It's time for our next play, and we are so excited to dive into the world of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. As always, we will start off with a detailed plot summary, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene. Let's dive in!

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod

Works referenced:

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing: Revised Edition. Edited by Claire McEachern, 2nd ed., Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.

In today's episode, we are joined by Ricky Dukes, Artistic Director of the Lazarus Theatre Company, to discuss the work of the Lazarus Theatre Company, why classical plays, including Shakespeare, are still relevant for audiences today, and the upcoming (and timely) Lazarus Theatre Company production of Julius Caesar.

About Ricky Dukes

Ricky is a working-class, award-winning Director, Practitioner and Teacher based in the West Midlands and London. In 2007 he founded Lazarus Theatre Company and is the company’s current Artistic Director for which he won Best Artistic Director in the 2012 Fringe Report Awards.

His work is ensemble led with actor detail at its heart creating large scale visual, visceral, and vibrant theatrical experiences. Founded in 2007 Ricky has gone on to direct over 40 productions for Lazarus Theatre Company. He is currently working on a new production of Shakespeare’s Rowley’s Julius Caesar which will open at Southwark Playhouse in Sept 2024.

Notable productions include: The Changeling, Middleton & Rowley, Southwark Playhouse, 2023. Hamlet, Shakespeare, Southwark Playhouse, 2023. Doctor Faustus, Marlowe, Southwark Playhouse, 2022. Salomé, Oscar Wilde, Southwark Playhouse, 2021. Macbeth, Shakespeare, Greenwich Theatre, 2020. Edward II, Christopher Marlowe, Tristan Bates Theatre / Greenwich Theatre, 2017 /2018. Caucasian Chalk Circle, Brecht, Jack Studio Theatre / Greenwich Theatre, 2016 /2017. Tis Pity She’s A Whore, John Ford, Tristan Bates Theatre, 2016. Dido, Queen of Carthage, Christopher Marlowe, Greenwich Theatre, 2013.

About Lazarus Theatre Company

Lazarus Theatre Company is an award-winning ensemble, reimagining and revitalising classic plays in visual, visceral and vibrant productions. Follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @LazarusTheatre

About Lazarus Theatre Company's 2024 production of Julius Caesar

Lazarus Theatre Company will return to Southwark Playhouse Borough with a glimpse into the behind the scenes of government politics in a multimedia reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Set within a government spin room, this uncanny insight into the inner workings of politics and media engages with what we are fed and how we consume news. In what is set to be a hotly contested electoral year in the UK, US and across Europe, Julius Caesar’s investigation into what we can trust in the media and through our screens presents a crucial look at the current landscape of media, AI and public opinion.

A striking reimagining, which exposes the plots and betrayal at the forefront of the classic story, this political thriller will use an innovative blend of technology and staging to present both sides of the political coin. Expect dramatic and striking theatrics as Lazarus’s ensemble present a raucous and bloody production that sees The Thick of It meets West Wing.

Julius Caesar will run Friday September 6th – Saturday October 5th, 2024 at Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large, 77-84 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD.

Captioned Performance Saturday 21st September 2024
Relaxed Performance Saturday 28th September 2024, 3pm, 7.30pm
Streamed Performance Thursday 17th October 2024

Tickets are available online at https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/julius-caesar/

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Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com/

Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod

It's hard to believe it is finally here, but we are wrapping up our Romeo and Juliet series this week by watching and discussing two productions.

First, we will discuss Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. Then, we will move into the National Theatre at Home production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Simon Godwin and starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O'Connor.

Not enough Romeo and Juliet? Paid Patreon members can access our bonus episodes on Gnomeo & Juliet and the 2022 film Rosaline and suggest other adaptations we should watch for future Patreon bonus episodes!

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod

Works referenced:

Godwin, Simon, director. Romeo and Juliet. National Theatre at Home, National Theatre, 2021, https://www.ntathome.com/romeo-juliet. Accessed 2024.

Luhrmann, Baz, director. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1996.