In this series of five practical acting workshops, we will focus on Richard, one of the most memorable, witty, charismatic and terrifying villains ever created for the stage. We shall use his soliloquies and also the interactions he has with the many women in the play. The scenes in which Richard charms, threatens and manipulates these women demand a good grasp of the language and the structure of Shakespeare’s blank verse, so all students should be able to read with good fluency and clarity.
Each class will begin with a brief text-based vocal and physical warm-up based on Richard’s opening soliloquy in Act One, Scene One, lines 1-13. Try to bring a certain familiarity with this speech to class and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Students should come to class ready to look for clues in the script in order to make performance choices and prepared to participate in an active and engaged manner.
A close reading of Richard’s soliloquies would be very helpful before these workshops begin, as would a similar familiarity with the scenes between Lady Anne and Richard (Act One, Scene Two) and the scene between Richard and Queen Elizabeth (Act Four, Scene Four). Laptops should not be brought to these classes as they would not be used in a professional rehearsal room. Students must bring their own copy of the play to every class, including the first class. The Cambridge University Press edition would be the most useful.
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