397: A Game at Chess by Thomas Middleton LIVE! (Middleton’s Endgame 3)

In August 2024, we produced an all day event  Middleton’s Endgame: A Game at Chess LIVE! a pop up Middleton festival at The White Bear in Kennington, featuring a live performance of A Game at Chess, discussions of the play, a look at Middleton’s last public work, the 1626 Lord Mayor’s show, and other selections of writing from across his life. The whole event, as ever, was recorded, and we're releasing these over the next few months. This is episode 3, which covers the second half of the live performance of A Game at Chess itself - from midway into Act 3. It followed the first half, and before that Setting up the Board, which delivered an overview of Thomas Middleton in the 1620’s, and the theatrical context for the play. It is a relatively simple mix of the play, a fuller mix with extra bells and whistles will follow anon.

In A Game at Chess by Thomas Middleton were…
Alexandra Kataigida – Black Queen’s Pawn
Ailbhe Casey – White Queen’s Pawn
Roel Fox – A White Pawn / Black Bishop’s Pawn
Robert Crighton – Black Knight’s Pawn
Keith Hill – Black Knight
Simon Nader – White Duke
Liza Graham – Fat Bishop
Daniel Yabut – Second Black Pawn / White King
Gillian Horgan – White Queen
Kit McGuire – Black Jesting Pawn / White Knight
Sojourner Hazelwood-Connell – White Bishop’s Pawn
Connor Robert-Brown – Black King
Valentina Vinci – Black Queen

Text coaching by Liza Graham
The music was specially composed and produced for the show by Roel Fox
The event was produced and edited by Robert Crighton

CW: Attempted sexual assault, dismissal of sexual assault victims, anti-catholic sentiments, ableist, racist, and fatphobic dialogue from the period. Discussion of violence, and of physical injuries.

YouTube playlist of readings of the play.
Podcast playlist on the play.
Patreon box set of this show.
The Legacy of Thomas Middleton discussing episode.

Our patrons received a rough mix of this episode in September 2024 - over 11 months in advance.
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The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.