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The landmark five-part video series gives voice to Shakespeare's most beloved and widely known speeches and sonnets performed by a powerhouse ensemble of American and British actors, as they delve into the structure, meaning and power of Shakespeare's language. Aimed at students of literature and theatre arts, each DVD explores a different aspect of Shakespeare's work.
Texts are supplied onscreen as well as in Cicely Berry 's teacher's manual.
5 DVDS: 7 hours, 13 minutes
Save $150 over the individual editions and book!
Includes FREE Cicely Berry's Workbook to the Series
($24.95 value)
$599.00 / £295.00 (UK)
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In this first workshop, Cicely Berry introduces us to the fundamentals of meter and rhythm in Shakespeare. The group discovers how that underlying beat, the iambic pentameter, responds to the different thoughts of a character. Students explore the length of vowels and consonants to feel the muscularity of the language.
With CICELY BERRY and ANDREW WADE, hosted by JEREMY IRONS, and featuring SAMUEL L. JACKSON, CHERRY JONES, CLAIRE DANES, EMILY WATSON, KATE BURTON, HELEN HUNT, LINDSAY DUNCAN, ROBERT SEAN LEONARD, PAUL JESSON, LENNIE JAMES, TRELLIS STEPTER, DIANE VENORA, LOLITA DAVIDOVICH, TOBY STEPHENS, CATHY TYSON, BLYTHE DANNER, DUNCAN BELL and VICTOR GARBER
1 DVD: 1 hour, 21 minutes
$149.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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The group explores how the very choice of language and imagery takes us into the world of the play, and into the inner world of the character. Cicely Berry introduces us to the opening scenes of two of Shakespeare's most powerful plays— A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. Students work on the first three speeches of The Dream where they uncover the hidden passion and sexuality in Shakespeare's language which set the mind's stage for the extraordinary romance of that midsummer night. In Hamlet, the spareness of the language and the spaces within it open our ears to the mystery central to Hamlet's dilemma. We learn how the vocabulary of each play takes us into its unique world. In the darkened rehearsal studio, the opening scene of Hamlet is whispered with stunning impact by Robert Sean Leonard, Toby Stephens, Lennie James and Paul Jesson .
1 DVD: 1 hour, 30 minutes
$149.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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This workshop examines the prose texts in one classic play, Henry V, and in one modern play, Edward Bond's Lear as well as texts from Julius Caesar, Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Macbeth. Cicely Berry opens up the process of integrating the meaning of the text with the motive and intention of the characters.
How do we enter the heightened, extravagant language of Shakespeare and yet feel truthful in today's world? How do performers excite the audience with Shakespeare's rich imagery and dynamic rhythm and yet make it real for the twenty-first century? We assume that a sophisticated intellectual background is required to grapple with Shakespeare. But there is a much deeper, almost primal response, as available to inner city students as to their counterparts in the private school, to the sound and rhythm in Shakespeare's language which arouses our emotions—feelings of anger and sorrow, of passion and laughter.
1 DVD: 1 hour, 36 minutes
$149.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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This workshop is a compilation of all the voice work the group practiced throughout the workshops. This is a rare opportunity to see how professional actors productively prepare their voices during rehearsals and before performances. It is also an unforgettable reminder of the physical nature of language.
1 DVD: 1 hour, 22 minutes
$149.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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The Voice Preparation Workshop offers direct, experienced, and artistically stimulating guidance for students of all ages who wish to explore their vocal potential through the principles articulated in the Working Shakespeare series.
1 DVD: 1 hour, 37 minutes
$129.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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THE WORKBOOK
Cicely Berry's lesson plans give teachers an inside track on how best to utilize the Working Shakespeare workshops in various educational levels and settings.
128 pages
$24.95
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THE SHAKESPEARE SESSIONS
“Focusing on language as the way into Shakespeare's magical world, Barton guides his all-star American cast through intimate workshops where some of the Bard's most famous characters are brought to life. ” — Playbill
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$199.00 / £69.00 (UK)
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TANTALUS: Behind the Mask
“It will enter the Guinness Book of Records either because it's the most awful thing ever to happen, or the longest, or the best.” —Sir Peter Hall
1 DVD: 2 hours, 22 minutes
$69.95 / £39.95 (UK)
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MICHAEL CHEKHOV ON THEATRE and the ART OF ACTING
“You have to teach yourself to act, but Michael Chekhov will give you the necessary tools. . . . They work like a charm. I've used them all along and still do.” —Clint Eastwood
4 CDs: 5 hours
$49.95 / £34.99 (UK)
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UTA HAGEN'S ACTING CLASS
"Ms. Hagen has been confirmed time and again over the last six decades as one of the major American theatrical talents of this century."
-- The New York Times
2 DVDs: 2 hours, 20 minutes
$39.95
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THE BBC ACTING SERIES
THE COMPLETE SIX DVD SET
Includes all six titles in this stimulating landmark series:
ACTING IN FILM with Michael Caine
ACTING IN OPERA with Jonathan Miller
ACTING IN TRAGEDY with Brian Cox
ACTING IN RESTORATION COMEDY with Simon Callow
ACTING IN HIGH COMEDY with Maria Aitken
ACTING IN SHAKESPEAREAN COMEDY with Janet Suzman
Buy the Set and Save $40!
