8 week LAMDA Shakespeare Summer School
Overview
Minimum age
18
Academic requirements
None. See below for English language and acting experience requirements.
Location
In person at LAMDA
Accreditation
Two modules at HE level 4, totalling 30 credits.
Course length & dates
Eight weeks, starting 20 June to 12 August 2022
Course fee
For UK applicants: £2,312
For International applicants:
£6,010
Deadline for applications: 10 June 2022
Is this course for me?
If you would like a unique opportunity to experience eight intensive weeks of training at LAMDA focussed on investigating and bringing to life the works of Shakespeare and contemporaries, then this is the course for you!
Delivered face-to-face on the LAMDA campus in West London, the course allows you to experience life and training at LAMDA first-hand, whilst spending a summer in one of the world’s most exciting cities for theatre and culture. You'll gain a true understanding of how to bring Shakespeare's work to life and gather unparalleled knowledge from working with our LAMDA teachers and directors.
Key information
You should have a level of English that is approximately IELTS 6.0. Although English language tests aren't mandatory, we recommend that if you are a non-native English speaker and you do not have IELTS 6.0, then you must have equivalent English language experience.
To get the most from the course you should have some previous acting experience. Our Admissions team may assess these requirements during the application process, via a telephone call.
You can apply for this course through us directly or through the Study Abroad Office of your home university or college. There is no application deadline for this course, but we advise you to apply early, as this course is very popular and places are limited.
- UK: £2312
- International: £6010
If you are offered a place on this course you will need to pay a deposit of 10% within five days of the date of your offer email to secure your place. You will then need to pay the remainder of the course fee within 28 days at the latest.
Please see below for information about our cancellation / refund policy.
Read our skills information sheet and our module specification document for our 8 week Shakespeare course.
LAMDA does not have its own on-site student accommodation, instead an external student housing provider is available in West London for those booked on either the four-week or eight-week Shakespeare summer courses. Rooms are on a first-come, first served basis and you must be over 18 – please contact [email protected] for further information once you have a confirmed place on the course.
All about the course
Working from Monday to Friday 10.00 – 17.30, this busy and exciting timetable is designed to help you develop a deeper understanding of poetic text. The course is split into two projects, lasting 4 weeks each. You will work on both a Shakespeare play as well as on one from his contemporaries.
Alongside your project rehearsals you will receive skills classes, placing emphasis on the vocal techniques required to perform any form of set text, as well as introduce you to contemporary acting techniques used to free the actor and allowing you to find detail when working with poetic language. You will furthermore receive movement classes, stage combat classes as well as music classes, all tailored to understand and unlock the musicality in the language of Shakespeare & Co., as well as freeing you up physically to make bold and embodied choices. At LAMDA we believe in the joy in interrogating the many complexities that surround the classical canon, and we will together explore historical context of Shakespeare and contemporaries then, as well as look at its relevance now. Each project culminates in an internal sharing of a reimagined Shakespeare and contemporaries text through the lens of today.
In addition to the practical classes and rehearsals, the course also includes specialist Masterclasses, as well as an exclusive visit to one of Shakespeare's stomping grounds in London, such as The Globe Theatre or the Tower of London.
Students on this course are usually from all of the world, so you will meet many like-minded international to explore London with.
What will I learn
- Methods to investigate and analyse set text
- Acting techniques and muscularity required for performing the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries
- Stage combat skills
- Embodied, Artist-led Movement classes aimed to free the actor and encourage connection and embodiment of character
- A deep understanding of modern actor training at LAMDA today in relation to an in-depth exploration of Shakespeare & Co.
- A strengthened skill set, an improved sense of confidence, and a clear approach to classical text as a performer, all thanks to the 8-week duration allowing a real in-depth learning experience
- A true sense of what working at LAMDA is like, and how to work, reflect, and progress as an ensemble
Your exact timetable will be produced before the course starts, but here's an example of a day in the life of a Shakespeare Summer School student:
10.00 Technique class (voice/movement)
11.45 Technique class (music/acting)
13.15 Lunch (lunch not provided)
14.15 Scene study rehearsals
17.30 Classes finish
18.30 Private study time for reflection, exploring London, and Theatre trips
Teaching takes place at LAMDA in Barons Court, west London, although due to the current Covid 19 pandemic, some of the course may be altered to accommodate local restrictions, social distancing measures, or a transition to blended learning (a mix of online and onsite delivery) or entirely online learning. Any changes would be communicated to you in advance.
