During her daily perusal of The New York Times, LA came upon an article entitled "Who's Afraid of William Shakespeare?" written by Drew Lichtenberg, the artistic producer at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington. Texting it to Owen, immediately upon finishing said article, we decided that this was serious fodder for our pod. In case you wan…

pathetic /pəˈθet̬.ɪk/ arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness. miserably inadequate; of very low standard. ARCHAIC - relating to the emotions. This episode, dear listeners, is our conversation about which characters in the Shakespeare canon can be considered pathetic. As you can see, there's a range - do you agree or disagree wit…

Oh dear listeners..... We are truly bummed. The world has lost a major light, a star, a talent without compare, a "National Treasure," as King Charles said. Dame Margaret Natalie Smith passed away on September 27, 2024 at the ripe old age of 89. This is our heartfelt tribute. We love you, Maggie - rest well. And make some amazing art with all your …

Riddle: What do you get when you cross Tolkien with Shakespeare??? Answer: Tune in to find out!!! This is a bit of a Black Swan episode, but we tie it all together. Enjoy!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we're a 501C3 Non-Profit - hel…

Stars as in astrology... but also, as in our guest!!! We are FORTUNATE to have the SUPREMELY talented (see what we did there??) Will DeVary joining us on this episode to discuss his choice of sonnet, Sonnet 14. Is he reaching for the heavens? Can we predict what he'll say?? WHAT DOES THIS EPISODE PORTEND??? Join us and find out for yourselves, you …

Sooooooo..... not only is Emma Thompson a brilliant actor and wonderful human being, but she is the one who told Leda (Owen's wife) and Lisa Ann, in a bathroom in London after having seen that stunning As You Like It that we've talked so much about... "Theatre is supposed to reduce you to rubble!" Heaven knows this fabulous woman has done that SOOO…

In the last couple of months, we've delved into some of the most well-known Shakespearean actors. All of them male. It's time to shift the focus!!!!! In this episode, we rush headlong into the female side of this category - and who better to start with than herself, Dame Judi Dench??? (Sounds of Owen and Lisa Ann bowing and scraping.) Literally (li…

Owen went to England!!! WITHOUT LA!!!! (Fuss, fuss, fuss. Ah well.) In this episode, we discuss all the cool and not so cool things that Owen saw in the UK this time around (including several Shakespeares of differing appeal, to be sure). And also... we drop some excellent pod news!!!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you…

Okay, so.... third time's a charm!! Isn't that what they say?? And for our third act, we have chosen none other than a podcast (Owen) favorite... Derek Jacobi!!! (LA loves him too, just not quite as much as Owen.) To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving …

We had so much fun discussing Sir Kenneth Branagh last time that we thought we'd dig into even more ridiculously talented Shakespearean actors!! So this time... we're going with Sir Ian McKellen! (Another knight... are you sensing a theme here?? We certainly are!!) To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: th…

Now, you knew we'd get into this sooner or later. There are those actors who are known for their work with The Bard. Kenneth is one of those. In this episode, we discuss all the work he has done in the canon - SO FAR. We've got YEARS (hopefully!!) of more work coming from this incredible artist!!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to h…

Can you believe it??? We can't. The beginning of our fifth season!! And what better way to celebrate than to talk about Henry V??? Many thanks to you, our loyal listeners, for keeping us on the airwaves AND on the straight and narrow. Kind of, anyway ;) To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyou…

You know, dear listeners... we are such dear, dear friends (and have been for so many years!) that we truly feel as close to siblings as two people can get - who aren't actually biologically related. (Is blood actually thicker than water?) Plus, National Siblings Day was just a few weeks ago! It started us thinking... (always a scary prospect!)... …

April 23 is Shakespeare's Birthday!!! (And also his Death Day, but that's not important right now.) To honor the natal day of the Bard, in this episode we discuss all things birthday!! Where birthdays are mentioned in the canon, cakes, presents, traditions and history - and other celebratory topics! Grab some cake and a party hat and have a listen!…

You know, dear listeners - we have a lot to say. Certainly about Shakespeare!! And we are going to continue to say it!! In this episode we dive to the very Bottom (Ha! get it??) of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lovers, Fairies, Mechanicals - what else could a person want??? Give us your hands, if we be friends... To send us an email - please do, we tr…

We had so much fun delving deeply into Julius Caesar last episode that we decided to tackle one of the comedies!! Twelfth Night is quite special to us, because we played Viola and Malvolio together a bunch of years back at Tulsa Shakespeare in the Park. That being said, we have A LOT to say about the play, that production, the characters, other pro…

Beware the Ides of March!!! So, last week we were just shooting the proverbial shite, and it was - of course - March 15, the Ides of March. Which led us to a conversation about Julius Caesar. Which led us to a conversation about the state of politics in the good ol' US of A. Ugh. So we thought... let's talk some more about this!!! To send us an ema…

