Quick-Raise Theatre Process: Tools for Building Communication & Empathy
Raising a Shakespeare play in 2-5 days means we have to create a sense of ensemble quickly, often with actors who’ve never worked together before. Our techniques & tools, drawn from a diverse lineage of creative & interpersonal craft, quickly build open communication (verbal & non-verbal) between individuals and increase empathy.
Shakespeare’s plays were written to be rehearsed this way, and the actor can find support & guidance from the playwright by analyzing the text for cues.
Basics: This is a flexible 1.5 - 2 hour workshop, facilitated by 2-3 ensemble members.
Resources:
Contents:
- Performance: 3 scenes from Macbeth
- A demonstration of what a performance built from our rehearsal techniques looks like.
- Scenes: “Come you spirits” into “Duncan comes here tonight”; “If it were done” into “Was the hope drunk?”; “That which hath made them drunk” into “I have done the deed”
- Craft Exploration:
- scansion/emotional map — analyzing Shakespeare’s verse for performance cues
- cue scripts — learning a play with just my own lines, and 3 words to cue me in
- partner sticks — how we use a tool from modern theatrical practice to explore rather than rehearse a scene
- Discussion: An open discussion on any topic of interest to the attendees, but we often focus particularly on Why questions:
- Why Shakespeare?
- Why Macbeth?
- Why original practice?
- Why theatre?
We allow time after each segment for reflection & discussion between the ensemble and attendees. Depending on time, space, and number of attendees the workshop can become more participatory, e.g. attendees can learn how to work with the partner sticks or single sticks.
