Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will host the internationally renowned Shakespeare & Company from Lenox, Maine, in a weekend intensive study of the language and text of William Shakespeare’s works March 8 through 10 on the SFA campus.
Designed to meet the needs of professional actors who seek an introduction to Shakespeare & Company’s training methods as well as alumni who wish to refresh and reconnect with the work, the weekend intensive integrates Linklater Voice instruction, movement and monologue work. Participants will explore ways to unlock the emotional and intellectual content inherent in Shakespeare’s language, yielding a direct relationship between actor and text, according to Cleo House Jr., director of the SFA School of Theatre.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such a renowned company in residence here in East Texas,” House said. “This is an excellent opportunity for teachers needing professional development credit and for young professionals looking to deepen their study of Shakespeare’s text in performance.”
Instructor is Dave Demke, a Shakespeare & Company senior faculty member and a Designated Linklater Voice teacher. He has a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and an M.F.A. in performance (devised theatre) from the University of Maryland. From 2000-2010, he served as the associate director of training for Shakespeare & Company. He has also served as the artistic director of Stark Raving Theatre in Portland, Oregon, and as a principle dancer, soloist, choreographer and teacher with Red River Dance Company in Fargo, North Dakota.
As an actor, Demke has appeared in productions at Shakespeare & Company in New York and regionally, as well as performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in Beijing, China. His directing credits include theaters in Portland, Oregon, Shakespeare & Company and Tennessee Shakespeare Company. He has guest directing credits at Purdue University, Skidmore College and Northeastern University. He has guest taught at various universities, as well as at the Linklater Center in New York, the National Theatre of Ghana and 16th St. Studio in Melbourne, Australia.
The weekend intensive is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 8; from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 9; and from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Tuition is $345. Alumni, union and student discounts are available. For more information or to register, call (413) 637-1199 ext. 114 or visit http://www.shakespeare.org/actor-training/weekend-intensive
