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Austin Tichenor

is the co-artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company; a writing and acting coach at The Shakespeareance; the co-author of ten stage comedies, including William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) and The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel); the co-creator of the illustrated children’s books Pop-Up Shakespeare and Daisy, the Littlest Zombie; a contributor to The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Shakespeare and Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen (from Arden Shakespeare); and the host of the world’s oldest and longest-running theater podcast, the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast.
Worthy scaffold: The epic intimacy of William Shakespeare
a dramatic black and white image of a man and woman leaning with their faces close together
Shakespeare and Beyond

Worthy scaffold: The epic intimacy of William Shakespeare

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor writes about movies that feel like plays and theater that feels cinematic.

“Murder most foul”: How Shakespeare connects Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Murder most foul”: How Shakespeare connects Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores the deep connections the president and his murderer share with William Shakespeare.

“Cast in darkness": Who should play Richard III?
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Cast in darkness": Who should play Richard III?

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor argues for the importance of casting disabled actors as Richard III, spotlighting Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production with Katy Sullivan in the title role.

Re-thinking "Honest Iago"
Shakespeare and Beyond

Re-thinking "Honest Iago"

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor grapples with the larger question of whether Iago deserves the sympathetic re-evaluation found in Iago: The Green Eyed Monster.

How William Shakespeare invented the holiday romcom
Shakespeare and Beyond

How William Shakespeare invented the holiday romcom

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor argues that today’s holiday romantic comedies are full of recognizably Shakespearean motifs.

“What the Dickens": How Shakespeare haunts "A Christmas Carol"
A ghostly grey figure wrapped in chains confronts a recumbent man with white hair and a white nightgown
Shakespeare and Beyond

“What the Dickens": How Shakespeare haunts "A Christmas Carol"

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor unpacks Shakespeare’s influence on Charles Dickens in the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol.

A witty Fool and foolish wit: Christopher Moore’s Pocket Chronicles
Shakespeare and Beyond

A witty Fool and foolish wit: Christopher Moore’s Pocket Chronicles

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor writes about Christopher Moore’s trio of comic novels, which follow the fool from King Lear as he interacts with other Shakespeare characters.

“Haunt me still”: Shakespeare’s ghosts
a ghostly man with a white beard and light behind him
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Haunt me still”: Shakespeare’s ghosts

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores the powerful theatricality of Shakespeare’s ghosts, among whom the most famous is probably Hamlet’s father.

The Shakespearean parts of “Barbenheimer”
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Shakespearean parts of “Barbenheimer”

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores how Barbie and Oppenheimer wrestle with Shakespearean themes of identity, hubris, and redemption.

Shakespeare and gaming in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare and gaming in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor reflects on the Shakespeare allusions and storytelling world in Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel.

All things Shakespearean
Shakespeare and Beyond

All things Shakespearean

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Austin Tichenor

Dynastic power struggles, political intrigue, and forbidden love: Austin Tichenor looks at “Shakespearean” as a popular cultural shorthand.

“By false intelligence": AI, ChatGPT, and (the) Bard
Shakespeare and Beyond

“By false intelligence": AI, ChatGPT, and (the) Bard

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor finds that AI does not quite measure up to William Shakespeare when he asks ChatGPT and Bard to write a new play called “Cardenio.”

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