Writ in the Margins: Recent Episodes
Molly Seremet
Have you ever wondered what might be hiding between the lines of a play? This season, Writ in the Margins will be investigating dramaturgical mysteries from four early modern plays, The Witch of Edmonton, FuenteOvejuna, Convent of Pleasure, and House of Desires. Together, using various modern theories as our lenses, we will explore these old texts and share the insights we find within-- all while drawing attention to the international canon of early modern theatre. From translations to interviews, with live music and script readings, join us to discover exactly what we have Writ in the Margins.
This podcast was created by the graduate students enrolled in REN670: Dramaturgy in the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University. Writ in the Margins is produced in collaboration with course convener Prof. Molly Seremet.
In this episode, hosts Chris Johnston and Allison Lyne cover an extraordinary amount of ground. They begin by offering a tour of the play's narrative highlights. Then, they apply two analytical lenses to the play: ecocriticism and Darwin's stages of evolution. Finally, they dive into the play's use of names and the ways in which characters consider their own names and name objects and creatures in the world around them to discuss how names become a marker of evolution with the text. This episode features readings from the play and original music!
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In this episode, hosts Jess Snellings and RIley Tate apply their analytical muscle to unpacking key themes of gender and honor at work in Life is a Dream. They set the stage with close reading and key historical context of the Spanish Golden Age. Then, they put the play in conversation with an example from contemporary media, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. In this examination, they focus on resonances of gender and feminist theory in both works. This episode features guest performances from Molly Martinez-Collins as Rosaura and Chris Johnston as Clotaldo.
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In this episode, hosts Mikaela Hanrahan and Cait Redman explore all things folkloric, looking at the Spanish and Polish mythos that undergirds Life is Dream. They close-read two folktales (The Princess of the Brazen Mountain and The Enchanted Castle in the Sea) and wake up connections with Segismundo's story. They also apply an ecocritical lens to the play to consider how de la Barca's classic relates to the natural world. This episode features readings from the play, excerpts from folklore, and original music!
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In this episode, hosts J. Paige Hilton and Caroline Lyons dig deeply into the ethical dimensions of staging a play like Loa to the Divine Narcissus today, particularly with regard to identity-conscious casting. They examine Aztec history and also think through the implications of not teaching this history fully in American classrooms. They also work with resources that foreground the use of multiple languages in performance to envision a multilingual staging of Sor Juana's religious play. Finally, they bring in guest presenter Christopher Niesner to bring this approach to performance to life.
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In this episode, hosts Adam Hobbs, Molly Martinez-Collins, and Johnny Williams III explore the postcolonial dimensions of Loa to the Divine Narcissus by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. They deconstruct the power dynamics at work in our understanding of New Spain and also dig into the history of Aztec culture. The also ponder the collision between the monotheism of colonial Christianity in contrast to the polytheistic traditions of the Aztecs. Finally, they dig into Sor Juana's poetry and pieces of popular entertainment that dramatize her life to find resonances inside of her religious allegory.
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In this episode, hosts Genevieve Henderson, Fawzia Istrabadi, and Christopher Niesner explore the pervasive Orientalism and pernicious Islamophobic tropes at work inside of Fletcher's late Jacobean play, The Island Princess. They pinpoint the play's significance as both colonialist and Christian propaganda while also considering the significance of the play's central strong female character in a post-Elizabethan context. Oh, and they work in a connection to the 2007 film Barbie's Island Princess as well.
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In this episode, hosts Nic Holtman and Fallon Smyl hone in on Act II of Fletcher's problematic play and close read the ways in which the play's action stages both the consequences of environmental peril through an ecocritical lens as well as the specter of religious pageantry as Christian propaganda. They end the episode with a rich analysis of the play's musical elements and the ways in which melody and composition can perform colonialist attitudes onstage.
Content note: References to racism, misogyny, torture, and Islamophobia.
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In this episode, hosts Brie Roche and Alaina Smith activate their research on material culture, feminist theory, and madness to explore the ways that gender inflects attitudes towards madness inside of Brome's play. Featuring thorough close readings, scene performances, and a guessing game starring a special guest who has no idea what The Antipodes is all about.
Content note: Discussions of madness, stereotypes surrounding mental illness, and ethical issues surrounding of medical treatment.
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In this episode, hosts Morgan Ford and Ronan Melomo dig into the contextual underpinnings of The Antipodes through their analysis of the ways in which Brome's play dramatizes a role for the early modern stage director and also responds to the closure of the theatres in response to plague in the early modern era. How might a contemporary audience respond to this play in the wake of COVID-19? Can a play be a cure for what ails us in these disconnected times?
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In this episode, hosts Eli Cronin and Katie Graham explore intersections of ecocriticism, queer theory, and feminist theory in their analysis of Richard Brome's topsy-turvy play, The Antipodes. They use close readings from the play to analyze the play's shifting power dynamics through the lens of both queer theory and ecofeminism, especially in thinking through how the play activates space through metaphors of control. Spoiler alert: there are a puppet and pirate digressions too!
CW: discussions of sexual harassment and/or assault, in-play depictions of a sexist slur, mild thematics that imply incest, and discussions of mental illness.
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In this episode, hosts Jacob Laitinen and Petra Shearer investigate the figure of the gracioso, the comic sidekick in Spanish Golden Age drama. Their episode hones in on Papagayo and his antics within the play by first thinking about the roots and continental influences that shaped the gracioso figure and then sharpening their focus to analyze Papagayo's place within the world of Presumed Dead. This episode also includes scenes from the play.
