2024-25 WINTER & SUMMER SHAKESPEARE INTENSIVES IN PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

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Watch Patrice Francis speak about the
PSC Shakespeare Intensive:

Summer Intensive Special – 15% discount on all fees, excluding room upgrades, to all participants who enroll and pay in full by 31 December, 2024

TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, and SHAKESPEARE in Straford-upon-Avon, London, Prague, Vienna, Bremen, Venice and Genova – 12 total weeks of life-changing transformational theatre in the UK, Czech Republic, Germany and Italy from Prague Shakespeare Company!

2025 Summer Shakespeare Intensives:

UK Shakespeare Experience: 15 – 22 June, 2025
4-Week Prague Session: 23 June – 19 July, 2025
6-Week Prague Session: 23 June – 2 August, 2025
Italian Tour: 3 – 10 August, 2025

2025 Summer Applications deadline May 15, 2025

2024-25 Winter Shakespeare Intensives:

3-Week Prague Session: 16 December, 2024 – 4 January, 2025
4-Week Prague Session: 16 December, 2024 – 11 January, 2025
Tour to Vienna, Austria: 29 – 31 December, 2024 (optional Add-On experience for all participants)
Tour to the Bremer Shakespeare Company (Bremen, Germany): 7 – 9 January, 2025 (included for all 4-Week participants)

2024-25 Winter Applications deadline December 1, 2024

Prague Shakespeare Company is delighted to announce our 2024-25 Winter/Summer Shakespeare Intensives, taking place in Prague, Czech Republic. We are also thrilled to announce we have added an TWO EXTRAORDINARY TOURING & TRAINING EXPERIENCES to our Winter Intensive: to Vienna, Austria and to the Bremer Shakespeare Company in Bremen, Germany. Additionally we offer two extraordinary tour options one week before and one week after our Prague Summer Intensives: Stratford-upon-Avon and London, UK from 16 – 22  June, 2025; and Genoa and Venice, Italy from from 3 – 10 August, 2025.

CLASSIC TRAINING in CLASSIC CITIES – Welcome to Shakespeare Boot Camp!

Open to actors, directors, designers, stage managers, dramaturges and all serious minded theatre artists, WSI/SSI 2024-25 gives you the opportunity to train, study, and perform with master teachers and continental Europe’s premiere English-language classical theatre: Prague Shakespeare Company for a transformational classical theater training and mentorship experience, while immersing yourself and performing in some of Europe’s most historically significant and culturally important cities and venues. PSC Intensive performances will take place at the Czech Republic National Theatre’s Estates Theatre, Divadlo Bez Zabradli, Divadlo Na Pradle, Prague Castle and in Genoa and Venice, Italy

Participants complete their “Shakesperience” with a professional Prague Shakespeare Company production credit(s) added to their resume. Students enrolled in the 6-Week Summer /4-Week Winter session will appear in/work on TWO productions during the training period. Students enrolled in the 4-Week Summer/3-Week Winter session will appear in/work on ONE production during the training session. All productions are featured as part of Prague Shakespeare Company’s 2024-25 Season and allow participants to work alongside professional PSC artists and Intensive faculty, performing in the heart of Prague.

2025 SUMMER PRODUCTIONS
2025 Summer 6-Week and 4-Week Production Session 1**:
As You Like It directed by Suzanne Dean
Macbeth directed by Philip Burrows and Nicolette Bethel
Timon of Athens directed by Kevin Hopkins and Claire Nichols
Arden of Faversham directed by Matthew Davies
Richard II directed by Alasdair Hunter
Henry IV, part 1 directed by Carolyn and Jim Johnson
Title TBA directed by Lisa Wolpe
Title TBA directed by Christopher Edwards

2025 Summer 6-Week Production Session 2**:
The Tempest directed by Kiara Pipino – also Italy tour
The Merchant of Venice directed by Guy Roberts and Alasdair Hunter – also Italy tour
Romeo and Juliet directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky – also Italy tour
Title TBA directed by Christine Schmidle
Title TBA directed by Jeff Mills

**Additional titles/directors announced depending on enrollment in Spring 2025

2024-25 WINTER PRODUCTIONS
A Midwinter Night’s Dream (All Participants)
Directed by Guy Roberts
Estates Theater (Czech National Theatre)
27 December, 2024

A Midwinter Night’s Dream (optional special touring version open to All Participants)
Directed by Guy Roberts
Tour to Atlier Theater in Vienna, Germany
29-31 December, 2024