Listeners!!! We are bound and determined to get through all of Shakespeare's sonnets!!! In this episode we are joined by two dear friends and amazing actors, Amy Landis and Mark Edward Lang. What a joy to hear them do beautiful justice to the Bard's words and then discuss so fully that it satisfies our little nerdy hearts ❤️ So, here we go with Son…

One of our lovely listeners, Susan, asked us "Which characters would you most enjoy (or not) to have a meal with?" When we read it, we thought: What a fantastic idea for a podcast episode!!! So this is it!!! We discuss who in the canon we'd love - or not love!! - to break bread with. Thanks, Susan!! We love you!! Enjoy!! To send us an email - pleas…

We warned you!! We did!! We said there are 154 sonnets and we are bound and determined to get to ALL of them!! In this episode, the lovely and supremely talent Bruce Cromer joins us to discuss Sonnet 126 - the WEIRD sonnet. The sonnet that marches to its own drum. The sonnet that is not like any others. What, you say?? Truth!! Have a listen!! To se…

Oh listeners... a year ago the podcast was in the heart center, Stratford Upon Avon. We were reminiscing about our lovely adventures there and thought... What about the swans? Luckily for us, LA's partner Don is an animal guy. So we asked him to do some research on swans, those Stratford ones in particular. Did you know swans are monogamous and mat…

Happy New Year!!! 2024 is going to be A LOT here is the US of A, so we thought we'd make ourselves happy right out of the gate by discussing those characters in the canon that we are drawn to (for various and assorted reasons) Who are yours??? To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail…

Friend, Romans, Dicks and Dickesses, lend us your ears!!! 'Tis the season for merry making, and in this episode we do just that!!! We have invited back to the pod our dear friends Patrick Lawlor and Harper York for some holiday amusements - namely, imbibing and taking online Shakespeare quizzes!! You'd be amazed at how many there are, albeit some b…

Remember when you were a little kid, and your mom and dad made you go to church/synagogue/mosque even though you would rather have stayed home and watched cartoons? Yeah, us too. But that has very little to do with this episode, except that we discuss the religious characters in the Shakespeare canon. Some are genuinely pious, most are manipulative…

Yeah, yeah, we know... talk about lawyers in Shakespeare and everyone quotes the famous line to kill them all. But do they actually need to all be killed? And what about the doctors in the canon? Are they as shitty as the lawyers? In this episode, we ponder those very questions, and discuss the characters that fall in those categories. To send us a…

Okay... we know that we have a penchant for discussing the shittiest of characters in the canon. It's fun, we can't help it. Don't judge!!! However.... In this episode, we talk about those characters that are genuinely good, honest, loving, compassionate people. Mostly. To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us a…

Think about it... how many characters are mothers in the canon? Now think about THIS... how many characters in Shakespeare don't seem to HAVE mothers?? Weird, right??? This one's for you, Joanelle. To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we're…

Okay. We all know that the Shakespeare canon is simply rife with all kinds of bad doings - but which ones are the most heinous?? In this episode we talk about those characters who exhibit just downright criminal behavior. Oh Officer Krupke................ To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcasty…

"Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin'...." To be fair, servants in Shakespeare's day worked a LOT longer than 9 to 5, but the "what a way to make a living'" part is still very applicable. Who are the servants in the Shakespeare canon? What are the different levels of servitude? And what purpose do they serve?? In this episode, we discuss all…

FRIENDS OF THE POD!!!! Remember two episodes ago when the topic was Mentally Ill Shakespeare?? We always invite our listeners to converse with us about our episodes and this time, our Canadian listener Randy J. Paterson PhD, did!!! He is an actual psychologist and he wrote us a wonderful email all about the amateur diagnoses that we came up with, a…

Today's episode is a mewmorial - yes, shut the fuck up, mewmorial - for Lisa Ann's beloved feral to lapcat tortoiseshell Lady Plymdale, aka Momma. May she be resting in purrs over the rainbow bridge with Paquette, Genny-Mo, Sherilyn, Sahara, Thurl, Steve Wonder, and Eliot. In today's episode, we talk about (mostly) cats and dogs in Shakespeare. We …

" I may be cwazy... but I'm not goin' to Alcatwaz..." (Yeah, yeah, we know it's a Shakespeare podcast, but Bugs Bunny is as Shakespearean a character as they come!!) Today's episode takes us deep into the loony bins of the canon. Which Shakespeare characters have gone off the deep end? And what would their diagnosis be? We dive into the psyche (ha!…

"In the summertime, when the weather is high You can stretch right up and touch the sky When the weather's fine You got Shakespeare, you got Shakespeare on your mind!" Well, we ALWAYS have Shakespeare on our minds!! But... it's still summer... hot, sweaty, stinky, sexy summer. What was it like for Elizabethans in the summer? In this episode, we dis…

