member-screams-26658204Link to Wikipedia article about government advisor Dominic Cummins and his breaking of lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Cummings_scandalSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 96:The life and works of Thomas NasheEarly LifeCambridge University and ‘Terminus et non Terminus’Nash moves to London and joins the ‘University Wits’Pamphlets and work for the Archbishop of CanterburyNashe’s style and pseudonymsDisagreements with the Gabriel brothersNash’s DildoPearse PennilessSummers Last Will and Testament, his only surviving solo-authored playThe Unfortunate TravellerChrist’s Tears Over Jerusalem and ImprisonmentTerrors Of the NightThe Isle Of Dogs and the closure of theatres in the summer 1597Nash’s Lentern Stuff and his final yearsSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.ko-fi.com/thoetpwww.patreon.com/thoetpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.