The Soliloquy Project: Recent Episodes
Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival
The Soliloquy Project is a GVSF original podcast which will allow you to engage with both Shakespeare and the outdoors (our two favourite things!) while staying safe and socially distanced this winter. We've created audio-only performances of some of Shakespeare's best soliloquies, specially designed to be listened to 'on location' in a variety of spots around the Victoria area! Each performance will be accompanied by a more traditional podcast episode, featuring Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett, and UVic Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly, as they take you on an educational 'deep dive' into Shakespeare's text.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett, Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly, and Sheila Landahl, co-author of CONSTANCE, chat about Constance’s soliloquy featured in Season Three, Episode 5.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Three, Episode 5!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Sheila Landahl performs Constance’s speech, from Act 3, Scene 4 of King John.
Season Three of The Soliloquy Project features the soliloquys of Shakespeare's forgotten women, and spotlights the widows and scorned women who are oft left out of canonical reviews. What can we learn from these forgotten characters? Listen to Season 3, Episode 6 to find out.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about Katherine’s soliloquy featured in Season Three, Episode 3.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Three, Episode 3!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Ariel Slack performs Katherine’s speech, from Act 2, Scene 4 of Henry VIII.
Season Three of The Soliloquy Project features the soliloquys of Shakespeare's forgotten women, and spotlights the widows and scorned women who are oft left out of canonical reviews. What can we learn from these forgotten characters? Listen to Season 3, Episode 4 to find out.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Karen Lee Pickett performs the Countess’s speech, from Act 1, Scene 3, of All’s Well That Ends Well.
Season Three of The Soliloquy Project features the soliloquys of Shakespeare's forgotten women, and spotlights the widows and scorned women who are oft left out of canonical reviews.
What can we learn from these forgotten characters? Listen to Season 3, Episode 2 to find out.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about the soliloquy featured in Season Three, Episode One. What is the significance of the countess's speech? How does it fit into the folktale of All's Well That Ends Well?
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Three, Episode One!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Season Two features soliloquies exclusively from Shakespeare's As You Like It.
In Episode 9, Danica Charlie performs Phebe's “I would not be thy executioner”; a soliloquy from Act Three, Scene Five.
To listen on location, make your way to Kosapsom Park at the beginning of the Gorge Waterway walking path, at the intersection of Admirals Road and Gorge Road. (The Number 11 bus route will take you here. If driving, you will find a small parking lot at Kosapsum Park off of Gorge Road). Find a large brick circle in the pavement, and position yourself in the middle of it. As you listen, walk slowly from the center of this circle, down the Gorge Waterway path. Notice the garden areas to your left, and the expanse of water to your right. If you like, step onto the grassy area to your left (before the white chain fence begins), and look out over the waterway.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Don't forget to listen to Season Two, Episode 10 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our season finale, Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly unpack the invention of the sonnet, and Phebe’s purpose in As You Like It .
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Two, Episode Nine!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about the concept of ‘love melancholy’ and the malady of love in Rosalind’s speech to Orlando.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Two, Episode Seven.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Season Two features soliloquies exclusively from Shakespeare's As You Like It. In Episode 7, Nathaniel Exley performs Rosalind's “There is none of my uncle’s marks upon you”; a soliloquy from Act Three, Scene Two.
To listen on location, turn on to Rock Street from Quadra and follow the signs leading you to Playfair Park. If walking, you'll reach the park is less than five minutes. Playfair Park is a protected ecosystem, and is home to a rare Garry Oak meadow and hundreds of mature azaleas and rhododendrons located in Saanich. From the parking lot, follow the path toward the children's playground. A few steps beyond the playground, you'll come to two memorial benches tucked in on your right. Take a seat. In front of you now are the oak trees and, on a clear day, you can see the hills beyond.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Don't forget to listen to Season Two, Episode 8 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about Jaques’ witty retelling of his forest encounter, the meaning of ‘fool’, and what lady fortune has to do with all of this.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Two, Episode Five!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donateSound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Season Two features soliloquies exclusively from Shakespeare's As You Like It. In Episode 5, Taylor Lewis performs Jaques's “A fool! A fool!”; a soliloquy from Act Two, Scene Seven.