A Midwinter Night’s Dream (4-Week Participants only)
Directed by Guy Roberts
Tour to the Bremer Shakespeare Company in Bremen, Germany
7-9 January, 2025

Intensive students also have the option to attend professional Czech productions at various Czech theatres such as the Summer Shakespeare Festival at Prague Castle, Divadlo Bez Zabradli, Divadlo Na Zabradli, Svandovo Divadlo and the National Theatre of the Czech Republic


Tour to Vienna, Austria & the Bremer Shakespeare Company in Bremen, Germany – Winter 2025
Perform and Train with Europe’s oldest Shakespeare Company
We are delighted to announce that the 2024-25 Winter Intensive production will offer TWO INCREDIBLE TOURING and TRAINING opportunities to Vienna, Austria and to the world-famous Bremer Shakespeare Company in Bremen, Germany! Participants may add an optional touring experience to Vienna, Austria to perform a special touring version of A Midwinter Night’s Dream at the Atlier Theater and also participate in a special Master Class led by Lisa Gray and other Viennese theatre artists. Additionally all participants joining our Vienna Tour will enjoy a visit to the world-famous Schönbrunn Palace as part of the experience. This unique opportunity to train and perform in Vienna is available to ALL participants for an additional base cost of $400.  Now celebrating their 40th year anniversary, the Bremer Shakespeare Company is Europe’s oldest Shakespeare theatre. Participants in our 4-Week Winter Intensive will take the show on the road and perform A Midwinter Night’s Dream at the bsc on 8 January. Additionally all participants will join bsc actors, designers and artists for Master Class training sessions in the special bsc style of working and creating stunning first-class Shakespeare productions. All performance, training, travel to and accommodation in Bremen, as well as breakfast and dinner daily, are covered by the standard tuition and room and board fees, so this unique training and performance experience is available to all 4-Week Participants at NO EXTRA CHARGE! 

New UK Touring Option – Summer 2025
Start your Shakespeare Journey in Stratford-upon-Avon and London
Students begin their 2025 Summer Shakespeare Intensive experience in Stratford-upon-Avon where internationally recognized Shakespeare and theatre expert, Professor Paul Prescott, will personally lead students into a deep dive of Shakespeare’s origins in Stratford-upon-Avon and subsequent journey to London. In Stratford-upon-Avon, students will have daily classes on a wide range of Shakespeare topics led by Professor Prescott, PSC Artistic Director Guy Roberts and others including internationally renowned Dr Paul Edmondson, Head of Research for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Afternoons are filled with field trips to iconic Shakespeare locations such as the Shakespeare Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Mary Arden’s Farm, Holy Trinity Church, Shakespeare’s Schoolroom, and a backstage tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the evenings students will attend a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Students will be housed in the center of Stratford-upon-Avon with breakfast and dinner provided daily. Students are on their own for lunch and may explore Stratford-upon-Avon during this time. On Thursday 19 June, 2025 students will travel by coach to London for three more days of performances and tours at Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s West End and the Royal National Theatre. On Sunday 22 June, 2025 students will journey to Gatwick airport where they will all travel as a group to Prague, Czech Republic to begin the next step in their Shakespeare journey – the 2025 Prague Summer Shakespeare Intensive. Please Note: All travel within the UK and from London to Prague are covered as part of the student’s tuition payments. Breakfast and dinner and all fees for tours and site visits in Stratford-upon-Avon and London as well as all performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe,  and London’s West End are included in student’s Tuition and Room and Board fees. The PSC Stratford-upon-Avon & London experience is only available to PSC Intensive Alums and PSC 2025 SSI 6-Week and 4-Week session participants.

New Italian Touring Option – Summer 2025
Tour to Italy with SSI Productions
Students may also join the 2025 SSI Touring Company and perform in and travel to Italy at the end of the Prague Intensive experience. Participants in the Italian tour will visit, train and perform in Liguria (Genoa) and attend a performance at Lunaria Teatro. While in Liguria, participants will have a free time to explore Genoa, Rapallo and Portofino. Then the SSI and Italian adventure culminates with 3 days in Venice where students will study and perform Commedia dell’arte at Teatro a l’Avogaria’s Giovanni Poli School. This unique Italian experience gives participants the valuable addition of adding a touring element to their training – giving direct, first-hand knowledge on the ins and outs of international touring. Please note the Italy tour option is only available to 6-Week participants. The productions selected for the 2025 SSI Italy Touring Company are The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet, although more productions and performances may be added based upon demand.


