Corona Cold Reads: Henry VI, Part II

These are crazy times and we’ve all taken on a bunch of new projects as we socially isolate in order to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

We’re donating where we can, we’re cleaning the pantry, we’re organizing the 2300+ title dvd library. We finished work on the Nominee Interview Series even though the live event for our yearly Critics’ Pick Awards had to be cancelled (we’ve still got trophies to give out, eventually). We started the Corona Movie Club to help curb our boredom and constant need to talk about movies with other human beings. I’m even watching network procedurals and actually writing about them.

But what we all really need is comfort. We need our favourite things and our favourite people and right now those are hard to come by so we have to do everything we can to bring them together whenever possible. For me, there’s nothing quite so comforting and joyful as Shakespeare. Luckily, I know a lot of people who also love Shakespeare- a few old friends from my alma mater’s Shakespeare Society and a few of my favourite Toronto theatre artists, all of whom just so happen to be talented and generous and responsibly socially isolated enough to want to join a nearly 3-hour 19-person Zoom call for the purposes of livestreaming Shakespeare on YouTube.

Check out Henry VI, Part II in audio form below (or on iTunes) then tune into our YouTube page on Saturday and Tuesday nights at 7pm EST to catch our live readings.

A huge thank you to the cast of Henry VI, Part II:

Suffolk- Laura Hubbard
York- Mark Kreder
Queen Margaret- Susan Bond
Gloucester- Elizabeth Morriss
King Henry VI- Christopher Prentice
Cardinal/Mayor/Cade/Scales- Jim Hill
Duchess/First Neighbour/Say- Shalyn McFaul
Salisbury/Hume/Stanley/First Gentleman/Soldier- Melissa Wright
Warwick/Margaret Jourdain/Second Neighbour/Master/Clerk – Miriam B
Peter/Beadle/Servant/Second Gentleman/Michael/Richard- Mo Kamaly
Troubadour/First Petitioner/Wife/Commons/William Stafford/First Citizen/Clifford- Gaby Grice
Troubadour/Second Petitioner/Simpcox/Vaux/Sir Humphrey/Iden- James King
Somerset/All Messengers/Spirit/Third Neighbour/Second Murderer/Holland- Torey Urquhart
Buckingham/Bolingbroke/Herald/Bevis- Hilary Wartinger
Horner/Townsman/Sheriff/Post/Captain/Smith/Edward- Sam Chappell
First Murderer/Whitmore/Dick/Young Clifford- Nicole Falgoust