To listen on location, take yourself to Míqәn (Colonially know as Beacon Hill Park). Enter the park on the south (water) side, a few minutes' walk West from Cook Street. Turn right into the park at the first crosswalk or just a few steps past it using Camas Crescent. The Story Pole will be in front of you, which was created by Ted Shaw, Mungo Martin, David Martin, and Kwakiutl carver Henry Hunt in 1956, repaired by Coast Salish artist Master Seaman Vern Point in 2001, and repainted by Calvin Hunt (Henry Hunt’s Grandson) in 2011. Stand at its base for a moment and take it in. There's a chip path to the right. Take it for a few steps, just until you feel yourself in the forest. To listen stand, or if able, sit on the split rail fence. If the weather obliges, turn your face toward the sun. Míqәn means “warmed by the sun” in the lək̓ʷəŋən language. If the chip path isn't comfortable for you, there are memorial benches on either side of the Story Pole.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Don't forget to listen to Season Two, Episode 6 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Happy Holidays! Here's a bonus episode!
Singer, song writer, musician, and actor Willis Taylor has written and recorded this beautiful piece using Shakespeare's word from Act 3, Scene 2 of As You Like It.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
Season Two features soliloquies exclusively from Shakespeare's As You Like It. In Episode 3, Wendy Magahay performs Adam's “O Unhappy Youth”; a soliloquy from Act Two, Scene Three.
To listen on location, head to Craigdarroch Castle just off of Fort Street on Joan. Walk up the main driveway and head to the rear of the castle (the south side). Stand facing the castle and you'll see there's a rear entrance on your right. Walk toward it and you'll discover a few steps going down to the door. Tuck yourself into the stairwell and imagine you're waiting for someone very important to you to arrive. While you listen to the soliloquy, realize that those inside have no idea you're there.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Don't forget to listen to Season Two, Episode 4 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about Adam’s warning to Orlando, breaking down and investigating both the language and contextual meaning of the speech.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Two, Episode Three!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly chat about As You Like It's opening speech. Why open a play in the middle of a conversation? How does this set the tone for the rest of the play? Do you know the significance of the name Orlando?
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Season Two, Episode One!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
CONTENT WARNING: Some use of offensive language.
Season Two features soliloquies exclusively from Shakespeare's As You Like It.Opening our second season, SJ Valiquette performs Orlando's “As I remember, Adam, it was Upon This Fashion”; a soliloquy from Act One, Scene One.
To listen on location, enter Circle Drive off of Douglas Street, in Beacon Hill Park. Continue along Circle Drive, and pass the Petting Zoo. Just after the Petting Zoo, you will see to your left a grassy expanse with trees in the distance, lined by a low wooden fence against which vehicles sometimes park. Walk up to the fence, (with the Petting Zoo to your right), and look out at these trees while you listen. During the soliloquy, breathe in the fresh air, and notice the scents you experience. Can you imagine the scent of freshly chopped wood?
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate.
Don't forget to listen to Season Two, Episode 2 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly close out our first season with a chat about 'What is really going on for Hamlet?' in one of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies: 'I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth''.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Episode 9!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our Season One finale, Adrienne Smook performs 'I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth'; a soliloquy from one of Shakespeare's most famous plays: Hamlet.
