The Theatre History Podcast

Sep 23 2024 100 ep. 33 mins 18
The Theatre History Podcast artwork

Performance is an ephemeral thing, so how do we rediscover its history, and what can that teach us about theatre today? The Theatre History Podcast explores these questions through interviews with scholars and artists who are studying theatre's past in order to help shape its future.

  Arts
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Episode 109: Going "Beyond Ridiculous" with Dr. Ken Elliott

Sep 23 2024 54 mins  
The 1980s might not seem like a decade conducive to the emergence of a groundbreaking gay theatre. However, amidst the AIDS pandemic and a homophobic backlash to the gains of the post-Stonewall era, Charles Busch and Kenneth Elliott created something unique in New York City. The company that they founded, Theatre-in-Limbo, developed some of the biggest underground hits of the 80s,

Episode 108: "Stirring Up Sheffield" with Tedd George

Aug 12 2024 40 mins  
In the 1960s, the English city of Sheffield began work on a new theatre. The new venue, called the Crucible, became an important landmark in the development of theatre in the UK, as well as a point of contention nationwide. At the center of it all was Colin George, who spearheaded the building of the Crucible and fought for its then-unconventional design. Although George passed aw

Episode 107: Tracing the Rise of the Professional Scenic Designer w/ Dr. David Bisaha

Jul 29 2024 41 mins  
How did scenic designer become a job that people could pursue in the theatre? Dr. David Bisaha joins us to talk about his book, American Scenic Design and Freelance Professionalism. Correction for the episode: The correct number for the historical, segregated Washington, D.C. IATSE Local was 224-A, not 244-A.

Episode 106: Staging Latinx Shakespeares with Dr. Carla Della Gatta

Jul 15 2024 34 mins  
Dr. Carla Della Gatta joins us to talk about Latinx Shakespeare productions and her book Latinx Shakespeares: Staging U.S. Intercultural Theater.

Episode 105: The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama with Professor Fiona Macintosh

Nov 21 2023 50 mins  
Ancient Greek and Roman drama has influenced theatre for millennia, and playwrights and other artists from around the world continue to draw inspiration from these works. Professor Fiona Macintosh joins us to talk about the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama at Oxford University and how it's been a resource for those who want to learn more about how these works have b

Episode 104: Elise Harris Helps Us Look Into "Sidney Brustein’s Window"

Oct 24 2023 55 mins  
Lorraine Hansberry's play "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" is often forgotten, or dismissed as an inferior play that fell victim to the playwright's declining health at the end of her life. But as our guest, Elise Harris, tells us, it's a fascinating work in its own right, and one with a rich and complicated history.

Episode 103: Special Guest Episode! Peter Schmitz and Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia present "Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre"

Oct 17 2023 60 mins  
It's a special guest episode, featuring Peter Schmitz and his podcast "Adventures in Theatre History: Philadelphia." Peter tells the story of Jasper Deeter, whose pioneering work had an impact on not only Philadelphia theatre, but the American stage as a whole.

Episode 102: Celebrity Pregnancy on the 18th-century London Stage with Dr. Chelsea Phillips

Oct 31 2022 92 mins  
The eighteenth century was obsessed with celebrities, and, like our own time, the fans of the 1700s were fascinated by famous actress' pregnancies. Dr. Chelsea Phillips joins us to talk about how she explores the emergence of this aspect of 18th-century fan culture in her new book, Carrying All Before Her: Celebrity Pregnancy and the London Stage, 1689-1800.

Episode 101: Visiting the Museum of Broadway with Ben West

Oct 23 2022 35 mins  
Broadway has a long and complex history, and in November of 2022 a new museum is opening that will allow visitors to explore that history. Curator Ben West joins us to introduce the Museum of Broadway and explain how it's bringing the theatrical past to life.

Episode 100: Examining Robert E. Sherwood's "There Shall Be No Night" with Dr. Thomas F. Connolly

Aug 18 2022 27 mins  
For anyone who's been following the news in 2022, a play about an Eastern European country's heroic resistance in the face of Russian invasion might sound timely. But as Dr. Thomas F. Connolly shows in this week's discussion of Robert E. Sherwood's "There Shall Be No Night," timeliness can be a tricky subject, perhaps especially in the context of live theatre.