Patrick Page on King Lear and Shakespeare's Villains
You might recognize Patrick Page from films like Spirited, or shows like The Gilded Age, or from his Broadway roles as Hades in Hadestown for which he was nominated for a Tony. But Page is also an acc...
14 Mar 202340min
Artificial Intelligence Goes to English Class, with Jennifer Black, John Ladd, and Laura Turchi
The Folger: Hey ChatGPT! Could you write a six line Shakespearean monologue in iambic pentameter about an interview with Jennifer Black, Laura Turchi, and John Ladd about the challenges and opportunit...
28 Feb 202337min
Lucy Wooding on Tudor England: A History
We can’t seem to get enough of the Tudor dynasty and its soap-opera twists. But in her book Tudor England: A History, Lucy Wooding argues that to really know the Tudors you must look past the famous n...
31 Jan 202332min
Debra Ann Byrd on Becoming Othello: A Black Girl's Journey
Theater-maker Debra Ann Byrd has played Othello in three different productions: first, in a staged reading in 2013, then again in 2015 and 2019. Each time, she learned a little bit more about Othello,...
17 Jan 202335min
Ian Smith on Black Shakespeare
In his new book, Black Shakespeare: Reading and Misreading Race, Dr. Ian Smith of Lafayette College argues that Shakespeare’s plays engage with questions of race and early modern encounters between Af...
3 Jan 202339min
Talene Monahon on Her New Revenge Comedy, Jane Anger
In Talene Monahon’s new play Jane Anger, a narcissistic William Shakespeare is wrestling with writers’ block while working on King Lear. When Will’s former flame Jane Anger shows up, he knows she can ...
20 Des 202234min
Fiona Ritchie on Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble
You may not have heard of Sarah Siddons, but if you’ve seen a production of Macbeth recently, you may have experienced her influence. In the late 18th century, Siddons became one of the first celebri...
6 Des 202233min
Billy Collins on Writing Short Poems and Reading Shakespeare's Sonnets
Billy Collins is one of America’s most well-known poets. He served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003. His poetry collections frequently show up on bestseller lists, and his popular readings—thre...
22 Nov 202234min
