Abstract
The Guildford School of Acting hosted its first research and teaching symposium on 6 June 2014. Exploring the uses of poetry within the context of actor training, the symposium showcased the work of GSA staff and students via a series of vocal, physical and acting workshops. Funded by the Morag Morris Poetry Fund and intended to extend the scope of the AHRC Cultural Value project, the symposium attracted delegates from a wide range of disciplines ranging from psychology to creative writing.The second workshop, led by GSA Head of Postgraduate Studies Jaq Bessell, used modern actor training methodologies (Stanislavski and Meisner) in conjunction with close analysis of early modern dramatic verse forms, seeking to bring together the so-called “two traditions” (Barton) of Shakespearean performance and exploring in detail the way actors “suit the action to the word, the word to the action” (Hamlet). Experiments with the convention of universal lighting in Shakespeare’s theatres asked actors to make specific and active connections with their audience when performing soliloquies and monologues, and questioned many assumptions about the divide between the “two traditions” of classical and contemporary performance.