Illinois Theatre

Thank you for your interest in the U//RTA Summer Instensive. Unfortunately, we have not received the minimum number of applicants for our Summer Shakespeare Intensive required to proceed. Each of the other three Summer Intensive programs across the country have also made the same decision to cancel their programs. The Board of Directors of the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) will discuss the possibility of reoffering these programs for Summer 2010.

This course has been constructed so that these sessions interrelate and build upon each other. They were not conceived as stand alone sessions in the vein of conference panel presentations where participants pick and choose the workshops that interest them. We have envisioned the group working together on voice, speech, text, and performance, in order to intellectually understand the methodology, be able to teach it, and to experience putting them into practice in rehearsal and performance.

 

August 10 – 14, 2009

TEACHING AND PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE
The goal of this week-long intensive course is the enhancement of the ability to act, teach, and/or direct the works of William Shakespeare. For those participants who are actors, the classes will develop a way of working on Shakespearean text, an exploration of voice and speech techniques, and an opportunity to put these skills to use in the performing of a monologue and scenes. For the directors, the work will introduce a method for helping actors understand, activate, and speak the text. For teachers, the courses will illuminate a way of understanding mood, motivation, action, and character through the examination of the text in both verse and prose.

Session 1:

PLAYING THE TEXT – HOW THE VERSE AND PROSE WORK
Instructor: Brant Pope
Contact: brant@illinois.edu

This session is focused on developing the ability to unlock the action embedded in the text. Sonnets, monologues, and scenes are examined to demonstrate how the actor can apply analytical tools to make the language clear, purposeful, and effective. Learning to play “verbal action” and making the language specific and consistent with an objective is the goal of this first session in the session.

Session 2:

SHAKESPEAREAN MONOLOGUES - PERFORMANCE AND STUDY

Instructors: Bob Anderson
Contacts: rganders@illinois.edu

This session puts into practice the method developed in PLAYING THE TEXT by rehearsing and performing monologues from comedies, histories, and tragedies. Professor Anderson will work with both prose and verse to help the participants to fulfill the enormous potential of these speeches.

Session 3:

SHAKESPEARAN SCENES- PERFORMANCE AND STUDY

Instructor: Henson Keys
Contact: hkeys@illinois.edu

This session puts into practice the method developed in PLAYING THE TEXT by rehearsing and performing scenes from comedies, tragedies, and histories. Professor Keys will work with participants in two to three scenes each, allowing everyone to work on a variety of characters.

REPRESENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE FOR SHAKESPEARE INTENSIVE

9:00-9:30: Warm-Up

Coffee, announcements, getting ready for the day.

9:30-NOON: Session: Playing the Text

The session concentrates on illustrating and practicing a method of discovering the action embedded in the verse and prose. The participants use sonnets, monologues, and scenes to determine what an actor needs to know to make the language clear, purposeful, and effective. The text worked on in class will be the same material that will be rehearsed and performed in the evening session.

NOON-1:00: Lunch at the Krannert Center

A lunch will be provided, and participants are free to wander anywhere on the campus adjoining the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

1:00-3:30: Session: Monologues - Performance and Study

The instructor will divide the participants into two groups to enable each person individual work on monologues with the instructor, as well as sufficient time and attention to work intensely on a scene with a partner. The week with culminate with a performance of scenes and monologues.

3:30-6:30: BREAK: Relaxing and exploring the area

Working on the scenes and monologues for the evening work. Dinner on your own.

6:30-10:30: Session: Scenes - Performance and Study

The instructors divide the participants into two groups to enable each person individual work on monologues with the instructor, as well as sufficient time and attention to work intensely on a scene with a partner. The week with culminate with a performance of scenes and monologues.

Note: Upon the receipt of your paid fee for the Intensive, you will be sent a packet of material offering you several choices of sonnets, monologues, and scenes to familiarize yourself with prior to coming to the Intensive.