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Workshop Description:

This is a workshop that gives the actor tools, tricks and techniques to bring Shakespeare’s language alive for an audience.  While contemporary acting practices can make understanding Shakespeare’s words, characters and plays difficult to understand, it’s actually not that difficult to bring people into these incredible worlds.  There’s no need to translate the play or“act Shakespeare”, nor is there some advanced acting graduate school secret knowledge to unlock this elaborate text… all that’s needed is a simple bag of tricks that any actor can use, even brand new ones, to make Shakespeare’s plays sound like you’re hearing a modern story.  This workshop utilizes exercises that help put these techniques in the body as well as the mind to give actors multiple points of access to this work; it also uses exercises to provide immediate feedback to reinforce the impact of using the techniques.  With culture building, discussion and celebration we create a space where you can play with your full self with your text.  Finally we will provide you with additional materials you can take with you to reference the work we do here… but that’s all the spoilers you’re gonna get for that.  Join us to play with some beautiful language while learning all kinds of new tricks and having a blast doing it!

 

Jake Merriman has been a Shakespeare nerd since he saw King Lear at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1995.  He was lucky enough in University to study under Nancy Benjamin who was the voice and text coach at OSF (and later A.C.T. in San Francisco and the Stratford Festival) and continued his education by deep diving into the trainings and writings of John Barton.  Later he would become a director for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare (both in Portland with Portland Center Stage and Lenox, MA with Shakespeare & Company), a program that has been studied by Harvard which concluded it should be taught in every school and whose architect Kevin Coleman has been nominated for a Tony and invited to the White House for his work.  Jake did extended training at Shakespeare & Company as well, taking their Month Long Intensive as well as additional workshops (including from Tina Packer).  Through incredible luck he’s been in the room with masters and he’s taken his learning and experience with what has impact on students to create a very practical workshop with easily actionable techniques of big ideas from giants that is first and foremost a great time.

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Past Student Reactions: 

"All of the info, for me, was new, illuminating, and actionable info that I can and will use the next time I’m working on Shakespeare, and it will all add to the quality, and CLARITY that I can bring the material."

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"I came out of it, with a polished, ready to destroy an audition room, monologue."

 

"The main triumph of Mr Merriman’s workshop, is the learning atmosphere he created. regardless of the skill level of the individuals involved, he led the charge on acceptance, support, and encouragement as they grappled with new, or familiar techniques. And following his example, I, and the other folks learning the material, accepted, supported, and encouraged our fellow students growth." 

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"After only 16 hours together, I felt totally safe and supported by the group. We’d unintentionally built an ensemble I felt I could do anything with: fail or succeed, and be supported."