Plays are intensely personal to the writers—when they write them, they’re imagining something that’s very vivid to them. You have to get into their head and try to find another vividness that’s truthful to the original. I’m all for the playwright; that’s where you go to study. — Robert Goldsby On the show today is […]
Text Work: John Webster’s The White Devil with Ray Porter
So don't be surprised!
The following is the text work session taken from the full episode with Ray. In this excerpt, Ray will be discussing a speech from John Webster’s The White Devil, which is a Jacobean play and comes in the period right after Shakespeare. As Ray shared, plays in this period were much darker and a definite […]
Ep #16: Ray Porter (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 300+ Audiobooks) on Delivering the Mail, Being Your Advocate, and Good-Natured Arrogance
So don't be surprised!
The biggest downfall of actors is when they start to get very pleased with themselves because they’re actors; having something else that will keep you a bit humble is a good thing. — Ray Porter On the show today is Ray Porter, an actor who spent 18 seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival playing all sorts […]
A Tribute to Philip Bosco, with Armin Shimerman and Peter Van Norden
A lot of actors my age thought of Phil Bosco as a god. ~ Armin Shimerman No one spoke better than Phil Bosco. ~ Peter Van Norden We have a special episode today. It’s a tribute to the actor Philip Bosco. In this, you’ll hear the voices of Armin Shimerman, Peter Van Norden, and Phil […]
Text Work: Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III with Nike Doukas
The following is a re-airing of Nike’s text work session taken from the full episode with her. In this excerpt we discuss performing a speech from Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III. Nike Doukas is a fantastic actress, director, teacher, and accent coach. Originally from Massachusetts (same as me!), Nike studied at the University of […]
Text Work: Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Geoffrey Wade
The following is a re-airing of Geoffrey’s text work session taken from the full episode with him. In this excerpt we discuss performing THE PLAYER from Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Geoffrey Wade (@geoffreywade) is an actor, director, teacher, photographer, and acting coach, and he was recently in the national tour of The Curious […]
Text Work: Noel Coward’s Mrs. Worthington and Shakespeare’s King Lear with Harry Groener
The following is a re-airing of Harry’s text work session taken from the full episode with him. In this excerpt we discuss singing a Noel Coward song and performing Shakespeare’s King Lear. Harry Groener is probably most familiar to audiences for his musical theatre work in New York, as well as being a series […]
Text Work: Shakespeare’s Henry VI with Armin Shimerman
The following is a re-airing of Armin’s text work session taken from the full episode with him. You wanted these text work sessions as separate episodes and I’m happy to accommodate! First up, Armin talks about his general approach to Shakespeare and some of the overall principles he teaches in classes. In this excerpt we […]
Text Work: Mini-Shakespeare Master Class with Dakin Matthews
A great speech is like an aria: it has a musical structure, and it is normally clearly marked where the emotional climaxes are, if you know how to read the rhetoric. — Dakin Matthews We have a BONUS episode today with a mini-Shakespeare master class with Dakin! This “class” is taken from the full conversation with […]
Ep #12: Dakin Matthews (Shakespeare scholar/actor/teacher, Broadway plays/musicals) on Acting the Classics and Your Artistic Family
Actors are challenged to bring their instrument to the highest level of availability—their voice, their movement, their psyche, their understanding, their emotional life—so that if they are doing a great play that deals with great issues and great emotions, they can fill that greatness with their instrument. — Dakin Matthews I’m thrilled to welcome Dakin […]