Ohio Shakespeare Festival offers Shakespeare acting and Stage Combat classes this January. $25 per class [ www.ohioshakespeare.com/workshops ]( http://www.ohioshakespeare.com/workshops ) Classes are 90 minutes and take place at our indoor stage at Greystone Hall (Akron). Take one or both. These make great experience gifts for the Shakespeare (or stage combat!) fan in your life, or it is a great way to prep for audition season this spring. Shakespeare text Workshops Sunday Jan 12, 12pm 90 minutes Join Associate Artistic Director Tess Burgler for 90 minutes of acting work focused on Shakespeare’s text. Learn to approach verse naturally (no more “Shakespeare voice”) and lose any Shakesfear you may have. We will look at ways that verse and heightened language help the actor make strong and exciting choices using John Barton’s method of text analysis. This class will be beneficial to novices and experienced actors alike. Verse class is best for ages 12 and older. Stage Combat Class Sunday Jan 5, 12pm Sunday Jan 19, 12pm Join Resident Fight Director Ryan Zarecki for an introduction to stage combat class. 90 minutes of learning the safety and partnering techniques to make stage violence look real (and real cool) in an environment where collaboration, communication, and consent are paramount. Students will learn basics of footwork, slaps, punches, falls, and beginning sword play. (The same workshop is held on both dates. Please choose one to attend.) Stage combat student must be 14+ years old. No exceptions—sorry! [ www.ohioshakespeare.com/workshops ]( http://www.ohioshakespeare.com/workshops )