Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we begin by exploring how Prospero’s magic in The Tempest reflects early modern grimoire traditions—a form of ritual magic rooted in books, incantations, and precise ceremonial practice, especailly as compared to the types of magic we discussed in our Macbeth episodes. We examine how Shakespeare's depiction of Prospero's art, Prospero's relationship with Ariel, and the creation and disappearance of the masque parallel descriptions of grimoire magical practices found in a grimoire manuscript from the late 1500s. From there, we examine how The Tempest itself mirrors the alchemical process, moving through symbolic stages of separation, purification, and reconciliation. By tracing how the structure of the play parallels the alchemist’s pursuit of transformation, we uncover how Shakespeare weaves together the worlds of science, faith, and magic to create a story of power, renewal, and artful creation. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Folger Shakesepeare Library. “Book of Magic, with Instructions for Invoking Spirits, Etc, ca. 1577-1583. [Manuscript].” Digital Collections, Folger Shakepeare Library, digitalcollections.folger.edu/bib228887-238418. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025. Simonds, Peggy Muñoz. “‘My Charms Crack Not’: The Alchemical Structure of ‘The Tempest.’” Comparative Drama, vol. 31, no. 4, 1997, pp. 538–70. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41153887. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.   Tribble, Evelyn. “'A Strange, Hollow, and Confused Noise': Prospero’s 'Start' and Early Modern Magical Practices." Shakespeare Quarterly, Volume 72, Issue 3-4, Fall-Winter 2021, Pages 229–253, https://doi.org/10.1093/sq/quac016

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with actor ML Roberts and co-playwrights Sean Patrick Nill and Elyse Sharp to talk about NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE—a brand new Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) play premiering at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre.  B Street is well known for its Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) programming, which brings high-quality, professional productions to children, families, and schools, making theatre accessible to the next generation. We dive into B Street’s philosophy of theatre for young audiences and how NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE fits into that mission. Along the way, we discuss the theatre’s history with Shakespeare, what makes this new play different from other Shakespeare-for-kids or Shakespeare-adjacent productions, and why introducing Shakespeare to young people matters in today’s cultural landscape. ML Roberts shares his perspective on embodying a central role in the play, while Nill and Sharp reflect on the process of adapting Shakespeare’s world for youth audiences—balancing humor, clarity, and creativity to keep the material engaging. At Shakespeare Anyone?, we strive to contextualize Shakespeare and make his works accessible. This episode highlights how NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE carries that same mission into the world of young audiences. ML Roberts is the son of a Navy veteran and descendant of the Gullah Geechee of the Carolinas. As a member of Actor's Equity Association, he has performed with Seattle Children's Theater, Folger Shakespeare, Unicorn Theatre (UK), The Williams Project, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare, among others. As a playwright, his debut production Riverside premiered at Indy Shakes. His work has been developed with New Harmony Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and GTG's Speaker's Corner. As a screenwriter, he co-wrote a Lifetime movie and has developed work with Hulu. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a Broadway Advocacy Coalition Fellow, Co-Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret Season 57: Phoenix, and inaugural Core Company Member at ACT Theatre (Seattle). MFA Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama; BFA Acting from North Carolina School of the Arts marceselorenzo.com Sean Patrick Nill is Artistic and General Manager at the B Street Theatre. B Street Writing Credits include: Tiny Trailblazers: Kids Who Changed the World, Winnie-the-Pooh, ‘Tis the Season, Fantasy Festival XXXI-XXXVI, Mind Boggling Mysteries of the World, and Mathematical Madness. Directing Credits include: Tiny Trailblazers: Kids Who Changed the World, Cosmo St. Charles is Dead and Someone in This Room Killed Him, The Prince of Lightning, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Last Wide Open, A Year with Frog & Toad, Proclivity for Kiting, and Fantasy Festival XXXI-XXXVI. His plays have been produced by the Sacramento Theatre Company, B Street Theatre, Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Rover Dramawerks, Theatre InspiraTO festival, Watermelon One Act Festival, M.T. Pockets Theatre, Torent Theatre, and the Manhattan Repertory Theatre. His play Kings of America was a finalist for the Davey Foundation Theatre Grant given by the Salt Lake Acting Company, his play An Ordinary Woman was published in Stage It! Ten Minute Plays: 2017 Edition, and his play Brynlee & the Bull won the Audience Choice Award at the InspiroTO 10 Minute Play Festival in Canada. His adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh, which premiered here at the B Street Theatre, is now published and can be purchased through Theatrical Rights Worldwide (https://www.theatricalrights.com/). And, you know her as one half of Shakespeare Anyone?