Summer on The Lawn:
The 8th Shakespeare Seminar
sharper than a
serpent's tooth
Charlottesville, Virginia
June 25 - June 29, 2008
Open for registration.
We encourage early registration as space is limited. If space is available after June 10, a late registration fee may apply.
Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
Think you’ve seen it all when it comes to Shakespeare? Think again! This 360-degree view of the Bard will take you beyond books and lectures and put you inside the mind, heart and work of the world’s ultimate and enduring man of letters.
Experience the best of both worlds as you study and live in the heart of Jefferson’s “Academical Village” on The Lawn at The University of Virginia, then head over the mountain to the pure magic that is Staunton’s internationally-acclaimed American Shakespeare Center. There, in the world’s only authentic recreation of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars Playhouse, you will enjoy remarkable access to a talented troupe of 13 actors and explore every aspect of the creative process.
World-renowned Shakespeare director, educator and A.S.C. Executive Director Ralph Cohen will take you behind-the-scenes, in front of them and in the middle of the action. Take the directing reins to explore a scene as you might envision it. Test the formidable and typically adaptable talents of the ensemble to engage in a bit of recasting.
Each day brings a new play…the trio of King Lear, Twelfth Night and Measure for Measure make up this year’s repertory. After delving in to the details by day, you’ll sit back and soak up the scenes by evening, then awake the next morning to exercise your critical skills in always-lively post-mortem chats.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
- Explore Shakespeare both as playwright and an actor.
- Examine the authentic workings of a true Shakespearean troupe and see the magic of the Bard built from the ground up. Work with these actors as they audition and cast roles, interpret scenes, and live with Shakespeare on a daily basis.
- Listen to and participate in a full range of critiques and discussions with an accomplished and dynamic faculty team and an extraordinary group of fellow participants.
- Enjoy three performances by one of the world’s most critically acclaimed Shakespearean companies in a gorgeous and completely authentic setting.
- Live and work in the Academical Village on the historic Grounds of the University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This interactive and immersive experience is designed for Shakespeare enthusiasts, theater lovers, history buffs, teachers and all who crave a chance to climb inside the creative process. It is built to welcome all those who seek out dynamic travel and learning experiences in which everyone, from faculty to participants to special guests, have the power to both enlighten and be enlightened.
This seminar offers unsurpassed value, rich content, and is part of an educational travel tradition with a long history of exceptional participant satisfaction.
PROGRAM LOCATION
This program will take place on the historic Grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia is the product of the vision and determination of Thomas Jefferson. The core of the University is the Jefferson-designed Academical Village, which reflects three of Jefferson’s strongest interests--education, architecture, and gardening. The Academical Village, with its ranges, terraced lawn, student rooms, faculty pavilions, colonnade walkways and the famed Rotunda, has been proclaimed the most significant architectural achievement of the nation’s first 200 years.
Rich in history, architectural treasures, and natural beauty, Charlottesville is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 120 miles southwest of Washington, DC, and 70 miles west of Richmond. Charlottesville (airport code CHO) has extensive air service provided by US Airways, United Air Lines, Delta Air Lines, and Northwest Airlines.
Ground transportation is provided by Amtrak and Greyhound. The Charlottesville/Albemarle Airport website offers schedules and booking for flights, hotels, and rental cars.
Before you arrive, you will be sent useful program materials and information about the University of Virginia and Charlottesville to help guide you here and prepare for the seminar.
For more information on Charlottesville and Albemarle County, visit the Charlottesville and Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website.
PROGRAM LODGING
During the program you will have the option of staying in the University of Virginia's original Jefferson-designed student rooms on the Lawn or West Range, in Mr. Jefferson's Academical Village. During the academic year, living on the Lawn/Range is a great privilege. Selection is through a scrupulously democratic process that considers the full range of contributions each candidate has made to the University, whether in academics, the arts, athletics, community service, or through positions of leadership. These single occupancy rooms have telephones and are served by centrally located restroom and bath facilities. They are not air-conditioned but there is a fan in each room.
A limited number of air-conditioned dormitory rooms are available in U.Va.'s Brown College at Monroe Hill, which is located very near the center of the University, just a short walk from the Lawn and Rotunda and the program classroom. Most Brown College rooms share a bathroom with one other room.
A block of rooms have also been reserved at a local hotel. Please contact us for more information.
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Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
Program Faculty
Ralph Alan Cohen is the Executive Director and Director of Education at Shenandoah Shakespeare's American Shakespeare Center. He is also Professor of English at the Mary Baldwin College/Shenandoah Shakespeare joint Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance program. He has twice guest edited special teaching issues of Shakespeare Quarterly and has published articles on teaching Shakespeare as well as on Shakespeare, Jonson, and Elizabethan staging.
