Performing Shakespeare (with KAMAL SEHRAWY) - pt. 1

Watch a preview video of this class here!

This 3-part class will be formed around meeting Shakespeare’s words, devices, and verse with our own imaginations. Each iamb and line ending provides structure through limitation, and every word Shakespeare employs offers direction and opportunity around the human being we’re creating.

We’ll start with a broad investigation of what separates Shakespeare from other dramatic literature before familiarizing ourselves with verse structure and engaging as a group with an excerpt from one of Shakespeare’s plays. This will pave the way for actors to work on monologues and, eventually, scene work in the following sessions.

Together, we will dispel any lofty superstitions around Shakespeare and alleviate the need to adhere to the “rules” of performing his texts, instead using those conventions as clues to inform the choices we make. The result will be characters who are as nuanced, indecisive, and passionate as we are.

**Note: This class takes place in 3 SESSIONS: March 11th, 18th, and 25th. Participants have the option to purchase a ticket for all 3 evenings at once, or as a drop-in for single sessions. Feel free to contact info@hvpal.org with any questions!**

Session 1: Thursday, March 11th @ 6-8pm ET

In our first class, we’ll ask the essential questions: what’s so special about Shakespeare and what might an actor gain from performing his texts today? We’ll then begin our foray into his plays with an investigation of form, iambic pentameter, line endings, and how each informs our approach towards playing Shakespeare’s characters.

(Sign up for all 3 sessions OR for the first session only below)

Session 2: Thursday, March 18th @ 6-8pm ET

Our second session centers around the content of Shakespeare’s writing and contextualizing it. What does an actor search for when they begin a soliloquy? Does understanding how Shakespeare’s own theater company performed his material affect how we approach it today? How does an actor use rhetorical arguments, antitheses, and other devices to their advantage?

(Sign up for the second session only here)

Session 3: Thursday, March 25th @ 6-8pm ET

In our final class, we’ll put the ideas we’ve been investigating as a group into practice through monologues and scene work, focusing on navigating the text and applying theoretical concepts into actualized, spontaneous human behavior. We’ll close with a reflection on Shakespeare in today’s world and what place it has in today’s discourse.

(Sign up for the third session only here)

About the Guest Artist:

Kamal Sehrawy is an actor, coach, and teaching artist in New York City. He received a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has since taught classes around the city, including as an artist-in-residence at PS3: The Charrette School and guest lecturer at NYU Tisch. Credits include: Frank Finger in It’s Only a Play (Theater Workshop of Nantucket), Claudius in Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Square), and Leontes in The Winter’s Tale (The Classical Studio). You can find more information and contact Kamal directly by visiting kamalsehrawy.com.