Will: What Is He Good For?

Bonus Episode!

As we get ready to open our summer production of Henry the Fifth, our Artistic Director, William Downes, and Company Manager, Sharon Stevens sit down and quickly chat about the play, the process and 10 years of Classics on the Rocks.

Episode 5: The End of an Era

March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth I dies, and without an heir or a clear line of succession she is succeeded by James I, her second cousin.  With a new monarch and family line in place, it’s time for Shakespeare to cozy up to James (just like he did with Elizabeth). In our 5th and final episode of the season, we talk about how “the Scottish play", and Shakespeare's later plays bring his epic life to a close.  
 

Episode 4: Nirvana, or Something Like It

After an 18-month plague-induced lockdown London’s theatres begin to open up again and the acting companies make their way back on stage. This is the time Shakespeare begins his career in earnest as the pre-eminent playwright of the Elizabethan stage. In episode 4, we explore how the globe theatre and the key actors of the time helped to inspire Shakespeare's work and define the man he would become. 
 

Episode 3: Welcome Back, Will!

After a 7-year absence from public record, Shakespeare reappears in London, where he is referenced by a rival dramatist, Robert Greene in his bitter deathbed pamphlet, "A Groats-worth of Witte" gaining the moniker “upstart crow." Shakespeare's early years in London are a fascinating time filled with plays, plagues, and poetry. In episode 3, we explore how this period of time helped that man from Stratford to become the playwright we know and love.

Episode 2: What’s Really Shaking?

Between the years of 1585- 1592, Shakespeare disappears from public record. With the exception of his twin's baptism in 1585, and a land dispute court document in 1589 there is very little to the man from Stratford's life. These "lost years" are where many of the theories behind the "authorship question" begin. In episode 2, we explore some of those theories, what may have happened in those missing years, and how that period of his life helped shape him into the playwright he would become.

Episode 1: Authorship

The question surrounding whether or not the man from Stratford-Upon-Avon, known as William Shakespeare, really wrote his plays, or more commonly known as the “authorship question” is a weird one. People will twist themselves into knots to discredit Shakespeare and justify alternative theories. However, if you follow the arc of his life, there is evidence that he is who he is and he did write his plays. In our first episode, we take a look at how Shakespeare's early life laid the groundwork for some of history's greatest playwriting. 

What’s it all about?

In "Will: What Is He Good For?" we explore the question of authorship. Was that man from Stratford really the man who penned epics like Hamlet and King Lear? Listen to our quick intro to hear more about what we think and why we'll be diving into this issue over the next 6 weeks.