Background

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Since 2016 I've periodically taught classes in acting Shakespeare, first as Artistic Director of Seoul Shakespeare Company (SSC) and now as Co-Artistic Director of Speech of Fire, utilizing my favorite Shakespeare training resources and drawing from my experience acting in, directing, and coaching Shakespeare productions. 

 

I believe that Shakespeare is for everyone*, and I have been teaching and coaching actors with anywhere from zero experience to professional credits. I also believe that performing arts studios help formulate a sense of identity, belonging, meaning, and happiness by building a sense of community within the studio, teaching skills that enrich participants' lives, and fostering a sense of connectedness with others who have shared in these art forms across geography and history. More thoughts on our philosophy here: https://www.speechoffire.org/about and on influences here: https://www.speechoffire.org/links-theatre-presence-connection.

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Past classes:

(See our list of 2022 classes on our Speech of Fire Shakespeare Studio page)

Rehearsing Monologues and Scenes, Speech of Fire & SSC 2019

Movement and Ensemble, SSC 2018, Speech of Fire & SSC 2019

Acting Shakespeare’s Text, SSC 2018, Speech of Fire & SSC 2019

Exploring Gugak in Theatre Training, SSC 2018, Speech of Fire & SSC 2019

Preparing to Perform: Strategies for Approaching Shakespeare's Text, SSC 2016

Shakesperiments workshops, SSC 2014-2018

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*A clarifying note: Shakespeare performance is an art form which was originally intended for the masses as well as the elites, and which has been adapted locally to the languages, tastes, cultures, and life experiences of diverse groups of people around the world. It is not owned by any one culture, class, or any individual gatekeeper, and can be explored by anyone. At the same time, there is a vast amount of knowledge that one can gain from others experienced in Shakespeare performance. In exploring Shakespeare performance, individuals can experience Shakespeare for themselves and determine whether they agree with what others have written or said, making Shakespeare performance a dynamic place in which to make constant discoveries. Shakespeare's complexity of writing and large output of plays provide a rich resource for anyone seeking to either deep dive long term or just play in the puddles for now. Both are enjoyable. This does not mean that I think everyone is required to enjoy Shakespeare, or that I believe Shakespeare performance is a superior art form to others. (I find parallel joys in studying Korean traditional music and dance, and similarities in terms of depth, complexity, and the possibility for both immediate enjoyment and a lifetime of learning. Many of my ideas about the importance and value of performing arts studios come directly from my experience studying Korean performing arts.) Rather, Shakespeare performance is a rich, vast niche area, with applications well outside the rehearsal room, that allows an individual to express themselves, learn new skills with wider life applications, connect with others, and to engage with a vast and always expanding array of knowledge ready to be discovered and tried out in the rehearsal room. In the case of both Shakespeare performance and Korean performing arts, it wasn't until I started embodying these art forms that I really came to need to continue to practice them. Similarly, I believe that these kinds of classes can fulfill a need for many people, whether they realize it before they start or not. So come and give it a try!