Acting Lab: Shakespeare - Orange Tree Theatre

What is Acting Lab: Shakespeare?

Our Acting Lab: Shakespeare is an opportunity to develop your performance skills and increase your confidence in performing Shakespeare. We’ll explore a range of Shakespeare texts, using practical exercises to help you decode Shakespeare and learn how to play a variety of his characters across his histories, comedies and tragedies.

Over the course of five weeks, you will:

Develop ‘Text Detective’ skills which help you to understand his language
Apply text decoding skills to a wide range of Shakespeare’s text, with the focus on duologues
Experiment with performing Shakespeare & embodying his characters through a range of practical techniques
Refine your soliloquy and monologue skills
Explore the relationship between Shakespeare and modern text

Whether you are inspired or intimidated by Shakespeare, our Acting Lab: Shakespeare is an open space for you to learn new skills or sharpen your craft with a group of like-minded individuals.

Open to anyone aged 18+. No previous experience is necessary- just a sense of curiosity!

Who will I work with?

This course will be led by actor & facilitator Jessica Alade. The bulk of Jess’ work as a professional actor has been in Shakespeare’s much loved plays such as Hamlet, As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (RSC)

Course Dates

The course will run on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm – 9:30pm from 15th April- 13th May 2026.

Cost

£115. All Lab members will receive one free ticket to an OT Main House production.

To ensure that our Community programme remains accessible and open to everyone, we have limited bursary places available for all our participation projects. Please get in contact with Community Director Francesca, at francesca.ellis@orangetreetheatre.co.uk for more information.

For further enquiries please contact our Community Associate Jess Haygarth at jess.haygarth@orangetreetheatre.co.uk