The Merchant of Venice
Dates and locations: Monday, February 14 - Friday, February 18, 2022 (included) in Florence
and Venice
In this course, participants will bring The Merchant of Venice to life through an immersive, highly active exploration of Shakespearean language, the psychology of the play’s characters and their relationships, and the world they are steeped in: 16th century Venice. Indeed as part of the course, we will be visiting Venice and performing extracts from the play in the very places that are home to the play’s characters. The course will culminate with a devised version of The Merchant of Venice, created and performed by the participants as a group.
Romeo and Juliet
Dates and locations: Mon, May 30 to Fri, Jun 3, 2022 (included) in Florence
and Verona
The aim of this course is to help participants gain a deeper understanding of this iconic Shakespearean play, by living and breathing in its characters’ skins. As in all our Shakespeare series courses, time is devoted to learning how to bring Shakespearean language to life, as well as visiting a location that connects to the play at hand. In this case, Verona, where we will visit the places where Romeo and Juliet’s ill-fated love plays out, and where we shall perform extracts from the play. The course will build up to a final performance, devised by participants during the week together.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Dates and locations: Mon, Jul 11 to Fri, Jul 15, 2022 (included) in Florence
and the Florentine hinterland
In this course, participants will re-enact the turbulent love-triangles, the mischief and magic of Puck, and the hilarious misadventures of the Rude Mechanicals through a fun-packed process aimed at delving into the play first-hand. Part of the project will involve rehearsing in a forest, thus bringing the magic of the play closer to home, in nature. At the end of the week, participants will share a devised performance of the play, created together.
Othello
Dates and locations: Mon, Oct 31 to Fri, Nov 4, 2022 (included) in Florence
and Venice
This course is all about trying to understand the strong emotions that characterize the play ‘Othello’. Love, obsession, jealousy and ultimately, folly, will all be brought to life through acting techniques geared to help participants open to a deeper level of understanding of the play’s characters’ inner world. We will also pay special attention to Shakespeare’s language, and in particular how it communicates emotions. We will also be visiting Venice, once a great European naval superpower (for whom, in the play, Othello is a military general), steeping ourselves in the city’s beauty and history, as well as performing scenes from the play on location. The course will culminate with a devised group performance, prepared and acted by participants.