G33K Out: (Two-Thirds of) The Reduced Shakespeare Company

Episode 42: (Two-Thirds of) The Reduced Shakespeare Company

I’ve been a fan of the Reduced Shakespeare Company (and their podcast) for a long time. In fact, I jokingly refer to Austin Tichenor, the one who does the weekly podcast, as the ‘honorary godfather’ of G33K Out, as that podcast was one of the many influences on G33K Out, and its predecessor Stage Savvy.

If you’re unfamiliar with their work, the RSC has been around since 1981, and started with a variation of what’s now know as The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at various Renaissance fairs. They’ve been touring their latest production, William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged), including a stop in Los Angeles.

I sat down with Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin of the RSC. We talked about being an actor and playwright, how things have changed when they first started, and the various details of working together and doing comedy.

Basic show notes:

• Running time is 32 minutes, 44 seconds.
• The interview was recorded on April 6, 2019.
  • I mention the review I wrote of their podcast for KC Stage Magazine.
  • I bring up my other podcast, Stage Savvy.
  • I talk about my interview with Bruce Campbell at PaleyFest.
  • We talk (briefly) about genre theatre, and the high school production of Alien that was recently making headlines. Here’s the AV Club’s article about it, if you missed it.
  • As for the Reduced Shakespeare Company:
    • here’s their main website;
    • here’s a direct link to their podcast page;
    • here’s a link to their latest book, Pop-Up Shakespeare, illustrated by Jennie Maizels;
    • and you can follow them on various social media:
      • their Facebook page;
      • their Instagram;
      • and then for Twitter, you can follow the company, Austin Tichenor, or Reed Martin.
    • The mid-show plug is from actor, writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator Petrea Burchard, who I interviewed in episode 41.
    • In this episode, “Angie Geeks Out” about Q2Q Comics.
      • In the introduction, I briefly mention:
        • the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour;
        • my review of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish;
        • geeky theatre, specifically the Los Angeles Sci-Fest, the play She Kills Monsters, and Jessie Salsbury’s “Fangirls” (which you can learn a little bit more about on her page on the New Play Exchange);
        • my recent review of Hail Satan?;
        • and my review / recommendation of John Finnemore’s Cabin Pressure.
      • I mention the interview I did with creator Steve Younkins for Stage Directions Magazine.
    • Theme music is “Schoolyard Haze”, by Jari Pitkanen, available via the Free Music Archive.
    • This podcast is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License.
    • Interested in hearing other episodes of G33K Out? Check them out here.

And now, it’s time to geek out.