Shows
Everyday ShakespeareBirthdays, and Breechings, and Bed Parties—Oh, My!We’ve gone a little nuts when it comes to celebrating our kids’ milestones, like their birthdays and graduations. We’ve even started inventing new ones (hello, Bed Parties??), which means we’re buying even more party swag. In this episode, we explore how families in Shakespeare’s day celebrated their kids’ big rites of passage. Did they make themselves crazy planning the best christening party ever? How did they mark little William’s gold medal in pee-wee fencing? What did life look like before bouncy castles and Gender Reveal cakes?2025-07-0739 minEveryday ShakespeareFilmmaker Timothy Bogart on his new film, "Juliet and Romeo"Why mess with Shakespeare's perfectly good script of Romeo and Juliet? In this interview, Tim Bogart, writer and director of Juliet and Romeo (release date, May 9, 2025), explains his reasons—historical, personal, and otherwise—for getting down and dirty with some wild revisions of Shakespeare's tragedy. He's got big ideas--and big stars--for what is the first of a planned film trilogy. Not to mention that Rebel Wilson's turn at Lady Capulet might be the best example of "playing against type" in recent memory. 2025-05-0529 minEveryday ShakespeareWinter's TalesFrom Frankenstein to The Shining, tales of extreme wintery conditions have always been a hit. In this episode, we talk about some of the real-life fun people had when things got very cold in Shakespeare’s day—like going to frost fairs on the frozen Thames river—and we discuss some of the not-so-fun tragedies they endured. Finally, we turn to the story of Demeter and Persephone (a Greek myth that explained why we have winter) and to Shakespeare’s late play The Winter’s Tale, which harnesses the joys and tragedies that underlie all of these real and mythical tales of...2025-02-1331 minEveryday Shakespeare"To track, or not to track?"Thanks to modern technology, tracking your children (and anyone else willing to join your Life360 Circle) has never been easier. But even in Shakespeare's pre-iphone days, people found ways to keep tabs on their kids. Sometimes this involved enlisting your child's friends to spy on him, or sending the family Clown or wet-nurse to locate your stray daughter. And sometimes the job called for throwing on a fake beard yourself to make sure your son's fling with the hot shepherdess he met on his gap year wasn't turning into something serious. We’ll be looking at all of these me...2024-12-0227 minEveryday ShakespeareChildless Cat Ladies of YoreWe’re getting our Season Three Party started by exploring the origins of a terrifying creature: the Childless Cat Lady. Whether she has warts and a broom, or she’s selling out concert stadiums, this woman means Trouble. But when and how did this connection between single ladies and their feline friends get started? And was it always a negative thing? In this episode, we discover some answers as we travel back in time from the Target Halloween aisle to the Medieval Church and the Shakespearean stage. We guarantee you’re in for some surprises. BOO!2024-10-2836 minEveryday ShakespeareJames Shapiro on theater, democracy, and the making of an American culture warIn this episode, James Shapiro, award-winning author and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, joins us to talk about his most recent book, The Playbook: A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a Culture War. With his characteristic investigative research and sleuth work, Shapiro has uncovered the truth behind the spectacular rise and fall of Roosevelt's New Deal-funded Federal Theatre Project in the late 1930s. At the heart of Shapiro's work is his point that theater is essential to a democracy. The shocking details behind the demise of the public, progressive FTP, Shapiro makes cl...2024-06-2448 minEveryday ShakespeareMuch Ado About PolyamoryThese days, everyone seems to be talking about polyamory-- the practice of engaging simultaneously in more than one romantic and/or sexual relationship, with the full consent of everyone involved. According to a recent study, 1 in 9 Americans has tried polyamory, and 1 in 6 would like to try it. This got us wondering: Could people in Shakespeare’s day have known about and experienced anything resembling what we now identify as polyamorous desires and lifestyles? In this episode, we take a deep dive into two of Shakespeare’s cross-dressing comedies, As You Like It and Twelfth Night, to explore some potential polyamory...2024-05-2740 minEveryday ShakespeareShakespeare's Unsung MomsIt's time to bust out the dried macaroni, glitter glue, and home-made Foot Rub "Coupons," because Mother's Day is just around the corner. Mothers are missing from a lot of Shakespeare’s plays, but he's still got a lot of moms who are very much alive and kicking (unless they're buried alive). In this Very Special Holiday Episode, we give shout-outs to some of Shakespeare’s most suffering, unsung moms and imagine what kinds of Mother’s Day gifts their ungrateful kids and partners might have given them. Trust us, these ladies all deserve a 16-year spa vacation.2024-04-2926 min
