Acting Shakespeare

Acting Shakespeare is an advanced level eight-week course that offers the opportunity to expand, explore and deepen awareness of Shakespeare’s text in the company of other students and professionals: the course draws on the classical aspects of RADA’s core teaching.

In-depth Acting and Skills classes aim to develop the range of each student’s work, uncovering tensions that block development and working on strategies to remove them.

At the conclusion of the course, students receive professional direction in a workshop production in one of the Academy’s theatres.

COURSE DETAILS
The course is aimed at professional actors or those who are undertaking serious training elsewhere and are about to set out on a professional acting career.

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
Participants work in groups of approximately sixteen for the main acting and rehearsal schedules, and often in smaller groups for skills classes. Each participant is allocated, for the duration of the programme, a personal tutor, with whom they will meet for one to one feedback.

There are classes in Voice, Speech, Sonnets, Verse, and Language and Style. Alexander Technique is taught as a basis for comprehensive physical skills work that includes Movement, Stage Fighting, Period Dance and Improvisation.

Tutors are drawn from senior members of RADA’s teaching staff as well as professional directors. There are two internal presentations for tutors and other course members: a Sonnet presentation in week three and a Monologue, Scenes and Song presentation in week six. T

The last two weeks of the course are spent in full-time rehearsal for the workshop production of an abridged Shakespeare play, which has three performances in one of the RADA theatres during the last days of the course. It should be noted that all presentations are ‘in-house’ and in no sense are external showcase productions.

A certificate stating the minimum number of contact hours is awarded on successful completion of the course.

HOURS OF WORK
Classes generally take place between 9am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday; some sessions each week will end later than this. In the latter part of the course, extra rehearsals will be called in the evening, and some weekend working will also be required. Classes are not optional; students are expected to treat these as professional rehearsal calls. Punctuality is essential; records are kept of class attendance and are taken into account when the RADA certificate is issued at the end of the course.

WHAT TO BRING
• A fully-prepared monologue from Shakespeare, no longer than two minutes in length, which you will be called upon to perform for the director and other members of the group.

• A copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

• Clothing suitable for movement classes.

• Female students a full-length practice skirt useful for rehearsal, black character shoes and a white blouse.

• Male students a white shirt, black trousers and black formal shoes.

Further details will be sent once you have been accepted onto the course.