…Elyse Sharp is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Shakespeare Association of America, as well as a director, podcaster, dramaturg, and teaching artist. At the age of 9, and inspired by an episode of the PBS series Wishbone, she rewrote Romeo and Juliet for a fourth grade class assignment, and she’s been passionate about Shakespeare (and helping others understand his work) ever since. Previously with B Street Theatre, she has been an Associate Producer of the New Comedies Festival, an actor in Prince of Lightning, Mind-Boggling Mysteries of the World, and Fantasy Festivals 32 & 33, an understudy for Dance Nation and Winnie the Pooh. As an actor, she has performed in 17 of Shakespeare’s plays. Keep up with her at @elysesharp on all social media or at elysesharp.com B Street Theatre is Sacramento’s premiere new works theatre for both children and adults. Founded in 1986 as Fantasy Theatre, a traveling children’s theatre troupe, B Street has premiered more than 135 plays across its School Tour, Family Series, and Mainstage Series. Located at the Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts in Midtown Sacramento, B Street is California’s only year-round professional theatre for young audiences. Known for championing bold new voices and creating theatre that is both accessible and adventurous, B Street has been named Sacramento Magazine’s Top Sacramento Theatre numerous times. In 2025, it was honored with the National Theatre Conference’s Theatre of the Year Award, recognizing its outstanding contributions to American theatre. To learn more, visit B Street Theatre's website, bstreettheatre.org.  NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE follows one shoemaker's son on his journey to become an actor alongside The Lord Chamberlain's Men, stepping right into some of Shakespeare's greatest hits. From Romeo and Juliet’s balcony to the witches of Macbeth and the drama of Hamlet, it’s Shakespeare reimagined with a wink and a laugh. For fans of Shakespeare in Love and Book of Will, this family-friendly comedy isn’t just a history lesson—it’s pure theatre magic, showing kids (and grown-ups!) that the Bard’s words are still buzzing with life, laughter, and big imagination. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. This episode explores Caliban’s role in The Tempest and the ways his character has been shaped by and interpreted through race, class, and colonialism. We begin with a close look at “the pinch” and unpack how Shakespeare’s audience would have understood its connections to resource scarcity and punishment.  We then chart Caliban’s performance history from the 19th century to the early 1980s, revealing how shifting portrayals reflected cultural attitudes. We end with a discussion of how the play’s deep entanglement with colonial discourse has led to it being banned in some U.S. classrooms.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Akhimie, Patricia. “Pinching caliban: Race, husbandry, and the working body in  the Tempest.” Shakespeare/Sense, 2020, pp. 269–290, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474273268.ch-012. Griffiths, Trevor R. “‘This Island’s Mine’: Caliban and Colonialism.” The Yearbook of English Studies, vol. 13, 1983, pp. 159–80. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3508119. Accessed 1 Sept. 2025. Espinosa, R. (2017). Beyond The Tempest: Language, Legitimacy, and La Frontera . In: Fazel, V., Geddes, L. (eds) The Shakespeare User. Reproducing Shakespeare. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61015-3_3 Favate, Sam. “Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ Barred from Arizona Public Schools.” The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2012. https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-41723.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we explore the world of the Court Masque, a form of entertainment that flourished in the Tudor and Stuart courts. From its roots in medieval pageantry and music to its height as a vehicle for royal celebration and political display of wealth, the masque became a defining cultural event during Shakespeare's time.  While Shakespeare never wrote a Court Masque, we will explore how Ben Jonson’s Hymenaei may have influenced Shakespeare's choices for the masques that appear in As You Like It and The Tempest.  For more on some of the topics we've previously covered that also mention the Court Masque, check out: Mini: Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's Colleague and Competitor Twelfth Night: Plays for the Court Stuff You Should Know Part 2: Elizabethan and Jacobean England & Theatre (Revised) Mini: Traveling Theatre Companies Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Special thanks to Nat Yonce for editing this episode.  For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Butler, Martin. “The Court Masque | The Cambridge Works of Ben Jonson.” The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson Online, 2014, universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/benjonson/k/essays/court_msq_essay/1/.  “History of the Masque Genre.” Edited by Helen L Hull et al., Reformations of A Mask, Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, 2000, archive.mith.umd.edu/comus/cegenre.htm#expand.  Shapiro, James. The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2016.   

