- 37 minutes 12 secondsTroilus and Cressida - Episode 4 - The Kneading
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Just as Troilus and Cressida finally unite, her father Calchas, a traitor who betrayed Troy to join the Greeks, petitions the Greek generals to trade for her so he can have her with him again. Agamemnon orders Diomedes to supervise the exchange. Ulysses then convinces the Greek commanders to rile up Achilles by walking past his tent without acknowledging him. When Achilles asks Ulysses what’s going on, Ulysses tells him Ajax is the new hero because he took up Hector’s challenge, but that if Achilles would break off his secret relationship with a Trojan princess and get back to fighting, his could restore his reputation. Thersites rubs it in by reporting that Ajax is strutting around the Greek camp completely full of himself. Achilles tells Thersites he wants to see Hector at his tent after the fight. Back in Troy, Diomedes arrives at Aeneas’s home to finalize the prisoner exchange for Cressida. Aeneas rushes to Troilus’s house to break the news to him. He gets there just as Pandarus is teasing the couple in their love nest. When Aeneas finally delivers the royal decree demanding that Cressida be handed over immediately, Troilus is devastated, and Cressida swears she will not leave.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.
Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND
This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.
The cast is as follows:
BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE
Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.
Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH
Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).
The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.
Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.
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27 July 2026, 7:00 am - 34 minutes 14 secondsTroilus and Cressida - Episode 3 - The Rising
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Thersites delights in insulting Patroclus, Achilles, Agamemnon and everyone they command. When Agamemnon arrives with his entourage, Achilles withdraws into his tent and refuses to meet with him. Agamemnon turns to Ajax and heaps praise on him, encouraging him to be their champion in single combat with Hector instead of Achilles. Back at the palace in Troy, Pandarus meets with Paris and Helen in their decadent love nest to make excuses for Troilus’s absence from their dinner. Helen persuades him to sing them a love song before sending him on his way. Pandarus finds Troilus anxiously awaiting Cressida in an orchard and finally brings the lovers together. They promise each other complete fidelity with Pandarus as their witness before hurrying into a bedroom to consummate their relationship.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.
Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND
This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.
The cast is as follows:
BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE
Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.
Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH
Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).
The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.
Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 July 2026, 7:00 am - 34 minutes 28 secondsTroilus and Cressida - Episode 2 - The Sifting
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As Agamemnon and his Generals argue in the Greek camp, the Trojan Aeneas arrives to deliver Hector’s challenge to a duel in single combat. When the brute Ajax hears about the proclamation, he beats the foul-mouthed slave Thersites for not telling him what it says. Achilles and Patroclus come to Thersites’ rescue and defend him from Ajax even though Thersites insists on insulting all of them. Back in the Royal Palace of Troy, Priam and his sons Hector, Paris and Troilus dine in the Trojan Council Chamber and debate whether to surrender Helen to end the war. Hector argues she isn’t worth the bloodshed and that it’s the honorable thing to do. They are interrupted by their mad sister, Cassandra, who enters and prophesies that if they do not let Helen go, Troy will burn. Troilus and Paris argue to keep her nonetheless, ultimately deciding to continue the fight. Back in the Greek camp, Ajax hopes to be picked as the champion to fight Hector. Thersites curses them all.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.
Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND
This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.
The cast is as follows:
BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE
Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.
Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH
Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).
The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.
Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 July 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 13 secondsTroilus and Cressida - Bonus Content Episode 1 - Theatermaker Lillian Groag
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! *** “There are no good guys.” Renowned theatremaker Lillian Groag explains why “Troilus and Cressida” is her favorite of all the plays Shakespeare ever wrote, but not without wondering out loud what happened to him along the way...
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6 July 2026, 7:00 am - 35 minutes 1 secondTroilus and Cressida - Episode 1 - The Milling
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! ***
The lovesick Trojan prince Troilus is so consumed by his infatuation with Cressida that he refuses to fight in the endless Trojan war with the Greeks, lamenting his woes to Cressida’s uncle, Pandarus, who serves as the go-between for the lovers. Aeneas arrives with news that Troilus’s brother, Paris, has been wounded by Menalaeus in battle, persuading Troilus to rejoin the fight. Inside the Trojan Citadel, Cressida gets the gossip from her friend Alexandra before Pandarus arrives to sing Troilus’s praises. Together, Pandarus and Cressida watch the Trojan warriors return from battle. Pandarus keeps heaping praise on Troilus as Cressida remains aloof, but once alone, she confesses she’s only playing “hard to get” in order to keep Troilus interested. Meanwhile, in the Greek encampment outside Troy, the Generals Agamemnon, Nestor and Ulysses lament that the war has dragged on for years without victory. Ulysses blames it on a breakdown of hierarchy and order brought on by Achilles’ mocking their leadership, whipping the Greeks into a frenzy of anger and frustration.
The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by LILLIAN GROAG. All episodes were directed by KIM MARTIN COTTON. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.
Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND
This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.
