8 week LAMDA Shakespeare Summer School
Overview
8 week Shakespeare Summer School
We are running this course in-person at LAMDA, Monday 19 June - Friday 11 August 2023.
The course is worth 8 credits for US students.
Highlights
Work on two projects; a Shakespeare play and a play written by one of his contemporaries.
Skills classes in vocal technique, contemporary acting techniques used to free the actor, movement classes, stage combat classes and music classes.
You'll benefit from specialist masterclasses and field trips with your fellow course mates to Stratford-upon-Avon, The Globe Theatre and The Tower of London.
Is this course for me?
Minimum age 18. No academic requirements, but there are English language requirements.
Acting experience is required, but it does not have to be professional.
For those who want to experience LAMDA training, a summer in London and learn how to perform any Shakespearean texts.
Location
In-person at LAMDA
Accreditation
8 credits [US]
Two modules at HE level 4, totalling 30 credits.
Course fee
For UK applicants: £2,312
For International applicants:
£6,010
Application fee: £21
Course length & dates
Eight weeks, starting Monday 19 June - Friday 11 August 2023
Application deadline: Friday 9 June 2023 at 3pm [BST, UK]. This deadline may be subject to change if the course is full ahead of this date, a waiting list made be used.
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 his 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.
This course includes the following field trips:
- Overnight trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to take a tour of Anne Hathaway's cottage, watch two productions at the RSC, As You Like It in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Omar Elerian and The Empress, written by Tanika Gupta in the Swan Theatre, directed by Pooja Ghai.
- Workshop at The Globe Theatre with the opportunity to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Pentabus Theatre’s Artistic Director Elle While and featuring Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre's Artistic Director Michelle Terry as Puck.
- A visit to the home of the crown jewels at The Tower of London.
Where you'll visit while on the course
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.
This course is designed with international students in mind. However, a small number of places are available for those from the UK.
- UK Tuition Fee: £2312
- International Tuition Fee: £6010
- Application fee: £21
If you are offered a place on this course you will need to pay a deposit within five days of the date of your offer email to secure your place:
Home/UK deposit: £232
International deposit: £610
You will then need to pay the remainder of the course fee within 28 days at the latest.
The accommodation fees on this course are in addition to the tuition fees mentioned on this page.
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.
An external student housing provider is available in West London for those booked on either the four-week or eight-week Shakespeare summer courses as LAMDA does not have its own on-campus accommodation.
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.
The accommodation fees for this course are in addition to the tuition fees mentioned on this page.
All about the course
Working from Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:30, this busy and exciting timetable is designed to help you develop a deeper understanding of classical 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 & his contemporaries, 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 text from Shakespeare and one of his contemporaries through the lens of today.
In addition to the practical classes and rehearsals, the course also includes specialist Masterclasses, as well as a field trip with your course mates.
Students on this course are usually from all of the world, so you will meet many like-minded international students 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
