{"id":221897,"date":"2023-09-19T16:18:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T20:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=221897"},"modified":"2023-10-02T10:50:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T14:50:47","slug":"curtain-rises-on-royal-shakespeare-company-residency-at-montclair-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2023\/09\/19\/curtain-rises-on-royal-shakespeare-company-residency-at-montclair-state-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtain Rises on Royal Shakespeare Company Residency at Montclair State University"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Royal Shakespeare Company held court in September at Montclair State University, presenting a series of master classes for theater students in the College of the Arts.<\/p>\n

The residency \u2013 by one of the best known theater companies in the world \u2013 was led by three Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) practitioners, actor Emma Manton and directors Ewa Dina and Aaron Parsons, who guided students as they explored Shakespeare\u2019s language and plays through practical exploration and staging.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a real honor for the RSC to spend an intensive two weeks with the faculty and students of Montclair. We have been privileged to work with students, many of whom had reservations about Shakespeare and who have grasped his words with such insight and enthusiasm,\u201d said the company\u2019s Head of Learning Fi Ingram.<\/p>\n

That was evident at the script-in-hand performance of <\/span>Richard III<\/span><\/i>, performed on the stage of Memorial Auditorium. In a nod to the thrust-style stage layout of the Royal Shakespeare and Swan theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon, the audience was seated on three sides of the stage, creating an intimacy between the play, actors and audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Five
Seating for the script-in-hand performance increased intimacy between the play, the actors and the audience. In feedback afterward, one student said, \u201cThis has been literally life changing. It\u2019s changed the way I view the campus, what\u2019s available to me in my training and the sort of actor I want to be.\u201d<\/span>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMany of us were not connected to Shakespeare before this residency,\u201d said AJ Love, a senior Musical Theatre major who performed. \u201cIt felt outdated. But we discovered how to connect the text to today. It was full of surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-year pilot program with Royal Shakespeare Company Learning will pave the way to establishing a long-term partnership, aligning Montclair\u2019s and RSC\u2019s mutual dedication to unlocking the transformative power of Shakespeare and theater practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just the beginning of our collaboration, and we are so excited to see what will come next. It\u2019s been a transformative experience for RSC practitioners and students alike,\u201d Ingram said.<\/p>\n

College of the Arts<\/a> Dean Daniel Gurskis said, \u201cWorking with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the environment of an intensive, extended residency is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our theater students. I am confident that five or 10 or even 15 years from now, not only will these students vividly remember this residency, but they will also continue to find new ways to apply what they have learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An
Alex Fontes,<\/b> a junior BFA Acting major playing Richard III in the final scene, acts out the famous line, \u201cA horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
Royal Shakespeare Company guest artist and actor Emma Manton leads a workshop on performing the classical text.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
The residency was called a \u201ctakeover,\u201d as it put on hold regularly scheduled classes in the Theatre programs, substituting them with a series of \u201cShakespeare Gym\u201d master classes for Acting and Musical Theatre students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
Above, RSC guest artist and director Ewa Dina, right, leads a master class. After the takeover, one student wrote \u201cIt’s been a transformative experience being taught by a black woman.\u201d<\/span>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
RSC guest artist and director Aaron Parsons, center, talks with students before the script-in-hand performance of Richard III.<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u00a0Above, the script for Richard III.\u00a0<\/i>In feedback, students said the classes made them rethink Shakespeare. \u201cBefore this, I could never see myself in Shakespeare – I just didn’t think it was for me. But now – that Julius Caesar that you showed us – I’ve never seen anything like that in my life! It made me feel seen and that, plus the classes, makes me feel like I can do this now,” one wrote.<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Students were inspired by the takeover. From one of the Montclair students involved: \u201cI have completely changed my mind about Shakespeare, and that means I can change my mind about anything in acting. And life!\u201d\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Story by Staff Writer <\/i>Marilyn Joyce Lehren<\/i><\/b><\/a>. Photos by University Photographer <\/i>Mike Peters<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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