The cast is as follows:
BENJAMIN BONENFANT as TROILUS
AWNI ABDI-BAHRI as CRESSIDA
JAMES UDOM as ACHILLES
GEOFFREY ALLEN MURPHY as AJAX
STEVEN RATTAZZI as PANDARUS and MENELAUS
DAISUKE TSUJI as THERSITES
ANNA SUNDBERG as ALEXANDRA, CASSANDRA and HELEN
NOAH KEYISHIAN as AENEAS, MARGARELON and HELENUS
ROB NAGLE as AGAMEMNON
LISA WOLPE as ULYSSES
WAYNE T. CARR as HECTOR and CALCHAS
EDWARD GERO as NESTOR and PRIAM
EDDIE LOPEZ as PATROCLUS and PARIS
JOHNNY WU as DIOMEDES
KIM MARTIN COTTON as ANDROMOCHE
Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.
Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH
Original Music Composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).
The Play On Podcast Series “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.
Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The proud man eats himself”.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 June 2026, 7:00 am - 1 minute 21 secondsIntroducing...Troilus and Cressida
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! ***
NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS PRESENTS THE PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”
SHAKESPEARE’S BITING COMEDY ABOUT THE ABSURDITY OF WAR AND THE UNDERBELLY OF LOVE.
AN EPIC ANTI-LOVE STORY PERFORMED BY AN ENSEMBLE OF AMERICA’S MOST ACCOMPLISHED STAGE ACTORS
IN A MODERN ENGLISH VERSE TRANSLATION BY LILLIAN GROAG.
DIRECTED BY KIM MARTIN COTTEN
RADIO PLAY BY CATHERINE EATON
WITH ORIGINAL SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION BY LINDSAY JONES
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22 June 2026, 7:00 am - 48 minutes 56 secondsBonus Content - Actor Randall Duk Kim & Director Annie Occhiogrosso - Pt. 2
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! *** “We Gave Everything We Had”: Actor Randall Duk Kim and Director Annie Occhiogrosso reflect on their lives as artists, creating American Players Theater, how much you can learn from studying “Hamlet” over fifty years, what it takes to be great, where to find the best audiences in the country, how strawberries and chocolate can make all the difference on Press Day, the importance of language, what Keanu Reeves reads between takes, how Laurence Fishburne found his way into “Othello”, why every actor should start a theater, being Asian on an island, how Edwin Booth, Walt Whitman and a slaughtered lamb all played a part in bringing world class productions to a town of 1,200 people in rural Wisconsin, why it’s important to plant the seeds of inspiration in young people if we want to have any hope for our future, and much, much more!
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15 June 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 5 minutesBonus Content - Actor Randall Duk Kim & Director Annie Occhiogrosso - Pt. 1
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! *** “We Gave Everything We Had”: Actor Randall Duk Kim and Director Annie Occhiogrosso reflect on their lives as artists, creating American Players Theater, how much you can learn from studying “Hamlet” over fifty years, what it takes to be great, where to find the best audiences in the country, how strawberries and chocolate can make all the difference on Press Day, the importance of language, what Keanu Reeves reads between takes, how Laurence Fishburne found his way into “Othello”, why every actor should start a theater, being Asian on an island, how Edwin Booth, Walt Whitman and a slaughtered lamb all played a part in bringing world class productions to a town of 1,200 people in rural Wisconsin, why it’s important to plant the seeds of inspiration in young people if we want to have any hope for our future, and much, much more!
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8 June 2026, 7:00 am - 55 minutes 42 secondsBonus Content - Historian Cassidy Cash
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! ***
“I fell into Shakespeare!” Historian and podcaster Cassidy Cash describes how finding a copy of a play tucked between a Bible and a hymnal in her grandmother’s house in rural Alabama led her into a life of learning about the past, the present, engineering information, painting castles, making podcasts, playing Noddy and knowing what a Link Boy was!
Check out her excellent show That Shakespeare Life wherever you listen to great podcasts!
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1 June 2026, 7:00 am - 51 minutes 45 secondsBonus Content - Professor Richard Burt
***Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card! *** There is no Orthodoxy”: Professor Richard Burt teaches us about the paratext, un-reading Shakespeare, Derrida and Plato in under an hour! With a soothing reminder that writing is both the poison and the remedy...
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25 May 2026, 7:00 am - 38 minutes 23 secondsIntroducing...Everybody Knows But Me
Holly Brown may have grown up right next to Hollywood, but her life was a world away from her 90s sitcom dreams. Instead, Holly’s childhood was filled with family secrets, immense loss, and heartbreaking grief. SO. What’s a girl to do? Create a genre-bending, dark comedy podcast, of course! Welcome to… Everybody Knows But Me: A dark comedy podcast about the secrets we inherit and the stories we tell to survive Holly revisits her dark, twisty past and proves that you actually can make your life into a 90s sitcom, if you only try hard enough. Grab your beanie babies and gushers, and strap in for a story that even Mr Feeny can’t resist.
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18 May 2026, 7:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App