a podcast about Shakespeare…minus the bardolatry

Illustration of William Shakespeare in Elizabethan clothing, featuring a white ruff and ornate patterned fabric.

Shakespeare Anyone? is the podcast that makes Shakespeare easier to understand.

In this podcast, you’ll hear detailed summaries of Shakespeare’s plays, research into topics related to the plays and Shakespeare’s time, and interviews with Shakespeare scholars and theatre-makers.

Through exploring history and modern scholarship, we look at how the plays and the playwright fit into their world and today’s world. All while doing our best to avoid any bardolatry.

Shakespeare Anyone? is hosted and produced by Elyse Sharp and Kourtney Smith, two professional actors and Shakespeare scholars.

We examine one play at a time for an extended window of time, interspersed with mini-episodes about Shakespeare’s time for context.

Episodes are released every other week.

Listen now.

Listen to our latest episode below.

What People Are Saying

  • "I've read many books on Shakespeare but this may be the best resource I've found."

    Apple Podcasts Review

  • “These ladies will breakdown all the different facets of Shakespeare’s famous plays and leave you feeling smart!”

    Apple Podcasts Review

  • “How do they have the time?"

    Stephanie Crugnola, Host
    Protest Too Much podcast

  • "I love this podcast as it is accessible while still being intellectual and engaging. I love all of the contextual information surrounding the “isms” and even as a HUGE Shakespeare nerd, they have taught me things I didn’t know! Huge recommend!"

    Audible Podcasts Review

  • "This podcast brings together so many wonderful sources and presents them in ways that make Shakespeare (who I used to be deathly afraid of!) easy to understand and way more interesting than I could have imagined! Kourtney and Elyse are such good hosts! I could listen to them for hours. Actually...I guess I have!"

    Apple Podcasts Review

  • "This is my favorite podcast of all the podcasts I listen to across many subjects. The insights are unique, thoughtful, well-researched, contemporary. The two hosts clearly show how Shakespeare is still relevant. They make me want to see again Shakespeare plays I’ve seen before because I now can watch with more critical eyes. I look forward to listening every two weeks. It would be marvelous if the two hosts would put their thinking into a book."

    Apple Podcasts Review

  • "The perfect balance of approachable analysis backed by scholarly research."

    David S. Weiss, professor
    Georgia Gwinnett College

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