In this course, students will engage with Shakespeare's plays in a fun and creative way! This is for actors, dancers, singers, and artists of all kinds. Through many games, crafts, and acting exercises, students will gain an understanding of the world of Shakespeare's plays and how they may be relevant to the lives that they are living today; and it doesn't hurt that they will learn some of Shakespeare's most famous speeches in the process. Fun, creative, and not your Grandpa's dusty Shakespeare, come act out with us!

The camp will follow this weekly structure:

Monday: Intro to the World of Shakespeare- A deep dive into the worlds that Shakespeare
created in some of his most famous plays.

Tuesday: History of Shakespearean Performance- A look at how Shakespeare became one of the
most produced playwrights in history and how the style of performance has changed or
remained the same through the years.
A word a minute- An exploration of all of the words that Shakespeare invented and what
they mean.

Wednesday:  Embodying Shakespeare: The Voice and the Body- We will explore ways that vocal and body work can help us become better Shakespearean actors. Using the work of Kristin Linklater, we will explore breath, vibration, and the
freeing of emotion in order to bring our full selves to our work with Shakespeare. Students
will choose a monologue of their choice to work with in this section. Some elements of
voice work we will be focused on are:
Breathe- exploring how to breathe in a more full and relieving way.
Vibration- learning to indulge in vibration to shift from the habits of pushing.
Articulation- an exploration of how vowels and consonants help awaken emotion
and sense to our work on Shakespeare.
Tension- relieving tension in the body and freeing up different areas where we can
be supported by our breath.

Thursday: The Text- We will investigate the text in order to find different ways to both inhabit it
and bring it alive. Some elements of text work we will be focused on are:
Verbs- what are the actions words in the text?
Clarity- What do the words mean? How do they shape the thoughts of the
character?
Meter- Following Iambic Pentameter and other rhythms of Shakespeare’s text.

Friday: Performance- How does one bring a character to the stage in a way that is fulfilled,
honest, and truthful?

Throughout the class, students will practice what they’ve learned through exercises and games in order to unlock our playful energy and delve into some of Shakespeare’s clowns and fools.