The Bard on the Pod
By Valley Shakespeare Festival
The Bard on the PodOct 10, 2022
S3E2 - Our Halloween Episode
The Bard On The Pod is hosted by Tom Simonetti, Founder and Artistic Director of Valley Shakespeare Festival, and Kayleigh Mihalko, past Chair of the board for Valley Shakespeare Festival.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Disney and Shakespeare: https://shakespeareinaction.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/shakespeare-references-in-disney-movies/
Traditions in the day of William Shakespeare: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2019/10/25/how-did-shakespeare-celebrate-halloween/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
S3E1 - Marketing A Regional Theater
As Tom said, "How do we market something no one wants?" While funny, it does highlight the difficulties of marketing a small regional theater.
The Bard On The Pod is hosted by Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti. It is a production of Valley Shakespeare Festival. This episode is sponsored by Cloud Media Marketing, LLC.
S2E6 - 10 Years of VSF
In this episode, Kayleigh and Tom have a quick conversation to get the 10th season of Valley Shakespeare Festival started!
S2E4 - Popshow Quizshow
In this episode, host Kayleigh quizzes Tom on his knowledge of William Shakespeare and his plays.
Show notes
Quiz questions were sourced from https://parade.com/1206030/marynliles/shakespeare-trivia/ and https://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_index_ii.html
Credits...
Hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Edited and Produced by: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
S2E3 - Curses, Spirits, and Doorways
In this episode, hosts Kayleigh and Tom talk about how curses, spirits, ghosts, and doorways are featured in the plays of Shakespeare.
Credits...
Hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Edited and Produced by: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
S2E2 - Teaching Shakespeare
In this episode, hosts Kayleigh and Tom talk with Board Member Art Brennan about how he goes about teaching Shakespeare to his high school students. Tom adds how he approaches teaching the younger children.
Credits...
Hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Edited and Produced by: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
S2E1 - Did Shakespeare Write Alone?
*This episode has a moment with adult content! You might not want to listen with young children.*
In this episode, Kayleigh and Tom talk about how to tell what parts of some of the plays were written by William Shakespeare and what parts were written by other writers.
Hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Edited and Produced by: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
What it takes to put on a show!
We pay our actors, we pay our staff, we pay our vendors, and we have costumes, housing, travel, props, printing, signage, and so many other costs to cover.
It has always been the mission of VSF to offer the summer show to the community so everyone could have the opportunity to see a professional show without traveling or spending a ton of money.
How do we raise that money?
1. Ticketed shows during the rest of the year (which we haven't been able to do in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID)
2. Grants (which have been hard to come by for arts programs thanks to COVID)
3. Corporate Sponsorships (which have been coming in much slower than in the past due to COVID)
4. Individual supporters donating during The Great Give, Giving Tuesday, at fundraisers, becoming Patreon members, and the $10 suggested donations at the Park shows (individual giving is also down thanks to COVID)
(Join our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival)
Last year we put on a show. This year, our 9th year, we are putting on a show. We can't and won't let COVID stop us, but we really could use some more support. We have some options:
Option A: If you can, please consider donating here through the fundraiser Erin Bennedum set up.
Option B: Become a Patreon member. Memberships are $5, $10, or $15 a month and come with some pretty cool perks.
(https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival)
Option C: Let us know if you can take on corporate sponsorship and we will send you information. We have some great benefits to offer throughout the year. Corporate sponsorships start out as low as $500 for the year! (https://www.vsfestival.org/sponsors)
Option D: Attend a show and donate there. How much did you spend on your last trip to Broadway? Maybe you can consider making a matching donation to VSF.
No matter if you can give $5 or $15,000, we appreciate you and hope to see you at the show. We know times are tough and not everyone is in the position to give. You do NOT have to donate in order to attend our summer show going on now through Sunday at Quarry Walk in Oxford.
We offer the show to you at no cost, but it is not free to put it on. Please consider supporting Valley Shakespeare Festival in any way you can and we hope to see you at the show!
Thank you.
BONUS Episode To Promote The Adventures of Pericles
In this BONUS episode, Tom and Kayleigh speak to two of the five actors who will star in The Adventures of Pericles
Shows will take place at the Parks in Shelton and in Oxford!
Hosts:
Kayleigh Mihalko
Tom Simonetti
Guests:
Eric Bermudez
Zak Risinger
Visit www.vsfestival.org/park for details and become a Patreon supporter by visiting our PATREON PROFILE
___________
THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES
By William Shakespeare and George Wilkins
TWO WEEKS. TWO LOCATIONS.
