|
Each year The Nashville Shakespeare Festrival selects 12-14 talented theatre artists ages 13 and up to perform in its Shakespeare in the Park production and to take part in an intensive two-week training program. These students are known as the "Apprentice Company" and are selected based upon auditons that occur several months before their summer training in July.
In their training, the Apprentice Company members develop their acting skills through rigorous workshops in the following areas:
- Voice
- Movement
- Text and Character Analysis
- Stage Combat
- Physical Awareness
In addition to performing along side some of Nashville’s most talent actors, the apprentices gain hands-on experience working with The Festival ’s technical staff in areas such as lighting, sound, and costuming. An important initiative of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival, the Apprentice Company is designed to both enhance the apprentices’ understanding of Shakespearean works, as well as to train the future leaders of Nashville’s cultural community.
"This program is like no other I have ever experienced. I learned so much in so little time…not just about theater, but about myself."
--Ashley DiGiorgi, Apprentice Company 2005 & 2006
The 2008 Apprentice Company will receive 50 hours of professional training, then rehearse and perform in the the Shakespeare in the Park production of Coriolanus.
Auditions will be held Saturday, April 19 from 1-4 pm at the Nashville Public Television building at 161 Rains Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
(map). Interested students must call Claire Syler at 615-255-2273 or email claire@nashvilleshakes.org to set up an audition time. Participants must prepare one monologue written by William Shakespeare that is one to two minutes in length. It can be comedic or tragic, verse or prose. Choose material that means something to you. Make a bold choice. We are looking for creativity and commitment.
Only fourteen apprentices will be chosen this year – twelve performance apprentices, one stage managing apprentice, and one directing apprentice. The minimum age is 13 by July 16th. The training will be very challenging, extremely rewarding and intensely fun! Apprentices will be an integral part of Coriolanus, and have important responsibilities in the production. Please note: Shakespeare in the Park is physically strenuous; middle Tennessee summers are intense and acting is a full-body commitment!
|
Apprentice Ashley DiGiorgi (left) in a scene with actress Marin Miller in Macbeth. Photo by Roger Gibbs. |
Auditions: April 19
Training: July 14 – 25
Rehearsal: July 26 - August 13
Performance: August 14 – September 7
Tuition: $500. Some financial aid is available.
Participants must be available for all classes, rehearsals, and performances July through September unless any conflicts are cleared with the Apprentice Company Director at the time of the audition.
|