Reduced Shakespeare Company PodcastMichelle's 'Green World'Michelle Ephraim – a Professor of English and (with Caroline Bicks), the cohost of the Everyday Shakespeare podcast and the co-author of Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas – joins us this week to talk about her frank and funny new book, Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare. Michelle reveals she discovered Shakespeare surprisingly late; how “fun” is a a perfectly fine description of her sometimes fraught memoir; the shared curse of meeting hero Stephens; how Shakespeare became a source of both pain and solace in the wake of a parent’s death; how her relatively cushy job became...2024-04-1619 minEveryday ShakespeareYe olde Varsity BluesLong before Photoshop and the Varsity Blues scandal, wealthy families have been trying to game the college admissions process. In this episode, we explore why affluent families started to outnumber "poor scholars" like Hamlet's friend Horatio during the mid-sixteenth century and how money and social class affected life at Oxford and Cambridge. Shakespeare, who never attended university, has an interesting perspective on all this, which we take a look at alongside a document that is the early modern equivalent of an insider's guide to college life. From rich slackers who believe themselves "above the law" to kids who come...2024-04-0832 min
Writer's BoneFriday Morning Coffee: Michelle Ephraim, Author of Green WorldAuthor and Shakespeare scholar Michelle Ephraim joins Daniel Ford on Friday Morning Coffee to chat about her memoir Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare. Caitlin Malcuit discusses the infamous incident where a door plug flew off a Boeing plane mid-flight and the death of whistleblower John Barnett, who raised concerns about Boeing's practices. She also explores the challenges faced by whistleblowers and solutions that can support them in the face of retaliation. To learn more about Michelle Ephraim, visit her official website. Also welcome her podcast Everyday Shakespeare (which she co-hosts with Caroline Bi...2024-03-2256 min
Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare UnlimitedGreen World: Michelle Ephraim on Discovering Shakespeare and Reevaluating The Merchant of VeniceIn her new memoir, Green World, Shakespeare scholar Michelle Ephraim tells the story of how she came to Shakespeare relatively late in her education. Although she didn’t grow up with Shakespeare, Ephraim became transfixed by The Merchant of Venice as a grad student. In particular, she found herself drawn to Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, and the mysteries of their relationship. That curiosity led Ephraim to discover a novel Biblical interpretation of some lines from the play as she researched her dissertation. In Ephraim’s memoir, Merchant refracts through the changing dynamics of her own family, as her Holocaust-survivor parents ag...2024-03-1233 min
Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare UnlimitedGreen World: Michelle Ephraim on Discovering Shakespeare and Reevaluating The Merchant of VeniceIn her new memoir, "Green World," Shakespeare scholar Michelle Ephraim tells the story of how she came to Shakespeare relatively late in her education. Although she didn’t grow up with Shakespeare, Ephraim became transfixed by "The Merchant of Venice" as a grad student. In particular, she found herself drawn to Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, and the mysteries of their relationship. That curiosity led Ephraim to discover a novel Biblical interpretation of some lines from the play as she researched her dissertation. In Ephraim’s memoir, "Merchant" refracts through the changing dynamics of her own family, as her Holocaust-survivor parents age an...2024-03-1233 minEveryday Shakespeare“Think me not vain for writing my life”They may not have called it "memoir," but early modern English authors were producing all kinds of life-writing, from snarky private diaries to published accounts of religious conversion and manifestos on breast-feeding. Whether or not Shakespeare's work contains anything autobiographical remains a matter of speculation, but he certainly understood the desire to control how your life story would be recorded for posterity. In this episode, we talk about the theme of life-writing in Shakespeare's work and look at some actual autobiographies written by his contemporaries. A wealthy and well-educated daughter of country gentry, Elizabeth Isham wrote her Book of...2024-03-1137 minEveryday ShakespeareReduced Shakespeare with Austin TichenorIn this episode, we’re talking with Austin Tichenor, co-Artistic Director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, and longtime actor, author, podcaster, and Folger Shakespeare Library blogger. Austin takes us back to the early Renaissance Faire days of the RSC, and tells us about the Company’s experiences reducing other Great Works and Notable Events—from being banned in Belfast for their Bible play to revising their “Compete