Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Acting Courses Aimed At Vets, General Public

The Studio at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC), the educational arm of the Baltimore, Maryland–based theater company, is offering a number of classes and seminars this fall in acting, scene study, leadership lessons, and a perspective on peace and war in Shakespeare's plays.

That last, "Olive Branch and Laurel Crown II: Peace and War through Shakespeare's Text," is open to U.S. service veterans and those who support America's veterans. It begins October 9 and runs every Monday, 6:30–9 p.m., to November 7. Participants will explore their own personal expressions of their experiences of war and peace while being exposed to these themes in Shakespeare's plays. The course will culminate in a public performance on Veterans Day, November 11, for family, friends, and guests. No acting experience is needed. During the first session, students may audition to perform, but the program also has roles for nonperformers. The course will be led by Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's Teaching Artist Alexandra Hewett, who brings a background in psychotherapy to her work using the performing arts as a force of personal expression. The fee is $135 for U.S. veterans, $165 for the general public.

"Acting for Non-Actors" on Tuesdays, 6–7:30 p.m. October 10–November 8 is a "relaxed course" of theater games and beginning scene work, led by CSC Teaching Artist Molly Moores, a resident actor and voice-over professional. The course fee is $165.

"Poise, Presence, and Power," is a weekly intensive class for adults designed to enhance and improve students' movement and vocal skills. The course will be conducted on Wednesdays, 6–7:30 p.m., October 11–November 16, by Ron Heneghan, CSC's director of education and a resident actor. The course fee is $195.

Heneghan is also teaching the "Scene Study" course, intended to "improve your affective memory and emotional recall" through studying scenes from classical and contemporary theater, according to a program flyer. The course also runs on Wednesday, 8–9:30 p.m., October 11–November 9. The course fee is $165.

The Studio is at 206 East Redwood Street, Baltimore MD 21202, next door to Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's theater a few blocks from the Inner Harbor. For more information, click here or email education@chesapeakeshakespeare.com.

October 6, 2017

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