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Podcasts

Building upon Play On Shakespeare’s mission to enhance the understanding of Shakespeare’s plays in performance, Play On Podcasts brings timeless tales directly to modern audiences.

Play On Podcasts brings together a team of Award-winning sound designers, composers, playwrights, directors, and performers—with original music composition and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists—to create aural storytelling experiences. It’s a Shakespearean audio adventure with all translations adapted for podcast streaming by Catherine Eaton.

New episodes every Monday!

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare

In a Modern Verse Translation by David Ivers

Directed by Kim Martin-Cotten

Radio Play by Catherine Eaton

Set in Woodstock during the sixties’ “Summer of Love,” David Ivers’ translation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It upends the rules of romance, gender, nature and politics in a tale of life’s joy and confusion.

The Taming of the Shrew

By William Shakespeare

In a Modern Verse Translation by Amy Freed

Directed by Art Manke

Radio Play Adapted by Amy Freed and Leanna Keyes

Amy Freed’s translation of The Taming of the Shrew is presented as a satire in which the two smartest people in the room come together to tame the society that surrounds them. The series is set in Renaissance Italy and includes a cast of seasoned pros, including Allen Gilmore, Susannah Rogers, Danny Scheie, Annie Abrams, Mike McShane, Rob Nagle, Tessa Auberjonois, Kasey Mahaffy, Kyle Hester, Tom Patterson, and J.Paul Boehmer.

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare

In a Modern Verse Translation by Hansol Jung

Directed by Dustin Wills

Radio Play by Catherine Eaton

Next Chapter Podcasts presents the NAATCO / Two River Theater production of Romeo and Juliet. Translated by Hansol Jung and directed by Dustin Wills, this series brings listeners right into the sound studio where actors create their own special effects and bring Brian Quijada’s original songs and music to life with incomparable flare and passion!

Othello

By William Shakespeare

In a Modern Verse Translation by Mfoniso Udofia

Directed by Victor Malana Maog

Audio play by Catherine Eaton

Mfoniso Udofia’s unsparing translation of Shakespeare’s cruelest tragedy unmasks the ravages of prejudice and racism with unflinching honesty, revealing a world where bodies can be dispossessed by the meanest of minds. Starring Jeremy Tardy, Kayli Carter, Barret O’Brien, Paul Juhn, Christopher Gurr, Francesca Fernandez, Rachel Crowl, Lakisha May, Tommy Schrider, and Natalie Hegg. Music composition, mix, and sound design by Lindsay Jones.

Love's Labor's Lost

By William Shakespeare

In a Modern Verse Translation by Josh Wilder

Directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III

Radio Play by Catherine Eaton

Set at Howard University in the 1930s, this production features an all-Black cast with sound design and music composition by Lindsay Jones. In the Play On Podcast series Love’s Labour’s Lost, everyone is a traveler and music is universal! Featuring Tonya Pinkins, Russell G. Jones, Ashley Bryant, Tiffany Rachelle-Stewart, Walter Coppage, and Matthew Elijah Webb.

The Tempest

Translation by Kenneth Cavander Directed by Andy Wolk

The first installment of Play On Podcast's The Tempest, translated by Kenneth Cavander, will be released April 10th for podcast lovers far and wide! This magical story follows the magician Prospero, who uses magic to wreak revenge on his sister Antonia, and his daughter Miranda who falls in love with an unexpected visitor. Subscribe today to listen to The Tempest and check out our other podcast available to stream now!

The Winter's Tale

Translation by Tracy Young
Directed by Tracy Young

One of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays is now available in the form of a podcast: The Winter’s Tale. Translated and directed by Tracy Young, this Winter’s Tale illuminates the play's themes of love, loss, and forgiveness. The podcast includes sound design by Lindsay Jones featuring contemporary, acoustic instruments to transport audiences from the home of the jealous King Leontes to the joyful lands of Bohemia.

Measure for Measure

Translation by Aditi Brennan Kapil
Directed by Jessie Austrian

Aditi Brennan Kapil's Measure for Measure is our latest Play On Podcast series, directed by Jessie Austrian and features New York's award-winning Fiasco Theater ensemble. Exploring the corruption of power with wit and suspense, this podcast showcases a Vienna where anything can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Henry V

Translation by Lloyd Suh
Directed by Krista Williams

Henry V has recently become the King of England—and now is considering laying claim to rule in France. Covering the events during the Hundred Years’ War, this podcast will keep your mind whirling amidst the plots, schemes, and love interests in this historic tale.

Twelfth Night

Translation by Alison Carey
Directed by Christopher Liam Moore

Carey’s translation, starring Amy Brenneman, heightens Shakespeare’s classic tale about love, loss, and reunion. This podcast is set in a Hamptons-esque Illyria during the golden age of radio. Don’t miss out on this incredible series!

King Lear

Translated by Marcus Gardley
Directed by Eric Ting

In partnership with Next Chapter Podcasts, Play On Podcasts will present Marcus Gardley’s translation of King Lear in February! We are ecstatic to announce this thrilling podcast, directed by Eric Ting and starring the legendary Keith David as Lear. The podcast will also include jazz-inspired sound design.

Coriolanus

Translation by Sean San José
Directed by Kate Wisniewski

Dive into ancient Rome where General Caius Martius (soon-to-be-named Coriolanus) calls for an end to democracy in the midst of a tumultuous relationship between the people of Rome and the aristocracy. Brimming with political unrest, war, and questionable leadership, Coriolanus asks us to consider in what ways has history repeated itself to this day? Featuring an all-women and non-binary cast, get ready to experience Coriolanus like you never have before.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Translation by Jeffrey Whitty
Directed by Catherine Eaton

Tony Award–winning and Oscar-nominated storyteller Jeffrey Whitty offers his adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, mindfully adapted into modern language. Matching the Bard line for line, rhyme for rhyme, Whitty illuminates Shakespeare’s meaning for modern audiences while maintaining the play’s storytelling architecture, emotional texture, and freewheeling humor. Designed to supplement, not supplant, the original, Whitty’s Midsummer cuts through the centuries to bring audiences a fresh, moment-by-moment take, designed to flow as effortlessly for modern audiences as Shakespeare’s beloved classic played to the Elizabethans.

Pericles

Translation by Ellen McLaughlin
Directed by Lisa Rothe

Pericles, Prince of Tyre is an adventure set in the classical past spanning over years in the life of the hero Pericles who loses everything—only to find what matters most. Full of perils and heroic feats, we follow Pericles as he journeys through various ancient cities in the Mediterranean, escaping danger, and searching for his loved ones.

Macbeth

Translation by Migdalia Cruz
Directed by Edward Torres

In Migdalia Cruz’s Macbeth, the Witches run the world. The Macbeths live out a dark cautionary tale of love, greed, and power, falling from glory into calamity as the Witches spin their fate. Translating Shakespeare’s language for a modern audience, Nuyorican playwright Migdalia Cruz rewrites Macbeth with all the passion of the Bronx.

Play On Podcasts is produced by Next Chapter Podcasts. Next Chapter is an independent podcast production house dedicated to original, authentic storytelling. They are a team of producers and sound designers, engineers, and artists with unique experience to excel in podcast production from concept to creation.