Corona Cold Reads: Henry VIII

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 VIII in audio form below (or on iTunes) then tune into our YouTube page on Friday nights at 7pm EST to catch our live readings.

A huge thank you to the cast of Henry VIII:

Cardinal Wolsey- Christopher Prentice
King Henry VIII- Steve Ross
Queen Katharine- Kristina Shepherd
Buckingham- Eli Ham
Prologue/ Surveyor/First Gentleman- Nicanor Campos
Brandon/ Sands- Scott Bedard
Norfolk- Shalyn McFaul
Chamberlain- Susan Bond
Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury)- Miriam B
Gardiner/ Crier- Andrew Hawley
Surrey- Mark Kreder
Suffolk- Elizabeth Morriss
Abergavenny/ First Secretary/Second Gentleman/ Epilogue- Fabiana Cabral
Sergeant/ Servant/Scribe/Messenger/Keeper- Gaby Grice
Lovell/ Cardinal Campeius- Elizabeth Ramirez
Guildford/Cromwell- Melissa Wright
Anne- Torey Urquhart
Vaux/Old Lady/ Lincoln/ Denny/ Man- Olivia Klausen McCargar
Griffith/ Porter/ Doctor Butts/ Garter- Hilary Wartinger
Third Gentleman/ Capucius- Nicole Falgoust
Patience/ Boy/ Chancellor- Lydia Lee