ShakesPod

Roll for initiative and prepare for a storm of epic proportions!In this episode of Shakespod we chat with Drew Jones, Director of The Tempest at Frank Bramhill Park in San Jose, June 6-22, 2025 and find out what inspired his Dungeons & Dragons take of this epic play!!Thank you to Drew Jones for his time and energy!

A first scholarly look at our 2025 Summer Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest, directed by Drew Benjamin Jones.Actors:James Lucas--Oberon, Puck, ProsperoDoll Piccotto--Titania, Ariel

This episode dives into the weird and wacky world of Christopher Marlowe---or does it?Actors:James Lucas--Sir Toby Belch, Dogberry, Lear's FoolDoll PIccotto--Maria, Verges, King Lear

Acting Credits:Caesar and Portia: Doll PiccottoSoothsayer: James Lucas

Did Shakespeare Trick or Treat? Tune in and find out!! Players: Vincent Shakesprice--James Lucas First Fairy/Juliet--Sydney Nurse--Melissa Mei Jones Puck--Tonya Mara Sources: Astonishing legends.com 'Did Shakespeare Go Trick or Treating'--Cassidy Cash: "All Saints Day"--Britannica 'Samhain"--History.com "Imbolc"--History.com "Beltane"--History.com "Lughnassa"--History.com "Origin of Halloween"--Hauntpay.com

Ever wonder what school was like in Shakespeare's Day? Well, tune in this week to find out! This week we dive into Shakespeare's school days, what kind of education he had, and why some people think that means he couldn't have written his plays. Merry Wives of Windsor Scene performed by: Sydney Harmon, Oliver Piccotto, Doll Piccotto, and James Lucas as Sir Hugh. Sources for this podcast: Elizabethan Education by Linda Alchin "A Double Spirit of Teaching--What Shakespeare's Teachers Teach Us" by Patricia Winson Why Some People Think Shakespeare Didn't Write Shakespeare, Explained--by Constance Grady Greene's Groats-Worth of Witte--Folger Shakespeare Library Children in Elizabethan England--Julia Bossonis Welcome to Grammar School Famous Shakespeare Authorship Skeptics--Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship Yes, Shakespeare Really Was Shakespeare--Shiladitya Sen The Rediscovery of Shakespeare's Greek--Earl Showerman Yes, Shakespeare Really Did Write Shakespeare--Alex Knapp A Note on a Phrase In Shakespeare's Play King Lear-"A Plague Upon your Epileptic Visage"--Tim and Hannah Betts

This episode of Shakespod dives into the history of theatre in China and when and how Shakespeare made his arrival there. Special Guest: James Lucas performing Marc Antony from Julius Caesar. Sources: SHAKESPEARE IN CHINA Ho Hsiang-Lin The ComparatistVol. 13 (MAY 1989), pp. 11-21 (11 pages)Published By: University of North Carolina Press Shakespeare Reception in China by Yanna Sun Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 2, No. 9, pp. 1931-1938, September 2012 © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland. Why China's Love Affair With Shakespeare Endures Enid Tsui, Post Magazine https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/1996061/why-chinas-love-affair-shakespeare-endures Shakespeare in China L.E. https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2017/03/12/shakespeare-in-china/ Royalty-Free Renaissance music provided by:Pixabay

In this episode, we take an in-depth look at the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which provides the backdrop for our 2024 summer production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS in Sanborn Park. The episode also features an interview with Melissa Mei Jones, director of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, discussing her experience as a first-time director, her experience directing an AAPI-centric production, and much, much more. Sources: Royalty Free Music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com National Archives--archives.gov Office of the Historian--history.state.gov Library of Congress--loc.gov Bill of Rights Institute--The Chinese Exclusion Act--Stephanie Hinnershitz NPR--As Chinese Exclusion Act Turns 135, Experts Point to Parallels Today--Kat Chow Calisphere--Chinese Exclusion Act Exhibition Leland Stanford on Chinese Exclusion--1889 Tour of San Francisco's Chinatown

Doll Piccotto, SVS' Resident Dramaturg and 3 guests, Alika Spencer, director of SVS' Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Myles Rowland, actor who is playing Henry Jekyll and James Lucas--because he's entertaining and loves movies--discuss 3 different film versions of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. CORRECTION: We often call the John Barrymore version the 1931 version--it is in fact the 1920 version. Films Discussed: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde--John Barrymore (1920)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjQaAK5Vof4 Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde--Tim Daly/Sean Young (1995)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFf9khNkOtc Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde--Michael McKell (2021)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAd6bp0naAA

Join Doll Piccotto, our resident dramaturg as she takes a walk on the light and dark side in this discussion of Jekyll & Hyde, Dualism and Allegory. Be sure to see our production of Jekyll & Hyde this summer at Sanborne Park in Saratoga, CA. Special Guest recordings by James Lucas. Ale and Anecdotes by Darren Curtis | https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/ Music promoted on https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

All's Well that Ends Well....or does it? Listen in as a director, a professor and a dramaturg discuss Shakespeare's 'problem plays' and the issues that hinder a 'happy ending' in All's Well that Ends Well. Dr. Adrienne Eastwood from San Jose State Universityand and Marley Rose-Teter, the Director of Silicon Valley Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well sit down with Doll Piccotto, our resident dramaturg to pick apart these fascinating plays and discuss why they don't sit well with our modern sensibilities.

In this episode, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, does a deep dive into Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well.

In the third edition of "Flipping the Script," SVS presents another round of artists performing monologues in roles they wouldn't be traditionally cast in. Featuring pieces from Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest, and more; this episode will having you seeing these characters in a new light.