6 DVDS: 6 hours
$199.95 / £99.99 (UK)
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Michael Caine, Acting in Film
“A TREASURE… I'm not going to look at performances quite the same way … A GRAND ENTERTAINMENT with more drama than most movies… HE'S A MARVELOUS TEACHER …A real clear-cut lesson that every critic should see and everybody who goes to the movies should see…” —Gene Siskel, Siskel & Ebert
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$39.95 / £15.99 (UK)
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Maria Aitken, Acting in High Comedy
“A lively session on high comedy, with examples from Coward, Wilde, Sheridan, and Congreve revealing the spark that transforms a routine reading into a vibrant one in a scene from Private Lives, which by the time Aitken has finished with it has attained something close to brilliance.”— The London Times
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$39.95 / £24.99 (UK)
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Jonathan Miller, Acting in Opera
“Through the climactic scene of La Traviata, the good doctor clowned, interpreted, gestured and flung his eminently quotable metaphors at us, and a performance began miraculously to take shape. The problem for singers is that opera is difficult enough as music, let alone as stagecraft. Miller cajoled, joked, visibly eased tensions between contending forces, provided props, explained nuances. By the end, drama had emerged from opera. Magic, underpinned by a great deal of hard work.” – The Listener
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$39.95 / £24.99 (UK)
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Simon Callow, Acting in Restoration Comedy
“Taking scenes from The Relapse by John Vanbrugh as the text, Callow directs a workshop of young actors and subjects them to his own rigorous and scrupulous appraisal.”—Radio Times
1 DVD: 60 Minutes
$39.95 / £24.99 (UK)
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Janet Suzman, Acting in Shakespearean Comedy
“Suzman is a major classical actress; she is also a born teacher….Beneath her flame-coloured hair, Suzman burned, and her students duly caught fire…she persistently came out with striking, stimulating remarks with workshop snippets of Much Ado, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.”— Benedict Nightingale, The London Times
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$39.95 / £24.99 (UK)
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“Tragedy. A rollicking good time he has with it too—menacing whispers, daggers and blood obviously have their funny side, at least with his fascinated young audience. Among the young thespians taking note are Cathy Tyson and the late Lord Olivier's youngest daughter, Tamsin.”— The London Daily Mail
1 DVD: 60 minutes
$39.95 / £24.99 (UK)
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David Craig’s 6 Volume Master Class Video Library
ON SINGING ONSTAGE
“David Craig knows more about singing in the musical theatre than anyone in this country.” —Harold Prince
“What David Craig has contributed to the American musical cannot be estimated in words. It was always strikingly clear when a singer who auditioned for me had been trained by him. David Craig is a must.” —Jerome Robbins
Available as a Boxed Set or Individual Editions
6 VHS Tapes: 90 minutes (each)
& 40-page Study Guide
$184.95
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DESCRIPTION
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LET'S PUT ON A SHOW:
FROM RAISING MONEY TO CREATING AN AUDIENCE
Four Time Tony Winning Producer Stewart F. Lane
“Go ahead: Unleash your inner Max Bialystock. Lane’s guide to theatrical producing gives tips and dishes out dirt like only an insider’s guide can.” —Time Out
“Lane tells you in a highly entertaining fashion how it’s done—or, rather, how it should be done.” —Playbill
$49.95
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DESCRIPTION
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LIBRARY JOURNAL:
“Awe-inspiring and captivating….Experience Shakespeare as it was/is intended by transforming mere words into vivid, thought-provoking emotions.
The viewers are mesmerized by this tiny woman as they witness the joy of fulfillment and revelation of inspired learning on the faces of those she instructs. WORKING SHAKESPEARE is an extremely valuable teaching tool. Academic libraries with strong literature and theater or drama departments would be remiss if they fail to purchase it, in spite of the cost. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.”
BOOKLIST:
“This intensive workshop is an invaluable resource for drama coaches and acting students. Berry’s exercises give teens and teachers a concrete approach to Shakespeare’s works. Berry, who provides commentary between exercises, commands the thespians’ rapt attention as they explore Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets…. Onscreen captions allow viewers to follow along.”
TEACHER LIBRARIAN:
“This is an exceptional series in a single package—one that is direly needed….Practical and filled with useful ideas, exercises, and methods that achieve results.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
“A BARD-TASTIC collection! A thorough master class to maximum understanding and expressiveness….Follow along, do the breathing and vocal exercises, and you’ll feel an increasing resonance in your speaking voice, and Shakespeare will make you want to read—nay, declaim forcefully—Bard hits.”
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES:
“21 high-profile veterans of stage and screen on a mission to brush up their Shakespeare with fabled RSC voice director. A real workout homing in on the use of language, vocal preparation, movement all the hidden aspects of reading and performing Shakesepare….And you don’t have to be an aspiring actor to appreciate these workshops. They have much to offer any theatergoer who wants a real understanding of the plays.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
“Adrenaline flowed freely as the actors pitched into Ms. Berry’s vocal and physical exercises….She guided the actors into becoming a combined force exploring the drama of language.”
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR:
"If you love theater but secretly sleep through Shakespeare, then WORKING SHAKESPEARE just might open your eyes to what you've been missing. This new blockbuster, entertaining as well as educational, is great fun to watch with wonderful insights into one of the greatest poets of the English language. Grade: A"
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