Dare to do Shakespeare

Tackling Shakespeare can be a daunting task even for the most experienced of actors. We get so caught up in the text we forget that Shakespeare himself was an actor and wrote for actors, not academics. Shakespeare’s characters are funny, sexy, serious, smart, sassy and above all human. The course will concentrate on the simplicity of Shakespeare. His scripts give the actor ALL the clues needed to create the character and the drama. If you sign up for this mahi, be prepared for lots of games, community spirit, and equal time spent studying text and exploring on stage. Participants will be sent four soliloquies which we will use as our inspiration for the week. Familiarity with the texts is encouraged but not required.

TUTOR: DAVID LAWRENCE

David (لبناني وعراقي) is a director, musician, producer and teacher who has worked on over 160 theatre productions throughout Aotearoa and Australia, ranging all the way from the Ancient Greeks to the premieres of many new New Zealand plays. He is a Hunter Fellow of Victoria University and was a member of the 2013 International Actors’ Fellowship at Shakespeare’s Globe. He was the Artistic Director of multi-award-winning Wellington theatre company The Bacchanals from 2000-2015. Since 2016 David has worked for Pop-up Globe, originally as Associate Artistic Director/Head of Research and subsequently as its Artistic Director. His book Shakespeare’s Tropes was published by Bovine University Press in 2023.