"When an innocent blue jay starts talking in his sleep, it's up to him to find out what's going on in this fun, naturalistic, Southern-style children's story. (Summary by Miriam Esther Goldman)"
"The tragedy is based on the mythological story of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agavë, and their punishment by the god Dionysus (who is Pentheus' cousin) for refusing to worship him. (Summary by Wikipedia)"
"The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays, believed to have been written between 1592 and 1594. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession. (Summary by Wikipedia)"
"Cast:
Argan, an imaginary invalid: Allen Johns
Beline, second wife to Argan: Nadine Eckert-Boulet
Angelique, daughter to Argan: Arielle Lipshaw
Louison, Argan's young daughter: Elizabeth Klett
Beralde, brother to Argan: Delmar H. Dolbier
Cleante, lover to Angelique: mb
Mr. Diafoirus, a physician: Wupperhippo
Thomas Diafoirus, his son: engineerdst
Mr. Purgon, physician to Argan: Bellona Times
Mr. Fleurant, an apothecary/Mr. De Bonnefoi, a notary: Alan Mapstone
Toinette, maidservant to Argan: Availle
Narrator: ToddHW
Audio edited by Arielle Lipshaw"
"Julia Patterson, a magazine writer: Elizabeth Klett
Jack Bullen, a parlor Socialist: Dale Burgess
Laura Hegan, Hegan's daughter: Arielle Lipshaw
Allan Montague, a lawyer: Bellona Times
Jim Hegan, the traction king: ToddHW
Annie Roberts, a girl of the slums: Lucy Perry
Robert Grimes, the boss: John Steigerwald
Andrews, Hegan's secretary: Max Körlinge
Parker, a clerk: Marty Kris
Narrator: Linette Geisel
Audio edited by: Arielle Lipshaw"
"Narrators: Tiffany Halla Colonna and Beth Thomas
Cornelia Moran: Grace
George Hyde: Chuck Williamson
Arenta Van Ariens: Amanda Friday
Ava Moran: CaprishaPage
Annie Hyde: Victoria Martin
Aunt Angelica: Elizabeth Klett
Richard Hyde: Ron Altman
Kate Hyde: MJ Franck
Joris Van Heemskirk: Algy Pug
Lysbet Van Heemskirk: Kristin Gjerløw
John Moran: Robert Hoffman
Rem Van Ariens: Michael Reuss
Peter Van Ariens: David Lawrence
Jacobus Van Ariens: ToddHW
an Englishman: Beth Thomas
John Adams: ToddHW
Mrs. Adams: April Gonzales
Mrs. Smith: KateC
Thomas Jefferson: Ken Garrett
Mrs. Wiley: KateC
Mary Damer: Charlotte Duckett
Anthony Clymer: Nathanial W.C. Higgins
Doctor Roslyn: Nathanial W.C. Higgins
Captain Jacobus: Nathanial W.C. Higgins
Prooflisteners: Tisha Bordon, Beth Thomas and David Lawrence
Audio edited by: Robert Hoffman, ToddHW and David Lawrence"
"The Reign of King Edward the Third is an Elizabethan play printed anonymously in 1596. It has frequently been claimed that it was at least partly written by William Shakespeare, a view that Shakespeare scholars have increasingly endorsed. The rest of the play was probably written by Thomas Kyd. The play contains many gibes at Scotland and the Scottish people, which has led some critics to think that it is the work that incited George Nicolson, Queen Elizabeth's agent in Edinburgh, to protest against the portrayal of Scots on the London stage in a 1598 letter to William Cecil, Lord Burghley. This would explain why the play was not included in the First Folio of Shakespeare's works, which was published after the Scottish King James had succeeded to the English throne in 1603. The plot of the play consists of two distinct parts. The first is centred on the Countess of Salisbury (the wife of the Earl of Salisbury), who, beset by rampaging Scots, is rescued by King Edward III, who then proceeds to woo her himself. In the second part of the play, in several scenes reminiscent of Henry V, Edward joins his army in France, fighting a war to claim the French throne."
"The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, and was inspired by classical Roman comedy and the Italian commedia dell'arte. Baptista Minola, a rich gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina, renowned for her sharp tongue, and Bianca, who is sought after by multiple suitors. Baptista decides that Bianca cannot marry until her elder sister finds a husband. Enter Petruchio, who has come to "wive it wealthily in Padua," and who is convinced by Bianca's suitors to woo Katherina. The play ultimately poses the question of who is the bigger shrew: Kate or Petruchio. The subplot involves the subterfuge employed by Lucentio to woo the lovely Bianca. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)"
"Murder and madness, witches and war: Librivox presents a recording of Macbeth, perhaps Shakespeare's best known tragedy. Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, is given a prophecy by a trio of witches: he himself will become king. Fired by ambition and goaded by his ruthless wife, he murders Duncan and assumes the throne. More killings follow as Macbeth attempts to retain his crown, until he discovers that prophecies are not always what they seem. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)"
"The Two Gentlemen of Verona is the earliest comedy written by Shakespeare (and possibly his first play), probably written around 1590-91. It focuses on two friends, Valentine and Proteus, whose friendship is disrupted by their mutual passion for the lovely Silvia. Proteus jilts Julia in order to pursue Silvia; she responds by enlisting the help of her maid Lucetta to dress as a boy and go after Proteus. The play also includes some wonderfully comic supporting characters, particularly Launce and his scene-stealing dog Crab. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)"
"The Wild Duck (1884) (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is by many considered Ibsen's finest work, and it is certainly the most complex. It tells the story of Gregers Werle, a young man who returns to his hometown after an extended exile and is reunited with his boyhood friend Hjalmar Ekdal. Over the course of the play, the many secrets that lie behind the Ekdals' apparently happy home are revealed to Gregers, who insists on pursuing the absolute truth, or the "Summons of the Ideal". Among these truths: Gregers' father impregnated his servant Gina, then married her off to Hjalmar to legitimize the child. Another man has been disgraced and imprisoned for a crime the elder Werle committed. Furthermore, while Hjalmar spends his days working on a wholly imaginary "invention", his wife is earning the household income."
"Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest tragedy; it is believed to have been written in the early 1590s. It depicts a Roman general who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with his enemy Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. The play is by far Shakespeare's bloodiest work. It lost popularity during the Victorian era because of its gore, and it has only recently seen its fortunes revive."