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In this episode, hosts Devlin Ford and Shawn Passero consider the impact of genre on the ways in which an audience receives a play like de Azevedo's Presumed Dead. They take a deep dive into the world of murder mystery, analyzing both the roots of the genre and its contemporary popularity. They close read some of the play's whodunnit tropes in conversation with blockbusters like Knives Out. This episode features scene performances from de Azevedo's play... and some "killer" sound effects.
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In this episode, hosts Hailey Pearce and Pete Sheldon focus on the concept of honor in Presumed Dead, especially through the lens of gender. They take a close look at chivalry, dueling, and chastity throughout de Azevedo's play by offering historical context on the Spanish Golden Age, delving into close readings, and performing excerpts from de Azevedo's thrilling play. This episode also features original music!
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In this episode, hosts Madison Mattfield-Mayberry and Katelyn Spurgin consider House of Desires through the lens of post-colonialism. They ground their investigation in Sor Juana's own biography, most notably through a close-reading of her relationship with the Viceroy and Vicereine and the occasion of the birth of their son. They use text from the play to draw connections between this event and the play's musical pageantry.
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In this episode, hosts Sam Corey and Lis Hayward investigate the intricacies of translating Sor Juana's work for performance. They are joined by two incredible scholars. First, they interview Dr. Catherine Boyle about her translation of House of Desires. They are then joined by Dr. Kathleen Jeffs, who dramaturged the play in production with the RSC in 2004.
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In this episode, hosts Chase Fowler and Beth Somerville think through implications of genre in relation to Sor Juana's play. They ground their investigation in the roots of Spanish "cape and sword" dramas and the influence of Italian commedia dell'arte and then consider how the concept of honor is received by an audience based on the play's genre. Finally, they turn to some contemporary cultural analogues. Hint: Anybody want a peanut?
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In this episode, hosts Gil Mitchell and Ariel Tatum unpack the true life events and historical figures that haunt The Witch of Edmonton. They work with Goodcole's Pamphlet that relays the sad (and salacious) story of the real-life Elizabeth Sawyer and immerse listeners in the sordid tale be performing a dramatic staging of excerpts from the pamphlet. Gil and Ariel also interweave details of King James's fascination and fear of witches to demonstrate how The Witch of Edmonton works as a sign of its time. And there are ferrets.
Content Note: This episode contains depictions of hanging, as well as descriptions of violence. It also deals with heavy topics including the prosecution of individuals for witchcraft. Listener discretion is suggested.
In this episode, hosts George Durfee, Rachel Louis, and Dylan Mabe process some ways in which disability theory opens up performative potential in The Witch of Edmonton. They consider the ways in which the play "others" its title character, including physical disability, advanced age, and her outcast status within her community. They then bring in guest expert Tim Briggs, a multi-hyphenate disabled theatremaker, to consider opportunities the character of Sawyer offers for representation in performance.
Content note: This episode includes discussion of abuse, mental illness, and physical and mental disability.
On this episode, hosts Andrew Knight and Cameron Taylor hone in on the character of Tom, the "devil doggo" that haunts The Witch of Edmonton. They first contextualize this character through historical research into witches and familiars and then examine how familiars like Tom have come alive across production history. They also interview guest scholar, dramaturg, and actor Callie Banholzer about her research into canine staging practices in the early modern period to enrich our understanding of characterization of Tom as an early modern good doggo.
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In this episode, hosts Macy Foss, Kelsey Linberg, and Rosemary Richards transform into the Weird Sisters and illuminate the queer potential of Cavendish's narrative structure. They think about the intersections of gender and sexuality at play in Cavendish's Closet and then put their thinking in action through the performance of a scene from the play. Finally, the Weird Sisters highlight Cavendish's strategies for smashing the patriarchy and confronting censorship.... including Cavendish's own husband!
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In this episode, hosts Kara Hankard and Madison Rudolph take a deep dive into critical theory, thinking through the ways that Cavendish's closet drama can be illuminated through the lens of feminist and queer theory. They begin by unpacking Cavendish's naming conventions in the play before turning to an examination of the play's queer poetics and some spicy details from Cavendish's own biography. They are then joined by actors Sophia Berrata, Katelyn Spurgin, and Johnny Williams III for a performance of a key scene from the play. There's some bonus content in this episode's guide, so check that out on our website.
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In this episode, Jordan explores the wealth of types of love de Vega stages in FuenteOvejuna. She draws on classical definitions and close-reading in support of her argument and, with the help of some excellent guest actors, shows how these varieties of love intersect in performance. She also plays a wicked banjo!
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In this episode, hosts Cole Metz and Keith Taylor consider some key features of the terrain of FuenteOvejuna through an examination of the play's literal landscape, including oak trees, acorns, and yes, even pigs. They then pivot to an exploration of why and how this place works so well across a variety of global adaptations. Finally, they consider the implications of transculturation and translation in performance contexts.
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In this episode, hosts Kailey Potter and Kelsey Harrison dive into the historical context of the Spanish Golden Age before turning to Lope de Vega's masterwork, FuenteOvejuna. They explore the legacy of the historical Order of Calatrava in connection to de Vega's dramatic creation across production history. Finally, they interview actor Sara Renee Topham about her experience playing Laurencia in the 2018 Stratford Festival production.
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