Introduction To Shakespeare

Presented by Peter Francis James

To be held online over Zoom: 

An introductory Shakespeare workshop for actors, led by renowned Shakespearean actor and teacher, Peter Francis James.

In this three-session workshop, we’ll collectively explore excerpts from the works of Shakespeare, workshopping the text as a group, to identify the way Shakespeare writes for the actor. The focus is on the text, demystifying the language, discovering what can be found on the page, and how it can be used.

From the first session, we’ll begin as a group to play with a Shakespearean sonnet, and a speech of Prospero, proceeding over the next sessions to look at choruses and soliloquies, and finally explore two-handed scenes, examining the wonderful argumentative exchanges found in Shakespeare. Always relying on the text, as the fundamental teacher, we’ll explore how each actor builds upon the other.

Peter Francis James recently appeared on Broadway as Barack in HILLARY AND CLINTON. Other recent Broadway credits include PRESENT LAUGHTER and THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and he has performed many roles in Shakespeare including: Othello in OTHELLO (Baltimore Center Stage), Oberon in Sir Peter Hall’s production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Ahmanson), Coriolanus in CORIOLANUS (McCarter), Don Pedro in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Central Park) and Pisanio in CYMBELINE (RSC and TFANA). Mr. James has taught Shakespeare at the Yale School of Drama since 2000, and is a graduate of RADA.

“I’ve seen the level of my work skyrocket in such a short amount of time that it’s ridiculous.” – Rachael Nicole, on participating in Peter Francis James’ OTHELLO workshop at HB Studio.