History of America (Abridged)” to meet our current political moment.2024-02-1939 minEveryday ShakespeareShakespeare's Books: Live!We're kicking off our second season by spotlighting the work of bookmakers and booksellers — in Shakespeare's day and ours. We recorded this episode in front of a live audience at the Brookline Booksmith, a fabulous independent bookstore just outside of Boston, where we took the standing-room-only crowd into the wild world of bookstall shenanigans, bawdy ballads, and book banning. It's only fun 'til someone loses a hand.2024-02-0650 minEveryday ShakespeareStaging "History": The Case of Richard IIIEver wonder where the line "My kingdom for a horse!" came from? Shakespeare wrote it for King Richard III when he decided to dramatize England's bloodiest civil war, ending it with the tyrant Richard fighting on foot, abandoned by his horse and all his former followers. It's just one of many ways Shakespeare spun the story of Richard and helped turn him into the notorious villain he remains today in our popular imagination. In this episode, we explore the blurry lines between fake news and recorded facts by taking a close look at Richard III, the man and the...2024-01-2242 min
That Shakespeare LifeChildbirth, Midwives, and Pregnancy in the 16-17th Century“Pregnant” is a word Shakespeare uses in his plays, but it always appears in connection with ideas, grief, or even trauma, but never as a word to describe a woman that is carrying an unborn baby. Instead, whenever a woman is carrying a child in her uterus in Shakespeare’s works, the phrase used is “with child.” This divergence between Shakespeare’s language and how we are accustomed to using the word “pregnant” today is just one way Shakespeare’s plays help shed light on the surprising world of pregnancy and childbirth for Shakespeare’s lifetime. During the 16-17th century, there were...2024-01-1545 minEveryday ShakespeareLady Macbeth's Fitbit, and Other New Year's Resolutions For many of us, the New Year means new resolutions about getting in shape. But often the goal isn't just to improve our health: there's a lot of magical thinking at work telling us that shedding five pounds will turn us into happier, more successful people. Shakespeare and his contemporaries didn't track their BMI, but, like us, they attached profound significance (and sometimes judginess) to people's eating and drinking habits. In this episode, we look at some general advice about diet and exercise back in the day, and talk about how Shakespeare's plays give us the real skinny on early...2024-01-0136 minEveryday ShakespeareHome for the HolidaysShakespeare wasn't eating leftover Thanksgiving turkey and doing online shopping on Black Friday, but he definitely would have been gearing up for the Christmas season, which included twelve full days of festivities. In this episode, we explore the wild side of Christmas celebrations in Shakespeare's England, including the appointment of a Lord of Misrule as a designated agent of chaos. We also take a look at the Puritan Scrooges who wanted to cancel the holiday altogether, and read some dramatic defenses of Christmas inspired by all the controversy. Want more Shakespeare for the holidays? Check out...2023-12-0434 minEveryday ShakespeareShana Tova with ShakespeareIt's the Jewish High Holiday season, and we’re wrapping up our first season with a look back at what Shakespeare and his contemporaries would have known and thought about Jews and their religious practices. Although English Protestants expressed plenty of anxiety and hostility towards Jews, continuing a long tradition of the same, they also respected the Jews' status as God’s chosen people and their fundamental role in the scripture. In this episode, we explore these complexities by looking at a piece of travel writing by an Englishman in Venice and talking about Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venic2023-09-2541 minEveryday Shakespeare"If music be the food of love ..."We’re excited to introduce you to Play On Podcasts—epic audio adventures that harness the power of live performance. Enjoy this act from Twelfth Night, directed by Christopher Liam Moore and starring the phenomenal Amy Brenneman as Olivia. This slice of Shakespeare’s comedy touches on many of the themes we’ve explored on our podcast, including sad male friendships, dealing with drunken houseguests, and navigating tricky courtship rituals. Bonus challenge: keep an ear out for Olivia’s comparison of love to the plague—a topic we took on in our very first episode!2023-09-1129 minEveryday ShakespeareJames Shapiro on Shakespeare in AmericaIn this episode, New York Times-bestselling author and Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro joins us to talk about his book Shakespeare in a Divided America and his work with the New York Public Theater. Dr. Shapiro explains how and why Shakespeare has been a lightning rod for the American culture wars—from the 1849 Astor Place Riot to a recent state ban on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.2023-08-2838 minEveryday ShakespeareWhat to