Brendan Moir's Playwright Corner
Brendan Moir's Playwright Corner
Brendan Moir
Welcome to Brendan Moir's Playwright Corner, where I read plays, poems, or whatever's currently striking my fancy in the classic audio book format. Prepare to be filled with joy, hope, rage, envy, despair, and even morbid curiosity as we embark on this unique adventure of charting out humanity's various frivolities.
Oscar Wilde: Lady Windermere's Fan (Act I)
"Lady Windermere's Fan" is one of Oscar Wilde's first and radiantly indelible marks on the stage. The first of its kind which would be later known as his "comedy of manners". The story follows a young Lady Windermere who, upon hearing the local gossip and gathering of incomplete evidence, begins to question her husband's fidelity. All of this is brought to a head when he, and he alone invites this strange woman into their house. At her birthday party no less! The scandal is palpable. Indignant, she decides to run away to a man who offered her solace, only for that scandalous woman to come and "trick" her out of it, like a mother consoling a child. But the question still remains, what is this woman's relationship to Lady Windermere's husband? And just who is she to Lady Windermere as well?Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in "one of the first celebrity trials", imprisonment, and early death from meningitis at the age of 46.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Jul 4
31 min
George Bernard Shaw: Mrs. Warren's Profession (Act IV)
"Mrs. Warren's Profession" is one of the greater testaments to George Bernard Shaw's love of controversy and getting at the heart of issues plaguing man-kind, so much so that it was banned from being performed by the Lord Chamberlain for more than 30 years, ironically further proving its critique of Victorian Society. "Mrs. Warren's Profession" is a story of compromise, and how that compromise develops into corruption, subtly changing the life of everyone involved (directly or indirectly) in an ever excusable, morally justified manner. And yet, through Mr. Shaw's effervescent wit, the play is never too bogged down by its subject matter, and has such an unmistakable gaiety about it all that it's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of society's overbearing nature.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876; he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. By the early twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, and Caesar and Cleopatra.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Jun 20
41 min
George Bernard Shaw: Mrs. Warren's Profession (Act III)
"Mrs. Warren's Profession" is one of the greater testaments to George Bernard Shaw's love of controversy and getting at the heart of issues plaguing man-kind, so much so that it was banned from being performed by the Lord Chamberlain for more than 30 years, ironically further proving its critique of Victorian Society. "Mrs. Warren's Profession" is a story of compromise, and how that compromise develops into corruption, subtly changing the life of everyone involved (directly or indirectly) in an ever excusable, morally justified manner. And yet, through Mr. Shaw's effervescent wit, the play is never too bogged down by its subject matter, and has such an unmistakable gaiety about it all that it's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of society's overbearing nature.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876; he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. By the early twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, and Caesar and Cleopatra.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Jun 13
31 min
George Bernard Shaw: Mrs. Warren's Profession (Act II)
"Mrs. Warren's Profession" is one of the greater testaments to George Bernard Shaw's love of controversy and getting at the heart of issues plaguing man-kind, so much so that it was banned from being performed by the Lord Chamberlain for more than 30 years, ironically further proving its critique of Victorian Society. "Mrs. Warren's Profession" is a story of compromise, and how that compromise develops into corruption, subtly changing the life of everyone involved (directly or indirectly) in an ever excusable, morally justified manner. And yet, through Mr. Shaw's effervescent wit, the play is never too bogged down by its subject matter, and has such an unmistakable gaiety about it all that it's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of society's overbearing nature.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876; he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. By the early twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, and Caesar and Cleopatra.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Jun 6
42 min
George Bernard Shaw: Mrs. Warren's Profession (Act I)
"Mrs. Warren's Profession" is one of the greater testaments to George Bernard Shaw's love of controversy and getting at the heart of issues plaguing man-kind, so much so that it was banned from being performed by the Lord Chamberlain for more than 30 years, ironically further proving its critique of Victorian Society. "Mrs. Warren's Profession" is a story of compromise, and how that compromise develops into corruption, subtly changing the life of everyone involved (directly or indirectly) in an ever excusable, morally justified manner. And yet, through Mr. Shaw's effervescent wit, the play is never too bogged down by its subject matter, and has such an unmistakable gaiety about it all that it's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of society's overbearing nature.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876; he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. By the early twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, and Caesar and Cleopatra.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
May 30
33 min
W. B. Yeats: The Death of Cuchulainn
