About this episode
Queen Elizabeth replays a tape of her husband King Edward’s band as she obsesses over his failing health. Her brother, Lord Rivers, tries to comfort her, as do her two sons from a previous marriage, Gray and Dorset. She tells them that the sons she conceived with Edward are still too young to rule, and that if her husband dies, the throne will go to Richard until the oldest son comes of age, putting her safety in jeopardy. Buckingham and Derby arrive to report that King Edward’s health is improving and that he wants to make peace between Richard and Elizabeth's clans. Richard barges in with Hastings at his side, railing that he’s being disrespected and that people are telling lies about him. Elizabeth does her best to defend herself against his accusation that she put Clarence in jail and that she is vying for the throne. As they argue, the old Queen Margaret arrives unseen and listens to them from outside the house, commenting bitterly to herself about how quickly power is lost. She finally confronts the group and berates Richard for the murders of her family before cursing everyone in the room, one by one. After she departs, Catesby enters to say that King Edward wants to talk to his family. Richard, left alone, celebrates his mischief, then hires two murderers to kill his brother Clarence in the Tower. There, Clarence tells Brackenbury (the jailer) about a nightmare he had in which he drowned trying to rescue Richard and was dragged down to hell. The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “RICHARD THE THIRD”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by MIGDALIA CRUZ. All episodes were directed by LISA ROTHE. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON. This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT. The cast is as follows: MATT FRASER as RICHARD THE THIRD MIA KATIGBAK as QUEEN MARGARET, CITIZEN and BLUNT HIRAM DELGADO as CLARENCE, DORSET, ELY and MESSENGER NANCY RODRIGUEZ as LADY ANNE, OXFORD, RIVERS and A MURDERER RACHEL CROWL as QUEEN ELIZABETH, NORFOLK, and MESSENGER SANJIT DE SILVA as NESS AQUINO, BUCKINGHAM, and A CITIZEN CHARLES DUMAS as EDWARD, HENRY the SIXTH, STANLEY & CARDINAL ANDY LUCIEN as HASTINGS, SCRIVENER, a MESSENGER and A MURDERER GABRIELA SAKER as CATESBY, DUKE OF YORK and A MESSENGER DANAYA ESPERANZA as BRAKENBURY, RATCLIFFE, LORD MAYOR, TYRREL, and RICHMOND ALMA CUERVO as DUCHESS OF YORK, SHERIFF & A MESSENGER ELIJAH GOODFRIEND as PRINCE EDWARD, A PAGE, and A BOY Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA. Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH Original music composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Composer, Producer, Guitars, Bass, Lead Vocals, Recording and Mix Engineer, DAVID MOLINA. EDWIN AYALA on Drums. Backup Vocals by MANUEL TRUJILLO. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES). Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND. The Play On Podcast Series “RICHARD THE THIRD” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare. Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “We are not safe”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices