William Shakespeare, the most famous playwright of all time. Renowned for his poetic genius and timeless plays, continues to captivate audiences centuries after his works were penned. With its distinctive language, and performance conventions, the challenge of performing improvised Shakespeare is a lofty one, but a challenge with great rewards for both the performers and audience watching.
But how difficult is it? As is the case when improvising any particular genre, knowledge is power and watching and reading lots of Shakespeare will enable you to identify more of the conventions and language which you should include on stage.
Shakespearean language is characterized by its poetic rhythms, rich vocabulary, and intricate wordplay. When improvising Shakespeare, actors must immerse themselves in the language, embracing its unique cadence and nuances. Certainly, at a very basic level you can get away with the inclusion of the occasional thou and thee, but you’ll want to take this a lot further for true success. By becoming comfortable with the language, performers can fluidly construct improvised lines that maintain the essence of Shakespeare’s style while adapting to the scene at hand. I’d recommend looking up Shakespearean terms and their direct modern meaning to know how to put them to best effect.
Understanding the characters is vital to your success. When improvising Shakespeare, actors must have a strong understanding of Shakespearean character types and their motivations. While improvisation allows for creative interpretations, a solid grasp of the characters’ traits and objectives is crucial to maintain the authenticity and integrity of the performance. This understanding enables actors to stay true to the spirit of the characters while adapting to the spontaneous nature of improvisation. So even if you’re doing a scene set in a supermarket, but need to perform it in a Shakespearean style, you’ll want make your character fit in with the actions and motivations that would be true if the character was written by the Bard.
Mastering the tropes will impress your audience. Shakespeare’s plays are known for their recurring themes, such as love, power, and ambition. Including these kinds of story elements in what you improvise will give the show a vibe of a history or a tragedy. Light hearted stock characters like Falstaff or characters being pursued by bears will give the vibe of a comedy. By repurposing key ideas and moments into what you create, the audience will recognise it as a lost Shakespeare play.
Improvising Shakespeare will be a collaborative endeavour that requires strong teamwork and communication among the actors. The performers must listen attentively. There is a lot of room for poetry and rhythm in the language and if you are able to get this from dialogue from more than one actor at a time it will seem like magic. This collaborative creativity enhances the improvisation, ensuring that the scenes flow smoothly and maintain the essence of Shakespeare’s works.
While improvising Shakespeare allows for spontaneity, it is important to strike a balance between structure and creativity. Incorporating familiar Shakespearean elements, such as iambic pentameter or poetic devices, can provide a foundation for improvisation while maintaining the distinct Shakespearean atmosphere. This balance allows for the freedom of improvisation while staying true to the spirit of Shakespeare’s writing.
I would suggest that your improv team rehearse the heck out of improvising Shakespeare before you advertise your first longform show in this style. Spend sessions going over the language you typically find in his plays and also the themes, physicality and other conventions which are typical in modern performances of Shakespeare’s plays.
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