This is the inevitable conclusion of the Myth of Cuchulainn as set out by W.B. Yeats. As the title suggests, "The Death of Cuchulainn" is about as mythic and yet as human as the titular character. A man worn down with time, finally in acceptance of his fate. A fate still worth telling and felt in the Irish people today. Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, he founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced, modernist and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicised. He moved away from the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with some elements including cyclical theories of life. He had become the chief playwright for the Irish Literary Theatre in 1897, and early on promoted younger poets such as Ezra Pound. His major works include The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), Deirdre (1907), The Wild Swans at Coole (1919), The Tower (1928) and Last Poems and Plays (1940).*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
May 9
21 min
W. B. Yeats: The Only Jealousy of Emer
This is the inevitable conclusion of the Myth of Cuchulainn as set out by W.B. Yeats. "The Only Jealousy of Emer" is a story of self sacrifice and humility brought about through humiliation and debauchery. And yet, through all of that, each action taken by the characters in done out of love. If the other portions of Yeats' Myth of Cuchulainn were about fealty, this play is about true devotion, even unto giving up that precious item at the bottom of Pandora's box. Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, he founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced, modernist and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicised. He moved away from the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with some elements including cyclical theories of life. He had become the chief playwright for the Irish Literary Theatre in 1897, and early on promoted younger poets such as Ezra Pound. His major works include The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), Deirdre (1907), The Wild Swans at Coole (1919), The Tower (1928) and Last Poems and Plays (1940).*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
May 2
24 min
W. B. Yeats: On Baile's Strand, Pt.  2
This is the climax of the Myth of Cuchulainn as set out by W.B. Yeats.This play is juxtaposed between the frivolities and passionate natures of man with the ritual and order of its systems, and how one can not be beholden to both and still treat each side with the same worthiness upon the crossing of that threshold. The ideal of duty can drive a once powerful and spirited fighter to the ruin of himself and, more importantly, his legacy."On Baile's Strand," is one of the best testaments to W.B. Yeats' understanding of human nature and larger than life pathos.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, he founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced, modernist and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicised. He moved away from the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with some elements including cyclical theories of life. He had become the chief playwright for the Irish Literary Theatre in 1897, and early on promoted younger poets such as Ezra Pound. His major works include The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), Deirdre (1907), The Wild Swans at Coole (1919), The Tower (1928) and Last Poems and Plays (1940).*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Apr 18
20 min
W. B. Yeats: On Baile's Strand, Pt.  1
This is the climax of the Myth of Cuchulainn as set out by W.B. Yeats.This play is juxtaposed between the frivolities and passionate natures of man with the ritual and order of its systems, and how one can not be beholden to both and still treat each side with the same worthiness upon the crossing of that threshold. The ideal of duty can drive a once powerful and spirited fighter to the ruin of himself and, more importantly, his legacy."On Baile's Strand," is one of the best testaments to W.B. Yeats' understanding of human nature and larger than life pathos.Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, he founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced, modernist and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicised. He moved away from the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with some elements including cyclical theories of life. He had become the chief playwright for the Irish Literary Theatre in 1897, and early on promoted younger poets such as Ezra Pound. His major works include The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), Deirdre (1907), The Wild Swans at Coole (1919), The Tower (1928) and Last Poems and Plays (1940).*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Apr 11
24 min
Alfred Lord Tennyson: Juvenilia, Pt. 3
As a collection of Tennyson's early works, "Juvenilia" finds itself focused on many different aspects of love, desire, and death expressed in over 40 different poems, and includes some of his most notable poems such as "Claribel" and "Marina". Follow me on other platforms:https://bemuse.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/talentunlimited1/?hl=enhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0wiNjFbd6rluEHZF4Qffcvhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070481824821&locale=hi_INhttps://www.patreon.com/bemuseWebsite: https://bemusearts.com*This Season's Album Art by Illuvisual*Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson FRS (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He published his first solo collection of poems, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which remain some of Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were included in this volume. Although described by some critics as overly sentimental, his poems ultimately proved popular and brought Tennyson to the attention of well-known writers of the day, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Tennyson's early poetry, with its medievalism and powerful visual imagery, was a major influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.*Any views/ideas expressed in these plays are not my own, and I do not believe in the censoring of anything controversial or problematic that the playwright/poet/author has written which will impact the way in which the story is told. The integrity of these works is much more important to me than any triggering content, and therefore I would ask that you have the same maturity and mental framework to listen to these pieces and appreciate them in their proper historical context.*
Mar 28
33 min
Load more