How to Speak Shakespeare

This classroom and theater-tested program teaches amateur and professional actors alike how to understand and effectively communicate the poetry of Shakespeare. Organized around passages from Romeo and Juliet, a simple, three-step process is presented. In the first step, Test Your Understanding, readers learn the value of looking up words in the Oxford English Dictionary and paraphrase passages to ensure that they truly understand the words they are speaking. The second step, Stress for Meaning, presents essential tools for speaking Shakespeare effectively, including iambic pentameter and correct rhythm, and explains how to syncopate for meaning. The final step, Celebrate the Poetry, honors the poetry of Shakespeare through a discussion of the use of punctuation, repeated sounds, and connecting key words and phrases. Exercises bring all the elements of these steps together.

Cal Pritner has chaired theatre departments at Illinois State University and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and served as the founding artistic director of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. He lives in New York City. Louis Colaianni is an associate professor at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and has served on the faculties of the American Conservatory Theatre, Ohio University, and Hunter College, among others. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.