Friendly Shakespeare

Created by Todd Espeland

Friendly Shakespeare teaches a simple and effective method of script analysis for Shakespeare. It uses punctuation and keywords in the text to help students understand the characters' needs, make specific acting choices, and get them on their feet immediately.

This is not dry, sitting in a classroom discussion. It’s physicalizing the text, focusing on the character’s needs and tactics (something every drama student should know full well) and bringing Shakespeare to life.

At the end of the class you will be able to demystify Shakespeare's text and understand how to help your actors make clear, active and emotionally connected choices in Shakespeare's plays.

Lesson 1: Introduction 3:58 FREE PREVIEW
Review of objectives of the course and how to approach each module.
Lesson 2: Warm-Ups 26:12 FREE PREVIEW
Why we do warm ups and explanation and demonstration of two great warm ups for Shakespeare.
Lesson 3: Barbs from the Bard 13:17
Learn about using specific words that lie outside our natural normal vocabulary and how to turn them into understandable action.
Lesson 4: The Givens 23:22
It’s the Who, What, Where, When, Need and Tactic – all the basics that you need to begin working on a role.
Lesson 5: Keywords 13:35
Looking at keywords; picking keywords specific in the text that carry the meaning and weight of the text.
Lesson 6: Punctuation 19:34
Picking specific punctuation in the text and showing how Shakespeare used these to carry meaning and give clues to the actors on how to act this text. This is one of the key lessons in the entire workshop.
Lesson 7: Physicalizing the Punctuation 13:46
Explore physicalizing that punctuation, turning that script analysis into action on-stage.
Lesson 8: Bringing it All Together 6:23
Bring everything together, perform the monologues, and watch the students work on-stage.
Lesson 9: Unpacking the Experience 5:44
We’re going to unpack the experience and reflect on what we’ve experienced through the entire workshop.

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