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Michael Lueger

Michael Lueger is an adjunct professor at Emerson College and Northeastern University, where he teaches theatre history. His blog “Abstract and Brief” features images and essays on theatre history. His work has appeared in a variety of peer-reviewed publications, such as the recent Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theater, and on WBUR’s Cognoscenti page. Follow him on Twitter with the handle @theaterhistory. 

Theatre History Podcast #56
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #56

How to Succeed in (Early Modern Show) Business: Dr. David Nicol’s Philip Henslowe Blog

6 February 2018

Dr. David Nicol talks about his project to turn early modern theatre manager Philip Henslowe's "diary" into a daily blog.

Theatre History Podcast #55
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #55

Examining the Controversial History of the “Mummers Wench” with Dr. Christian DuComb

24 January 2018

Dr. Christian DuComb of Colgate University joins us to talk about Philadelphia's Mummers Parade and how the figure of the "Mummers wench" has its roots in the history of blackface minstrel shows.

Theatre History Podcast #54
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #54

Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart: Tracy Heather Strain Shows Us a Different Side of Lorraine Hansberry

17 January 2018

Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain talks about her new documentary Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, which explores the life and work of playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

Theatre History Podcast #53
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #53

Rediscovering Sheridan’s Smash Hit Pizarro with Dr. Selena Couture & Dr. Alex Dick

10 January 2018

Dr. Selena Couture and Dr. Alexander Dick discuss their new Broadview edition of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's landmark 1799 melodrama Pizarro.

Theatre History Podcast #52
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #52

Remembering Argentina’s Traumatic Past Through Theatre with Dr. Noe Montez

12 December 2017

Dr. Noe Montez of Tufts University joins us to talk about how Argentina's theatre have dealt with the legacy of the country's period of military dictatorship.

Theatre History Podcast #51
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #51

Death-Defying Acts with Amy Meyer

5 December 2017

Amy Meyer joins us to talk about acrobatic accidents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as what they tell us about our appetite for risky entertainment.

Theatre History Podcast #50
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #50

Opening Up New Approaches to Acting with Dr. Sharrell D. Luckett

14 November 2017

Dr. Sharrell Luckett joins us to discuss her new book Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches.

Theatre History Podcast #49
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #49

Dr. Erin Mee on Modern and Contemporary Indian Theatre

7 November 2017

Dr. Erin Mee of New York University joins us for the second part of our series on Indian theatre. In this episode, she explains how modern Indian theatre developed in the decades before and after independence.

Theatre History Podcast #48
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #48

Learning About Kutiyattam with Dr. Erin Mee

31 October 2017

Dr. Erin Mee of New York University joins us to discuss kutiyattam, a style of theatre from southwestern India that brings ancient Sanskrit dramas to life.

Theatre History Podcast #47
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #47

Translating An Enemy of the People with Dr. Paul Walsh

23 October 2017

Dr. Paul Walsh of the Yale School of Drama joins us to discuss his work translating Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People for the opening production of the Yale Repertory Theatre's 52nd season.

Theatre History Podcast Announcement
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast Announcement

2 October 2017

A Theatre History Podcast announcement from Michael Lueger. 

Theatre History Podcast #46
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #46

Reimagining Shakespeare’s Legacy with Madeline Sayet

14 September 2017

Madeline Sayet joins us to talk about how she's producing Shakespeare's work with Native American artists to place them in a new, more diverse context.

Theatre History Podcast #45
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #45

Rethinking Amateur Theatricals with David Coates

29 August 2017

David Coates talks about his research into amateur theatricals in the nineteenth century.

Theatre History Podcast #44
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #44

Exploring the Performing Arts Collections at the Harry Ransom Center with Dr. Eric Colleary

21 August 2017

Dr. Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theater and Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, introduces us to the treasures in the center's performing arts collections.

Theatre History Podcast #43
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #43

Being Melodramatic with the Staging Napoleonic Theatre Project

14 August 2017

The Staging Napoleonic Theatre project is working to study and stage early examples of melodrama, a theatrical genre that was widely popular in the nineteenth century.​

Theatre History Podcast #42
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #42

From West Side Story to Wicked: Dr. Stacy Wolf on Feminism & the Broadway Musical

7 August 2017

Dr. Stacy Wolf reveals the hidden feminist history of the Broadway musical in this discussion of her book Changed for Good.

Theatre History Podcast #41
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #41

Bryan Doerries and Theater of War Productions Use Classical Drama to Address Today’s Problems

31 July 2017

Bryan Doerries, co-founder of Theater of War Productions, talks about how classical dramas from the ancient world can address society's pressing issues in the twenty-first century.

Theatre History Podcast #40
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #40

Dr. José A. Pérez Díez & Dr. Matthew Steggle Introduce the Oxford Marston

24 July 2017

Dr. José A. Pérez Díez & Dr. Matthew Steggle talk about early modern English playwright John Marston and how they're editing his Complete Works

Picture from a production of Mankind.
Theatre History Podcast #39
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #39

Dr. Matthew Sergi and the Surprising Truth About Morality Plays

17 July 2017

Dr. Matthew Sergi of the University of Toronto talks about medieval morality plays, and how performing them today gives us unexpected insights into our own world.

Theatre History Podcast # 38
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 38

Eleanor Fitzsimons on Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, and the Troubled History of Salomé

10 July 2017

In this episode, Michael Lueger talks to author Eleanor Fitzsimons about Oscar Wilde and his working relationship with Sarah Bernhardt.

Theatre History Podcast # 37
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 37

Examining the Diary of Nineteenth Century Actor Harry Watkins with Dr. Amy Hughes, Dr. Naomi Stubbs, and Dr. Scott D. Dexter

3 July 2017

Dr. Amy Hughes, Dr. Naomi Stubbs, and Dr. Scott D. Dexter discuss the diary of Harry Watkins, a nineteenth-century actor, playwright, and stage manager.

Theatre History Podcast # 36
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 36

Editing and Staging The Dutch Lady with Dr. Joseph F. Stephenson

19 June 2017

Dr. Joseph F. Stephenson of Abilene Christian University talks about The Dutch Lady, an anonymous Restoration-era play in the holdings of the Boston Public Library that he's both editing and helping to stage.

Theatre History Podcast # 35
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 35

Get Thee to a Nunnery: Learning About Medieval Convent Drama with Dr. Elisabeth Dutton, Dr. Olivia Robinson, Dr. Matthew Cheung Salisbury, and Aurèlie Blanc

12 June 2017

A conversation with members of the Medieval Convent Drama project, based at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Theatre History Podcast # 34
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 34

Dr. Mary Chinery and Dr. Laura Rattray on Edith Wharton’s The Shadow of a Doubt

5 June 2017

Dr. Mary Chinery and Dr. Laura Rattray on Edith Wharton's little-known writing for the theatre.

Theatre History Podcast # 33
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 33

Rediscovering the Victorian Theatre at the Alexandra Palace with James White

30 May 2017

James White talks about restoring the Alexandra Palace, a massive entertainment complex built in the 1870s.