S2E8 - Love and Defiance

S2E8 - Love and Defiance

From As You Mic It by Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

February 3, 2026 · 1h 18m · Season 2 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode explores the complexities of love in relation to tradition and authority through various artistic works.

PA Shakespeare Festival continues its second season of As You Mic It with a compelling conversation about what love demands when it challenges tradition, authority, and expectation. In this episode, hosts Jason King Jones and Connie Behringer open with a roundtable exploring love as both obligation and choice across the 2026 season. Drawing connections between Romeo and Juliet , Coriolanus , and Million Dollar Quartet , they examine how love can bind, liberate, or defy the systems that shape our lives, and why those tensions still resonate today. Later in the episode, Jason sits down with Suzanne O’Donnell, who returns to Romeo and Juliet this summer as the Nurse after originating Juliet in PSF’s inaugural season. Their conversation reflects on artistic growth, shifting perspective, and what it means to revisit a story of love and defiance from a new vantage point. In A Peek Behind the Curtain , PSF’s new Director of Production, Kevin White, offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring this ambitious season to life, from repertory logistics to the unseen work that supports every performance. Hosted by: Jason King Jones, Connie Behringer Featuring: Suzanne O’Donnell…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jason King Jones, Connie Behringer

Guest: Suzanne O’Donnell

Topics covered

  • love
  • defiance
  • tradition
  • authority
  • artistic growth
  • perspective
  • theater

Keywords

  • love
  • defiance
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Coriolanus
  • Million Dollar Quartet
  • artistic growth
  • theater

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Books & works: Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, Million Dollar Quartet

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