Students to workshop Shakespeare
Over 700 students from across the Darling Downs will participate in a Workshop Day on Wednesday (8 March 2006), as part of the Shakespeare in Queens Park Festival (SIQPF).
Budding actors from primary and secondary schools will converge on Queens Park, to take part in the workshop program.
SiQP Festival Spokesperson, Assoc Prof Kate Foy, says the Workshop Day is another example of how USQ Theatre is engaging with the local community.
"The USQ Department of Theatre believes that that this regional event contributes greatly to the cultural life of the local community,
"For Festival Workshops Day we wanted to provide an opportunity for school students of all ages and abilities to get involved in a range of exciting activities aimed at making the plays of Shakespeare more accessible," she said.
The workshops will be led by Queensland theatre professionals and facilitated by lecturers and students from the University of Southern Queensland.
The day it self will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions.
The morning session (9.30-11.30am) will feature primary school students participating in a medieval-styled pageant, run by a team of artists and storytellers from USQ's Departments of Theatre and Faculty Education.
In the afternoon (3.30-4.30pm) secondary school students will participate in nine concurrent sessions on voice, movement, acting, writing, design, the Shakespearean stage, and the art of stage combat.
The workshops and artists participating on the day are:
- Brisbane Actor and Director, Lewis Jones
- Artists from Brisbane theatre companies, Frank Theatre and Zen Zen Zo
- Brisbane actor and USQ graduate, Nick Backstrom
- USQ Department of Theatre lecturers, Scott Alderdice and Darryl Chalk
- Comedy of Errors Designers, Carolyn Taylor-Smith and Chris Willems
- RAND Theatre Company
At the end of the workshop a communal dinner for all students will be provided, as well as a sneak preview of The Comedy of Errors performance.
Media Contact: Cate Gazal, P: 07 46 31 24 72, M: 0407570550