ADVANCED, STANDARD and EMERGING TRAINING TRACKS

The 2024-25 Shakespeare Intensives will offer participants three tracks: one for EMERGING newcomers to theater studies, a STANDARD track for individuals in the training phase of their careers and another for ADVANCED participants of acting, directing, stage design and management. Advanced participants are typically already working professionally and members of professional theatre unions such as Actor’s Equity, British Equity, SAG-AFTRA, etc. and/or also graduates of (or currently enrolled in) MFA theatre programs.  Students may enroll directly in the Emerging and Standard Tracks. Admission to the Advanced Track is by audition or portfolio submission only. The Advanced Training Track has been especially created for artists with professional credits and/or those who have graduated or are currently enrolled in MFA theatre training programs. To be accepted into the Advanced Training program, applicants must submit an audition (actors) or a portfolio (all others). The Emerging and Standard Training Tracks are open to anyone interested in learning more about Shakespeare and immersing themselves in the world of Shakespeare and theatre.

INTENSIVE CORE CLASSES & ELECTIVES – CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE AND AREAS OF FOCUS

In addition to core classes for all participants in Acting Shakespeare, Voice and Movement, Intensive students customize their training and maximize time with particular instructors by selecting ELECTIVES based on their own personal areas of interest. Weekly Master Classes in a variety of subjects are also offered to all students. Electives offered subject to instructor availability & participant demand. Planned 2024-25 Intensive core classes, electives and Master Classes include (among others TBA):

  • Advanced and Introductory Acting Shakespeare – ongoing core class
  • Advanced and Introductory Voice – ongoing core class
  • Advanced and Introductory Movement – ongoing core class
  • Mask
  • Clown
  • Stage Combat – including rapier, broadsword, archery, historic firearms and more
  • Intimacy Direction and Best Practices
  • Film & TV Casting
  • First Folio Shakespeare
  • Commedia
  • Shakespeare & Gender Neutral, Gender Conscious and non-Binary artists
  • Shakespeare for English as a second language speakers
  • Original Practices
  • Meisner technique for Classical Acting
  • Michael Chekhov technique for Classical Acting
  • Ivana Chubbuck technique for Classical Acting
  • Mindfullness and Yoga for Artists
  • Viewpoints for Classical Acting
  • Devising New Work
  • Shakespeare & Film
  • Directing Shakespeare
  • Fight Direction for Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Audition Workshop
  • Self Tapes and Virtual Auditions
  • Agents, Marketing and Social Media for Theatre Artists
  • Shakespeare’s Rhetoric
  • Dialects for screen: (including High Valyrian and Dothraki from Game of Thrones)
  • Dramaturgy for Shakespeare
  • Scenic Design for Shakespeare
  • Light Design for Shakespeare
  • Costume Design for Shakespeare
  • Stage Management
  • Shakespeare Staged Readings – public performance!
  • Karaoke Shakespeare – public performance!
  • Pop-Up Shakespeare – public performance!

Classes are Monday through Friday from 10am-5pm with Fridays reserved for one-on-one tutorials, rehearsals and Master Classes. Master Classes with leading members of U.S., U.K. and European stages are held every week. Rehearsals for the PSC 2024-25 Season productions are typically Monday through Friday from 6:30pm-10pm and Saturdays from 10am-6pm. Saturday evenings and Sundays are free to enjoy Prague and the Czech Republic!

  • BUILD your understanding and mastery of playing Shakespeare’s great poetry on stage, through performance of some of the greatest Shakespearean characters and scenes
  • DEEPEN your range, strength and personal connection to your voice through the detailed voice, text and speech work
  • STUDY with Czech fight masters and stunt experts – working hand to hand and armed combat
  • EXPAND your physical acting vocabulary through explorations of Puppetry, Mask, Clown and other European Physical Theatre traditions
  • STRENGTHEN your resume with professional Prague Shakespeare Company 2024-25 Season credits
  • ENJOY theater, opera, dance and music events throughout the city (tickets provided at optional charge)
  • VISIT the great historical Prague sights including Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, Alchemy Museum, and the Astronomical Clock of old town square
  • TRAVEL to the UK and experience Shakespeare’s birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal National Theatre in London
  • TOUR to Austria, Germany & Italy and experience life on the road with unforgettable experiences of training and performing in Vienna, Bremen, Genova and Venice
  • GAIN valuable professional advice from one-on-one PSC actor-mentors
  • PLAY in one of the most dynamic night-life cultures in the world

THE 2024-25 INTENSIVE INSTRUCTORS (others TBA soon)
Professional Master Teachers from around the World:

