“Did I tell this who would believe me?”
Back by popular demand, acclaimed teacher and Tony winning actor MIRIAM SILVERMAN will lead this class through the intricacies of one of Shakespeare’s most complex plays - Measure for Measure. Students will interact with the play and each other through Miriam’s unique blend of text based exercises and chosen scenes and speeches from the text. Act now to take advantage of this exciting opportunity.
Essential Question:
How do you approach Shakespeare’s text with knowledge and confidence, utilizing the clues and tools in the verse to find the dynamic truth of your character and situation? What aspects of an actor’s preparation are most essential when approaching Shakespearian performance? How do you engage openly and honestly with your scene partner?
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Course Objectives:​
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Explore Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure
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Learn how to use Shakespeare’s verse, text, and rhetoric to find clues about your character
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Learn how to rehearse and work a Shakespeare scene with a partner
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Discover (or remember) the joy and passion in performing Shakespeare
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Enduring Understandings:
Actors will learn that Shakespeare’s language is not an archaic fortress that requires a knowledge of the rules to enter but rather an intensely honest heightened text with a multitude of tools that can aid and assist an actor on their journey to the truth. In this class, actors will learn how to demystify Shakespeare and his verse and find the internal truth of the character. By the end of the class, actors will have confidence they can step on to a Classical stage and deliver dynamic truth to both the audience and their scene partner.
Instructor:
MIRIAM SILVERMAN is an actress, teacher and born and raised New Yorker. She holds an MFA in Acting and a BA in East Asian Studies from Brown University. Miriam won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her critically-acclaimed performance in the Broadway production of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. She has been the proud member of countless NY and world premieres including Will Arbery’s Plano, Alice Birch’s Anatomy of a Suicide, Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, Anna Ziegler’s A Delicate Ship, Clare Barron’s You Got Older, Ethan Coen’s A Play is a Poem, Joe Gilford’s Finks and the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Junk by Ayad Akhtar. With roots in Shakespeare and the Classics, Miriam has also performed at theaters across the US, including The Goodman, Guthrie, Yale Rep, Arena Stage, The Folger and numerous productions at The Shakespeare Theater in DC. She played Winifred in Red Bull’s production of The Witch of Edmonton. Select television and film credits include Breaking, Bad Education, Dead Ringers, Fleishman is in Trouble, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods and NOS4A2. Miriam is the recipient of a TCG Fox Fellowship and teaches Acting, Voice and Text Analysis at NYU in both the Graduate Acting program and the Department of Dramatic Writing.
​Schedule:
Wednesday, October 8th | Class 1
Class will begin our journey with introductions and group text, voice and body work. After the class concludes Miriam will pair up actors and provide the scenes they will work on. In the following weeks you will work with your partner as much as you are able, either in person or online, to explore the text and scene together
Wednesday, October 15th | NO CLASS
Wednesday, October 22nd | Class 2
Students will begin their first pass at their scenes*
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*While not required we STRONGLY suggest you attend all classes, including the ones you may not be actively working with Miriam in
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Wednesday, October 29th | Class 3
Students will continue their first pass at their scenes
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Wednesday, November 5th | Class 4
Students will begin their second pass at their scenes*
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*Ideally you would be off book by this second pass
Wednesday, November 12th | Class 5
Students will continue their second pass.
Wednesday, November 19th | Class 6
Students will do a final presentation of their scene and receive final feedback with Miriam.
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Preparation:
In the between the first class and the second class you should connect with your scene partner and work on your scenes both together and on your own to the best of your ability.​
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Dress:
You should wear clothes that are easy to move around in. We suggest you bring a water bottle and a notebook.​
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Concerns? Questions?
Contact Dominique Nadeau.
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All of our teachers are committed to these classes. As working performers, unexpected conflicts may arise. If this were to happen, Red Bull would strive to provide an equally qualified replacement to ensure the quality of your experience. We thank you in advance for this understanding.