Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast

Dustin Sullivan, beloved veteran of previous RSC tours (Books in the US and Ireland in 2007; America in 2008), returns this fall to perform in both the Special Election Edition of The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged). Dustin tells us about his time on the national tour of Little House on the Prairie: The Musical, what it's like to be both an alumni of the legendary BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and BroadwayWorld.com's October 2009 Gypsy of the Month, details about the new musical he's written, and both his canny Obama impression and his (hopefully temporary) career shift. (Length 20:07)

It's September and the kids have gone back to school...well, most kids have gone back to school. Young RSC fan Dale Stephens is the founder of the UnCollege movement and the author of Hacking Your Education, a manifesto about owning your own choices and forging your own path. Join us in the crowded bar of the Arts Theatre as Dale talks about his book, his experience, his advocacy, his revelation of the two things a college degree is good for, and the counter-intuitive wisdom of being known as a drop-out. (Length 17:29)

It's an American presidential year, so we're rolling out the Special Election Edition of The Complete History of America (abridged) across the US. Hear excerpts from the show plus a LIVE performance from National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation, and discover great history-making women, the secrets of mysterious Rhode Island, the importance of food, the Native American definition of "vegetarian", and the answer to the age-old question, "Whatever happened to the Massachusetts Miracle?" (Length 21:22)

During Kids Week 2012 in London, we did a post-show Q&A after our Thursday matinee at the Arts Theatre. In this lively and revealing twenty minutes, hear impeccable English accents (theirs), terrible Scottish ones (ours), strenuous work habits (pubs), and the deeply personal reasons why we decided to go into theatre in the first place (girls). (Length 21:22)

To celebrate our 300th week of regular podcasting, we take you back to where our audio library all began: Laughing Stock Productions. Founder and producer Mike O'Brien tells us the history of his epic comedy label (audio home of acts ranging from Peter Cook & Dudley Moore to Tim Minchin), how the business of audio comedy has changed over the years, and what new comedy project he's now involved with. Featuring a special appearance from Adrian Scarborough and excerpts from The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show. (Length 23:35)

Rule #1: It's never good to get into a pissing contest with a critic. Rule #2: Sometimes it's fun to break Rule #1. Although the American reviews of The Complete World of Sports (abridged) were ecstatic and almost uniformly positive, the UK reviews ran the gamut. Author/Directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor review the reviews, separating the raves from the helpfully critical and the oddly personal from the weirdly inaccurate. (Length 20:45)

Audiences mostly react to our shows in ways we understand - even the silences have an expected rhythm. But at one recent performance at the Arts Theatre in London, we encountered an audience we couldn't figure out at all. So we vented our frustration in the dressing room and turned on the microphone. Featuring mysteries, misjudgments, mispronunciations, mischaracterizations, misadventures, misattributions, and a special appearance by Mister Tim Minchin. (Length 18:33)

Founding RSC member Adam Long returns (for the length of this podcast, anyway) to tell us what he's up to these days and share a burrito. Featuring backstage gossip from Mike the Knight and The Amazing World of Gumball, authentic details of the Adam Long Origin Story, the risks of clown math, and the monetary benefits of studying Nuero Linguistic Programming and Martial Arts. (NOTE: This podcast was recorded on the 31st-and-one-day anniversary of the RSC's very first performance in 1981. Coincidence? You decide.) (Length 22:11)

UK Production Manager Davey Naylor gives us on an epic tour of the Thames Embankment from Vauxhall Bridge to London Bridge. Featuring famous landmarks as Cleopatra's Needle and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the source of the phrase "monstrous carbuncle", historical trivia, the new name for the tower which holds Big Ben, confused movies, and the answer to the question, "Who is the Golden Hinde of the Reduced Shakespeare Company?" (Length 28:10)

Elizabeth Dennehy, who played Lt. Commander Shelby on Star Trek: The Next Generation, describes what it's like attending sci-fi/fantasy cons around the world. Featuring behind-the-scenes details from the pivotal episodes "The Best of Both Worlds (Parts 1 & 2)", convention-goer categorization, questions about Charmed one is better off not asking, impertinent observations about "The Next Phase", and a special appearance by Ensign Wesley Crusher himself. By Grabthar's Hammer! (Length 20:18)

LIVE! From backstage at this smallest of West End venues where theatrical milestones abound (including the English-language premiere of Waiting For Godot), we tell tales and share reminiscences about our two visits to this perfect "reduced theatre". Featuring changes and differences, a special appearance from Rosie & Jessica's Day of Fun, and the comforting consistency of having the audience and the actors all performing in the same room. (Length 19:08)

"Why don't you ever come to Scotland?!" cry our (usually Scottish) fans. Well, this week we try to answer the question of why and how we play the places we play. Featuring help from our UK tour booker Mark Makin on the mechanics of booking, the trickiness of matching a theatre's schedule with ours, the Darts system of tour routing, and what you can do to help us get to a venue near you. (SPOILER ALERT: We'd love to come to Scotland.) (Length 17:36)

Traveling the length and breadth of soggy England, we've come to rely on the consistency and quality of Travelodge, where we've stayed most nights on our five week tour. Featuring questionable karaoke, how touring in the UK has changed since last we were here, a shout-out to our favorite curry restaurant, a special appearance from David White from BBC Radio Cornwall, and a lovely 4th of July greeting from our Production Manager Davey Naylor. (Length 20:14)

Richard G. Jones has designed the lights for productions on Broadway, in the West End, and in arenas all over the world. Now he squanders his talents on us, designing the lights for our UK production of The Complete World of Sports (abridged). Featuring the various challenges of lighting John Doyle's production of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing With The Stars) in arenas, and The Railway Children with an actual 88-ton steam engine; the value of being a jack-of-all-trades in the theatre; the difference between working in the US and the UK; wisdom and gratitude from Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone; charm from Stephen Sondheim; and how variety is both the spice and the meat of surviving in the theatre. (Length 28:36)

At the end of our second week of playing The Complete World of Sports (abridged) in the UK, we talk about the many subtle and not-so-subtle changes we're making to Anglicize the show for a British audience. Featuring evidence that reviews can help, a close encounter (and missed opportunity) with the All Saints, a special appearance from BBC broadcast legend Judi Spiers, and the desperate and pathetic lengths to which we're willing to go make audiences like us. (Length 18:35)