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‘Blew my mind!’

‘Just amazing and so passionate as a teacher’

Welcome to the Owning Shakespeare Challenge!!

‘That was amazing!’

‘In less than two hours, I feel like I’ve learned more intricacies about it than I ever learnt anywhere else

Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, said that:

‘There is no better way for an actor to train their intellect, body, breathing and skills than by playing Shakespeare. It is an olympic course in acting!’

How right he was.

Whether you are a prospective film or tv actor, passionate about contemporary, musical or classical theatre or indeed, all of the above, a firm grasp on the basics of playing Shakespeare will give you OWNERSHIP like nothing else and OWNERSHIP (we believe) underpins everything the actor does!

Shakespeare need not be difficult, boring or irrelevant – on the contrary you will be amazed at the practical skills that any actor can take from understanding why he wrote the way he did and how that impacts even your next Netflix audition!

You will go from:

Er….

To  

Ah!!!! 

And never fear feeling ignorant or excluded again whenever anyone mentions The Bard! 

Over these 5 sessions you will learn:
  • A whole (and simple!) toolkit taken straight from the world’s leading classical rehearsal rooms you can use for the rest of your life!
  • What verse and prose means
  • Exactly WHY he wrote the way he did and how that directly affects your OWNERSHIP!
  • The simple difference between verse & prose that will level you up massively!
  • How to spot that difference immediately and put that knowledge into effect to make a deep impression on the listener
  • How to create immediate atmosphere and stakes using only what’s on the page
  • How to immediately make solid character choices using Shakespeare’s direction
  • How to spot when the ‘emotional temperature’ changes and what you can do to ‘play the music’ of the scene beautifully

This 5 day challenge is TOTALLY FREE

And is an extraordinarily simple and fun introduction to playing Shakespeare’s verse that has transformed the experience of so many actors. You can do it in one week or as and when you are free.
This is what others are saying:
Mike Alfreds

‘Simon Trinder is an inspiring teacher and a deeply talented actor’

Mike Alfreds – internationally renowned British theatre director (National Theatre, RSC, West End) and author of Different Every night. Named one of the best three directors in the country by Sir Ian McKellen.
Adjoa Andoh

‘When it comes to teaching Shakespeare, Simon is the Don!’

Award winning actor and director, Adjoa Andoh: Richard 2nd (Shakespeare’s Globe), RSC, National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Netflix Bridgerton, Clint Eastwoods Invictus, Dr Who.
Led by award winning Royal Shakespeare Company actor Simon Trinder…
…this 5 session mini course will give you both a specific and universal toolkit that can be taken into any and every play, audition and performance from here on in.

Join us and the many other actors who have found a new love and understanding of Shakespeare’s world and work through ICAT’s Owning Shakespeare Challenge!

Challenge leader:
Simon Trinder has been an actor for over 20 years and has performed regularly with the RSC and Globe theatres since 2001 playing regularly in both the West End and the United States. He won and was nominated for the BBC Carlton Hobbs award, Clarence Derwent Award (Best Supporting Actor on the British Stage) and the Helen Hayes Award (USA). He appears regularly in tv and film as well as musical theatre, most notably Disney’s The Lion King. An incredibly popular practitioner, he founded the Independent Centre for Actor Training (ICAT) and teaches at some of Britain’s leading drama schools. Simon was one of the text coaches to the company of Richard 2nd at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2019.