What is Brooklyn Shakespeare Company?
Spring 2022 Brooklyn Shakespeare Co. Presents THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by OSCAR WILDE begins March 1st
Great question! Brooklyn Shakespeare Company is the after school acting ensemble for tweens and teens Williamsburg has desperately been in need of. A hard core community theater group of young thespians who come together every Tuesday to deepen their acting craft, get cool with Shakespeare, rehearse a play, and create its physical world.
What does a BSC rehearsal process look like?
On our first day of rehearsal we’ll work together to build a true ensemble relationship using theater and improv games to get to know each other and team build. We’ll also dive into the chosen text, getting to know the play from the inside out and prepping for the next week: Auditions. Have no fear! Every role assigned will be of deep importance and filled with learning potential. On our third rehearsal, after parts are announced, we will begin table work. It’s important with any play, but especially with Shakespeare, to take some time with the text to make sure every thought is understood by the ensemble and ready to be played. In our next chunk of rehearsals, we’ll work on our acting craft through Stanislavsky based techniques and exercises and jump into blocking our play. When your character is not in the scene rehearsing, you’ll have an equally important job—working with our master set and costume designer to create the physical world of our play. Much like the troupes of players in Shakesepeare’s day, you are not *just* an actor here. YOU are responsible for all the aspects of the final production, along with all of your ensemble members. And I mean responsible in the fun way of “hey, without me, this play could not have happened.” With blocking completed, lines learned, and costumes, props, and set created, the final weeks of rehearsals will focus on fine tuning, bringing all of you to your character and having fun recording your scenes. The final production will be edited into a movie format to be premiered to the world!
Who is BSC for?
11-15 year olds
The theater curious—“I haven’t done this before, but I’ve wanted to!”
The theater professional (practically) —“This is my 20th play, but I want to go deeper!”
Everyone in between who’d like to grow as an actor, bond with a group of creative peers from other schools and communities, bring to life a classic Shakespeare play, and have A LOT OF FUN
What’s included:
All classes & rehearsals
Tech rehearsals
Premiere performances
A cool t-shirt!
Opportunities in costume and set and costume design, stage management, creative writing, video production, video editing, music production
Working with a professional director and acting coach, who draws from her training in Meisner, Stanislavsky, Suzuki, Chuck Jones technique, and Royal Shakespeare Company
A new community of young actors as passionate about putting on a play as you!
A great resume credit, especially if applying to arts middle and high schools
A deeper relationship with Shakespeare that will serve you in the classroom, theater, and in life
Spring 2022
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Tuesdays 4:15-6PM
March 1-June 14
11 to 15 years old
caitlin
Caitlin Gaspar is a writer, performer, director, and teaching artist. She holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch, studying predominantly with the Atlantic Theater Co. and with a semester at Royal Holloway in Devising. Caitlin works as a teaching artist/director/playwright across the five boroughs through Arts Connection, Opening Act, Creative Arts Music Programs, the Atlantic Theater Co,, and most recently Stand Up! Girls. She has been the resident playwright and director at CAMP in Williamsburg, BK for the last five years, writing new works based on chosen themes for ensembles of 40+ kids and directing through to performance. In 2016, Caitlin was commissioned by the organization Haven Kids Rock to write the book of a rock musical. Through extensive interviews and writing exercises with core members and students, Caitlin wrote the book for Unstoppable which performed sold out shows at the Sheen Center in May 2017 and 2018. Growing up with a penchant for Shakespeare, Caitlin created a replica of the Globe Theater out of popsicle sticks, felt, paint and playmobile when she was ten years old and has never looked back. She is thrilled to bring the joy she experienced as a young thespian to the creation of this merry band of players.
villi
Villi Vilhjalmsson is a visual artist who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Textiles and Industrial Design from the Icelandic Academy of Arts, and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Villi worked as an Assistant Set and Costume Designer at the National Theater of Iceland and the Reykjavik City Theater and did costume and set designs for The People’s Theater in Iceland. Along with his work as an artist Villi has for many years worked as a teaching artist for organizations such as Brooklyn Arts Council, Creative Music Programs, LEAP and Hunter Collage Elementary School. Villi is one of the founders of CAMP and lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
seth
Seth Ginsberg has 20 years of experience as a teaching artist, arts curriculum designer, and professional musician in the New York City area. He founded Creative Music Programs in 2008 to further develop his philosophy and practice of working personally and closely with schools and organizations to build music and arts programs which are best suited to the children and the culture of specific school communities. Seth remains an active teaching artist focusing on American folk music and history, recorder, percussion, Jewish music, and folk music from around the world. Seth is a music consultant and workshop designer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and co-owner of Creative Arts and Music Programs (CAMP), a performing arts day camp in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons who proudly attend NYC public schools.
We are happy to hear from thee!