(Esther French’s article appeared on Folger.edu, 1/13.)
Laura Wayth confesses that she’s never read any of Shakespeare’s plays. But she’s listened to the plays performed over and over, and it’s her keen ear that informs her advice to actors in this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited.
Wayth is Assistant Professor of Theatre at San Francisco State University and the author of a “how-to” book called The Shakespeare Audition: How to Get Over Your Fear, Find the Right Piece, and Have a Great Audition.
In this episode, she exhorts actors to learn how to read Shakespeare’s verse so that they understand the rhythm of each line, the importance of punctuation, and the way that one piece of text should vocally build upon another.