JULY 15th-18th at 7 PM in Veteran's Memorial Park, 38 Canal Street E. Shelton, CT
JULY 22nd-25th at 7 PM at Quarry Walk, 300 Oxford Road in Oxford, CT
FREE! with suggested $10 donation
Get ready to go on an ADVENTURE with VSF this summer!
Join us in Veteran's Memorial Park for this epic story of love, loss, and pirates!
ABOUT: A storm at sea brings love into the life of Pericles, Prince of Tyre; another snatches it away. Many years must pass before fate guides the wandering hero to a poignant reunion with the family he thought he had lost forever.
RUN TIME: Approx. 80 minutes, no intermission
GOOD FOR: Ages9+
S1E8 - 10 Myths and Misconceptions of William Shakespeare
*This episode has a language warning! You might not want to listen with young children.*
Hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
Edited and Produced by: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti.
In this episode, Kayleigh quizzes Tom on myths and misconceptions on The Bard. For an additional TWO myths, become a Patreon member! Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/vsfestival
S1E7: How To Pick A Season
Become a Member: www.patreon.com/vsfestival
Show Notes: www.vsfestival.org/podcast
S1E6 - 2021 Season and Membership Announcements
Hosts Tom and Kayleigh talk all new things happening in 2021, including the season and the brand new membership program - Friends of VSF.
S1E5 Part 4 - A Christmas Carol
VSF podcast hosts, Kayleigh and Tom, are joined by local community leaders to do a reading of Charles Dicken's Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, adapted by Tom Simonetti.
S1E5 Part 3 - A Christmas Carol
Kayleigh and Tom are joined by more community leaders for the third part of the VSF community reading of A Christmas Carol.
S1E5 Part 2 - A Christmas Carol
Kayleigh and Tom are joined by more community leaders for the second part of the VSF community reading of A Christmas Carol.
S1E5 Part 1 - A Christmas Carol
VSF podcast hosts, Kayleigh and Tom, are joined by local community leaders to do a reading of Charles Dicken's Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, adapted by Tom Simonetti.
S1E4 - Food In Shakespeare's Time
In this episode, Tom and Kayleigh speak to Jim Calkins of Seasonal Catering about food and traditions in Shakespeare's day.
S1E3 - The Ghosts Of Shakespeare
It's that time of year. Haunting season! Listen as Tom and Kayleigh discuss the ghosts of VSF's past, present, and future. Performances from both Shakespeare's "Macbeth", "Hamlet" will keep you haunted for the Halloween season!
S1E2 - VSF goes to the Farm
Join Valley Shakespeare Festival down on the Farm...well, Massaro Farm exactly. Family programming abounds this year on October 10th and 11th when VSF presents a socially distant SNOW WHITE at Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge, CT.
Tickets can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/yygh3bxo
This podcast features Massaro's Executive Director, Caty Poole, and Maragaret Remboski and Killian Meehan who were past members from our inaugural production on the farm of the classic, "Charlotte's Web".
Cyrano in COVID-19
In this quick episode we talk to our three actors, and our fight choreographer Carlo Riveccio.
The Park that Started A Tradition
In this episode, we talk to actors and audience members of Valley Shakespeare Festival and our annual tradition of Shakespeare in the Park.
In 2013, Tom Simonetti and an intrepid group of actors rehearsed and performed the first VSF Shakespeare in the Park production of "The Comedy of Errors" and an annual tradition was born. We will also speak with past actors and crew members from our 8 years of performing the park, and their experiences in 99-degree heat, how much we love the rain, auditioning for VSF and the importance of education and training to become an actor.
This episode features Erin Bennedum, Jessica Breda, Theresa Carroll, Mitchel Kawash, Kristen Kingsley, Steve Mazzoccone and Megan McGarvey.
With your hosts: Kayleigh Mihalko and Tom Simonetti
Teaser for The Bard On The Pod
Hey there...are you a fan of theater, backstage stories...and also can’t get enough classical theater in your life? Join us, Tom Simonetti, and Kayleigh Mihalko, on the Valley Shakespeare Festival’s podcast. Our episodes will be about how VSF operates and will be both educational and entertaining.
We will discuss Shakespeare’s original practices, how his works relate to today in a fun and unique way, and we explore the production side of things! Hiring and firing actors, running a non-profit theater company, and everything that has made Valley Shakespeare Festival tick since 2013.