Expect When You're ExpectingBeliefs about labor, delivery, and postpartum care differ widely between cultures and eras. In this episode, we talk about how these stages were experienced and imagined in Shakespeare’s day. We start with an example of a woman writing to her unborn child and then talk about the first English-language “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book. Finally, we dive into Shakespeare’s many references to problematic births—including the tragedies that unfold when the rituals and support-systems surrounding childbirth are violated.2023-08-1444 minEveryday ShakespeareClowning Around with Rachel DratchShakespeare loved to give people a good laugh and had an arsenal of methods to do so. And his humor isn't confined to the plays labeled "comedies"; even the great tragedies deliver moments of hilarity. Actor and comedian Rachel Dratch joins us here to talk about the business of being funny and to help us see how Shakespeare's witty comebacks and jig-dancing clowns connect to the comedy world today. 2023-07-3138 minEveryday ShakespearePut a Ring on ItWhen it comes to the stages leading up to marriage, in Shakespeare’s day and in ours, there’s a recurring theme: the importance of having your commitment witnessed by other people every step of the way. In this episode, we take a look at the often tricky rituals of courtship, engagement, saying “I do,” and celebrating the couple by flinging them around the dance floor and stalking them on their wedding night—and talk about what has and hasn’t changed.2023-07-1735 minEveryday Shakespeare"O Bro-meo, Bro-meo"According to a recent study, American men are in a "friend recession." In this episode we explore ideals of male-male friendship back in Shakespeare's day. Why did they falter, and when did they blossom? We'll look at some compelling examples of true male bonding from Shakespeare's plays, and also consider some epic friendship fails (hint: if your name is Antonio, you might think twice about lending your younger, hotter ‘bestie' all your money).2023-07-0335 min
Play On PodcastsIntroducing...Everyday ShakespeareIntroducing...Everyday Shakespeare. Hosts Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim are Shakespeare professors and close friends who love to bond over the ways Shakespeare’s plays help them through their everyday dramas.Episode 3: "Let's Talk About Sex"Sex can be fun and exciting, but it also raises all kinds of issues about power, control, and freedom. In this episode, we’ll be looking at how people in Shakespeare’s day were understanding sexual anatomy, pleasure, and reproduction, and discuss how the debates and anxieties that surfaced back then connect to some of our presen...2023-06-3047 minEveryday ShakespeareStaging RaceIn this episode, we talk to Dr. John "Ray" Proctor, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Tulane University. Dr. Proctor is an expert on the intersection of race, casting, and the peculiarities and specifics of Identity-Conscious casting practices, especially in Shakespeare. He shares his experiences with us as a director, actor, teacher and researcher to help us take a deep dive into representations of blackness and whiteness on stage—then and now. To learn more about Dr. Proctor and his work, go to www.drjohnrayproctor.com.2023-06-1944 minEveryday ShakespeareParty Like It's 1599!It’s June, and the official public health emergency is over. That means it’s time to turn up the dial on entertaining! In this episode, we comb Shakespeare’s plays in search of advice on how to deal with some timeless party-throwing dilemmas. We’ll take a close look at his most unsung beleaguered hostesses and talk about everything from disastrous dinner parties to guests who can’t control their booze or their uninvited plus-ones. We wrote the book on this topic. Literally: Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails For Your Everyday Dramas.2023-06-0539 minEveryday ShakespeareLet's Talk About SexSex can be fun and exciting, but it also raises all kinds of issues about power, control, and freedom. In this episode, we’ll be looking at how people in Shakespeare’s day were understanding sexual anatomy, pleasure, and reproduction, and discuss how the debates and anxieties that surfaced back then connect to some of our present-day divisions. We’ll be using doctor-approved language—from multiple centuries—but we’ll also be talking about sexual pleasure and consent, and referencing scenarios that some may find difficult to hear. Listener discretion advised.2023-05-2244 minEveryday ShakespeareAge Cannot Wither HerWhat does Andie MacDowell’s dewy skin have in common with Cleopatra’s unwithered agelessness? In this episode we tackle the everyday challenges of getting old and explore how people in Shakespeare’s day were thinking about – and fighting – the signs of aging. If you couldn’t just Google it, how did you know when a woman was “past her prime”— especially if she was plastering her face with makeup? And what about all of those older men in Shakespeare’s works who lose their hair, their memories, and their grips