Shakespeare Anyone?

• Bonus Episode: Interview with Kent Lehnhof on Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays

  Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this bonus episode, we’re joined by Dr. Kent Lehnhoff to talk about his new book, Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. Together, we explore how Shakespeare uses the concept and qualities of human voice in The Tempest, Cymbeline, King Lear, Pericles, and The Winter’s Tale, how he writes for and about the voice, and beyond that, how embracing the unique voice of each character (and actor) can create a more ethical, inclusive theatre.  About Kent Lehnhof Kent Lehnhof earned a BA from Brigham Young University and a PhD from Duke University. He is Professor of English at Chapman University, where he specializes in early modern literature and culture, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Dr. Lehnhof has published two dozen scholarly articles, has co-edited two essay collections, and is coming out with a new book in October titled Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. In this book and in many of his articles, Dr. Lehnhof treats Shakespeare’s plays like lively enactments of ethical philosophy. He believes that one of the things that makes Shakespeare’s work distinctly Shakespearean is its interest in exploring what it’s like to be in relation—what it’s like to be tied to other people, some of whom love you, some of whom hate you, and some of whom pay you no mind at all. At present, Dr. Lehnhof is finishing a guidebook for Arden Shakespeare called Understanding Shakespeare’s Plays: A Candid Companion to All the Drama. This book goes through all the play, one by one, giving an overview of each and offering insights and analysis as to what it offers. Dr. Lehnhof only has six plays left to do, which means he’s getting down to the deep cuts. Timon of Athens, anyone? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.  Works referenced:  Lehnhof, Kent. Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025. Print.

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• King Henry V: Wrap Up

  Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this wrap-up episode, we reflect on our journey through Shakespeare's King Henry V by examining three distinct productions that bring the play to life in unique ways. We begin with Kenneth Branagh's 1989 Oscar-nominated film adaptation, renowned for its realism and cinematic approach. Next, we delve into the 2022 Donmar Warehouse production starring Kit Harington, which frames Henry’s leadership through a modern lens. Finally, we discuss the 2012 Shakespeare's Globe production with Jamie Parker, which offers a more traditional yet energetic take on the play. By comparing these interpretations, we explore how different directorial choices and performances can influence our understanding of the play's themes, characters, and historical context. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Branagh, Kenneth, director. Henry V. Performance by Derek Jacobi, et al., Curzon Film Distributors, Ltd., Samuel Goldwyn Company, CBS Fox Video, 1989. Shakespeare, William. Henry V. National Theatre Live, https://www.ntathome.com/henry-v. Accessed 2025. Shakespeare, William. Henry V (2012). Shakespeare’s Globe, 2013, https://player.shakespearesglobe.com/productions/henry-v-2012/. Accessed 2025.

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• Mini: Interview with Julie Hammonds on Blue Mountain Rose—A Shakespearean Tale of Theater, Family, and Resilience

  Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with author Julie Hammonds to discuss her debut novel, Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Shakespeare festival in the Arizona mountains during the 2009 financial crisis, the story follows theater director Richard Keane, company manager Kate Morales, and enigmatic actor Peter Dunmore as they strive to save their beloved open-air stage. Julie shares insights into how Shakespeare's works inspired the novel's structure and themes, the challenges of portraying the behind-the-scenes world of theater, and the enduring relevance of the Bard's plays in times of personal and collective hardship. Whether you're a Shakespeare aficionado, a theater enthusiast, or a lover of character-driven narratives, this conversation offers a compelling look into the intersections of art, community, and resilience. Blue Mountain Rose is now available at booksellers near you and on our Bookshop.com storefront. About Julie Hammonds Julie Hammonds fell in love with Hamlet during a high school trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has nurtured her passion for Shakespeare ever since. She learned to run a light board on an Army base in South Korea, studied the plays on her own and in school, stage-managed The Winter’s Tale and Much Ado About Nothing, and became the founding board president of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. Along the way, she decided to complete the canon as an audience member by seeing Shakespeare’s plays performed on as many different stages as she can reach. The quest has taken her from a community hall in Juneau, Alaska, to the noteworthy festivals in Stratford, Ontario, and Cedar City, Utah, to Shakespeare’s Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She has four plays to go. This is her first novel. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Hammonds, Julie C. Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Soulstice Publishing, LLC, 2025.  

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  33:24
• King Henry V: European Foreigners and Immigrants in Shakespeare's Time

  Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we are exploring the English relationships with foreigners and immigrants from other European countries. First, we'll discuss what the experience of immigrant communities was like in England during the Tudor and early Stuart periods--were the English people xenophobic or welcoming to others? We'll look specifically at experiences of Dutch and French immigrants, who made up the majority of immigrants to England in the mid-late 1500s.  Then, we'll take a look at England's attempt to colonize Ireland through Essex's campaign in the late 1590s and how English anxieties about foreign invasions while also attempting to invade Ireland may have influenced Shakespeare's writing of King Henry V. We'll also discuss the characters of Macmorris, Jamy, and Fluellen and how they represent contemporary English relations with the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.  We have previously explored England's proto-colonial practices and treatment of people of the global majority outside of Europe, and their legacies in the following episodes: Mini: Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination Mini: Shakespeare's World: Immigrants, Others, and Foreign Commodities Mini: "Decolonize the Mind" through Shakespeare Mini: Intercultural and Global Shakespeare in a Postcolonial World Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Goose, Nigel. “Immigrants and English Economic Development in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries.” Immigrants in Tudor and Early Stuart England, edited by Nigel Goose and Lien Luu, Liverpool University Press, 2013, pp. 136–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.4418193.12. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025. Goose, Nigel. “‘Xenophobia’ in Elizabethan and Early Stuart England: An Epithet Too Far?” Immigrants in Tudor and Early Stuart England, edited by Nigel Goose and Lien Luu, Liverpool University Press, 2013, pp. 110–35. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.4418193.11. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025. Highley, Christopher. “‘If the Cause Be Not Good’: Henry V and Essex’s Irish Campaign.” Shakespeare, Spenser, and the Crisis in Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. 134–163. Print. Cambridge Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture.

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• Mini: Shakespeare in Love [Unlocked from the Patreon Vault]

  Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. This week, we are bringing you something a little different and unlocking our Patreon bonus episode on the 1998 film, Shakespeare in Love. Over on our Patreon, we regularly watch/read and discuss Shakespeare-adjacent media. Shakespeare in Love, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by John Madden, follows a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and a noblewoman, Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), during the writing of Romeo and Juliet. The film also features performances by Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love received 7 Oscars, including Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards.  We originally released this episode in February 2023 as a Patreon-exclusive. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Stoppard, Tom, and Marc Norman. Shakespeare in Love. Panorama, 1998.  

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