Practical Information
Class given by the artist-facilitator: Andrew Joseph Richardson
Dates: Wednesdays, from January 28 to April 8 2026, 6:15pm to 8:15pm (no classes on March 4)
Age requirement: Participants must be 18 years or older on the date of the activity
Prerequisite experience: No experience required
Price: $350.00 taxes not included
Notes: This class is offered in English
Questions about the class? Contact us: courspublics@ent-nts.ca
Register today!
Class Description
This Shakespeare course, for people who have some acting experience (including previous public classes at NTS), aims to introduce and investigate the text-rooted principles of poetry and rhetoric. Through games, discussions, and writing, participants will layering these ideas into their physical acting practices.
Each class, we’ll work at the table (analyzing text, character, and plot) and on our feet (diving into sonnets, scenes, and monologues). Participants will work in a spirit of open- mindedness, humility, respect, and fun in this enriching course.
This class will end with an open class to share a glimpse of what the participants have been working on.
Objectives
Participants will understand how to recognize poetic devices beyond Shakespeare (literature, theatre, TV/film, etc). Actors can expand their audition repertoire. The skills the participants develop in this course can be carried forward beyond theatrical practice : listening, creativity, public speaking, critical thinking, writing, etc.
Artist-Facilitator: Andrew Joseph Richardson
A neurodivergent actor, director, dramaturg, and dad, Andrew Joseph Richardson is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (Acting, 2008) and Grant MacEwan College (Theatre Arts, 2000). Originally from amiskwaciy-wâskahikan of Treaty 6 (colonially known as Edmonton) to settler families from different regions of the ‘old’ world, A.J. relocated to Tiotià:ke during the pandemic. He is a co-founder of Shakespeare in the Ruff in Tkaronto.
Selected Theatre Credits —
Acting: Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff), Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare BASH’d), Horatio in Hamlet (Forward Theatre), Rodorigo in Othello (Sound and Fury Theatre);
Directing: Shakespeare in Hospitals Program (Spur of the Moment Shakespeare Collective), Situation Unknown (Guerrilla Ruff Squad/Shakespeare 400);
Dramaturgy: adaptations of Richard II (Dauntless City Theatre), Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare in Action) [Dora nomination, Best TYA 2023], Portia’s Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the Ruff/Hart House Theatre), The Tempest (Shakespeare by the Bow/Theatre Calgary).
“My background in leading courses had been with post-secondary theatre school students or graduates with the Guerrilla Ruff Squad, a program for emerging professional artists run by Shakespeare in the Ruff. I have been teaching public classes at NTS since 2022.”
