Anybody here a really good Shakespearean actor/actress?

Question

How did you become a Shakesperian actor? Can someone have this taltent naturally? What roles have you played in what plays?

Answer 1

I am considered to be a pretty good Shakespearean actor. Most of my acting career has been Shakespeare. I've done over 20 Shakespeare plays. I've played minor comic roles (Verges in Much Ado), lovers (Demetrius in Midsummer) and heroic leads (Henry V), but my best archetype is "the hero's best friend" (Horatio, Kent in Lear, Canidius in Antony & Cleopatra).

I think my biggest strength is my grasp of the text. I'm good at untangling his convoluted syntax and I remember the meanings of words well. So I'm able to say the text in a way that the audience can understand.

That's something that can be learned. You have to read the plays and think about what each sentence means. I find that acting in the plays is the best way to learn that, because it means you spend many hours in rehearsal paying very close attention to the lines.

Directing is even better. You are responsible for every line of the play, and you end up intimately familiar with it. When you go back to acting, you understand it better.

Beyond that, there's just being a good actor. There's a lot to learn: voice, movement, understanding your emotions. That's done the usual way, with classes and practice and advice from directors.

Then pay special attention to learning how to get from Shakespeare's stylized but beautiful text to a realistic performance. My style is to use modern acting styles with Shakespeare. Don't think of it as poetry. Every moment should be just as real as if you were doing a modern play. It works surprisingly well, and you'll even discover places where it works much better today than it could have 400 years ago.

Answer 2

Most actors, I believe, would not categorize themselves as "Shakespearean" actors or "Comedic" actors or any other specific type of actor because a good actor should be able to do any type of role in any type of play. However, there are many actors who's talents lend themselves better to Shakespearean roles than, perhaps, other actors.

Most good actors come by their talent naturally, although a great deal of study & practice is needed to refine & fully develop that talent.

I have been an (amateur) actor since high school (I'm over 50 now) and have only done Shakespear twice - Julius Caesar & as McDuff in McBeth. I found Shakespear to be the most challenging acting experiences for me for 2 basic reasons. Mastering & interpretating lines & memorizing dialog is very challenging. Because the language is so different from today's conversational English, it doesn't flow easily and makes it difficult to interact, listen to, reply to & converse with the other characters. Also, Shakespear's plays have been performed time & again for several hundred years. The dialog is classic, well known and unchangeable. You can't ad lib, change a word, mis-pronounce a word, etc. Further your performance can & will be compared to the countless other actors who have done that role. Mel Gibson did a film version of Hamlet a few years back and was criticized, compared, & measured against every other well known actor who had done the role in the past - including the great Lawrence Olivier. Not many actors are willing to take on that challenge.

If you really want to become a "Shakespearean" actor, my advice would be to just become an "actor" first. Study acting, practice acting, perform in school plays, community theater, college theater, etc. and develop your skills as an actor. Then any role, including Shakespearean, can be an open door for you.

Answer 3

In high school competition I have competed with Shakesperian monologues. My favorite being Juliet's "vial scene" from Romeo and Juliet.

I'm not sure if you can say the talent can come naturally, but I think some people are more susceptible to understanding Shakesperian language and the motives/emotions behind his characters. I had no previous Shakesperian teachings or knowledge besides the love of his work before I performed as Juliet.

I think the best thing you can do to in order to better you interest in Shakesperian acting is to understand the language (most important when acting in shakespere) and like in most acting understand your character. Tones are also very important in Shakespere because of the way he creates such imagery with his words. If the character is speaking of a dark subject, and serious tone that paints a picture for the audience is highly suggested to attempt.

I have a good friend that was cast as Hamlet and one thing I learned from him, is that, with some characters you have to put everything you know behind about yourself and let yourself go completely into the character (especially with character like hamlet).

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

"Really good" is in the eye of the beholder. As actors, we become accustomed to letting the audience tell us whether we're good or not.

I became a Shakespearean actor many years ago. I loved the theatre, and I loved literature, so it was a perfect fit for me. And, the more I did, the better I got, and I started to discover one additional benefit of being a "specialist": somewhere out there, somebody is ALWAYS doing Shakespeare. It became easier and easier for me to string together jobs. During one stretch of my professional acting career, I did 18 shows in a 3-year period...and 16 of them were Shakespeare!

Here are some of the roles I've played: Iago, Richard II, Petruchio, Macduff, Touchstone, Laertes, and Benedick. There are lots more, but those are among the most memorable for me.

Answer 5

Surely thou hast seen this man before; 'Tis Friar Lawrence, that some will now abhor. In darkest cell he quietly abides Accus-ed of fair Juliet's demise. Our hearts are sore and full of weeping tears; We've known the gentle Friar all these years And know well many flies remain untouch'd By his hand. Oh, gentle soul debauched! Avuncular was he to her - or more, Perhaps Paternal. He lov'd her to the core. But this, alas, would cause her to expire; Extinguished like a candle's fleeting fire. But Lo! We have received exclusive right to tell his tale of woe - tune in tonight!

Answer 6

Good question. I believe you can have a natural affinity for and understanding of Shakespeare (especially the language) that will enable you to play it well.

Some people may have it naturally, but it is a skill that can be learned.

How to become one? Study, study, study, practice, practice, practice.

Answer 7

i've never acted in a Shakespear play before, but it just sound
like regular acting with out dated words