Shakespeare Unlocked: Learn Classical Acting

In this video, I introduce the key concept of body awareness.  You will learn the reason why body awareness is crucial for an actor, and how to start cultivating this vital skill.

In this, I will teach you about how to ensure you're always pushing yourself (safely) to maximise your growth.  Note that you know your body best, so do not do anything that will endanger your body and cause you pain.  Keep yourself safe and free of injury.

In this lecture, I take you through the 'body' part of your warm-up.  This is a great video particularly for beginners who aren't aware of how to start getting your body moving and flexible.  If you are experienced with yoga/stretching, you may not need to watch the first section, however it's essential that you tune into the section regarding spinal rolls (from 13:10 onwards).

In this lecture I discuss the importance of freeing your body and your reactions and weakening your judgemental eye to make your performances have more impact and more truth.

Here I discuss an important principle of movement as an actor: economy of movement. This encompasses two main ideas: what action do I need to do, in this moment, to best express myself? And, to do that action, what parts of my body do I actually need to move to make that action work?

Here I introduce the importance of breath, and why I'm going to encourage you to spend a large part of your warm-up time doing the most natural thing in the world.

In this lecture, I give an overview of how breathing actually works in the body. This is to make sure you understand why we spend so much time on it, and why it's so important to get it right.

This video is about tension, and the damage that it does to your expression as an actor. Further, I talk about how damaging it is for your breathing, and introduce an exercise to help you to get rid of some of that tension.

It might sound like a funny title - to rediscover something that you do day in, day out! But it's time to see what is different about your breath and how to use it as an actor.

This lecture will give you a brilliant exercise designed to start improving your breath capacity. More breath means more power, more volume, more emotion, and better acting.

In this video I introduce a simple yet powerful exercise which will help you control your breath and last a long time on stage.

Your diaphragm is an incredible muscle, and it's key to producing flexible, strong sound. Here, I give you an exercise that will have you flexing your diaphragm and building your strength.

Your voice is your primary tool when it comes to speaking Shakespeare, so here I talk about how your voice works, from an actor's point of view.

This is a short exercise which gets you warming up your voice in a gentle, safe way. This is perfect to do everyday to start improving your voice quality and your range.

Next step in any voice work is to start releasing the vibration and forming audible sound. In this lecture, I give you an exercise that will help you to freely let your voice ring out.

In this lecture, we build on the foundation of your strong, free voice by opening up three main resonators - your chest, mouth, and head. Working on these resonators will bring life and colour to your voice, allowing you to fully express yourself.

Now that your voice is stronger, more free, and more resonant, it's time to start shaping it into words. This means it's time to start exercising your articulators! This lecture includes exercises on tongue stretches, consonant practice, and tongue twisters.

This is a short introduction video to get you thinking about the play.

Here I talk about the importance of the context of the play - the setting, the era, the political atmosphere, and more - all of these things have an impact on your performance.

What do you know about your 'character' - or, you? What do others think of you? What do you think of you? All of these questions, and more, are important to consider when rehearsing your monologue. This lecture will give you practical tips on how to explore these questions, and how to put them into practice.

In this video I discuss the importance of relationships, and understanding 'you' in relation to the other characters on stage. Important elements to consider include the relative status of the characters, the past history, and the actual relationship (family, friend, etc.).

This is your chance to express your inner emotions, your thoughts, your private joys and personal battles. What an exciting moment!

Shakespeare wrote in verse for a reason - and that reason is primarily rhythm. In this lecture, I encourage you to feel that rhythm and use it to your advantage. Plus, I talk about breathing and how the rhythm of Shakespeare and breathing at the ends of lines makes your performance more natural.

Why is there a full stop in the middle of a line? Verse structure, as Shakespeare used it, can really hold some great insights into how to perform. I discuss these questions and more in this lecture.

Shakespearean vocabulary can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming! Here I talk about how to approach a monologue, even if it seems like it's written in a foreign language.

In this video, I talk about the value of 'I', 'me', 'you', 'if', repeated words, contrasting words, and more. Once you can apply this to your own work, you really have the blueprint of a clear, captivating Shakespearean performance.

This video is full of tips on how to learn your words - a classic challenge of actors everywhere!

We've worked on you. We've worked on the text. How do we marry these two things together?

Thousands of people have performed Shakespeare in the past. What's the point in you doing it now?

Now that you understand the technical side of things, it's time to bring your own personal connection to the text.

This video is all about your thoughts and how they are directly expressed through your performance. If you don't understand what you're saying, nobody else will either.

This lecture builds on having clarity of thought, and letting that clarity be expressed at the speed of thought. Shakespeare doesn't have to be slow and ponderous, let it come out as you are thinking it (not before, not after).

In this lecture I talk about the most important aspects of rehearsal - and that is connecting with your as-of-yet unknown scene partner, the audience.

Your performance is upon you! Whether it's a play or an audition, here are the vital things you need to know when going into performance mode.

Do you like to people-watch? Do you watch enough plays or films? When you're doing this, make sure you engage your actor brain and critique in order to properly learn how to make your performances the best possible.

Here I talk about the importance of learning other people's perspectives - both on acting and performance, but also in everyday mindfulness.

This a quick, daily warm-up that you can follow. If you can do this every day, you will see amazing results and improvements in your performance ability. This does not include all of the exercises that I taught in earlier lectures, this is intended as a rapid warm-up for when you don't have a lot of time to spare. When you have time, be sure to use it on a fuller, longer training session.

This is only the beginning! You have begun to learn an exciting, challenging new craft. I encourage you to keep exploring, and keep in touch with your news about performances, your acting work, and your feedback.