To listen on location, head to the top of PKOLS (colonially known as Mt. Doug), either by foot or vehicle. (Note that the vehicle access is closed before noon, and all day on holidays!) Head up the trail heading north. There, you will find a large cement look out point. Position yourself in such a way as to look northward and see the forests on and around PKOLS, and the ocean beyond. During the soliloquy, consider turning around to see the communities of people beyond stretching out below.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Don't forget to listen to Episode 10 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly talk about the awareness of 'history' in Shakespeare's 'Histories', and other significant moments in 'Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus', Cassius's soliloquy, featured in Episode 7.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Episode 7!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our seventh episode, Willis Taylor performs 'Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus'; a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
To listen on location, make your way downtown, to the corner of Quebec St. and Menzies St., beside the Legislature building. Enter onto the paved Legislature grounds off of Menzies, almost directly across from Quebec. Walk toward the main steps of the Legislature for a few moments, and then take the path to your left, which follows the border of the grassy front lawn. Soon, you will see an evergreen tree on the right side of the path. Position yourself near this tree, so that you can look toward the front steps of the Legislature, while maintaining a feeling of distance.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Don't forget to listen to Episode 8 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our fifth episode, Wendy Magahay performs 'Be woe for me, more wretched than he is'; a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2.
To listen on location, go to St Anne's Academy. You can enter the grounds through the main gate at 835 Humboldt or through the side gate where Blanshard Street meets Academy Close. Head toward the main building. Walk through the parking lot to the right of the building to get to the rear of the building. You are now south of the building. Walk across the small paved area. Ahead you will see two wooden benches. Go to the farthest bench: the second one. If you are able to stand, position yourself behind the bench. You are facing the older part of the building now. If you look up to the right, you will see the cross on the old convent steeple. Place both your hands on the bench. Stand still while you listen. If you prefer to sit while listening, move to the front of the bench. Sit on the far right end. Place your feet together and hold your hands together in your lap. Stay still while you listen.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Don't forget to listen to Episode 6 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly talk about monstrosity, and significant moments in 'Be woe for me, more wretched than he is', Queen Margaret's soliloquy, featured in Episode 5.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Episode 5!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our third episode, Cam Culham performs 'Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile'; a soliloquy from Shakespeare's As You Like It.
To listen on location, make your way to the big parking lot at Henderson Recreation Center on Cedar Hill Road. With your back to the sign for Henderson Centre, cross Cedar Hill and enter the large treed area. Follow the long gravel road toward the tree line for four or five minutes, until you see a trail on your right hand side, leading to a large set of stairs. (This staircase is just before you'd arrive at UVic Parking Lot #1). Walk down the stairs, and find a small wooden footbridge beside a sign reading 'Mystic Vale'. With your back to that sign, look up at the tall towering trees and listen to this piece.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Don't forget to listen to Episode 4 to learn more about this soliloquy!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly talk about the magic, romance, and relevance of the 'Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile' soliloquy, featured in Episode 3.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Episode 3!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In our first episode, Taylor Lewis performs 'O for a muse of fire'; a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Henry V.
To listen on location, head to our regular performance space at Camosun College, Lansdowne Campus. Turn into the Camosun parking lot off Lansdowne Road. About half way into the parking lot on your right hand side, you will find a paved path leading into an open grassy space. Head into this open space, and walk off the path toward the cluster of bushes and trees in the middle of this small open field. (These are the trees which are usually the backdrop for our summer performances). When you arrive at the trees, turn toward the Wilna Thomas building, listen to this soliloquy, and look toward the grassy slopes in front of you where an audience could gather.
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Don't forget to listen to Episode 2 to learn more about this famous speech!
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Featured music by Robina Ritchie-Barker: https://robinaritchiebarker.com/
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
In this episode, Artistic Director Karen Lee Pickett and Shakespeare scholar Dr. Erin Kelly talk about the meanings, intricacies, and relevance of the 'O for a muse of fire' soliloquy, featured in Episode 1.
You can listen to this educational deep dive either in preparation for your first outdoor soliloquy adventure, or afterwards, as a thought provoking addendum to the performance in Episode 1!
To donate to the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, please visit www.vicshakespeare.com/donate
Sound design and theme song by Taylor Lewis.
Thank you to the CRD for their continued and deeply valued support of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.