  • Leraldo Anzaldua, Fight Director, Actor, & Motion Capture Specialist – Fight Master Society of American Fight Directors
  • Irwin Appel, Artistic Director Naked Shakes; Professor BFA Actor Training, UC Santa Barbara; Actor, Director, Composer/Sound Designer, graduate of The Juilliard School – Oregon Shakespeare, Utah Shakespeare, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Hartford Stage, Prague Shakespeare and numerous others
  • Doreen Bechtol, Actor, Director & Movement specialist –  MFA Company Manager and Director of Training for the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University; American Shakespeare Center – ten years both as a performer and choreographer in the Resident Troupe at the Blackfriars Playhouse; Member of ATHE, SDC, and SETC
  • Dani Bedau, Director, playwright – Mark Taper Forum, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, SDSU
  • Eva Bellefueille, Resident Costume Designer – Prague Shakespeare Company & Amazon’s Wheel of Time
  • Dr. Nicolette Bethel, Director & Festival Director Shakespeare in Paradise (Bahamas)
  • Nancy Bishop, CSA, Emmy award winning Casting Director – Borat 2, Mission Impossible and over 100 major feature film and TV projects
  • John Blondell, Director – Shakespeare’s Globe London, National Theatres of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, and numerous other International Festivals
  • Katherine Steele Brokaw, Co-Founder – Shakespeare in Yosemite, Professor – University of California, Merced
  • Philip Burrows, Director & Artistic Director Shakespeare in Paradise (Bahamas)
  • Debra Ann Byrd, Actor, Director, Artistic Director – Harlem Shakespeare Festival
  • Thomas Chaanhing, Actor – Netflix’s Marco Polo and Amazon Prime’s White Dragon among numerous other theatre, film & TV
  • Kalyan Choudhury, Actor, Clown & Director – Theatreact, Prague Shakespeare Company, Bollywood
  • Laura Cole, Actor & Education Director – Atlanta Shakespeare Company/Shakespeare Tavern
  • Swati Das, Actor & Director – multiple award-winning Bollywood films, Theatreact, Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Matthew Radford Davies, Actor & Director – American Shakespeare Center, Associate Director – Actors from the London Stage
  • Suzanne Dean, Actor, Director, Co-Artistic Director – Shakespeare by the Sea/Little Fish Theatre,  Creator – Globetrotting Shakespeare, Producer  – Rebelfilm Productions
  • Lue Douthit, Executive Director & Dramaturg – Play On! Shakespeare, 25 years Oregon Shakespeare Festival Director or Literary Development & Dramaturgy
  • Christopher Edwards, Director & Artistic Director – Actor’s Shakespeare Project, London’s West End, Off-Broadway, The National Theatre of Oslo in Norway, John Houseman’s The Acting Company in NYC, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare, Shakespeare and Company and the Guthrie Theatre
  • Markéta Fantová, Artistic Director – Prague Quadrennial; Scenic and Lighting Designer
  • Brendon Fox, Director – Old Globe, Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Houston Shakespeare Festival
  • Patrice Francis, Actor & Playwright – Shakespeare in Paradise (Bahamas), Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Linda Gates, Head of Voice, Northwestern University (July & Combined session only)
  • Gregory Gudgeon, Actor & Director – Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe, West End, Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Jovanna Hepburn, Actor & Director – Shakespeare in Paradise (Bahamas), Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Kevin Hopkins, Director, Actor & Educator – Australian Shakespeare Company (June/July & Combined session only)
  • Alasdair Hunter, Director – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – Shakespeare’s Globe, Tron Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, and Connections Director Royal National Theatre
  • Scott Jackson, Mary Irene Ryan Executive Artistic Director – Shakespeare at Notre Dame
  • Přemysl Janda, Lighting Designer – Czech Republic National Theatre
  • Carolyn Johnson, Actor, Director, Voice Production, Dialect and Accent Expert – AccentHelp
  • Jim Johnson, Dialect & Accent expert – AccentHelp and professor University of Houston
  • Samantha Kaufman, Intimacy, Fight, Movement Director, Circus Specialist & Actor – Certified Intimacy Director – Intimacy Directors International
  • Jennifer King, Actor, Director – Artistic Director – Shakespeare Napa Valley
  • Jennifer Le Blanc, Actor, Director & Playwright – Denver Center, Pacific Rep, ACT, Arabian Shakespeare, Livermore Shakespeare among numerous others
  • Kymberly Mellen, Actor & Director – Utah Shakespeare, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Writer’s Theatre, Steppenwolf,