Ralph has directed over twenty professional productions of Shakespeare's plays, Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, and a student production of Thomas Middleton's Your Five Gallants, which he also edited for Oxford University Press's forthcoming Complete Works of Thomas Middleton. He is a former professor of English at James Madison University. In 2002, he was the project director for the National Endowment for the Humanities-sponsored institute, "Shakespeare's Theatres, Inside and Out," held at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton and Shakespeare's Globe in London.
Ralph has been the Faculty Director of the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies Shakespeare Seminar since 2000.
Colleen Kelly is the Director of Education and Research at the American Shakespeare Center and teaches in the M.Litt./M.F.A. Shakespeare Program at Mary Baldwin College. Previous work with the ASC includes directing the 2006/2007 touring production of Julius Caesar and co-directing the 2002/2003 touring production of The Taming of the Shrew. Colleen has also served as movement coach, dance choreographer, and fight director for several ASC touring and resident productions. Colleen has taught at the University of San Diego/Old Globe Theatre, the University of Virginia, and served as head of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s M.F.A./Professional Actor Training Program. Colleen holds BS and MA degrees from Eastern Michigan University and an M.F.A. from Ohio University. She is a member of Actors’ Equity, a Founding Board Member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, and a past vice-president of the Society of American Fight Directors. Colleen has worked professionally as an actor, director, fight director, and dance choreographer for theatres such as Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, Dallas Theatre Center, The Old Globe, and La Jolla Playhouse. Film credits include dance choreography for Sommersby and fight direction for the PBS series Tell About the South.
Ginny Weckstein is a doctoral candidate in the University of Virginia's English department. Her dissertation looks at a very peculiar kind of early modern stage prop - the actor's body when he is playing a corpse - and proposes a new way of understanding exactly how it was early modern audiences saw when they looked at the stage. Previous to beginning her doctoral studies, she spent a year with Mary Baldwin's Masters program for Shakespeare in performance.
Program Staff
Jim Baker, University of Virginia Shakespeare Seminar Program Sirector and Associate Director of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies University Center.
Joan Gore, Director of Travel Programs at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Cynthia Smith , Program Administrator.
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Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
pricing and Registration
Per Person Program Fee (Reserve Your Spot with a $350 deposit):
• $1,395 in a single Lawn or Range room
• $1,435 in a single, air-conditioned, Brown College room
• $1,250 with no lodging provided
Registration Fee Includes:
• Four nights lodging of your choice.
• Most meals.
• Tickets to three plays at the American Shakespeare Center.
• All internal transportation.
• Program sessions led by expert faculty.
• Sessions with actors at the American Shakespeare Center.
• If you register prior to April 23, 2008, please return the registration form with a $350 per person deposit (or the full fee if you choose). The balance of your program fee is due by April 23, 2008.
• If you register after April 23, 2008, please return the registration form with full program fee.
We encourage early registration as space is limited. If space is available after June 10, a late registration fee may apply.
Printable Registration Form
Register by fax, 434-982-5297, or by telephone, 800-346-3882 or 434-982-5252, using VISA, MasterCard, AmEx or DISCOVER; or by sending us your downloadable form by mail with a check or credit card information to:
Shakespeare Seminar
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400764
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4764
WITHDRAWAL & OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If you withdraw in writing within 14 days of registration you will receive a full refund (if not within final payment date). If you withdraw in writing before April 23, 2008, you will receive a full refund, minus the $350 deposit. In the event withdrawal is necessary after April 23, 2008, there will be no refund but you may substitute another person to attend the program in your place.
There will be no refund for unused portions of the program, including but not limited to, missed meals, lodging nights, and sightseeing.
We highly recommend you purchase travel cancellation insurance (and confirm what it may cover). Useful travel insurance information can be found at www.TripInsuranceStore.com or 888-407-3854. You may also wish to check with your local travel agency for recommended sources.
Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, a registered travel vendor with the state of Virginia and a full-service travel agency, has worked with our participants in the past to guide them through booking appropriate travel insurance to fit their needs, including insuring expenses for the Travel&Learn program itself. They can also book airfare and arrange car rental, rail tickets/passes, hotel bookings and other excursions. If you wish to work with them, contact them at:
Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, 434.977.1415, 1145 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Information about other travel resources including airport safety and security, currency, health care, packing, passports, personal safety, telephoning, and other useful information can be found on our travel resources page.
Important information for Teachers: Many licensed teachers in the state of Virginia use their participation in Travel & Learn programs to earn professional development points applicable to meeting the requirements for the renewal of their teaching license. (http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Compliance/TeacherED/remanual.pdf). Out-of-state teachers may also be able to use their program participation for similar license renewal or professional development requirements and should check with their schools or state policy for requirements. Upon request, we will provide teachers with documentation describing their participation in this program.
For students: Travel & Learn seminars are noncredit adult learning programs. Some students use their participation in our Travel & Learn seminars as a foundation for a research paper in a course or independent study program they have arranged at their home university. Upon request, we will provide documentation describing your participation in this program for you to present to your home school faculty.
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ncluded in the program fee.
