ShakesPod

Guest cast:

Hero--Angie Higgins

Claudio--Bryan Freeman

Leonato/Benedick--James Lucas

Don Pedro--Tom Shamrell

Don John,/Friar Francis/Beatrice/Queen Elizabeth--Doll Piccotto

Let's take a look at SVS' upcoming season--Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Much Ado About Nothing through the lens of Reddit's AITA!

Special Guest actor: James Lucas

Was Dickens a real life Ebenezer Scrooge? Well, listen in and find out. It's always a little disappointing when we discover that our literary heroes weren't as heroic as we hoped. So how do we process that with the King of Christmas himself?

Actors:

Charles Dickens--James Lucas

"An Arbor Day Carol" cast:

Voice 1: Doll Piccotto

Voice 2: James Lucas

Scrooge: James Lucas

Bob Cratchit: Doll Piccotto

Tree Boy: Doll Piccotto

Katelyn Miller--Mercutio from Romeo & Juliet

Doll Piccotto--Marc Antony from Julius Caesar

Sydney Harmon & Melissa Brown--Iachimo & Posthumus from Cymbeline

Pat Tyler--Hamlet from Hamlet

Bryan Freeman--The Gaeler's Daughter from Two Noble Kinsman

James Lucas--Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tonight for your Halloween hauntings we present two stories--There Was A Man Dwelt Beside a Churchyard--a continuation of the story Mamilius begins to tell in A Winter's Tale, and the Ghost Story of Annie Walker.

Narrator of the Ghost Story of Annie Walker: James Lucas

Stories of outdoor theater from SVS' actors, directors and crew.

Thank you to Erin Southard for a delightful interview regarding her direction of Silicon Valley Shakespeare's production of Emma.

Additional acting by:

Mr. James Lucas

A look at this summer's Richard III and a comparison between Shakespeare's Richard and History's Richard!

Acting Credits:

Richard III--James Lucas

Lady Anne--Doll Piccotto

Sir Thomas More--James Lucas

Poem: "Richard" by Carol Anne Duffy

Performed by James Lucas

Roll for initiative and prepare for a storm of epic proportions!

In this episode of Shakespod we chat with Drew Jones, Director of The Tempest at Frank Bramhill Park in San Jose, June 6-22, 2025 and find out what inspired his Dungeons & Dragons take of this epic play!!

Thank you to Drew Jones for his time and energy!

A first scholarly look at our 2025 Summer Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest, directed by Drew Benjamin Jones.

Actors:

James Lucas--Oberon, Puck, Prospero

Doll Piccotto--Titania, Ariel

This episode dives into the weird and wacky world of Christopher Marlowe---or does it?

Actors:

James Lucas--Sir Toby Belch, Dogberry, Lear's Fool

Doll PIccotto--Maria, Verges, King Lear

Acting Credits:

Caesar and Portia: Doll Piccotto

Soothsayer: James Lucas

Did Shakespeare Trick or Treat? Tune in and find out!!

Players:

Vincent Shakesprice--James Lucas

First Fairy/Juliet--Sydney

Nurse--Melissa Mei Jones

Puck--Tonya Mara

Sources:

Astonishing legends.com

'Did Shakespeare Go Trick or Treating'--Cassidy Cash:

"All Saints Day"--Britannica

'Samhain"--History.com

"Imbolc"--History.com

"Beltane"--History.com

"Lughnassa"--History.com

"Origin of Halloween"--Hauntpay.com

In this episode, we take an in-depth look at the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which provides the backdrop for our 2024 summer production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS in Sanborn Park. The episode also features an interview with Melissa Mei Jones, director of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, discussing her experience as a first-time director, her experience directing an AAPI-centric production, and much, much more.

Sources:

Royalty Free Music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com

National Archives--archives.gov

Office of the Historian--history.state.gov

Library of Congress--loc.gov

Bill of Rights Institute--The Chinese Exclusion Act--Stephanie Hinnershitz

NPR--As Chinese Exclusion Act Turns 135, Experts Point to Parallels Today--Kat Chow

Calisphere--Chinese Exclusion Act Exhibition

Leland Stanford on Chinese Exclusion--1889

Tour of San Francisco's Chinatown

Doll Piccotto, SVS' Resident Dramaturg and 3 guests, Alika Spencer, director of SVS' Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Myles Rowland, actor who is playing Henry Jekyll and James Lucas--because he's entertaining and loves movies--discuss 3 different film versions of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

CORRECTION: We often call the John Barrymore version the 1931 version--it is in fact the 1920 version.

