Nov 10-12, 2018
This workshop was presented in partnership with The Shakespeare Company and Theatre Calgary
INSTRUCTOR: Dawn Monique Williams
Theatre Alberta, The Shakespeare Company, Theatre Calgary, and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity were proud to welcome Dawn Monique Williams of Oregon Shakespeare Festival for a three-day master class in Staging Contemporary Shakespeare.
As the Canadian theatre industry begins to move towards more inclusive artistic practices, directors and educators must continually re-examine and re-contextualize approaches to classical work. Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Dawn Monique Williams led participants in an exploration of why and how we can stage Shakespeare in the contemporary era.
Participants in this master class discussed and explored inclusive approaches to Shakespeare. We investigated some of Shakespeare’s text dramaturgically, and applied methodologies for how to stage the material in ways that have contemporary relevancy, feel immediate, and resonate with audiences. Topics included: casting, rehearsal techniques, setting the space/group agreements, production approaches/conceptualizing, editing scripts, and frameworks for equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Photo: Chautauqua Theatre Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Dawn Monique Williams. Actors: Siddiq Saunderson and Adrianna Mitchell. Photographer: Dave Munch
