SHAKESPEARE
YOUNG COMPANY

Yes! Unlike the Theatre Training workshops, you will need to audition to become a part of this programme of work. Potential members will need to prepare 15 lines of Shakespeare and attend one of our auditions. Auditions are held twice per year at The Dream Factory. Places are very limited and only a small number will be invited to join each year.

Of course – many return with a vengeance! We can only offer a small number of places following each audition, so you should adopt a very persistent attitude – as would be reflected in the adult arts world.

No – SYC is a special programme that is only available to fully registered members of Playbox Theatre. Work in this programme builds upon experiences and techniques gained in the Theatre Training Programme. It doesn’t replace this core work.

The course is directed by Playbox’s Consultant & Executive Directors, Stewart McGill and Mary King. Stewart and Mary are also the Founding Directors of Shakespeare Young Company itself. Occasionally, colleagues from across the industry will join the team to offer specialist approaches to specific modules. Every element of the course is created under the directors’ supervision. To find out more about Stewart and Mary, please have a look at their biographies on the ‘Team’ page of our website.

Shakespeare is at the heart of this course, but we do reach out to his contemporaries, those who influenced him and those her were influenced by him. Recently we have cast our eyes on Seneca, Marlowe, Kyd, Webter and as far back as Chaucer. Shakespeare cannot exist within a bubble of his own, and we enjoy exploring his work in relation to those of other influential, classical authors.

Both courses are a part of Shakespeare Young Company. ‘Pucks’ is the foundation programme – generally, but not exclusively, for younger members. Everyone must take part in ‘Pucks’ before moving up to the full SYC session. Within ‘Pucks’, actors explore text, themes and potential staging, working at a high level, but always appropriate for their age and experience. ‘Pucks’ is the gateway to SYC and is absolutely vital to the training.

Unlike the Theatre Training workshops, text is the root of ‘SYC’ and will always be the core of the training. From the plays to the sonnets, poems and source material, SYC explores, decodes, pulls apart and reimagines the text.

Of course – this is not a workshop for academics! SYC welcomes young people with a burning desire to explore, experiment and argue about the playwright, his times and his works. We would need all members to care passionately about the work we are exploring…and to really devote themselves to the material.

Whilst there is no set format for a workshop, you can expect your session to involve voice, text, movement, argument and discussion…with themes being explored and many ideas being tried. Your workshop will never be predictable.

Each year we stage one or two major productions, alongside studio shows, with possible outdoor and touring options. This year, we will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as our largescale work, and Shakespeare’s Lost Children as an intensive promenade work for a conference at University Of Warwick. On Midsummer Night, our creation ‘Ring Of Fire’ will play at midnight…so you can see that there are lots of opportunities to share work. We must point out that the major productions are auditioned for, and are usually open to the wider population of Playbox. Casting and roles are not guaranteed when the audition is open to all members.

As with all Playbox Theatre training programmes, the studio doors will open from time to time, for invited guests to come and see what you’ve been working on, in addition to specific presentations.