Workshops
At Starling Shakespeare Company, we value artists and theatre-makers who bring a wide breadth of skills to the table. We are not only actors, directors, or designers, but rather we are jacks-of-many-trades who are able to put on different hats as the needs arise. We believe that this approach creates a more thoughtful, thorough, and collaborative artistic process. To that end, we use a similar approach in our workshops. We do not generally offer a basic “acting 101” style class, but rather infuse acting techniques into all our workshops. Each of our courses include elements of both theory and practice, and we encourage students to be active participants and use their bodies and voices to hone their theatre-making abilities.
We offer several different types of educational workshops and can tailor our material to any age group. Check out a few of our workshop descriptions below, and contact us for more information about our offerings!
Shakespeare’s Verse and Text
The foundation of a compelling Shakespeare play is knowing how to use Shakespeare's writing style to enhance the clarity of the story. While many people believe that Shakespeare's language is difficult to understand, the truth is that 98.5% of the words in the plays are still in common usage today. The belief that Shakespeare is difficult or confusing likely comes from a preconceived notion that Shakespeare is only meant for scholars, rather than the truth— that Shakespeare was writing for everyone. This workshop outlines the basics of iambic pentameter and Shakespeare's rhetoric, and, more importantly, displays how these features of the text can be tools for actors to use, rather than an added challenge. Workshop participants will work together with instructors to identify and play with the tools of rhythm and rhetoric in scenes from Shakespeare plays.
“They Fight”: Stage Combat Basics
Following the frequently used Shakespearean stage direction “they fight,” this workshop gets participants active and moving to train in the fundamental elements of stage combat while they learn about the history of stage combat during Shakespeare’s day. These basic techniques explore the importance of safety and believability in onstage battle, and explore the potential of physical storytelling through partner connection and conflict.
Shakespeare’s Staging Conditions
When Shakespeare was writing his plays, he had no way of knowing that someday, theatres would have access to lighting design, sound design, and so many other technical elements we are used to seeing in theatres today. He was writing for a very particular kind of theatrical performance space, and evidence of that physical space can be found within the text of his plays. Our performance model is based in original early modern practices, meaning we are inspired by the way Shakespeare's company performed in the 1500s. This workshop walks participants through how Shakespeare's writing works within those early modern staging conditions, and asks participants to engage in those practices alongside the instructors using excerpts from Shakespeare's plays.
Puppetry
Puppetry is one of the oldest art forms, and a key component of storytelling practices from theatre's earliest beginnings through today. Puppets are as various in type as plays are—ranging from sock puppets, Muppets, hyper-realistic marionettes, to more abstract styles such as object puppetry. Each is a valuable and useful tool that can be used to tell stories in different ways. In this workshop, students will learn the basic elements of bringing a puppet to life using movement, sound, and more.
Embedded Stage Directions
In early modern plays, it is uncommon to find explicit stage directions for actors other than "enter" and "exit" (barring notable exceptions like "exit, pursued by a bear"). Without explicit stage directions, how do actors know what they are supposed to be doing while onstage? This workshop teaches participants how to find stage directions that are hidden, or embedded, within the dialogue of Shakespeare's plays. Instructors will encourage students to explore physicality and play with the texts, seeing what happens when embedded stage directions are used versus when they are ignored. This skill is useful even for acting in contemporary plays, as embedded stage directions can be found in all manner of theatrical texts, once you know how to find them.
“Double, Double”: Extreme Casting
Small-Scale theatre is an increasingly popular style of producing Shakespeare, inspired by some of the oldest forms of storytelling. Companies will cast shows, often with thirty characters or more, with just a few actors. These actors must work to be specific enough to differentiate between each of their many characters. In this workshop, students will focus on developing multiple characters through the use of archetypes, signifiers, and physical and vocal variance. Workshop leaders will encourage creativity with props, costumes, and acting choices to help students bring their characters to life.