"Vacation, all I ever wanted.... Vacation, had to get away..." Okay, so the Go-Gos aren't exactly Shakespearian, but it is a catchy tune!! It's summer, it's hot, it's time for some relaxation and respite. That being said, since neither of us can get away - too much going on!!! - www.sagaftrastrike.org!!! - in today's episode, we discuss where we wo…

So, dear listeners... several episodes ago, we dove headlong into the world of AI. We asked CHATGPT to write sequels of three Shakespeare plays for us. (We also asked for a synopsis of the original plays). They BLEW. Then we found out that there was (apparently) a SMARTER version of CHAT GPT. That, of course, you have to pay for. We couldn't help o…

What images do the word "knight" conjure up in your heads, dear listeners?? A devilishly handsome man on a white horse? A metal bound warrior on a valiant steed? A pub-carousing, wench-laying, pint-waving, gorbellied sot? They ALL exist in Shakespeare's canon, way more than you might think!! In this episode, we talk about (hopefully!) all of them!!…

Welcome to Season 4 of The Bardcast!!!! We are incredibly grateful to ALL our listeners worldwide for getting us to this point - we love you all, you dicks and dickesses!!!! Our season opener follows some of the stuff we've been talking about... which characters in the Shakespeare canon are just fucking idiots in one way or another? Who is just dum…

Merriam Webster's definition of "woke" is as follows: Woke (chiefly US slang) - 1a: aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice) - often used in contexts that suggest someone's expressed beliefs about such matters are not backed with genuine concern or action. In this episod…

So, dear listeners... everyone is up in arms these days about Artificial Intelligence, and all the things that it's being used for - photography, art, advertising, voiceovers, etc. - with good reason to be nervous! So we decided we were going to ask CHATGPT to write sequels of three Shakespeare plays for us. (We also asked for a synopsis of the ori…

What makes a good leader? What makes a bad leader? What Shakespeare characters fall into which category? In this episode, we take a deep dive into all those that rule... or don't! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we're a 501C3 Non-Profi…

“Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel” — Polonius, Hamlet Act I Scene 3 "We'll always be bosom buddies...." - Mame and Vera, Mame Act II In today's episode, we discuss those platonic (mostly!) relationships in Shakespeare which feed us, touch us, annoy us, and horrify us. Did we miss one …

So... what's the deal with those prologues and epilogues in Shakespeare plays? And who is the "Chorus," exactly?? In this episode we discuss all the things that are used in the Shakespeare canon as a framing device. You know, two households both alike and all that... To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: …

As if our trip to the UK wasn't incredible enough, we met this AMAZING man in Stratford Upon Avon who is a docent for The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, who oversees the Shakespeare Birthplace, Holy Trinity Church, Shakespeare's Schoolhouse, The New Place... EVERYTHING that has ANYTHING to do with Shakespeare in Stratford Upon Avon!!!!!! Join us as …

We complete our UK Shakespeare binge with The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon and Othello by the sizzling Frantic Assembly at the Lyric Hammersmith back in London What a whirlwind tour!!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by g…

To be or not to be..... 90 minutes?!? What do you get when you cut all of the adults out of Hamlet?? Listen to the episode and find out as we Shakespeare our way through London!!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we're starving artists,…

Continuing on our UK quest for all things Shakespeare, we returned to the indoor theatre at The Globe for Titus Andronicus. Now we understand why some mothers eat their young. Hide all your candles!! To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we'…

Hello you dicks and dickesses!!! We continue to take you with us on our journey through Merrie Olde England with our review of Henry V at the Sam Wanamaker, the indoor theatre at the Globe in London. We wish we were back in London (sob!), but listen with us and maybe we can all meet there in our dreams!!! Cuppa, anyone?? Or a pint?? We're so in!!! …

As if our UK trip wasn't AMAZING enough... in this episode not only do we review the stunning production of As You Like It that we saw at SohoPlace, but we were thrilled to be able to do an interview with TOM MISON, who played a simply outstanding Touchstone in that production!! We bet that you know him from other things besides Shakespeare... chec…

WE ARE IN THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE!!!! For us anyway!!! Did you know that Shakespeare grew up with gallons and gallons of urine and manure in his back yard?? Or that his dad ran a brisk business out of the front window while little Will was sleeping upstairs (before he went bankrupt, that is)?? Or that he and his knocked up wife had to live with …

OHMYGODWERESOEXCITED!!!!! The next time you hear us, we will be recording from THE UK!!! IN THE SAME ROOM!!! Yes, listeners, The Bardcast is heading to London and Stratford-upon-Avon for ALL THINGS SHAKESPEARE (what, what?!??)!!! In this episode, we give you a preview of our itinerary - what Shakespeare plays we’re seeing, where we’re going, what w…