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we explore how The Tempest reflects—and at times challenges—patriarchal power structures in Shakespeare’s world and in its performance history. First, we examine how Prospero’s control over Miranda, Ariel, and Caliban reflects early modern ideas and debates about gender, political authority, and service. Then, we look at how changing the gender of Prospero reshapes the play’s dynamics,  how productions across stage and screen have used gender to reimagine magic, hierarchy, and power, and what the critical response to these productions reveals about modern gender politics.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Goodland, Katharine. “From Prospero to Prospera: Transforming Gender and Magic on Stage and Screen.” Shakespeare and the Supernatural, edited by Victoria Bladen and Yan Brailowsky, Manchester University Press, 2020, pp. 218–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.21996273.16. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025. Sanchez, Melissa E. “Seduction and Service in ‘The Tempest.’” Studies in Philology, vol. 105, no. 1, 2008, pp. 50–82. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20464307. Accessed 10 Aug. 2025.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini episode, we’re joined by Mike and Steph Crugnola of Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project to talk about their mission to make Shakespeare more accessible—for both audiences and artists. We dive into the company’s flexible and innovative production models—including one rehearsal performances, collaborative directing, site-specific stagings, and immersive experiences—and how these approaches open up new ways of engaging with Shakespeare’s work. Steph and Mike also share how they intentionally build accessibility into every level of their process, from casting and rehearsals to performance format and audience experience. Whether you're a theatremaker looking for inspiration or a Shakespeare fan curious about inclusive practices in classical performance, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at what it means to make Shakespeare’s work truly for everyone. To learn more about Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project, visit www.walkingshadowshakespeare.com or follow them on Instagram @wsshakes. More about Mike and Steph Crugnola Mike and Steph Crugnola are on the board of Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project, a nonprofit theatre company based in Austin TX, committed to breaking down the barriers of accessibility to Shakespeare for artists and audiences alike. They're focused on creating Shakespeare for the Austin community that more accurately reflects the Austin community, so actors of all races, abilities, genders, ages, and sexual orientations can see themselves in Shakespeare's work.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. Did Shakespeare write The Tempest in response to a shipwreck, or was something bigger at play? In this episode, we explore the early modern travel narratives that many scholars believe inspired Shakespeare’s final solo play. We begin with lesser-known travel accounts that focus on cultural encounters in Russia, Southwest Asia, Central America, and India—narratives that shaped how early modern England imagined the world beyond Europe. Then we turn to one of the most famous stories of the time: the 1609 Sea Venture shipwreck on the coast of Bermuda, often cited as a direct influence on The Tempest. Along the way, we examine how these texts reflect English perceptions of unfamiliar peoples and cultures—from fascination and admiration to fear and misunderstanding—and how those attitudes echo throughout the world of The Tempest. If you’d like to explore more about Shakespeare’s engagement with proto-colonialism and early travel writing, check out these past episodes from our archive: Mini: Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination Mini: Shakespeare's World: Immigrants, Others, and Foreign Commodities Whether you're encountering The Tempest for the first time or revisiting it with a global lens, this episode offers rich context on how Shakespeare’s world was shaped by the stories of travelers, survivors, and empire-builders. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Judkins, David C. “Travel Literature of the Early Modern Period.” CEA Critic, vol. 64, no. 1, 2001, pp. 47–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44378330. Accessed 3 July 2025. Vaughan, Alden T. "William Strachey's "True Reportory" and Shakespeare: A Closer Look at the Evidence." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 59 no. 3, 2008, p. 245-273. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/shq.0.0017.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. To kick off our series on Shakespeare's The Tempest, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts and history about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced:  Shakespeare, William, et al. The Tempest. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.  SparkNotes Editors. “The Tempest” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. We are now on to our tenth play series! Today we are starting our series on Shakespeare's The Tempest with a synopsis episode. In this episode, we will provide a detailed summary of the plot, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Special thanks to Nat Yonce for editing this episode. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced:  Shakespeare, William, et al. The Tempest. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.  

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this bonus episode, we’re joined by Dr. Kent Lehnhoff to talk about his new book, Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. Together, we explore how Shakespeare uses the concept and qualities of human voice in The Tempest, Cymbeline, King Lear, Pericles, and The Winter’s Tale, how he writes for and about the voice, and beyond that, how embracing the unique voice of each character (and actor) can create a more ethical, inclusive theatre.  About Kent Lehnhof Kent Lehnhof earned a BA from Brigham Young University and a PhD from Duke University. He is Professor of English at Chapman University, where he specializes in early modern literature and culture, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Dr. Lehnhof has published two dozen scholarly articles, has co-edited two essay collections, and is coming out with a new book in October titled Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. In this book and in many of his articles, Dr. Lehnhof treats Shakespeare’s plays like lively enactments of ethical philosophy. He believes that one of the things that makes Shakespeare’s work distinctly Shakespearean is its interest in exploring what it’s like to be in relation—what it’s like to be tied to other people, some of whom love you, some of whom hate you, and some of whom pay you no mind at all. At present, Dr. Lehnhof is finishing a guidebook for Arden Shakespeare called Understanding Shakespeare’s Plays: A Candid Companion to All the Drama. This book goes through all the play, one by one, giving an overview of each and offering insights and analysis as to what it offers. Dr. Lehnhof only has six plays left to do, which means he’s getting down to the deep cuts. Timon of Athens, anyone? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.  Works referenced:  Lehnhof, Kent. Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025. Print.