Director of Programming and Performance at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and Artistic Director of Folger Theatre, KAREN ANN DANIELS joins host Nathan Winkelstein for a deeply personal conversation about William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. They delve into the play’s iconic “Kill Claudio” speech in Act 4, Scene 1, Daniels’ own “gateway drug” to Shakespeare, and her enduring connection to his work. Daniels and Winkelstein explore Shakespeare’s leading women, the ways they navigate — and push against — their societal roles, and the complicated realities of being a woman in the world. They discuss the friendship between Beatrice and Hero, the pressures of social status and relationships, and Daniels’ playful approach to Shakespeare. Along the way, they consider how theater can expand our sense of what is possible—and why Daniels saw so much possibility in Beatrice.

Celebrated Shakespearean actor and Red Bull stalwart MATTHEW RAUCH joined host NATHAN WINKELSTEIN for a conversation about Shakespeare’s first great villain, Richard III. Rauch performs Richard’s iconic Act 5 Scene 3 speech—“Give me another horse! Bind up my wounds!”—and explores the unseen side of this notorious king. (7/6/2020)

Acclaimed stage and screen actor TEAGLE F. BOUGERE joins host Nathan Winkelstein for a deeply personal conversation about one of William Shakespeare’s most moving late plays, The Winter’s Tale. Currently appearing in his fourth Shakespeare in the Park production, directed by Daniel Sullivan, Bougere reads Camillo’s Act 1, Scene 2 monologue — “O miserable lady! But, for me, What case stand I in?” — before reflecting on the play’s extraordinary emotional power. Together, they explore why The Winter’s Tale remains one of Bougere’s favorite plays, from its rare vision of redemption and second chances to its profound meditation on grief, forgiveness, and the hope of seeing loved ones again. They also discuss Bougere’s approach to paraphrasing Shakespeare and the surprising connections between The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth, and their own lives.