The Comedies -- or, rather, Shakespeare's Women

Joely Richardson hosts the second installment of Shakespeare Uncovered (which airs on NET Television Friday, January 25 at 10 p.m. -- immediately after Ethan Hawke in the first episode).  The overall theme is "The Comedies" but the real focus is on stages, families, stage families (Richardson discusses Shakespeare with her mother, Vanessa Redgrave), and especially the women of the plays.  It's a fascinating look at how important women are to Shakespeare: in his life (listen to Germaine Greer on Anne Hathaway Shakespeare), in his plays (especially comedic heroines like Rosalind in As You Like It), in performance (both acting and directing), and in scholarship (Marjorie Garber, Gail Kern Paster, Laurie Maguire, and scholar-actor Abigail Rokinson, among many others).  The still above shows Richardson visiting London's reconstructed, open-air Globe Theatre as snow falls.  

Follow the link for director Thea Sharrock on her stages (sorry) of introduction to Shakespeare:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jul/01/shakespeare-and-me-thea-sharrock