Greetings all!
First some congratulations are in order to a number of our students.
Teryl Rothery (one of The Shakespeare Centre's first students) has landed the role of Katherine in "The Taming of the Shrew" and Lois in "Kiss Me Kate" at Jeff Hyslop's festival in Courtenay (what's it called, anyone?). Congratulations Teryl! She is now hard at work prepping for her upcoming Stratford audition, with some coaching assistance from Donald, and we wish her the absolute best of luck with it!
Jason Emanuel has been nominated for a Jessie for his sumptuous portrayal of Aaron in the Mad Duck Equity Co-op’s production of "Titus Andronicus"! Way to go Jason!
Sarah Lind won a Leo award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "A Simple Curve". You rock Sarah!
And finally, Katrina Dunn, who ran an intensive with us called “Hell Hath no Fury…” has received an outstanding director Jessie nomination for "Prodigal Son" (Touchstone/Pacific). Congratulations Katrina!! And while we're at it, congratulations Touchstone (and Katrina) for two outstanding production nominations ("Prodigal Son"-co-pro with Pacific- and "Little Mercy's First Murder" -also directed by K.D.)!
AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO…
HERE’S WASSUP FOR JUNE AT THE SHAKESPEARE CENTRE
Who are the Heroes and Heroines in Shakespeare?
Timon of Athens? (an extravagantly generous nobleman who transforms into one of the most spectacular misanthropes in all of drama)
Helena? (an ambitious, possessive woman, intent on marrying a man who does not love her and unscrupulous in using her body to deceive him)
Prospero? (a distant and uncommunicative father as well as a tyrannical magician)
Cleopatra? (a royally indulgent, scheming vixen)
King John? (a monarch whose selfish ambition leads the country to catastrophe)
Julia? (a betrayed lover hellbent on ‘getting him back’)
Hamlet? (a suicidal, passive-aggressive Prince teetering on the brink of insanity)
Coriolanus? (a famed Roman warrior and a politically unsophisticated ‘momma’s boy’)
Beatrice? (a brash, cynical ‘spinster’, bent on murderous revenge)
Hotspur? (a fiery, yet impulsive warrior who has no control over his emotions)
Rosalind? (a cross-dressing, manipulative runaway)
Edgar? (a banished son who disguises himself as a wandering lunatic to escape execution)
Kate? (a jealous, violent and outspoken “shrew”)
Titus Andronicus? (a king crazed with despair over his endless misfortunes)
Portia? (a racially bigoted and anti-semitic princess)
Henry V? (a coldly Machiavellian politician who is indifferent to the human costs of war)
Hermione? (an adulteress traitor, at least according to her husband)
Duke Orsino? (a hopeless romantic who is irrationally changeable)
Paulina? (a foul mouthed conspirator who doesn’t know her place)
Othello? (a grievously naïve, yet noble general who falls into the depths of savagery)
Constance? (an agonizingly ‘mad’ mother who attempts to save her innocent son’s life)
And plenty more…who might you like to play?
So come and join us this June for a month of Heroes and Heroines . We’ll have lots of fun exploring the flaws and dignities of some of Shakespeare’s most colourful protagonists. Bring your size, your nobility, and all of your imperfections.
Deadline for registration is Saturday June 3/ 06
WELCOME TO
THE SHAKESPEARE CENTRE
ONGOING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN SHAKESPEAREAN TEXT AND SCENE STUDY
This course will demystify certain aspects of Shakespeare that tend to intimidate actors, such as:
-the antiquated language
- the rhythm
- the long soliloquies and speeches
- the historical context of relationships
- differentiating between the epic, the comic and the everyday
- unearthing the hidden patterns that provide clues to finding your character
- bridging the gap between the character’s truth and your truth
- the use of passion versus detachment
- discovering the path towards relating Shakespeare to contemporary experience, resulting in audience accessibility
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…
HOW NOT TO BE BORING AS A SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR!
“Instead of waiting for a rich TV job, you should get into the theatre and work hard. Call it the Bard’s blast furnace. Actors who tackle Shakespeare will be steeled to handle every challenge they encounter. Because if you can do Shakespeare, you can do any modern play they throw at you. But if you do TV for years, you cannot necessarily do Shakespeare” – celebrated actor John Neville
THE INSTRUCTOR
Donald Adams has been an actor and teacher for over twenty five years. He has performed Shakespearean roles across Canada and the U.S. for the Stratford Festival, The Canadian Stage, The Playhouse, The Citadel, The Arts Club and Bard on the Beach. Donald has taught acting at The Stratford Festival, The Maggie Bassett Studio, University of Waterloo and Sir Wilfred Laurier University, as well as six seasons on the faculty of The Young Shakespearean Training Program at Bard on the Beach. A two time Jessie award winning actor, Donald’s credits are too numerous to list but he was particularly honoured to play the title role in Bard on the Beach’s production of “Macbeth”. He is also proud to have co-produced and co-directed the critically acclaimed “Shakespeare Centre’s One Year Birthday Celebration” at Christ Church Cathedral, as well as premiering “The Capulet Family Album”, which he dramaturged and directed for The Firehall Arts Centre’s Spring Buds Festival last year. Last summer, Donald taught at Bard on the Beach’s Young Shakespeareans’ workshops (and will do so again this summer), and recently starred in Touchstone Theatre’s “Little Mercy’s First Murder” – voted one of the top ten plays of 2005 by numerous critics. Having just filmed a lead role in Pale Christian Thomas’s independent feature film, “Quest for Samurai”, he most recently appeared in Touchstone/Pacific Theatre’s co-production of “The Prodigal Son” and is looking forward to playing the title role in “The Agammemnon”, to be directed by Torquil Campbell, at Christ Church Cathedral in July.
WHO: EXPERIENCED ACTORS ONLY PLEASE – LANGARA, UBC, SIMON FRASER AND OTHER STUDENTS WELCOME - APPLICATIONS DUE BY MAY 4 FOR MAY SESSIONS AND SUBJECT TO INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL – 10 STUDENTS MAX
WHEN: 7:00– 10:00 PM WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 7, 14, 21 AND 28
WHERE: TBA
HOW MUCH: - $200/MO
NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF $125 DUE UPON ACCEPTANCE INTO CLASS IN ORDER TO HOLD SPACE – REMAINING BALANCE DUE FIRST NIGHT OF CLASS. IN THE EVENT THAT A PARTICIPANT MUST CANCEL, DEPOSIT CAN BE APPLIED TO A FUTURE CLASS.
CONTACT JO BATES AT 604-739-7829 OR jobates@excite.com FOR ENROLLMENT INFORMATION.
