Course Description

Acting Shakespeare's Text Shakespeare embeds lots of keys and clues in his text to help the actor give performances that are complex, innovative, exciting, naturalistic, and action-driven. In this class we explore key ways to bring out the richness of Shakespeare's writing, in a visceral way, in order to reveal exciting possibilities in interpreting character, communicating clearly to the audience, getting at the meanings and intentions of a passage of text, and exploring language as moment-to-moment action. As with all things in acting, the aim is not to find one correct answer, but to find out new, inspiring possibilities for the text.  THIS MONTH’S THEME:  Rhythm & Meter, Part 3: Breaking the Rhythm (Shakespeare's Late Plays) While in August we started with the more regular patterns of Shakespeare's early plays (iambic pentameter with caesuras, reversed feet, feminine endings, expansions and contractions), and in September we explored innovations in Shakespeare's mid-career plays, this month we conclude this series on rhythm and meter with examples from Shakespeare's late plays, exploring his most sophisticated and naturalistic era of verse-writing. We begin this month with Edmund's first speech from King Lear, then focus on enjambment with Hermione's first trial speech from The Winter's Tale, and finally we explore the final dialogue between the titular characters in Antony and Cleopatra. In all of these speeches we will explore techniques that can be used in a range of similar monologues. Based on David Carey and Rebecca Clark Carey's The Shakespeare Workbook and Video: A Practical Course for Actors, this class explores monologues specifically selected for this month's topic and utilizes techniques tailored to each monologue to bring out the text’s most salient features, with an eye toward how the discoveries made in these monologues can be applied to other texts.  This course is for actors and directors of all levels who wish to improve their understanding of Shakespeare’s text and performance possibilities.  Registration deadline: Saturday, October 1st at 7pm (Korean Standard Time, GMT+9)

Cancellation Policy

Participants may withdraw for a refund up until 5 days prior to the first class. After this there are no refunds for class withdrawals. (We will of course give refunds if we have to cancel a class from our end at any point.)

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