3-Day Classical Monologue Intensive
PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE
With JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON
Friday, November 7: 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Saturday, November 8: 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Sunday, November 9: 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
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MTC​​ Studio 3 | 311 West 43rd Street
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Class size is limited to 14 participants | $375 per student
“If it were done when ‘tis done then t’were well it were done quickly”
Back by popular demand, acclaimed Actor and teacher John Douglas Thompson brings his fast and furious three day intensive back to Red Bull students. Sign up to learn from one of the greatest classical actors of his generation.
Essential Question:
How do you approach Shakespeare’s text and find the contemporary in the classical? What aspects of an actor’s preparation are most essential when approaching Shakespearian performance? How do you engage honestly with Shakespeare’s text?
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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 that requires your intelligence, physicality, imagination, and truth. From the novice to the skilled this class will help you dive into the power of Shakespeare’s language making it your own, and discovering the deep emotional truths we share in common with his characters.
Instructor:
JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON has been hailed by the New York Times “as one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation” and in The New Yorker, Thompson [is] “regarded by some people as the best classical actor in America.”
John most recently appeared as Othello at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also starred on Broadway in King Lear and the revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, and Jitney (Tony nominated), Endgame at Irish Rep, Hamlet, Shakespeare In The Park, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice at Theater For A New Audience, Huntington Theatre Company’s Man in the Ring (Elliot Norton Award) and in the titular role of the American Conservatory Theater’s production of Hamlet. He also co-starred in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare In The Park production of Julius Caesar. Thompson’s other credits include Troilus & Cressida at The Public, The Father and A Doll’s House at Theater For A New Audience. The Iceman Cometh (Obie and Drama Desk Awards); Tamburlaine (Obie and Drama Desk Awards); Satchmo At The Waldorf (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the NAACP Theatre Awards) at Westside Theater, ACT, Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts, Long Wharf Theater; King Lear at The Public Theater; Macbeth (title role); Othello (Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award) at Theatre for a New Audience; The Forest and The Emperor Jones at Irish Repertory Theatre (Lucille Lortel, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations); and Hedda Gabler at New York Theatre Workshop. Regional credits include: Joe Turner’s Come And Gone at Mark Taper Forum (Ovation Award); Antony And Cleopatra; Red Velvet, Othello, Richard III, and Mother Courage at Shakespeare & Co.; Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Barrymore Award); and productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, American Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre among others. Television credits include: The Gilded Age, Mare Of Easttown, For Life, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Film credits include: Till ,21 Bridges, 355, Let Them All Talk, Wolves, The Bourne Legacy, Glass Chin, Midway, and Malcolm X.
​Schedule:
Friday, November 7 | 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM - Class 1: ‘SPEAK THE SPEECH’
Class will begin with a ‘monologue parade’ where all students will get an opportunity to present their monologue to the entire class. Actors will then begin work on the monologues.
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Saturday, November 8 | 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM - Class 2: ‘WORDS WORDS WORDS’
Actors will work on their monologues with John.
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Sunday, November 9 | 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM - Class 3: ‘THE READINESS IS ALL’
Actors will continue to work on their monologues with John.
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Preparation:
You should have a fully memorized classical monologue you wish to work on.
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Dress:
Comfortable clothing that you can move and breathe freely in, sneakers, and a water bottle are strongly encouraged.
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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.