March 2003
No Practice Makes Perfect
To go or not to go? What an easy question. Lewis Hancock, member of the Original Shakespeare Company (OSC) in London, will be visiting Munich University from
March 28 to 30 to conduct a Shakespeare workshop. In the 16th century, actors did not memorize their lines—rather, scripts were learned on the basis of word cues and improvisation. The OSC has been experimenting with this “unrehearsed” method of theater production for the last five years, having performed at the Sydney Festival in Australia, the Mermaid, the Barbican, the International Theatre Festival in Toronto and the Globe, to name a few venues. The results of this rediscovery of a lost method of performance have been well received. Hancock’s workshop in Munich will focus on historical evidence, textual interpretation, stage cues, instructions and, finally, on how it is possible to stage an impromptu performance of a Shakespearean play.
Material will be sent out in advance to chosen participants, whose number will not exceed 25. The workshop costs between € 60 and € 80 per person
(less for students). Further details can be obtained by calling Barbara Peter at
(089) 36 10 05 20 or emailing
barbara.peter@munich.netsurf.de
