Beyond Shakespeare

Discussing: John Rastell, with John Thor Ewing - modern editor of Rastell's A Hundred Merry Tales, which is available now from all good book sellers. John Rastell was a huge influence on early modern drama, not only as a playwright (of The Four Elements and parts of Gentleness and Nobility) but more importantly as a publisher and stager of plays. His Jest Book, A Hundred Merry Tales, was an incredibly popular work of the time, and now has a spanking new edition edited by our guest. Host Robert Crighton discusses with John Thor Ewing the history of the book, John Rastell's life, and a little bit about their contemporaries and his own writing. Also featured, a preview of new weeks podcast, from our full cast audio production of the Cain sequence in the Chester Mystery Cycle. Support this podcast by going to www.patreon.com/beyondshakespeare or follow us @BeyondShakes on Twitter. The Cain preview features performances by Andy Barrett as Abel and Richard Fawcett as Cain - with additional sfx from freesfx.co.uk