<p>* Have you always been curious about playing Shakespeare but are
intimidated by the language or style?</p>
<p>* Have you performed Shakespeare a little but still feel you haven’t
cracked the “code?”</p>
<p>* Are you an experienced actor of Shakespeare looking for new
techniques and approaches?</p>
<p>Whatever your level of experience, you’ll find a tons of valuable
information in this class, that you will gently and smoothly turn into
actual, on-your-feet acting experience. The goal is that you will walk
away not only understanding the works of Shakespeare, but become
comfortable and passionate about performing them. You’ll walk away
with a toolbox full of simple tips and techniques for analyzing,
exploring and bringing to life some of the most amazing characters in
the English language.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:</b></span></p>
<p></p><p>Acting Shakespeare is a holistic endeavor—it requires mind, voice,
body and emotion, all working in harmony to bring the language and
characters to life.</p>
<p>For five weeks, actors will explore an approach to playing
Shakespeare that seeks to fuse these separate elements into a seamless whole. This approach is based on the philosophy and techniques of the National Theatre of Great Britain and the Royal Shakespeare Company, who have produced some of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 20th century.<br>
</p><p></p><p>Through lecture, exercises, and monologue and scene
work, actors will examine:</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>ACTING: </b></span>
Good acting is good acting, whether classical or contemporary. Learn
how to integrate classical and modern techniques into your own personal
acting style to create characters that are both natural to you and
appropriate to Shakespeare. We will examine acting in Shakespeare’s
time, “heightened” and “naturalistic” acting, and how the “Two
Traditions” actually seek to achieve the same end.</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>VOICE:</b></span>
Voice is critically important when performing Shakespeare. You will
learn how to develop your resonance, diction and breath support, and how
to use your voice to express the emotion and meaning in the lines. And
you will learn the connection between voice, text and emotion that
makes Shakespeare roar into life.</p>
<p><b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">MOVEMENT:</span></b><b>
</b> What do you do with your hands? How do you stand? Learn how
to be physically at ease doing Shakespeare. Learn what is physically
appropriate to acting Shakespeare, from absolute stillness to grandiose
gesture.</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>SCANSION: </b></span>
Scansion is the technique for analyzing the rhythms in the verse lines.
There is no mystery to scansion. You will learn a simple and easy
method for correct scansion. Discover how the choices Shakespeare
makes in the meter tell us hidden clues about how the play the text.
Learn how to let the language, verse and the prose do all the work!</p>
<p><b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">SCRIPT ANALYSIS:</span></b>
What does the text actually say? What does it mean? We will explore
the themes, motivations and thought processes within Shakespeare’s
material, examining his use of imagery and investigating the cultural
background that shaped his writing.</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>MONOLOGUE & SCENE
WORK: </b></span> Put your knowledge into practice! Members will
begin with monologues and then move on to scenes as they incorporate
their new knowledge.</p>
<p>Here’s what actors have said about
Michael Dempsey’s Shakespeare Acting Workshop:</p>
<ul><li><i>I’m an experienced actor, but frankly, performing
Shakespeare terrified me. Michael’s workshop helped me to
grow at ease with the language and the style, and helped me realize how
exciting performing classical theater can be. </i></li><li> – Barry Stillman<br></li></ul><ul><li><i>Michael Dempsey’s passion for Shakespeare sure rubs off! I
was wary coming in, but I not only learned a lot, I had a blast! I
highly recommend his workshops.</i><br>
– Harriet Smith</li><li><i>Whether you’re new to Shakespeare or have been doing it for
years, you have something to learn from these classes. Mr.
Dempsey creates a supportive and challenging environment. I was very
impressed with how much he got out of the participants and how far
we all came in relatively short period of time.</i><br>
– Elizabeth Warren-Hastings</li></ul>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>WORKSHOP DETAILS:</b></span></p>
<p>The cost is $85. Classes will meet Tues, Thurs and Sunday evenings at 7 PM. A small amount of summer conflicts can be accommodated.<br></p>
<p>All classes will be held at the Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse
Lane, Youngstown, Ohio.</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b> CLASSES:</b></span></p>
<p>Begin Tuesday, July 6 and run through Thursday, August 5, 2010.</p>
<p>Classes are open to people of all levels of experience, age 16 and
up.</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b> TUITION AND ENROLLMENT:</b></span></p>
<p>Tuition is $85 for the entire workshop. Register today—<b>only
twenty participants will be accepted.</b></p><p>For more information or to enroll, please contact Michael Dempsey @ <a href="mailto:demzer@gmail.com" target="_blank">demzer@gmail.com</a>,
330-397-3667 or
call the Youngstown Playhouse at (330) 788-8739.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b>ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:</b></span></p>
<p>Michael Dempsey has performed and directed on the community and professional
level for almost three decades in New York, Los Angeles, Louisville,
Cleveland and other venues across the country. <br></p><p>Michael studied acting
at Ohio State University before being one of eighteen actors chosen
nationally to attend the prestigious actor training program at Actors
Theatre
of Louisville. Michael was also one of twelve American actors to be selected by the Royal National Theatre of
Great Britain for their Shakespearean Acting
Progamme, where he studied with instructors from both the National and
the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Sir Ian McKellen and Sir
Patrick Stewart.<br></p><p>Recent Ohio
stage appearances include <i>The Seagull, 1776, </i>and <i>Fiddler
On The Roof </i> at the Beck Center for the Arts and <i>Fiddler On The
Roof </i>at Cain Park in Cleveland. Most recently, he was Alan in <i>Baby</i>
at TrueNorth Cultural Arts Center in Sheffield. <br></p>
<p>As an writer, Michael’s written for network television (CBS’s <i>Cybill</i>
starring Cybill Shepherd). His plays have been produced in New York,
Los Angeles, Washington, at ATL and regionally. A member of the
Writer’s Guild of America, Michael’s a recipient of an Ohio Arts Council
Fellowship for playwriting and has twice been a finalist for ATL’s
Heidemann Playwriting Award. <br></p><p></p><p><i></i></p>
<p>In the fall, Michael will direct <i>Macbeth</i> at the Youngstown
Playhouse.</p>For more information or to enroll, please contact Michael Dempsey @ <a href="mailto:demzer@gmail.com" target="_blank">demzer@gmail.com</a>,
330-397-3667 or
call the Youngstown Playhouse at (330) 788-8739.<br clear="all"><br>