ain’t no party like a shakespeare party

Party Bard is a podcast - currently on hiatus - about all things Shakespeare. Author of Shakespeare-inspired YA books Molly Booth and Shakespeare mega-fan Jack Rossiter-Munley had a blast discuss all aspects of Shakespeare’s creative output. Season 1 was released every other week from July 2017 - July 2018. Season 2, in which Molly and Jack bring witty banter and progressive analysis to summaries of Shakespeare’s most taught plays, will be coming in 2020.

“This is definitely one of my favorite podcasts! As an English teacher and fellow Shakespeare nerd, I was initially drawn in by the content, but am now equally delighted by the fun banter between the two hosts.”
— 5 Star iTunes Review


Episodes in Season 1 of Party Bard covered Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies, histories, romances, and even one of his sonnets! Episodes were divided into five rotating categories: Adaptation, Scene, Character, Speech, and Performance.

  • Adaptation episodes discussed works that used Shakespeare’s plays as inspiration, like the movies 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man, or Margaret Atwood’s novel Hag-seed among others.

  • Scene episodes explored scenes like Merchant of Venice’s courtroom showdown in Act 4, Scene I, or Romeo and Juliet Act 1, Scene V where the star-crossed lovers first meet.

  • Character episodes examined a single character’s personality and arc. Polonius, Volumnia, and Enobarnus each had their moment in the sun along with several others.

  • Speech episodes featured analysis of famous soliloquies and monologues like Calaban’s “The Isle is Full of Noises” and, at the request of a high school drama class, Lady Macbeth’s “Come You Spirits” among others.

  • Performance episodes included conversations about the 2015 film version of Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the Globe theater’s original conditions Twelfth Night, and the Globe’s staging of Antony and Cleopatra with Eve Best in the lead role among others.

  • For special occasions, Molly and Jack recorded “Surprise Party” episodes such as one on a low-budget adaptation of Hamlet, and a Halloween Spooktacular on Akira Kurosawa’s masterful Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood.

Every episode of Party Bard is full of analysis, jokes, and good-natured riffing. Come for the Shakespeare, stay for the fun!