THE PUBLIC THEATER’S PROGRAM FOR PROFESSIONAL ACTOR DEVELOPMENT

THE SHAKESPEARE LAB is once again TUITION FREE in 2010!

Tuition-free professional development for mid-career actors.
 









 The Shakespeare Lab is The Public Theater’s professional actor development program that immerses a carefully-selected company of professional, mid-career actors in a nine-week intensive exploring the rigors, challenges, and joys of performing Shakespeare. The Shakespeare Lab:

• is tuition-free in 2010.
• is for working professional actors in mid-career.
• includes six weeks of training, plus three additional weeks of rehearsal and tour to community venues in New York’s five boroughs with a one-hour Shakespearean performance.

The Shakespeare Lab aims to build a strong and diverse collective of classically trained actors which will expand The Public Theater’s community of artists. Just as The Public Theater believes that Shakespeare should be accessible to all, the Shakespeare Lab believes that artists should have access to the skills they need to do excellent work on the best material. For that reason, the Shakespeare Lab is tuition-free.

The Shakespeare Lab is a unique opportunity for working American actors in mid-career to hone their craft and expand their classical skills. The Lab’s workshops in Shakespearean performance are led by some of the most respected figures in American classical theater training.

DATES AND SCHEDULE:

June 7 to August 8

The schedule runs Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm. Rehearsals for studio work take place in the evening hours and on the weekends.

In addition, the Lab Company will tour a one-hour performance of Shakespeare to community venues throughout New York City July 31st through the weekend of August 8th. Rehearsals for this performance will take place weekdays July 19 -30th.

In exchange for tuition-free professional development, members of the Lab Company will be required to clear their schedules completely for the entire period June 7th to August 8th including the weekends of July 31st and August 8th .

WORSKHOPS AND FACULTY:

The Shakespeare Lab enriches the actor’s command of Shakespeare through intensive workshops in acting, text, voice, movement, clown, combat, and ensemble, taught by the leading instructors in the American classical theater. The faculty for 2010 will include May Adrales, Christopher Bayes, Lisa Benevides, Barry Edelstein, Ian Hersey, Nancy Lemenager, Julio Monge, Robert Perillo, J. Steven White, Grace Zandarski, Janet Zarish among others. Guest artists, including eminent members of the Public Theater community and other leading Shakespeareans, visit frequently. Past guest artists have included Kevin Kline, David Costabile, Joan MacIntosh, Dael Orlandersmith and Roger Reese among others.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the faculty.

The Shakespeare Lab fosters a supportive environment that encourages innovation and risk. Emphasis is placed upon the individual actor’s process and needs in relation both to the ensemble and also to the magnificent challenges posed by the works of Shakespeare.

The Shakespeare Lab is under the direction of Barry Edelstein and is administered by Ian Hersey.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS:

Membership in the Shakespeare Lab Company is BY AUDITION ONLY. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

To audition, please follow steps 1, 2, and 3 below:

1. Determine if you qualify for membership in the Lab Company.

To qualify for the Lab, actors must:

• be a professional actor in mid-career
• have significant professional credits, although not necessarily in Shakespeare or the classical theater
• possess a passion for developing their craft, specifically in Shakespearean acting
• embrace a spirit of openness and curiosity, be eager to work hard, and display a commitment to collaboration and ensemble
• be at least 25 years of age (there is no maximum age)
• be prepared to maintain a rigorous schedule of physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding work • share the values of diversity and inclusion that inform all of The Public Theater’s work
• be available for the ENTIRE period June 7th to August 8th.

2. Request an appointment to audition

Actors who meet these qualifications may request an audition appointment by downloading, printing, and filling out a Shakespeare Lab 2010 application form, and sending it, along with a headshot, resume, and brief personal statement (500 words max) outlining your interest, to:

The Shakespeare Lab, Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003.

Actors with professional representation may have their representative submit their request for an audition.

Your request for an audition appointment must be postmarked by January 29 2010. Requests postmarked later than this date will not be considered. There will be no exceptions.

You must include an E-mail address. All communication will be conducted via E-mail.

CLICK HERE to download the Shakespeare Lab 2010 application form. (PDF)

3. Accept your audition appointment

A limited number of actors will be invited to audition.

During the first week of February, the Shakespeare Lab staff, in consultation with the Public Theater’s casting department, will invite a limited number of actors to a first round of auditions to be held on February 16th, 17th and 18th. Callbacks will follow. In early March, selected actors will be invited to join the Lab Company.



Thank you for your interest in the Shakespeare Lab, and good luck!

If you have further questions, please feel free to leave a message on our Shakespeare Lab Hotline at 212-539-8525.



Comments from past members of The Shakespeare Lab Company

Numerous members of the Shakespeare Lab Company have gone on to secure roles in Shakespeare in the Park, at the Public Theater, on and off Broadway, and in regional theaters, in addition to work in film and television. Here’s what some of them have said about the program:

I think I was looking for a reputable boot camp for actors. I think that’s what I got. - Victor Williams 2009

I felt incredibly supported and stimulated. It was an amazing experience. I was quite literally amazed. – Rebecca Lowman 2009

I grew a great deal and reminded myself what I am capable of as an actor. - Lanna Joffrey 2009

It was just as I hoped it would be: challenging, educational, craft-enhancing, fun, a bit unnerving at times, and resulting in my falling in love with acting all over again. – William Mapother 2009

It was a big wonderful acting workout. - Ryan Brooke Taylor 2009

I gained a deeper knowledge and even more curiosity about the lives in these works and the lives of these works. I also met and got to know fellows, professionals and teachers whose voices resonate still and I imagine will continue to do so. - Nathan Darrow 2009

The Shakespeare Lab gave me the best overall training of my career, giving me the tools to excel not only at Shakespeare but in all of my work as an actor. - Bonna Tek, 2008

It was easily the best thing I've ever done for myself as an actor. - Marty Brown, 2008