Shakespeare’s Globe: a Journey of History, Culture, and Identity
Rachel DeLauder spent two weeks of her summer in London immersing herself in the life and works of Shakespeare with our Summer Acting Intensive at Shakespeare’s Globe program.
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it” – Hamlet, Act II Scene II
You may feel overwhelmed with the wealth of knowledge and artistic possibilities, you may feel intimidated; or on information overload during workshops and rehearsals. You may have so many questions and comments spark from your travel home, but know this program unleashes a high level of magnitude of artistic training, the internal desire to continue Shakespeare’s Legacy and a newfound purpose to advance your theatre scholarship. The PAA Shakespeare Globe Summer Acting Intensive fostered immersive educational and artistic experiences that allowed full interdisciplinary engagement of Shakespeare through movement, voice, dialect, speech, history, and text-study. Additionally, in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Globe’s visionary founder, Sam Wanamaker of the remodeling of the Globe, the Globe is transformational, meaning simply walking through the doors is both humbling and sacred. London, the place where theatre is essential to the culture; it is a must, to see plays, and to not limit yourself from just seeing the plays offered within the program. We were honored to see Henry V, with lead actor Sarah Amankwah, in her majestic and revolutionary character embodiment of Henry V’s human condition and Shakespeare’s text illuminated through her facility. Moreover, our company was honored to see Henry IV Part 1, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Merry Wives of Windsor. Additionally, the program offered an excursion to Stratford to visit the grave and birthplace of Shakespeare and the opportunity to see Measure For Measure from the profound Royal Shakespeare Company.
In the heart of London, the PAA Shakespeare Globe Summer Acting Intensive has one engaged in both individual and collaborative experiences in workshops and performance work, that encompasses a utopia of well-trained mentors, artist, and students that challenge you physically, mentally and spiritually in all aspects of theatre. The program allows you to work on the Globe stage, as well as the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, which are two different and unique performance arenas in how one uses their voice register and articulation; however, the training in both was surreal. The professors allowed exploration of acting possibilities, movement choices, with the creative license for full embodied freedom to add variety to our characters, to capture a lived experience during rehearsal and stage performance. Drama, meaning to play, a focus from the vocal professor; the vocal, speech and theory work allowed investigation of the historical, multicultural, and multigenerational values of Shakespeare plays. The workshops in movement prepare you to engage consciously in your kinesthetic sense and embodied cognition, in which allowed me to consciously become aware of body, shape and effort (Laban Movement Analysis). The theatre practice allowed intimate connection with the text and examination of the audience, stage and actor. The professors and actors are scholars, from different cultural backgrounds, social classes and theatre backgrounds, yet identify Shakespeare as their classic story. Race, gender, age, disability, etc. is all encompassed and represented in the Globe’s repertoire.
How did I connect with Shakespeare? Through the people and country! The magnitude of Shakespeare and this unique program promoted the partnership of students and scholars to come to reveal the multiculturalism, religion, spirituality, life and death, empathy, etc. and central motifs; yet, in the perspective of the company and individual. Once entering the doors of the Globe, you are taken on a journey of history, culture and identity that changes your way of training, direction of theatre desires and risk-taking.
~Cheers
