Beyond is sponsored by The Malone Society: The permanent utility of original texts

This is hot off the press this week, as it's a quick chat about an upcoming production of Edward II by Christopher Marlowe, performing at the Brockley Jack and produced by Alex Pearson Productions in association with Glass Splinters. This chat is with Natalie Harper and Alex Pearson.

Tickets can be bought here! https://brockleyjack.co.uk/jackstudio-entry/edward-ii/

Show info: "After the death of the King’s father, Gaveston is hastily summoned back from exile on the whim of the reckless new monarch, Edward II, to a claustrophobic court filled with increasing unrest, intrigue and perpetual distrust.
Edward and Gaveston’s love is the catalyst that threatens not just to destroy Court life – but the very foundations of England itself.
When you have no choice but to live under the relentless glare of the public eye, is it possible to keep any piece of yourself intact? Is love truly worth the risk?
As royalty clashes with the nobility, all seems set to disintegrate, Edward II explores the conflict between personal desire, political duty and legacy.
Alex Pearson Productions, in association with Glass Splinters, is thrilled to be bringing a fresh take on this classic tale of love, violence, and what it means to live a life under the spotlight.
Alex Pearson Productions focuses on telling established stories in contemporary and intuitive ways; bringing classic tales to a modern-day audience that emphasises clear story-telling and making it accessible and enjoyable for all. APP is a company that strives for inclusivity and shredding new light on stories that have been forgotten, ignored or misrepresented."

The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

About our sponsors - the Malone Society. The Society was founded in 1906 at the initiative of A.W. Pollard, and for over a century they have published (almost) every year edited volumes of early printed and manuscript texts of both well-known and neglected plays. They also publish collections of documentary material relating to the performance and reception of early drama. Their best-known publications include W.W. Greg’s edition of Sir Thomas More, a collaborative history play, and A.C. Dunstan’s edition of the earliest surviving original play in English to have been written by a woman, Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam.
Their membership is international and open to anyone interested in early drama. Members receive their annual volumes and are able to buy books from their backlist at low prices.
In addition to their publications, they support scholarship of early drama through fellowships and research grants, an annual prize for graduate students, and performances and symposia.
The Society is named after Edmond Malone, born in Dublin in 1741, a great editor, textual scholar and theatre historian, whose work continues to shape studies in early drama.

Beyond is sponsored by The Malone Society: The permanent utility of original texts

Welcome to this chat with Dr Andrea Smith, author of Sh********e on the Radio: A Century of BBC Plays, where we discuss elements of her book and dance more generally about the challenges in producing audio drama, radio drama, and adapting the early modern stage for sound. We had a lot of fun chatting, and I hope you have the same listening.

(The book is rather good btw, and gives an excellent overview of the way drama was produced on BBC radio.)

Dr Andrea Smith - https://www.uos.ac.uk/people/dr-andrea-smith/ After nearly thirty years in journalism, a long-held love of literature and a desire to help young people pursue their dreams led Andrea to change career and move into university teaching. Her research focuses on radio drama, specifically Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and how texts intended for the stage can be translated into an audio-only medium. She’s based at the University of Suffolk – before that she worked for two local newspapers and the BBC, as well as setting exams for the National Council for the Training of Journalists. She is an occasional contributor to programmes on BBC Radio and a passionate advocate for access to Higher Education.

The book - https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-shakespeare-on-the-radio.html - use the code: EVENT30 to get 30% off

Our patrons received this episode in early October 2025 - over 5 months early!
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

About our sponsors - the Malone Society. The Society was founded in 1906 at the initiative of A.W. Pollard, and for over a century they have published (almost) every year edited volumes of early printed and manuscript texts of both well-known and neglected plays. They also publish collections of documentary material relating to the performance and reception of early drama. Their best-known publications include W.W. Greg’s edition of Sir Thomas More, a collaborative history play, and A.C. Dunstan’s edition of the earliest surviving original play in English to have been written by a woman, Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam.
Their membership is international and open to anyone interested in early drama. Members receive their annual volumes and are able to buy books from their backlist at low prices.
In addition to their publications, they support scholarship of early drama through fellowships and research grants, an annual prize for graduate students, and performances and symposia.
The Society is named after Edmond Malone, born in Dublin in 1741, a great editor, textual scholar and theatre historian, whose work continues to shape studies in early drama.

Beyond is sponsored by The Malone Society: The permanent utility of original texts

And Scene! This is random scene from James the Fourth by Robert Greene, recorded live at our Revels season on Thursday 14th December 2023. Enter a Lawyer, a Merchant, and a Divine, to ask questions of current affairs – current affairs of the world of the play, and presumably of around 1590, when Greene wrote the play.
With Roel Fox as the Lawyer, Emma Kemp as the Merchant, and Sojourner Hazelwood-Connell as the Divine.

For more from Robert Greene.
For more from the play, go to our Exploring Sessions!

Our patrons received the scene within this episode in early 2024 - over 2 years early!
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is supported by its patrons – become a patron and you get to choose the plays we work on next. Go to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/beyondshakespeare - or if you want to give us some feedback, email us at admin@beyondshakespeare.org, follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram @BeyondShakes or go to our website: https://beyondshakespeare.org
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where (most of) our exploring sessions live - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLa4pXxGZFwTX4QSaB5XNdQ
The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.

About our sponsors - the Malone Society. The Society was founded in 1906 at the initiative of A.W. Pollard, and for over a century they have published (almost) every year edited volumes of early printed and manuscript texts of both well-known and neglected plays. They also publish collections of documentary material relating to the performance and reception of early drama. Their best-known publications include W.W. Greg’s edition of Sir Thomas More, a collaborative history play, and A.C. Dunstan’s edition of the earliest surviving original play in English to have been written by a woman, Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam.
Their membership is international and open to anyone interested in early drama. Members receive their annual volumes and are able to buy books from their backlist at low prices.
In addition to their publications, they support scholarship of early drama through fellowships and research grants, an annual prize for graduate students, and performances and symposia.
The Society is named after Edmond Malone, born in Dublin in 1741, a great editor, textual scholar and theatre historian, whose work continues to shape studies in early drama.