OHIO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL WEEKEND WORKSHOPS SWORDPLAY & PHYSICAL COMEDY Join us for our first round of Shakespeare workshops this August 2015: Shakespeare & Swordplay or Physical Comedy! Serving middle-high school students, our talented company members and educators share their skills and expertise with your student in a small class environment. These fun and intensive programs are masterclasses on some of the most exciting elements of Shakespeare. Classes are suitable for ALL skill levels! Whether your student is a dedicated actor hoping to hone her classical acting skills or the curious beginner hoping to develop body/speech confidence, we have the class you're looking for. Classes are located at Coach House Theatre on E. Exchange Street in Akron, Ohio. (Ah…air conditioning!) To sign up for classes or to ask any questions, call 330-673-8761, email tess@ohioshakespeare.com Scholarship applications are available upon request. OSF wants to make our art accessible to the entire community. Please reach out to us if you feel your student may qualify for one of our financial, need-based scholarships. (Need based scholarships most directly apply to those families who could not sign up for any extra curricular class without financial assistance.) Once more unto the breach!: Shakespeare and swordplay AUGUST 8 & 9, 1:00-4:00 BOTH DAYS Swordplay and Shakespeare go hand-in-hand. Join Ohio Shakespeare’s resident certified fight choreographer Ryan Zarecki for an exploration of stage combat as it relates to the works of the Bard. In this two day workshop, learn the fighting techniques used by OSF to bring Shakespeare’s battles to life with an emphasis on safety, creativity, story-telling, and accuracy. Midsummer Madness: Clowns, fools, and physical comedy AUGUST 15 & 16, 1:00-4:00 BOTH DAYS This workshop will focus on Shakespeare’s world of comedy. Students will explore the vast opportunities for physical and intellectual comedy written into such plays as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Taming of the Shrew, and more! Through improvisation, commedia dell’arte traditions, and text analysis, students will uncover a variety of interpretations for some of Shakespeare’s most famously funny scenes. This two day workshop will focus on using Shakespeare’s words to find opportunities for physical comedy as a way to take his writing off the page and bring it life, proving that funny is funny whether you live in 1600 or 2015.