Films Discussed:

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde--John Barrymore (1920)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjQaAK5Vof4

Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde--Tim Daly/Sean Young (1995)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFf9khNkOtc

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde--Michael McKell (2021)--Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAd6bp0naAA

Join Doll Piccotto, our resident dramaturg as she takes a walk on the light and dark side in this discussion of Jekyll & Hyde, Dualism and Allegory. Be sure to see our production of Jekyll & Hyde this summer at Sanborne Park in Saratoga, CA. Special Guest recordings by James Lucas.

Ale and Anecdotes by Darren Curtis | https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/

Music promoted on https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

All's Well that Ends Well....or does it? Listen in as a director, a professor and a dramaturg discuss Shakespeare's 'problem plays' and the issues that hinder a 'happy ending' in All's Well that Ends Well. Dr. Adrienne Eastwood from San Jose State Universityand and Marley Rose-Teter, the Director of Silicon Valley Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well sit down with Doll Piccotto, our resident dramaturg to pick apart these fascinating plays and discuss why they don't sit well with our modern sensibilities.

In this episode, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, does a deep dive into Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well.

In the third edition of "Flipping the Script," SVS presents another round of artists performing monologues in roles they wouldn't be traditionally cast in. Featuring pieces from Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest, and more; this episode will having you seeing these characters in a new light. 

Silicon Valley Shakespeare's Production Manager, Tonya Mara, has a lively discussion with guests Doll Piccotto and Christian Pizzirani about all the good (and bad) examples of Shakespeare inspired films as SVS gears up for Shakespeare in Love, opening at Sanborn this summer.

In this episode, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, does a deep dive into Shakespeare's King Lear.

Silicon Valley Shakespeare Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down with Twelfth Night's co-directors, Ivette Deltoro and Erin Southard, to discuss their vision of SVS's upcoming Willow Street production of Twelfth Night. 

Kicking off our 2023 season, SVS Resident Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, gives a fun and interesting in depth look at Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

In the second edition of "flipping the script" SVS presents another round of artists performing monologues in roles they wouldn't be traditionally cast in. Featuring pieces from Hamlet, King Lear, Dr. Faustus, and more; this episode will having you seeing these characters in a new light. 

Bard Talk “The World of Jane Austen”

What was it like to be a woman in Regency England? What does the right of primogeniture even mean?!? Dive into the world of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility with SVS Dramaturg Doll Piccotto to answer these questions and more.

Reference material:

1. An Analysis of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Schatzie Speaks, Owlcation Online, June 19, 2018

2. Sense and Sensibility Analysis--Elinor and Marianne, Close Reading with Dr. Octavia Cox, YouTube, May 15, 2020.

Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down and discusses SVS's upcoming Sanborn production of Measure for Measure with show's director, Doll Piccotto. 

This episode does contain mention of sexual assault so listener discretion is advised.

SVS' 2022 live season starts with a LGBTQ+ version of Romeo & Juliet. To help us kickstart our season, SVS Artistic Director, Angie Higgins, sits down with company Dramaturg, Doll Piccotto, to discuss the history of R&J and LGBTQ+ in Shakespeare. 

SVS Production Manager, Tonya Mara, sits down with Ivette Deltoro (Casting Assistant for City Lights Theater Company), Sara Dean (Executive Artistic Director for South Bay Musical Theatre), and Melinda Marks (Free lance director/artist in the Bay Area) to discuss helpful tips and tricks for actors when going back in to the audition room. 

SVS Artistic Director, Angie Higgins, sits down with company founder, Louis Stone-Collonge, and executive director, Rosalind Sanchez, to chat about the importance of inclusion-based theatre productions, artistic programming, and quality arts education.  

SVS is “flipping the script” and presenting gender-swapped performances of Shakespearean monologues. Featuring pieces from Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Othello and more, this episode will have you seeing these characters in a new light.

Just in time for Halloween, SVS Resident Dramaturg Doll Piccotto gives a spooky new Bard Talk all about ghosts in Shakespeare’s plays. From Richard III to Macbeth, Julius Caesar to Hamlet, ghosts play a significant roles in some of Shakespeare’s most iconic works. Learn about how ghosts were perceived during the Elizabethan Era, and how beliefs during that time molded the way Shakespeare included ghosts as characters in his plays.

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents Richard III, our final summer Bard audio play.