  • Jeff Mills, Director, Actor, Professor & Movement Specialist – DePaul University, Denver Center Theater Company, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
  • Andrea Miltnerová, Baroque Dance Specialist, Czech Republic National Theatre
  • Kathryn Moncrief, Dramaturge, Voice Coach, and Head of Arts – Worcester Polytechnic Institue
  • Josh Morrison, Director, Actor, Associate Artistic Director – Stages Repertory Company
  • Taylor Napier, Actor – Prague Shakespeare Company Associate Artist and Amazon’s Wheel of Time
  • Claire Nicholls, Actor, Director, Educator – Australian Shakespeare Company
  • Petr Nůsek, Master Fight Director, ARGO
  • Detra Payne, Actor, Professor – Northwestern; MFA New School for Drama, multiple profession credits New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Memphis, Dallas/Ft. Worth specializing in The Meisner Technique, Suzuki Method, and The Method formulated by Lee Strasberg
  • Kiara Pipino, Artistic Director – Valle Christi International Theatre Festival – Italy (July & Combined session only)
  • Paul Prescott, Shakespeare Consultant – Royal National Theatre (UK); Associate Director – Global Shakespeare; Author & professor, University of Warwick, UC Merced, numerous books and publications
  • Debs Ramser, Production Stage Manager – Houston Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, TUTS, Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Guy Roberts, Actor, Director & Artistic Director – Prague Shakespeare Company, numerous Award-winning US and international productions, Amazon’s The Wheel of Time
  • Paige Rogers, Director & Actor, Co-Founder The Cutting Ball Theater (San Francisco) – The Kennedy Center, Trinity Repertory Company, McCarter Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Grotowski Institute and multiple others.
  • Jon Savage, Scenography & Scenic Design – Broadway, Huntington Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, The Kennedy Center, English National Opera, Marie Antoinette Theatre, Versailles, FR. TV & Film includes
    John Adams Miniseries, HBO; And Just Like That, HBO MAX; Julia Season 2, MAX and Heartworm shot on location on Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Member USITT and OISTAT. Resident Artist Actors Shakespeare Project
  • Christine Schmidle, Director & Text Specialist – Shakespeare’s Globe, Neuss Festival, American Shakespeare Center & Flagstaff Shakespeare
  • Gwendolyn Schwinke, Resident Vocal Coach – PlayMakers Repertory Company, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher
  • Ron Severdia, Award-winning actor and Shakespeare coach, creator of PlayShakespeare.com and the popular Shakespeare Pro and Scriptigo apps
  • Dawn Stern, Actor, Director, Playwright, Teaching Artist, Shakespeare and Social Justice advocate, Association of Performing Arts Professionals Fellow, and COO of the non-profit DE-CRUIT. 
  • Rupesh Tillu, Master Clown, Actor, Director & Filmmaker – Clowns Without Borders, Theatreact, UNESCO Center for Peace, Prague Shakespeare Company
  • Dmitry Troyanovsky, Director & Chair Brandeis University – Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, Asolo Rep, Moscow Arts Center, Actor’s Shakespeare Project
  • Rosie Ward, Actor & Voice Specialist – Royal Central School, Houston Shakespeare, Utah Shakespeare, Prague Shakespeare
  • Bree Welch, Actor, Director – Alley Theatre, Old Globe, Prague Shakespeare Company Associate Artist
  • Stephan Wolfert, MFA, MSW, Actor, Director, Mental Health Expert and Coach – Broadway, Cirque du Soliel, multiple Off-Broadway and US Regional credits. His solo show Cry Havoc toured the world and won awards in Houston, Fort Worth, New York City, Italy and The Berkshire Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor. Founder of DE-CRUIT®: an evidence-based, award-winning program treating trauma using Shakespeare and science.
  • Lisa Wolpe, Director, Actor & LGBTQ Activist – Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Globe, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and many others (July & Combined session only)
  • Renee E. Yancey, Production Manager & Stage Manager – Boston University (MFA Production Management & BFA Stage Management programs head); Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre. Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Stage Managers’ Association (Eastern Region Director), and the Production Manager’s Forum.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE 2024-25 SUMMER & WINTER SHAKESPEARE INTENSIVE

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE 2024-25 INTENSIVE FACULTY

CLICK HERE TO READ HOW TO APPLY

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT FEES

CLICK HERE FOR PAYMENT & ONLINE REGISTRATION

To APPLY TODAY and MORE INFORMATION contact us at training@pragueshakespeare.org