Current Classes

Folio 1

6 weeks

Explore a practical approach to performing Shakespeare the Foolish Way in this immersive 6-week course designed for actors.

Throughout the class, you’ll engage with the Bard’s lush language, learning to analyze the text in order to bring it to life with authenticity and precision. Through a technical exploration of Shakespeare’s literary devices, you’ll develop a deeper connection to your character, one thought at a time.

You’ll work collaboratively to refine your understanding of the heightened text, applying the techniques to an assigned monologue. The final session will be dedicated to recording your performance, providing a valuable opportunity to put your skills into practice and leave you with a monologue to submit for future auditions.

This workshop is designed for actors looking to strengthen their command of Shakespeare’s text, but the tools gained here extend beyond the stage. Whether working on period pieces, heightened procedurals, or classical works, this foundation will equip you with the skills to confidently approach complex texts.

TBD

Where:

• Zoom/In Person

Cost:

• $250

• Payment plans are available

Required Texts (not provided):

• Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal 

• Arden Third Series of the play your assigned monologue is from

Course Outline: 

• Week 1: Shakespeare and Scansion (Zoom)

• Week 2: Scansion and Breath (Zoom)

• Week 3: Punctuation and Breath (Zoom)

• Week 4: What are you saying? (Zoom)

• Week 5: Shaping your argument (In person/Hybrid)

• Week 6: Shakespeare in Performance (In Person Hybrid)

Please email any questions to info@foolishproductionco.org SUBJECT: Folio 1

Shakespeare Script Interpretation

8 Weeks

This is a class about seeing a more vibrant world. Explore, with ensemble member Will Bremer, the plays of Shakespeare in a way that makes these situations and people come alive. Every single moment of a play must be made doable, and to be made doable, they must be deeply understood. 

In this class, you will explore the social/historical circumstances surrounding the plays and the world in which the plays were written, which will allow you to lift yourself to the height of each character as you approach each moment of the text. By engaging with the meaning of the language, as well as the needs and actions of each character, you will find not only a deep connection to them, but a way into acting that is spontaneous, dynamic, and above all, truthful.

We will break down one play over the course of this 8-week class, peeling it back layer by layer, introducing techniques as we go that you can apply directly to your preparation of your next role or audition. The final sessions will focus on scene work, applying this rigorous interpretation of the script directly to each individual’s acting process.

This workshop is designed for actors who want to strengthen their ability to live on stage in Shakespeare’s many worlds, but the tools gained in this class will extend to scripted work in any medium. Working on period pieces, heightened fantasy worlds, contemporary Theatre or TV & Film, the tools gained in this class will give you a process through which to approach any text with confidence and precision.

When:

• Saturdays 12pm-3pm PST

• 2/7-3/28

Where:

• Zoom/In Person

Cost:

• $350

• Payment plans are available

• Sliding scale available

Required Texts:

• The Arden (third series) or Riverside version of Richard II

• Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac Asimov

• Shakespeare’s Words: A Glossary and Language Companion by David Crystal, Ben Crystal, and Stanley Wells

Supplemental Texts (handouts will be provided): 

• Speaking Shakespeare by Patsy Rodenburg

• One of the James Shapiro books, depending on which play we do.

Course Outline: 

• Week 1: Social Circumstances (Author)/Operative Words

• Week 2: Social Circumstances (Play)

• Week 3: Script Breakdown

• Week 4: Script Breakdown

• Week 5: Script Breakdown

• Week 6: Scene Breakdown

• Week 7: Scenework 

• Week 8: Scenework

Please email any questions to info@foolishproductionco.org SUBJECT: Script Interpretation

Prose

4 weeks

Requirement: Folio 1

A 4 week workshop focusing on our company’s approach to Prose. We believe that Prose deserves as much attention as Verse, but it is different and therefore should be approached as such!

Throughout the class, you’ll engage with the Bard’s lush language, learning to analyze Prose text in order to bring it to life with authenticity and precision. Through a technical exploration of Shakespeare’s literary devices, you’ll develop a deeper connection to your character, one thought at a time.

Where:

• Zoom

Cost:

• $150

• Payment plans are available

• Sliding scale available

• Email info@foolishproductionco.org with questions

Required Texts (not provided):

• Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal 

• Arden Third Series of the play your assigned monologue is from

Course Outline: 

• Week 1: Basics of Prose

• Week 2: Thought and Breath

• Week 3: Shaping Thought

• Week 4: Prose in Performance