Directed by Doll Piccotto with sound design & editing by Ryan Lee Short, this riveting production follows one of Shakespeare’s (and history’s) most devious, manipulative villains in his pursuit of the crown. Hear the tale as you’ve never heard it before—as a 1940’s radio drama, complete with era-inspired commercials.

CAST

Richard III… LaMont Ridgell

Buckingham… David Boyll

Queen Margaret, others… Valerie Façhman

Lady Anne, others… Sarah Benjamin

Richmond, others… Kyle Dayrit

Clarence, others… Muse Lee

Queen Elizabeth, others… Sarah Lee

Edward, others… Tom Shamrell

Duchess of York, others… Cynthia Lagodzinski

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents The Comedy of Errors, our second summer Bard audio play.

Directed by Angie Higgins with sound design & editing by Phil Surtees, this hilarious farce of mistaken identity follows two sets of identical twins who were separated from each other years before but now find themselves in the same city. It will have you reeling with laughter!

CAST

Antipholus of Syracus & Ephesus… Tom Gough

Dromio of Syracus & Ephesus… Evelyn Huynh

Adriana… Regina Kohl

Luciana, Second Merchant… Nicole Javier

Egeon, Officer… Kyle Smith

Emelia, First Merchant… Josie Burgin Lawson

Courtesan, Balthazar… Ambera DeLash

Duke Solinus, Angelo, Servant… James Eric Lucas

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents Titus Andronicus, the first in our summer Bard audio plays series.

Directed by Tonya Mara with sound design, music & editing by Charlie Hoyt, this chilling tale begins when Roman general Titus Andronicus returns from war with four prisoners. What follows is a series of murders, retaliation and revenge.

CAST

Titus… Evan Darwin Winet

Tamora… Lucy Littlewood

Saturnius… Arthur Scappaticci

Marcus… Sarah Thermond

Lucius/Martius… Melinda Marks

Lavinia/Aemilius… Stephanie Whigham

Bassianus/Publius… Andre Leben

Chiron/Quintus… Arturo Dirzo

Demetrius/Mutius… Alan Coyne

SVS Marketing Director Laura Domingo sits down with EnActe Arts Artistic Director Vinita Sud Belani and Director of Education Vijay M. Rajan. They discuss how the Silicon Valley theatre company and arts organization is on a mission to be a talent incubator and to tell South Asian stories with universal appeal.

Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s Resident Dramaturg Doll Piccotto talks about how the social and political structures of 16th century Venice—including the restrictions placed on Jewish residents—made the city one of the only places where the story of The Merchant of Venice could be set.

Local playwright, Ross Harkness, sits down with other Bay Area writers to discuss what it's been like as a playwright during quarantine in our latest episode of ShakesPod

SVS Artistic Director Angie Higgins sits down with our new Executive Director, Annalisa Tkacheff. Hear all about Annalisa's journey to Silicon Valley Shakespeare, her own personal history with the Bard, and her vision for the company's future.

SVS Resident Dramaturg Doll Picotto explores the complex history of race in Shakespeare performance, including the lens in which we view his works, and the life of Ira Aldridge, the first Black Shakespearean actor.

SVS sits down with the professors from the College of Adaptive Arts, a non-profit in San Jose that's paving a new path for adults with special needs, to chat about why art and accessibility is important for everyone. 

SVS dramaturge, Doll Piccotto, give us an in depth look at the Politics of Julius Caesar, just in time for the Ides of March!

Our "Love is Love" series continues as SVS Production Manager Tonya Duncan sits down with Bay Area artists and members of the LGBTQ+ community Larry Barrott, Kein Heath, and Marley Teter to discuss LGBTQ+ representation on the stage.

We continue our journey through the sounds of Shakespeare next Saturday with part two of ShakesPod’s "Music to My Ears." SVS Actor and Photographer Christian Pizzirani sits down with some of the Bay Area’s favorite sound designers — Charlie Hoyt, Phil Surtees, and George Psarras — to talk about the behind-the-scenes world of sound design and composition.

SVS Production Manager Tonya Duncan sits down with some of the Bay Area’s top musical theatre aficionados to chat about musicals inspired by Shakespeare. Featuring SVS Executive Director (and musical theatre director) Doug Brook, director and vocal director Diane Milo, and director and SVS stage veteran Walter Mayes, our guests gab about your favorite Shakespeare-inspired musical, and some hidden Broadway gems you might not know about.