Episode 14 - In the Spotlight with Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead

Episode 14 - In the Spotlight with Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead

Author: Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival July 19, 2025 Duration: 49:00

As You Mic It: In the Spotlight shines the light on this season’s repertory production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Artistic Director Jason King Jones sits down with actor Ian Merrill Peakes (The Player) and scenic designer Brian Sydney Bembridge for an inside look at Tom Stoppard’s witty and mind-bending companion piece to Hamlet. Together, they explore the play’s existential humor, theatrical absurdity, and the layered experience of performing and designing within a shared repertory world. From the shifting boundaries of fate and performance to the magic of a transformative set, this conversation reveals what makes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a perfect match for PSF’s Undiscovered Countries season.

Special Thanks:

Much gratitude to Chuck Gloman, Jarret Brown, and all of DeSales University for helping us launch this podcast journey.

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Dive into the rich world of the stage with As You Mic It, a production of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. This isn't just a series of lectures; it's an invitation backstage, where the magic of performance and the depth of literary tradition meet. Each conversation feels like pulling up a chair in the green room, listening as artists and scholars unpack the themes, characters, and historical contexts that give these timeless works their enduring power. You'll hear from the authors, directors, and actors who bring the words to life, gaining insight into the creative decisions that shape each festival production. The discussions are both insightful and genuinely playful, celebrating the art of storytelling in all its complexity. No matter your background-whether you can quote soliloquies by heart or are simply drawn to a good story-this podcast offers a fresh and engaging perspective. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has crafted a space where analysis feels like discovery, making the anthology of their work accessible and endlessly fascinating. Tune in to find your connection to these classic tales, explored with a contemporary ear and a deep love for the performing arts.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 34

As You Mic It
Podcast Episodes
Prologue - Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:09
Get primed for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 Undiscovered Countries Season with our Prologue mini-episodes. In this installment, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kim Carson, guides us through th…
Episode 8: In the Spotlight with Alex Bechtel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:20
Ready to dive into something epic? In this special bonus episode of As You Mic It: In the Spotlight, we’re pulling back the curtain with the brilliant mind behind Penelope—composer and creator Alex Bechtel. Get the insid…
Prologue - Hamlet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:13
Get primed for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 “Undiscovered Countries” season with our Prologue mini-episodes. In this installment, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kim Carson, guides us through…
Prologue - A Raisin In The Sun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:01
Get primed for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 “Undiscovered Countries” season with our Prologue mini-episodes. In this installment, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kim Carson, walks us through t…
Prologue - The Producers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:25
Get primed for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 “Undiscovered Countries” season with our Prologue mini-episodes. In this episode, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kim Carson, guides us through the…
Prologue - Penelope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:12
Get primed for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 “Undiscovered Countries” season with our Prologue mini-episodes. In this debut, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kim Carson unpacks Penelope, Alex Be…
Episode 7: Parallel Paths [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:38
Two plays, one castle, countless perspectives. In our final pre‑season episode, director Lindsay Smiling reveals his fresh take on Hamlet, while host‑turned‑guest Jason King Jones flips the script with Tom Stoppard’s Ros…
Episode 6: The Course of True Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:08
Welcome to As You Mic It!How winding is the path of love, and what happens when the heart leads us into Undiscovered Countries? In this episode: The Course of True Love, director of Penelope, Eva Steinmetz, joins Jason K…
Episode 5: The Power of Shared Experience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:49
Shakespeare understood the human need to gather, connect, and share experiences. In this special episode, Jason King Jones reflects on this concept in his contribution to The Quarto, the journal of the Shakespeare Theatr…
Episode 4 - Perchance to Dream [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:29
How far can a dream take you and what happens when ambition outruns reality? Director of The Producers, Jennifer Childs, joins Jason King Jones, Kim Carson, and Connie Behringer as they trace the hopes, schemes, and slee…