on solid retirement plans? We’ll take a look at his sonnets an...2023-05-1341 minEveryday ShakespearePlague LifeWhat does an $8,600 GOOP wholeness medallion have in common with a popular plague amulet from 1603? Find out in this episode as we discover the uncanny connections between our COVID-19 experiences and the plague lives of people in Shakespeare’s world. We’ll talk about how Shakespeare’s plays and a best-selling plague guidebook shed light on our own pandemic behaviors — from hoarding toilet paper to virus-shaming.2023-04-2837 minEveryday ShakespeareComing Soon: The Everyday Shakespeare PodcastTwo Shakespeare professors travel back in time to offer funny, fresh insights into some of your most pressing modern problems. What would the Capulets hoard during a plague outbreak? Could a 16th-century remedy for staying young work for me? (And am I willing to drink the urine of a male child to find out?) How would Lady MacBeth secure her kid’s spot as pee-wee soccer team captain? Whether you’re dealing with an aging libido, a pandemic, or a dysfunctional family gathering, you’ll feel a little bit better when Bard meets life. New episodes drop every other Monday...2023-04-0902 min
Shake Shake ShakeInterview with Caroline Bicks and Michelle EphraimHappy season finale y'all!!
Today we have an unbelievably special episode for you. We were lucky enough to get the chance to interview Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim -- two badasses in the world of Shakespeare and academia. Caroline and Michelle have been dream guests of ours since the podcast began -- we are both massive fans of their book Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas If you don't have a copy already -- then what have you been doing?!? You may even recognize some of the cocktails from our recommended drinks for...2021-09-281h 22
Shakespeare UnlimitedShakespeare Not Stirred"Shakespeare Not Stirred" is the creation of two English professors who combined their love of the cocktail hour and their love of Shakespeare to write a collection of Bard-inspired cocktail and hors d’oeuvre recipes.
This thoroughly modern book (released September 1, 2015) contains instructions for concocting drinks like “Kate’s Shrew-driver” and “Othello’s Green-eyed Monster.”
The images of Shakespeare characters that accompany the recipes are all taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection – with some clever Photoshop work done to insert glasses in the hands of the characters.
In this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited, Rebecca Sheir interviews Caroline Bicks, a professor at Bos...2015-08-2625 minFolger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare UnlimitedShakespeare Not Stirred"Shakespeare Not Stirred" is the creation of two English professors who combined their love of the cocktail hour and their love of Shakespeare to write a collection of Bard-inspired cocktail and hors d’oeuvre recipes.
This thoroughly modern book (released September 1, 2015) contains instructions for concocting drinks like “Kate’s Shrew-driver” and “Othello’s Green-eyed Monster.”
The images of Shakespeare characters that accompany the recipes are all taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection – with some clever Photoshop work done to insert glasses in the hands of the characters.
In this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited, Rebecca Sheir interviews Caroline Bicks, a professor at Bos...2015-08-2625 minShakespeare UnlimitedShakespeare Not Stirred"Shakespeare Not Stirred" is the creation of two English professors who combined their love of the cocktail hour and their love of Shakespeare to write a collection of Bard-inspired cocktail and hors d’oeuvre recipes.
This thoroughly modern book (released September 1, 2015) contains instructions for concocting drinks like “Kate’s Shrew-driver” and “Othello’s Green-eyed Monster.”
The images of Shakespeare characters that accompany the recipes are all taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection – with some clever Photoshop work done to insert glasses in the hands of the characters.
In this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited, Rebecca Sheir interviews Caroline Bicks, a professor at Bos...2015-08-2625 min
Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare UnlimitedShakespeare Not Stirred"Shakespeare Not Stirred" is the creation of two English professors who combined their love of the cocktail hour and their love of Shakespeare to write a collection of Bard-inspired cocktail and hors d’oeuvre recipes. This thoroughly modern book (released September 1, 2015) contains instructions for concocting drinks like “Kate’s Shrew-driver” and “Othello’s Green-eyed Monster.” The images of Shakespeare characters that accompany the recipes are all taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection – with some clever Photoshop work done to insert glasses in the hands of the characters. In this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited, Rebecca Sheir interviews Caroline Bicks, a professor at Bos...2015-08-2625 min