Co-host
Kourtney Smith is an actor-on-hiatus, educator and current graduate student based in Los Angeles. She first became interested in Shakespeare as an actor, but life has taken a turn and she’s happily completing her M.A. in Shakespeare Studies at The Shakespeare Institute. She will finish her dissertation by September 2025. She wants to help bridge the gap between scholarship and performance. In addition, Kourtney is involved in political organizing, tries to be outdoors, and enjoys a good adult beverage with a game or craft. She’s not that online but would like to try TikTok if it’s back. Find her at @crustophermarlowe on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok & iNaturalist.

Co-host
Elyse Sharp is a professional actor (AEA) based in Northern California. At the age of 9, and inspired by an episode of the PBS series Wishbone, she rewrote Romeo and Juliet for a fourth grade class project, and she’s been passionate about Shakespeare (and helping others understand his work) ever since. She has served as a dramaturg, private Shakespeare instructor and acting coach, and has been a guest lecturer on Shakespeare at several high schools in California. She has a life-goal to perform in all plays of Shakespeare's canon at least once. So far, she's done 17 out of 39. Keep up with her at @elysesharp on all social media or at elysesharp.com