From the Folger's Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited.

I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folger's director.

There's a particular production of Shakespeare's The Tempest

that's causing a sensation around America as this podcast is recorded.

The Tempest is a play about many things, not the least of which is magic.

And what's excited so many theater goers is the level and

quality of magic this production brings to the stage. That's not a surprise when you learn

that the play is co-directed by one of the nation's preeminent magicians, Teller, of the

magical comedy team, Penn & Teller. Teller has teamed up with longtime Folger denizen, Aaron Posner, to concoct a version of

the Tempest that puts the magic front and center. Here at the Folger, we take a little bit of

pride in ownership when it comes to this production. Teller co-directed Macbeth along with Aaron

for Folger Theater in 2008. While he was here, Teller got a tour of

our rare book vault and saw a number of items that ended up helping him think about this production

of The Tempest. On that trip, he also met our then director of research, Barbara Mowett.

A discovery that Barbara made in the Folger collection had a profound impact on Teller's thinking about Prospero,

his relationship to magic and its role in Jacobian society. We thought it would be fun and

enlightening to bring Teller and Barbara together to talk about all of this. We call this

podcast, Enter Prospero in his magic robes and Ariel. Barbara and Teller are

interviewed by Barbara Bogave. Teller, I'd like to start with you, because when I first heard you were

co-directing The Tempest, it just made sense. You'd already done a Shakespeare play, Macbeth,

so you must like Shakespeare, I thought. And this one, of course, is famously

about a magician, so perfect. But then I remember that this play ends with Prospero

...